No One Left to Tell (25 page)

He dragged a chair from the dining room as Paige settled in the easy chair, her dog at her side. She was scared but she was otherwise sharp, her eyes alert.

‘Grayson gave the other detectives a physical description of the shooter,’ Paige said. ‘Is it possible to get video or audio on file for the officers that match the height and weight? He can see if any of the voices match the one he heard tonight.’

Stevie grimaced. ‘I honestly don’t know. IA has their ways, but . . .’

‘But it violates a whole hell of a lot of civil rights,’ Grayson finished.

‘So? He’s shooting people for fun and profit. He should have no civil rights.’

‘I agree with you,’ Stevie said. ‘Unfortunately, cop or not, he does have rights. I don’t want some judge throwing out evidence because we overstepped the line. When I catch this guy, cop or no cop, I want it to stick.’

‘We have more than one man to catch,’ Grayson said. ‘Tonight’s shooter probably killed Elena, but he wasn’t the man paying off Sandoval in the photo. If Sandoval was five-ten, the man in the photo was six feet, but slim. This intruder was my height.’

‘You’re six-two?’ Stevie asked.

‘Yes. But the guy who attacked Paige was taller than me. Six-four at least.’

‘So we have three, maybe four men,’ Stevie said. ‘This intruder, Paige’s garage attacker, and the guy who made the payoff to Sandoval. If tonight’s intruder didn’t kill Elena, her killer would be the fourth.’

‘This intruder took a big risk, breaking into a fourth-floor apartment,’ Grayson said. ‘Why would he want the video that much? It was all over Radcliffe’s station website.’

‘Not all of it,’ Paige said. ‘I watched it several times this morning. There’s a portion cut out. I tried to stop Elena’s bleeding for two minutes, but that wasn’t in the video. It was cut and spliced. There were missing minutes of tape on the version on the news.’

‘Oh great,’ Stevie muttered. ‘Shades of Watergate.’

‘Logan said Radcliffe took his computer for a day so that he couldn’t send the file anywhere else,’ Grayson said. ‘Radcliffe wanted to keep it exclusive for twenty-four hours. Radcliffe would know what was on the tape. We need to talk to him.’

Stevie pointed to the window. ‘You don’t have to go far to find him. He’s outside.’

Grayson jumped up and peered through the blinds. ‘When did he get here?’

‘He was setting up when I got here,’ Stevie said.

Paige didn’t move from her chair, but the hand that rested on the dog began stroking his neck. She’d done the same thing in the car.

‘Radcliffe seems to have an uncanny ability to show up at opportune moments,’ she said mildly, but there was strain beneath her words.

‘This one is a little different than his filming your attack this afternoon,’ Stevie said. ‘It went out over the police radio. If he has a scanner, he’d know.’

Grayson turned from the window. ‘I want to know why he was in that garage. And why he thought it was okay to not call 911. I’d like to charge his ass.’

‘He was at the courthouse, filming you after the verdict today,’ Stevie said. ‘It was on the news at five. I assumed he followed you both to the garage and just got lucky, but I’ll double-check. I’d like to know what the connection is between Radcliffe and Logan. How did the kid know to call him in the first place?’

‘Logan’s done some citizen journalism,’ Paige said. ‘He started working for his school newspaper and one day filmed a fight at school. It went viral. Radcliffe contacted him, said if he got more stories like that he’d get him legit time on the news.’

‘How do you know this?’ Stevie asked.

‘Logan told me so when I first moved in. He wanted to do a story on me. He’d Googled me and knew what happened last summer. I told him no, but he filmed me anyway, without my permission. I caught him doing it and I lost it.’

‘How was he filming you?’ Stevie frowned. ‘Through your window?’

‘No. I was walking Peabody, who caught him hiding in the bushes.’ She patted the dog’s neck. ‘Logan nearly wet himself.’

‘Good dog,’ Stevie murmured.

‘He was waiting for me on the front stoop a few days later. He said that if he had a story like mine, he’d be able to impress this reporter, Radcliffe. That Radcliffe was always looking for stories. I told him I didn’t care, that he should find another story or I’d tell his mom. I thought it worked. I didn’t catch him filming again, until yesterday morning.’

Paige closed her eyes. ‘I was banging on the ceiling when he was being attacked. I probably woke them with my screaming every night and he never said a word. He’s hurt and his mom’s dead because he had a fixation on me.’

Grayson brushed the hair from Paige’s face in a gesture so tender it had Stevie feeling like a voyeur. ‘He was filming you yesterday without your permission,’ he murmured. ‘That was stalking, honey. None of it was your fault.’

‘I know,’ she said miserably. ‘So why do I feel so damn bad?’

‘Because you’re human,’ Stevie said. ‘Look, the kid didn’t deserve what happened to him, but he’s not an innocent bystander in all this.’

‘Thanks,’ Paige said, her smile strained. ‘We need the uncut version of that video.’

‘That’s not going to be easy,’ Grayson said. ‘I can’t see Radcliffe giving it up without a court order.’

‘Morton and Bashears were trying to get a warrant today, but then they found Sandoval’s body and the suicide-confession note and let it slide.’ Stevie stood up. ‘Grayson, I recommend you sleep before the meeting with the commander in a few hours. You might remember more about the shooter once your brain’s had a chance to rest. We’ll talk with IA and figure out what can be done. If we’ve got a bad cop, we need all hands on deck to stop him. I’ll ask Radcliffe on my way out about the tape. The worst he can do is say no.’

‘Thanks, Stevie. I really appreciate this.’

‘I guess I owe you for all the warrants over the years,’ she said with a tired smile.

Stevie had her hand on the doorknob when Paige spoke again. ‘Detective, what about Delgado? Have you found his wife and daughter?’

‘No. We’ve got a BOLO out. If I was her and had a child to protect, I’d be hiding.’ Stevie hesitated, then decided Paige needed to know. ‘We found the gun that killed Delgado. It was in a dumpster behind the Muñoz house. We rounded up the Muñoz brothers and took them in to interview.’

Paige pursed her lips hard. ‘Somebody wanted it to look like the brothers did it.’

‘My partner and I knew we were supposed to think it was amateurish the minute we saw the scene, even before I’d heard your story. I had to pull strings to keep the case and I didn’t want anyone to accuse me of not following every lead.’

‘Morton and Bashears,’ Paige said.

‘Maybe. That you discovered Jorge’s body so soon after he was shot helped. The Muñoz brothers have an alibi. They were at church and their priest confirmed it.’

‘Good,’ she said fervently. ‘That poor family. Poor Ramon. He’s got to feel so helpless, stuck in prison while his family suffers. I really need to see him. To tell him not to give up. To tell him that Elena really loved him, up till the end.’

‘Not yet,’ Grayson said sympathetically. ‘We need whoever’s behind this to believe we don’t know what’s going on. We need them to get cocky and make a mistake, not to hide from us. If Ramon knows, he could let on, even if he never says a word.’

‘It could put his life in danger,’ Stevie added. ‘We need to know who’s involved in all this before we tell him, okay?’

Paige sighed. ‘Okay. I guess.’

‘As soon as it’s safe I’ll take you to him,’ Grayson said. ‘I promise.’

Grayson’s promise seemed to make the difference. Paige nodded. ‘Thank you.’

‘We’ll get to the bottom of all this,’ Stevie said. ‘You try to get some sleep.’

Chapter Ten

Wednesday, April 6, 4.15
A.M
.

S
ilas drove away from his house, leaving the Toyota and his van parked in the garage. This vehicle was safe, clean of any tracking devices. Silas had taken it apart himself. Just in case a day like today arrived.

He’d stored the car under an identity he’d been building for years. It was his escape plan, and Silas had attended to every detail. Except how he’d tell his wife the truth. She sat at his side, silent because he’d asked her to be. But soon he’d have to tell.

Violet slept in the back seat, clutching her tattered doll, the only possession he’d allowed them to take and only because his wife had insisted. Violet couldn’t sleep without the doll. An hysterical child was the one thing he did not need.

Their house would remain as it had been. Nobody would know they’d gone.

Ironically, Jorge Delgado’s wife and child had done the same exact thing. If karma was real, Silas would end up the same way as Jorge.

But my child will live
. He wished the same for Jorge’s daughter. But that was for Mrs Delgado to deal with. He had his own problems.

All of my own making
. Which didn’t matter. All that mattered was getting away.

Because he’d lost it tonight. Panicked. He’d shot dozens of people in his life. Why had he so completely lost it?

It had happened so fast. He had a gun to the kid’s head to scare him.
Just to scare him
. But the kid kept saying the computer wasn’t there. He kept lying. Then the mother staggered out of her room, reeking of whisky and waving a goddamn pistol.

She’d shot her own son by mistake, then raised the gun to fire . . .
at me
.

The shot he’d fired had been simple reflex.
I should have left the kid there. I should have run
. A few seconds faster and he would have avoided Grayson Smith entirely.

And that’s where it all fell apart
. That’s where his problems had started. The counselor had been armed. And Silas knew the man could shoot. They’d been to the range together.
I should have shot him
.

Smith hadn’t recognized him, but Silas knew he would figure it out. It was just a matter of time before the cops he’d served with for so long came to his own door. Silas needed to hide his wife and child before that happened. He couldn’t protect them once he was locked in a prison cell.

‘I gave her Benadryl like you said. She’ll sleep for hours,’ his wife whispered.

‘She needs to sleep for at least eight hours. If she wakes up, give her more.’

‘Why eight hours?’ she asked fearfully.

‘Seven hours to Buffalo. I need her to sleep until we cross the bridge into Canada.’

‘
Canada?
Why are we running away like thieves in the night?’

‘Because that’s what I am. Among other things.’ Things he didn’t want her to know.

‘What happens when we get to Canada?’

‘I have money put away there.’ A hideout of sorts. ‘You’ll need to stay there.’

‘And you?’

Silas would return to Baltimore. He could hide from the cops, but his employer would track him like the dog he was. Killing the man who owned his soul was the only way to keep his family safe. ‘I have some business to finish. Then I’ll join you for good.’

‘What about our house? Our friends? Violet’s school? Silas, what have you done?’

‘What I had to do.’

She stifled her sobs. ‘This is about Cherri, isn’t it?’

He’d always known he’d married a smart woman. ‘Yes.’

‘I’m scared, Silas.’

A very smart woman indeed. ‘So am I.’

Wednesday, April 6, 4.45
A.M
.

Grayson closed the door when Stevie left, locking the three deadbolts. He wished he could make this whole day go away. But then he never would have met Paige, and he found he wasn’t quite selfless enough to wish that.

She sat, hand on the dog’s neck, looking spent. Grayson tugged her to her feet and into his arms. She rested her head against his shoulder and some of his tension ebbed.

‘When you ran after that man, I was so scared. You could have been killed, too.’

‘I chased him after he let Logan go,’ Grayson confessed and felt her stiffen. ‘He shot wide, warned me to stop. He could have gotten me then.’

‘But he didn’t.’ She said it as if trying to reassure herself.

‘No, he didn’t. And trying to remember where I know him from is making me crazy.’

‘Grayson . . . was he Morton’s partner? Her old one, the one before Bashears and Skinner? The one that retired. Detective Gillespie.’

‘Gilly?’ He tried to think back. ‘No, it didn’t sound like Gilly.’

‘You’re sure? He had access to Ramon’s keys. He and Morton were primary.’

‘Sure as I can be without talking to him again.’

‘I could look up his phone number. You could call his house. This early we’d probably catch them asleep. We’d wake them, but at least they wouldn’t have left for work yet. And then you’d know for sure if you can eliminate him or not.’

‘Cops and their wives are used to being woken in the night,’ he said. ‘Do it.’ It took her only minutes to find Gilly’s phone number. Grayson dialed using her disposable cell, hoping he’d hear the voice over the pulse pounding in his head.

‘Hello!’ It was an older woman’s voice on their answering machine. ‘Gilly and I aren’t here right now ‘cause we’re doin’ something cooler than you are. If we want your call, you’ve got our cell. Otherwise, leave a message. We might just answer it.’

Grayson waited till the beep, hoping someone would pick up but no one did. He hung up. ‘Gilly’s wife on voicemail,’ he told Paige. ‘I’ll have to rely on IA to bring him in so that I can hear him. Come. Let’s get you back to bed so I can get some sleep, too.’

His arm around her, he walked her to her bedroom and checked the windows. ‘They’re locked.’ He turned down the blanket. ‘Now get in.’

Her smile was wobbly as she got into bed. ‘Nobody’s tucked me in for a long time.’

He kissed her mouth softly. ‘Sleep.’ Walking away was hard to do, but he managed it. At the door he turned to find her sitting up, looking troubled. ‘What is it, honey?’