No Mercy (40 page)

S
herry Walker loved to walk along Cedar Beach in Mount Sinai. This snowy day was no exception. She had enjoyed her time off away from the task force. The officer who saved Rachelle Robinson's life and took a knife to her abdomen eighteen months prior was now concentrating on starting a new life. She walked out to the end of the pier, took out her disposable phone, and pushed the buttons. The call was picked up as Sherry said, “It's over, time to move on.”

“OK,” the caller said. “Any last messages for her?”

“Yes,” Sherry said, “tell her . . .” she hesitated for a moment trying to think of the appropriate words. “Tell her, her nightmares should end.” The call ended as she threw the phone in the water.

As she started walking toward the beach with the snowflakes coming down, a figure started walking toward her. She stopped to see the figure of a man approach closer to her. He stopped about ten feet from her and spoke.

“Hell of a day for walking on a pier in Mount Sinai.”

“I guess so,” Sherry answered.

“This is over, right? No more calls, no more killings. Many lives have been lost for the sake of revenge.”

Sherry nodded as she replied, “You're a smart man. No matter what side of the law you are on, revenge has no mercy.” Both of them stood still and did not move as Sherry spoke again.

“Why did you kill Lawrence Stone in the parking lot? I left him alive for the cops to pick up.”

“I was asked to help clean up the dirt surrounding this case. I did it for Madison. It's the same reason I got rid of Tangretti and Branca in the Keys. Madison has her revenge. and so do you”

Sherry nodded. “I guess we all got our revenge. How did you find them?”

“Oh,” the man answered, “like you, it's amazing the connections I have in my job. You found Caulfield at the mall, saved Lynagh at Sherman's house, and took good care of business at the garage, so we make a good team.” He laughed. “And you,” he continued, “are right, there is no mercy when it comes to retribution. They were shown none, and I did as you asked with the calling card. It had
No mercy
on it.” He took another breath as the conversation continued. “Why the use of the mask, Sherry? This could have been done without leaving calling cards that could gain national attention.”

She put her hands in her pocket to warm them up as she replied, “I wanted to be sure both sides of the law knew there was a connection to the Face of Fear investigation. I knew it would raise the stakes and keep Tangretti, Branca, and that asshole O'Connor a little more stressed. I'm sure O'Connor is enjoying his Christmas present right now.”

The man smiled as she continued, “His men tried to take my life and took the lives of people I cared about. I knew Powers and Johnson couldn't go outside the law. I wasn't going to see them go down without my help.”

The man nodded before speaking again and moved a step closer. “Now for the big question. You know Cronin; he won't stop. The case may be over, but the killings of Caulfield and Talison in the mall parking lot and that other asshole Stone won't just go away by themselves. Cronin, as well as Powers and Johnson, know about the mask, and it wasn't cops who killed them. The bodies of Tangretti and Branca have been eaten by sharks, so that's not a problem.”

Sherry smiled as she spoke. “Did you notice there has been nothing in the media about Ghost Face being involved in this case?

I have a feeling it's going to stay that way, and as long as this is over, I don't think Cronin will be spending tax dollars on a calling card left at the scene. Call it woman's intuition.”

“Well,” the man said, “I guess we are done here. You and I will never meet again.”

“I hope not,” Sherry answered. “It would not be wise. It's time to concentrate on a life.”

“So,” the man answered as he waved, “Merry Christmas.”

“Same to you,” Sherry answered.

The man turned around and started walking away to where she could barely see him when he turned around and gave Sherry one last nod before turning back toward his vehicle.
You’re lucky I’m married, you delicious-looking man
, she said in her thoughts.

As his car pulled away, John Bay made a phone call. “It's over,” he said, “Merry Christmas.”

“Thank you,” came the reply, and there was a click. Al Simmons put the phone down and went over to pour himself a drink. He raised his glass in the air and said, “Here's to you, Madison.”

B
ud was walking up Main Street holding hands with Deborah as the light snow continued to fall. She thought he looked so adorable in his knit hat. “I'm sorry,” she said. “I will come back later and see you. I want to spend Christmas Eve with you, but my Dad, it's uncomfortable.”

“No worries,” Bud said, “as long as you have dinner with Rachelle, Paul, and I for Christmas. It's fine, Deborah. Really, it's OK.”

“Thank you for understanding,” she answered. He kissed her on the lips and told her he would see her later. She started to get in her car as she watched Bud walk up Main Street. She looked at him as he kneeled down to a man who was sitting down on the park bench between Elements retail store and the Salsa Salsa Eatery. She waited in front of Spy Coast Bar as she saw him continue to talk to the man, who had his arms folded across his body to keep warm. She moved away from her car and took a few extra steps to get a closer look at what was going on. Bud put his hands on the man, then took off his snow hat and put it on his head. He then took off his gloves and put them on the man's hands. Deborah took out her phone and pushed the buttons to make a call.

“Dad,” she said, “I hope you're not upset with me, but I really need to be with Bud tonight. I love him and don't want him to be alone. Will you be OK with your friends?”

“I'll be fine, sweetheart. Merry Christmas, my love,” her father replied.

“Thanks, Dad. I love you.”

“Deborah,” her dad replied, “I want you to know how proud I am of you, and I know your mom would be proud as well.”

It was rare for her father to bring up her mom, she thought, as he continued to speak.

“Your mom knew that the name Deborah came from a woman who was a prophetess of the god of the Israelites and was the only female judge mentioned in the Bible.” Deborah tried to push the phone closer to her ear as her father continued to speak. “She was a strong person, a warrior and ‘The Song of Deborah' is considered the earliest sample of Hebrew poetry from the twelfth century.”

Deborah looked back at Bud walking up Main Street as she replied, “Dad, is everything OK?”

William Lance let out a small laugh to reassure his daughter before he spoke again. “I'm fine, honey. I just wanted you to know that your mom demanded you were named Deborah because the only female judge from the Bible was a strong, independent woman, and I think your mother would be so proud of you. Life gets in the way, and now I think it is appropriate that you know.”

“Dad,” Deborah replied, trying to keep her emotions in check. “I love you, and thank you for telling me. I'll see you tomorrow.” She kissed the phone and pushed the
end
button. William Lance wiped the tear from his eye as he walked past the giant Christmas tree to his office.

Deborah walked as fast as she could in the snow as she yelled for Bud to wait up for her. He turned around and had a look of concern on his face when she walked up to him and gave him a hug.

“What's wrong?” he asked.

“Nothing,” she answered, “everything is right. I'm staying with you tonight,” and she kissed him.

He looked at her. “You are my Christmas present?”

She smiled and answered, “Your Christmas past, present, and future, Bud. You have always been there for me since the day I met you.” He kissed her again as they started walking toward South Street to the Henry Hallock house.

Bud turned his head as he put his arm around Deborah and saw Lindsey across the street looking at them with a warm smile on her face. She looked so beautiful under the streetlight that shined brightly on her. He nodded to her as he kissed Deborah, looked back again at the young girl, and noticed that there was no streetlight at all yet there was light on Lindsey. Bud felt a warmth throughout his body as he turned his attention back to Deborah. The beautifully decorated village normally played Christmas music from the Pie restaurant, but now at this moment it played a Christian song titled “Me, Without You,” by Toby Mac.

Lindsey took her phone out of her pocketbook and sent Bud a text,
Merry Christmas Bud. May God bless you
. She was still looking at them through the falling snow as her phone made the sound when she received a text.

“Lindsey! What are you doing? Let's go home,” Sharyn Wilkerson said.

“Yes, Mother,” Lindsey answered. As they got in the car she looked at her text message. The young girl let out a long sigh, closed her eyes, looked up in the sky, and said, “He knows, Dear Lord.” She smiled as she looked at the text again. It said,
Merry Christmas to you as well, my sweet guardian angel.

JANUARY 18

A
s Kevin Cronin sat in the Mount Sinai diner waiting to meet a potential witness, his thoughts drifted to what occurred during the past few weeks and where everyone was. William Lance, as promised, turned himself in with his high-powered attorney claiming self-defense. Based on the nature of the crime he was released on bail after surrendering his passport. William Lance had gone before a grand jury satisfying them on his justification of the use of force. Deborah Lance took a leave of absence from the school and stayed by her father's side each time he appeared with his attorney. Her initial reaction was shock when he spoke to her, but after a long cry and hug she became strong with the help of Rachelle and Bud.

Bud still had not returned to the task force but he informed Powers that his doctor at the rehabilitation center gave a date of March 1 for his return. He was never hurting for company, so he was never lonely. Even when he was alone at the Henry Hallock house he would hear voices downstairs, so he would just say, “Please, Grandma, let me sleep.”

Cronin smiled as he continued down the list in his thoughts. Justin Healey would meet up with Bud and became a fan of the Pie and its owner, Kristen Pace. As Bud predicted, the young officer developed a crush on her. While she was older than him, you would never know it from the way she kept herself in shape. They became a couple and Cronin noticed the maturity in him since dating her. Bud would sometimes tease her and bring in a microphone to read the news like she was on Fox News. She always took it in stride, and Justin loved the way she laughed. Even the staff created a hot and spicy pizza called the Foxy Pie.

Rachelle continued her studies at Empire State College and knew there was a book in her future as well as a life with Paul Powers. Cronin's smile disappeared as his thoughts turned to Officers Blair and Lawrence from East Hampton. Lawrence's involvement with Branca and in the attempted murder of police officers landed him in the Nassau County Correctional Facility with no bail. It was ADA John Ashley who made arrangements for Lawrence to be placed there instead of the Suffolk County Correctional Center. The ADA felt strongly that Lawrence would not survive being in a facility run by the Suffolk Sheriff Department after shooting at Suffolk cops. The move most likely saved his life. Regardless, he was placed on suicide watch and was in Enforcement Protective Custody at the jail. Officer Blair was arraigned at his beside in the hospital and had bail posted. Still, Ashley had a police escort at the hospital to be sure he wasn't eliminated. Cronin's relationship with Ashley continued to be of utmost respect for each other, yet when there were disagreements there was no backing off from each other. Cronin knew they complemented each other more than ever. If actual details of what went down and the protocol utilized to solve the case went public, it would most likely be career ending for both of them. The Detective Lieutenant knew in his heart he did the right thing regardless of the outcome and it was important to him that good won over evil.

His thoughts were interrupted when the teenage boy came into the Mount Sinai diner with his mother and saw the man raise his arm. Tanya Fillmore and her son Jeremy walked to the booth as Kevin Cronin asked them to sit down.

“Thanks for coming,” he said.

“We didn't have much choice from the way you made it sound,” Tanya responded.

Cronin tightened his lips to her remark as he looked at the boy. “You are a tough young man to find.”

Jeremy looked at his mom and did not speak.

“On October 9 of last year you are on video taking money from someone in a car and speaking into a phone. Please tell me what that was about,” Cronin said.

The mother spoke with her hand out to be sure Jeremy was quiet until it was OK with her. Her voice had a sound that appeared to be regretful that she came.

“Mr. Cronin, you told us . . .” she could not finish the sentence, for the man interrupted her.

“It's Detective,” he said with a smile. “Detective Lieutenant, actually.”

Tanya stared at him in almost disbelief as she started again.

“Detective Lieutenant,” she said and hesitated for him to acknowledge it. “You told me if Jeremy came here and tried to help you that you would leave him completely out of it. No matter what the fallout. I have your word on this?”

The detective tilted his head and looked out the window at the cars driving by on Nesconset Highway. He looked back at Tanya Fillmore and spoke.

“Ma'am, I always keep my promises. Just know that.”

The mother looked at her son and nodded that it was OK to speak.

Jeremy said, “The car drove up and she called me over and offered me $100 to make a call for her disguising my voice.”

“Do you still have the money?” Cronin asked.

His mother laughed. “You would have been too late if you asked the next day, Detective. You don't have teenagers, do you?”

Cronin ignored her comment as the boy told him the money was spent within a couple days.

“I'm going to show you photographs. I want you to point to the photo if any of them are the person that gave you the money.” He laid out six photos on the table as Jeremy looked over at the photos for what appeared to be a long time. Cronin almost expected the boy to point to Sherry Walker's photo, but he did not.

“It's none of these photos,” he said.

Cronin pushed the photos closer to the boy as he touched Sherry Walker's photo.

“No,” the boy said. “The woman who gave me the money was white.”

There were few times when the detective was surprised, and this was one of them.

“Anything else?” Tanya Fillmore asked.

“No, no thank you for your time,” he answered with a tone of disappointment. The mother and her son left the booth without saying good-bye as Cronin sipped his coffee with his mind filled with thoughts.

He shook his head as he continued to think about the car and who was behind the mystery killings. He looked at his phone, picked it up, and sent a text to ADA John Ashley.
Let’s get a list of everyone who has visited Madison Robinson from October until now.
He grabbed the photos to put them back in his briefcase and looked at Sherry Walker's photo. He was nodding at her image and almost grinned when he closed the case on the photographs.