Web of Justice (9 page)

That meant Wilde could very well strike again, and she had tasked herself with finding out who and why. But with little to go on, she was getting nowhere.

It appeared she wasn’t going to get the much-needed rest she yearned for anytime soon.

She closed the file folder, pushed it aside, and leaned back in her chair when Jake stepped into the office. Clad in a towel around his waist, his rippling muscles glistened with sweat from his intensive daily workout. He polished off a bottle of water, let out a loud satisfied breath, and grinned at her.

“You were up early,” he said.

“Couldn’t sleep,” Annie said. “Too much on my mind.”

Jake nodded with understanding. “We’ll find him,” he said as he turned to leave the office. “I’ll take a shower and we’ll get back at it as soon as Matty’s off to school.”

Annie heard her son already rustling around in the kitchen. She’d have to put her thoughts aside until after breakfast and tend to her boys. Though they were capable of taking care of themselves, and often did, she loved to pamper them.

She rose from her chair and went into the kitchen. Matty sat at the table, beeps, chimes, and ringing sounds coming from an iPad gripped in one hand, his eyes glued to the screen.

Annie pulled back a chair, sat sideways, and watched the expression on his face change with each triumph. Then his shoulders slumped as the universal sound of “Game Over” came from the iPad.

“What’s up, Mom?” he said, setting the tablet down and turning toward his mother.

She smiled. “Nothing.”

“Why’re you staring at me like that?”

“Because I love you.”

He frowned. “That doesn’t even make sense.”

Annie laughed and stood. “Someday it will.”

Matty wandered from the room and Annie turned to making breakfast. As the bacon sizzled in the pan, she thought about Izzy Wilde and his brother Carter. It was clear that Izzy had attempted to visit the apartment building where Carter lived. Whether or not the two brothers had met in the last couple of days was unknown, but with no one else to turn to, and with his home under police control, Izzy might’ve been looking to his brother for some refuge.

Annie laid the finished bacon on paper towels and broke some eggs into the pan. Jake wandered into the room, Matty trudging behind. The boy dropped his backpack beside the fridge and sat opposite his father.

“I’ve been thinking about Izzy,” Annie said as she flipped the eggs. “And I don’t think he’ll return to his brother’s.”

“Maybe not,” Jake said. “I don’t know how bright he is, but it should be obvious the police’ll be watching Carter closely.”

Matty leaned forward and picked up his fork when his mother set a plate in front of him. “Is this another bad guy you’re trying to catch?”

Annie brought two more plates, sat at the end of the table, and pulled in her chair. “There’s no shortage of bad guys.”

“Is he a killer?”

Annie sighed. “Unfortunately, yes.”

“You and Uncle Hank’ll get him,” Matty said matter-of-factly. “You guys are good at that.”

“I hope so,” Annie said. She prayed Matty was right, and that Izzy would be caught sooner rather than later.

When they finished their breakfast, a tapping sounded on the back door.

“It’s Kyle,” Matty said. Kyle was Matty’s best friend, the eight-year-old son of Annie’s friend Chrissy, who lived next door to the Lincolns.

Matty pushed back from the table, ran to the door, and pulled it open. “Hey, Kyle.”

Kyle stepped inside and sported a wide grin, his backpack over his shoulder. “Hi, Mrs. Lincoln. Hi, Mr. Lincoln,” he said and followed Matty from the kitchen without waiting for an answer. The boys would be leaving for school in a few minutes, and they would walk the two blocks.

Jake stood and gathered up the dishes, setting them in the sink. He sat back down and leaned forward, resting his arms on the table. “What’s on the agenda for today?”

“I’d like to drop by and see Hank later this morning,” Annie said. “Between the three of us, we might be able to come up with something.”

~*~

HANK PUSHED his plate aside, leaned forward at the table, and looked at Amelia. He hadn’t seen much of her lately, and this early-morning breakfast at a nearby cafe might be all the time he could manage to spend with his uncomplaining girlfriend for a few days. His hectic schedule was crazy enough, but with a killer on the loose, his free hours were going to be at a minimum for an unknown period of time.

Amelia dabbed at her lips with a napkin, folded it with care, and laid it on her plate. “Thank you for breakfast, Hank.”

Hank grinned, reached across the table, and smothered her small hand with his. “My pleasure. I only wish we had more time.”

“More time would be nice,” she said in her usual sweet, soft voice. “But the first time I met you, I knew you were dedicated to your job.” She placed her other hand on his and gave him an understanding smile. “I knew what I was getting into.” She laughed a quiet, wonderful little laugh. “If I was a teenager, I might be jealous of your work.”

Hank sat back and sighed lightly. He was nuts over this woman. Though he’d only known her a short time, he could see himself spending the rest of his life with her. He was pretty sure she felt the same, and one of these days, he was going to pop the question. Just when, he wasn’t sure, but he knew that coming home to her, even though their time together might be sketchy, would be a lot better than going home to an empty apartment.

Hank glanced at his watch and wondered where all the time had gone. He had to be at work soon. “We’d better go,” he said with regret, signaling the waitress for the bill.

A bubbly young girl approached the table, a wide smile on her pretty face. “There you go, Detective,” she said, setting the bill down. She smiled at Amelia and said, “Nice to see you again,” and went to take care of another customer.

Hank dropped some bills on the table, leaving a nice tip, and followed Amelia to his vehicle. He creaked open the passenger door for her, closed it with care, then got in the driver side.

He drove the few blocks to Amelia’s near-mansion, pulled into the driveway behind her Mercedes, and was reminded how much he loved her even more for not noticing the wreck he drove.

After walking her to the door and giving her an extended goodbye kiss, he drove for work, forcing himself to turn his mind to the job at hand. He had to catch a killer.

When he arrived at the precinct, he was surprised to see Detective King’s car parked in the lot. That was unusual. His partner usually wandered in sometime after nine.

Hank went into the precinct and headed for his desk. Callaway eyed him as he approached, and the young whiz came over, waving a sheet of paper. “Got a hit on Wilde’s car. Turns out it was bought for cash yesterday through an online ad site.”

Hank sat, pulled in his chair, and took the paper from Callaway. He gave it a brief glance. “The ownership papers weren’t even changed over.”

“Guess he didn’t have time.”

“Or didn’t bother, knowing he was a wanted man.” Hank set the printout down on the side of his desk. “Thanks, Callaway.”

Callaway grunted and left.

Hank would get King to pay a visit to the prior owner of the car, though he didn’t expect it would help much. They already knew who was in possession of the vehicle. Not that Hank doubted Jake had correctly identified Izzy Wilde as the driver, but Hank liked to be thorough. Sometimes valuable leads came from the most improbable sources.

Detective King wandered over, tossed a file folder onto Hank’s desk, and dropped into the guest chair.

Hank flipped the folder open. “What’s this?”

King cocked a foot on the corner of Hank’s desk, tilted his head back, and drained his coffee cup. He belched once, set the cup down, and squinted at Hank.

“Pretty sure it’s related. An attempted kidnapping late last night.”

Hank scanned the police report taken by an officer in the wee hours of the morning. Seventeen-year-old Lindy Metz had been found lying unconscious on the sidewalk of a poorly lit side street. The passerby had called 9-1-1, and an ambulance had taken Lindy to the hospital. An officer had interviewed her shortly thereafter, then she had been released, and the young woman’s parents had taken her home.

King motioned toward the folder. “Take a look at the photo. She looks a lot like Olivia Bragg. I think it’s the same guy.”

“Then why’d he let her go?”

“There’s another report there,” King said, pointing. “The guy who found her said he saw a car taking off in an almighty hurry. I think our Good Samaritan came along just in time to scare off the perp.”

Hank leafed through the papers. “Give me a few minutes to study this, then we’ll pay them both a visit.”

Chapter 15

Wednesday, 10:49 a.m.

ANNIE HAD GIVEN Hank a call on his cell phone a little earlier. The cop was in the middle of an interview, but he fully expected to be back at his desk by 10:30.

She’d also taken a call from her mother, and for once she’d been happy to say she would be extremely busy all day and would have no time for a visit. Annie would sooner put in long hours, even a day of drudgery, than spend more than a few minutes with her overbearing mother.

Jake was ready to go, and they took the Firebird, arriving at the precinct in near record time. Jake parked the car in a guest spot, and he and Annie got out and went inside. Captain Diego spied them from his office and beckoned them over.

Jake poked his head inside the doorway. “Morning, Captain.”

Diego sat back and crossed his arms above his rounded belly. “You two find out anything?”

Annie stood in the doorway. “Not yet, but we’re working on it.”

Diego gave her a quizzical look. “And you plan to share anything you find with us, is that right?”

Annie laughed. “Don’t we always?”

“That’s not an answer,” Diego said with a hint of a frown.

“Don’t worry, Captain, we want this guy as bad as you do,” Jake said.

“That’s still not an answer.”

Jake laughed, loud and long. “Of course we’ll share. And one of these days you’re gonna have to put us on your payroll.”

Diego narrowed his eyes and stared at Jake. Annie couldn’t tell if he was giving Jake’s comment some serious thought or trying to ascertain whether or not Jake was serious. Finally, the captain cleared his throat and said, “If I didn’t like you two so much, you wouldn’t even be here now.” He picked up his pen and dismissed them with a wave. “Be careful.”

“Always,” Annie said as she and Jake turned away. She glanced toward Hank’s desk. The cop was watching them, and she was sure that even from twenty feet away, she saw a twinkle in his eye.

“Diego giving you a hard time?” he asked as they approached his desk.

Annie sat in the only vacant chair across from Hank. Jake pulled up another one from a nearby desk and eased into it.

“He’s reminding us how lucky we are to be here,” Annie said.

Hank looked toward the captain’s office. “He’s okay. Talks tougher than he sounds. He knows we’re short-staffed here most of the time, and he’s more concerned with results than with who gets those results.”

Annie got down to business. “Hank, what’s this you were telling me about another kidnapping?”

Hank flipped a folder around and slid it across the desk toward Annie. “The victim’s name is Lindy Metz. And she IDed the photo of Izzy Wilde as her would-be abductor. He nearly got away with it, too.”

Annie picked up the folder and flipped it open, filled with a sudden surge of anger as she peered at a photo of a young girl. She was relieved the girl was safe, though no doubt she had undergone a traumatic experience.

“It sure looks like he has a type,” she said, studying the picture. “Both victims have long black hair.”

“And dark brown eyes,” Hank added. He slipped a photo from a folder, turned it around, and held it up. “Just like Izzy Wilde’s mother.”

Jake whistled. “He must’ve really hated her. He’s trying to kill his mother over and over again.”

“Any other connection between the victims?” Annie asked.

Hank shook his head. “Not that I could find. Both seem to have been targeted because of their appearance, but other than that, I think they happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

“And they have no obvious connection to Wilde?” Annie asked.

“Nope. King and I talked to Lindy and her parents. They claim they don’t know him.”

“What about the witness?” Jake asked. “Did he have anything useful for you?”

“Not that I can see,” Hank said. “I’ll go over his statement again, but he didn’t get a close look at the vehicle.”

“I expect Wilde will ditch the car anyway,” Jake said. “Like he did with the last one. He’s not gonna take any chances.”

“Probably,” Hank said. “But on the other hand, he doesn’t seem to be planning his actions all that carefully. And that’s good. It means he’s gonna slip up sooner or later.”

“Like visiting his brother’s place,” Annie said. “Any thinking person should’ve known his brother would be under surveillance.”

Hank looked at Jake. “He must’ve been familiar with you. Known who you are. Otherwise, why else would he run when he saw you?”

“We
have
made a few headlines lately,” Annie said. “We’re not exactly as anonymous as we used to be.”

“The main question is, why would he be visiting his brother?” Hank said. “It didn’t seem prearranged. Carter Wilde wasn’t home at the time. Hadn’t been there all afternoon, and he didn’t get home till later in the evening. I checked his story to be sure. He was attending some meetings related to his position as superintendent. It’s solid.”

“Izzy probably expected his brother was home,” Jake said with a shrug. “Maybe dropped by in case. Likely had nowhere else to go. His house was overrun with cops.”

“That means he’s either desperate,” Annie said, “or clueless about what to do next.” She set the folder on the desk and leaned back. “Or both.”

Jake pursed his lips in thought. “He must’ve had someplace lined up. He tried to kidnap another girl. He had to take her somewhere.”