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“Sorry. I had a late night after a long discussion with the judge.”
“Did you get the warrant?”
“He refused.” There had to be a significant reason why. I hadn’t thought in my foray straight into insanity to ask Diego about his passenger list. It was another reason for me to take him up on the tour.
“Huh. Well, we have other things to worry about. A hunter found a body in the woods. I’ve already contacted the medical examiner’s office. Her team is here. They’re about ready to take the body back to the morgue.”
“Where’s here?”
He described the location, a remote area where a lot of hunters tracked deer. “How did he die?”
“I’m honestly not certain. There are no bullet wounds, but the guy was roughed up pretty damn badly before he died.”
My thoughts drifted to Diego’s bloodied knuckles.
“Any idea the identity of the victim?’
“No ID but you won’t believe what I did find.”
“The same tattoo.” My thoughts drifted back to what Diego had told me. A kamikaze and secretive group. That sounded like something out of a Tom Clancy novel, not real life, but I had to buy it was plausible. It seemed as if Diego hadn’t lied to me. Or maybe everything out of his mouth had been one big fat lie.
“You guessed it.”
Shit. I didn’t like where this was going. Two deaths could provide a wave of hysteria, which is not what I needed. “Did Desposito arrive in town?”
“Not yet.”
“See if you can find out if he made his flight.” Although I doubted the guy was flying coach.
“I’ll see what I can come up with. Are you coming to the forest?”
“No. You and Steven handle the crime scene. I’ll head straight to the morgue.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
I rolled my eyes. He knew exactly how I hated being called ma’am. It made me feel old. Very old. I glanced at the counter, noticing the bloodstained towel. Maybe I needed to ascertain exactly what I was dealing with regarding Diego before I destroyed my career.
The day was still rainy and cool, the weather front expected to last for another couple of days. I hated the damp, the chilly temperatures keeping an icy hold on my muscles. Or maybe I couldn’t get over the feeling that I was being watched.
Less than thirty minutes later I was pulling into the parking lot of Kathleen’s small office, the area surrounding it giving me the creeps. Why did it always seem like the morgue was located in a terrible location in whatever town? Maybe I’d read too many thriller books in my life.
I’d listened to several of the messages on the way over, including the one from the mayor. As suspected, he was none too happy with my performance as of late, demanding I drop by his office at four-thirty. There were far too many people who wanted a piece of me.
Before climbing out, I grabbed the Ziploc bag that I’d shoved the rag into. Perhaps I could get some DNA from the cloth, which could provide some answers.
As I headed inside, I had the distinct feeling of being watched once again. To know that Diego had stalked me and broken into my house was disturbing, almost as much as the murder. It meant he could get to me anytime he wanted.
What if you don’t mind that?
The thought was ridiculous.
I rolled my eyes as I moved quickly down the chilly corridor. And while I was walking, the same visceral feeling of life pulsed through me as it had the moment he’d touched me in my own bedroom. Now that I knew exactly who he was, I needed to shut down my emotions. Why did that task seem tougher than solving a murder?
Seeing her inside the autopsy room always had the same effect. I’d seen plenty of dead bodies both before I’d walked my first beat as a street cop in LA and after, but there was nothing quite like seeing a dead body on the cold slab, waiting to be eviscerated.
She noticed me almost immediately, giving me the same look that she had inside the bar. “Hot date last night?”
“Hardly.”
