AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Decker looked at her over a piece of paper he was holding. “Meaning back then I didn’t necessarily see the forest for the trees.”
“Meaning?”
“Meaning I might have been so eager to get a conviction on my first homicide investigation that it didn’t strike me as odd that a guy would burgle a house that early in the evening when it might be full of people.”
“Well, maybe he wasn’t that smart. As has been pointed out, he wasn’t an experienced criminal. Maybe he didn’t know how to properly case a target.”
“Hawkins wasn’t dumb. And the thing is, he had never been in any sort of trouble with the law before. That didn’t mean much to me back then because the forensics were overwhelming. But to go from never having a parking ticket to four homicides is like going from hopping over a rain puddle to leaping across the Grand Canyon. It should have set off warning bells.”
“But like everyone’s been saying, he probably didn’t go in there thinking he was going to kill anyone. Then it just went sideways.”
“Granted, he was desperate. His wife needed pain medicine. His daughter was a drug addict he was trying to help. He might have felt he was up against a wall. He went there just to steal and, like you said, everything might have gone to hell after that.”
“And he had the cash in his pocket.”
“So if had the money, why was he still wandering around when he was picked up by the cops?”
“Maybe he was trying to score the drugs to help his wife.”
“Maybe,” said Decker. “But the thing is, there was a house next to the Richardses’ thatwasempty that night. I’m not talking about the uninhabited one. I mean the Ballmers. They were out of town visiting relatives. Why not go there instead and break in and steal stuff, and avoid having to murder four people? And why did he pick that neighborhood of all places? It was a long way from where he lived.”
“It was also isolated.”
“I don’t think that’s a good enough reason.”
“The guy who lived there was a banker. Maybe in Hawkins’s mind that meant there would be valuable stuff to steal.”
“I think that’s a stretch. By no means was that the rich part of town. If you’re a burglar, you don’t go to skid row to do your business. You go where the money is.”
“Well, rich people have security systems and extra locks and gates and sometimes private guards too. An area like where the Richardses lived might be more vulnerable.”
He shook his head. “It doesn’t make sense, Alex. Something is off.”
“So despite your previous skepticism, now you’re saying that you believe Hawkins to be innocent?”
“No, I’m just trying to get to the truth.” He rose. “I’m going to check on the police files. You want some vending machine coffee? It sucks, but it’s hot.”
“Sure.”
Decker walked out and down the hall. Two cops and one detective he’d worked with greeted him as he passed by. They didn’t look happy to see him here, and he could understand why. Word had gotten around. If Hawkins had been wrongly convicted, it would be a slap in the face to the whole department.
It’ll be a punch in the gut to me. My first real homicide. Did I want it too bad? And did I screw over Meryl Hawkins to get there?
He was so preoccupied with his thoughts that he almost bumped into her.
Sally Brimmer hadn’t changed very much. Early thirties, pretty, efficient-looking. And as he had thought before, the woman’s slackswere still a little too tight and too many buttons on her blouse were undone, exhibiting enough cleavage to be intentionally suggestive. She was in public affairs at the police department. Decker had scammed her once, pretending to be an attorney to get a look-see at a prisoner being held here. That had placed her in a bad light with Captain Miller, among others. Decker had taken full responsibility for what he’d done and tried to make sure she was held blameless. However, by the put-out look on her face at seeing him, his actions had not been enough to soothe her harsh feelings for him.
“Ms. Brimmer,” said Decker amiably.
Her hands were on her slim hips and a pouty look was perched on her lips. “I heard you were back. I hoped it was just a rumor that would turn out not to be true.”
“Uh, okay. Nice to see you too.”
“What are you doing here?”
“Working a case. And I need some department files. I thought I’d have them by now.”
“You don’t even work here anymore.”
