AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“A definite yes, Doc,” Kay replied, still trying to connect the dots in her mind. What would someone as frail as Renaldo be doing raping and killing a young girl?
Homicidal teams existed, well-documented in criminology statistics; they weren’t unheard of. In such killing partnerships, there were usually two different personalities, a leader and a weaker, more obedient follower, but it still didn’t feel right to her. “One more thing, Doc. What was Pedro Cristobal convicted of?”
“Aggravated sexual assault.”
“Thanks, Doc.”
The call disconnected, leaving Kay to her thoughts for another minute until they reached Renaldo’s house.
Renaldo was too weak; he’d be a liability to any strong, organized unsub, especially one who was discovering who he was through experimentation. No one likes to experiment with witnesses present.
Maybe that’s why Renaldo had been left behind with Kendra. Perhaps Renaldo was himself an experiment, a failed and discarded one. Even if he had the right genes for it.
FORTY-FOUR
ARREST
From less than ten yards away, Kay watched Renaldo zipping up a large duffel bag with a hasty move, then swearing under his breath when the zipper caught the edge of a garment and became stuck. He threw the half-zipped bag onto the back seat of his old Honda Accord, and dialed a number on his cell, while rushing back inside the house. In his frenzy, he didn’t notice them, although the Ford Interceptor was stopped two cars behind the old gray sedan.
“Damn it to hell,” he shouted seconds later when he came out of the house, carrying a few things he’d gathered. A jacket, a pair of running shoes, the charger for his phone. Then he threw everything in the back seat of the Honda and hopped behind the wheel, still holding the phone to his ear.
“Where the hell are you, man?” Kay heard him whisper breathlessly into the phone as she approached. “Cops were here today, asking me all kinds of questions. You know, about Jenna. Call me already ’cause I’m freaking out.”
He was about to start the engine when Kay knocked against the half rolled-down window of his car.
“In a rush, aren’t we?”
Startled, he stared at her with his mouth agape in disbelief, then lowered his head, defeated.
She grabbed his arm, and he opposed no resistance. Opening the door, she pulled him out of the vehicle and slapped a pair of handcuffs on him. The contact with the cold metal made him twitch, but he didn’t say anything.
“Rennie?” a woman called from the house. She was tall and slim, with dark hair loose on her shoulders. She wore a simple white shirt that had seen better days and a pair of sweatpants. Seeing Renaldo hauled away by Kay, she rushed to them, sobbing, holding her hand at her open mouth.
“Don’t take my son! He hasn’t done anything,” she pleaded, grasping at Kay’s arm. Elliot pushed her gently away.
“Step aside, ma’am.” Then he grabbed Renaldo from Kay’s grip and loaded him onto the back seat of the Interceptor.
Kay turned to the woman. Her thin lips were quivering. “You’re his mother, I’m assuming.”
“Yes,” she replied, sniffling and wiping her tears with her fingers.
“You’ll need to come with us too.”
She took an instinctive step back. “Me?”
“Your son is underage, right?”
“He’s only seventeen. He’ll be eighteen next year in March.”
“Legally, that makes him a minor, and you should be present during his questioning.”
Her chin trembled badly. “What is this about?”
Kay looked at her with compassion. Her life was about to change, and not for the better. “The rape and murder of Jenna Jerrell.”
As if scalded, the mother turned on her heel and rushed to the SUV, shouting angrily. “Did you do this?” She pounded with her fists against the back window of the Ford, then opened the door and slapped Renaldo over the head until Elliot clasped her wrists and held her arms still.
“Ma’am, you’re not helping your son right now. Please follow us to the precinct in your own vehicle, and have some ID with you.”
