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“I wasn’t able to make it to his funeral,” Jack said. “I was in the middle of an investigation and we had our own killer on the loose.”
“Winters was next in January. He lost control on icy roads and went over the bridge into the water. One of the witnesses on the scene thought she might have seen another car nudge him so he lost control, but she couldn’t be sure. And another witness swore he didn’t see any other cars on the road. No one could get him out of the water until rescue came because the water was so cold.”
“February and March were quiet. Then two weeks agoyour men were hit starting every couple of days. At first no one put it together. Not until Santos was killed. He was number five, and I don’t even think the FBI would have been involved if the body hadn’t been found on federal property. The killer made a mistake there because there was no reason to tie the other deaths in at that point. Five cops in different states with different specialties—the only thing connecting them being the SWAT team they belonged to six years prior. By the time I had all the information, Caine and Gonzales were dead. I put light surveillance on you, Wallace, and Wolfe, both for protection and to see if either of you had flipped your lids and were going after your old squad mates.”
“Tell Agent Donaldson he needs to do a better job of going unnoticed,” Jack said. “I had him made after he’d been in town for five minutes. I just wasn’t quite sure what he was here for so I didn’t blow his cover. If you’d been another day in coming though I would’ve had the information on my own.”
Greer’s eyes held respect and shrewdness as hetried to stare down Jack, not an easy thing to do considering Jack’s size and the fact he intimidated most people. “I’ll make sure to let him know.”
“How did Wolfe and Wallace get taken out if you had eyes on them?”I asked.
“We haven’tactually found Wolfe’s body yet. We just know he hasn’t showed up to his office or his apartment in the last four days. The apartment was clean. No sign of intrusion. Same thing with his office. He’s got a steady girlfriend, but she hasn’t seen or heard from him. She’s the one who called it in.”
“Wallace is a different story. Definitely signs of a struggle. He clocked out from shift at four in the afternoon. As best we can tell, he did a couple of errands—grocery store, dry cleaners—that kind of thing. Then he went home, changed out of his uniform and into daywear, and then he spread out his open case files on his desk and started working. It looks like he had dinner alone—a couple of beer bottles and one of those T.V. dinners found in the trash. Went to bed alone.”
“He had good security, and he had damned good instincts according to his superiors and what I read in his file. The alarm had been tampered with and there were forced entry marks on both the front and back door.”
“Surround and attack,” Jack said. “Multiple killers.”
“It looks like it, yes.Hired more than likely. Wallace put up a fight. Broken lamps and furniture. Some blood found on the scene. They’d have to incapacitate him before they removed him from the house and into a waiting car. No neighbors heard or saw anything suspicious.”
“We found evidence of another crime scene near the 14thStreet Bridge. Blood and brain matter consistent with two shots to the back of the head. It looks like he was tossed into the river at that point. No one saw or heard anything there either.”
“These killers haveworked their way from location to location, steadily traveling east, until they got to DC,” Jack said. “They’re trained. Professionals. And they wouldn’t be traveling together, but they’ve worked together before. It’s gone too smoothly for them not to have. They’ve saved me for last.”
“You were the commander. It probably seems fitting to end it that way.”
“I haven’t seen or felt anyone else in the area that doesn’t belong except for your guy.”
And except for my father. I met Jack’s eyes and I could tell the thought had already crossed his mind.Apparently my father was good enough at what he did to slip by Jack.
“Whoever is pulling the stringsis probably waiting until some of the heat dies down. Doesn’t make sense to try and take you out while you’re surrounded by feds. You’ve put in for vacation time too, so maybe he wants to wait and see how your routine changes. See where you go. You might present them with a better opportunity.”
I didn’t want to think about allthe opportunities Jack had probably presented the killers already. It was just sheer luck that they picked him last.
My cell phone rang and it took me a minute to remember which pocket I’d put it in. I didn’t even look at the caller ID but instead switched it to silent. The ringing started again, but this time from my office.
“You need to get it,” Jack said.
“Yeah, I need to get it.”
“I won’t go anywhere. I promise. We’ll figure this out.”
I nodded and stepped over the bar stool he’d thrown, and then I ran the rest of the way down the short hall to my office. I barely got there in time to take the call.
“Doctor Graves,” I said, only panting slightly.
“This is Doctor Perkins at Augusta General. The Mosely family has requested you for pick up.”
“Oh, no,” I said, dropping back into my chair. “She was doing so well. I thought she was going to pull through.”
“We all did.” The doctor’s voice was tired and sad.
“I’m on my way now. Give me half an hour.”
“We’ll be waiting.”
I hung up the phone andstared blankly for a few minutes before I shook myself out of it. Leanne Mosely was a forty-year-old mother of four who’d been diagnosed with breast cancer only a few short months ago. She was active in the PTA and volunteered at the church a lot. They’d caught the cancer late because it hadn’t been easily detectable, but the doctors were positive a double mastectomy and treatment would be enough. She’d had the mastectomy and things had looked good at first, but they hadn’t gotten all of it. I didn’t think anyone really believed it would come to this. Her oldest child was nine and her youngest was three. Devastating to say the least.
