Page 6 of In His Sights

“Is there such a thing?” Lewis retorted.

Travers ignored him. “His results aren’t flukes, that’s for damn sure. I don’t claim to know how he does it, but he’s helped cops solve crimes. Andthatcame from the chief. He’s been in contact with NYPD and Chicago to make sure the reports were accurate.” Travers sagged in his chair. “All I’m saying is, maybe we should talk to the guy. It can’t hurt, right?”

Gary struggled to breathe evenly, his stomach clenched. “No. We arenotresorting to mumbo jumbo, voodoo, or any other new age happy crap.”

Beside him, Lewis nodded. “The chief may go in for all that hogwash, but comeon. We’re the professionals here. We know how to catch this guy, and it’s by good old-fashioned detecting.”

Gary had to fight hard not to stare at Lewis.Well fuck, we agree on something.

Travers’s face hardened. “Then get out there and detect. I don’t want you coming in here and telling me victim number six has just shown up.” He stood, reached for a coffee cup, and went over to the pot that sat in the corner.

Apparently they were done.

They trooped back to Homicide, and Riley perched on the edge of Gary’s desk. “Okay, that was the last thing I expected.”

“I know, right?” Lewis rolled his eyes. “You think the chief is smoking something that smells kinda funny? Because to come out with that horseshit….”

Gary huffed. “I’m not even going to give it headspace. Let’s go look at the evidence from the apartment.”

They headed for the tiny room they’d taken over after the discovery of body number three, Geoff Berg. It was nothing more than a closet with delusions of grandeur. One wall was obscured by the whiteboard covered in photos from the crime scenes.

“I’m getting some coffee. Want some?”

Gary gave Lewis an absent nod, his attention drawn to the photo of Marius Eisler.Talk to me. Tell me what I need to know. Help me find this guy.

“I’ll have some too, thanks for asking,” Riley hollered after him. “Asshole,” he muttered once Lewis was out of sight.

Gary ignored him. Travers’s suggestion had sent his mind in a direction he didnotwant to travel. He could still hear his parents’ voices.

This one looks genuine. Why not give them a try?

What if they can tell us what really happened?

Don’t youwantto know?

Of course Gary had wanted to know. He’d ached to yell at his parents, to tell them they might as well pour their money down the drain for all the good it would accomplish. Those people were all fakers, charlatans, the whole damn lot of them.

“Where’d you go, boss?”

Gary blinked. Riley’s eyes held amusement. Gary forced a smile. “For the millionth time…. Okay, I’m older than you, and I’ve been a detective longer than you, but that doesnotmean you have to call me boss. Hell,you’veworked Homicide almost as long as I have.”

Riley smirked. “Well, I’m not likely to callLewisboss, now am I?” He clammed up as Lewis came back into the room, three cups held awkwardly.

Gary took one. “First step should be to get onto Grindr, Scruff, all the usuals. See if Marius was a subscriber.” Except he knew getting access to records took time.

Riley made a note. “I’ll do a search for his phone records too. I did check online when we were at the apartment. Marius didn’t show up on either Grindr or Scruff.”

“Which only means wherever his phone is—if it’s still in one piece—the killer has removed the battery.”

Lewis added, “And when we actuallygetthe Grindr stuff—because it’s an even bet this guy had it on his phone—I’ll start the process of working through it, looking for any contacts with our list of crossover guys. God knows there’s enough of them.” He grimaced. “Can these guys not keep it in their pants? Seems like they’re forever banging each other.”

Whatever good opinion Lewis had engendered with his forthright remarks to Travers dissipated in a heartbeat.

Gary speared him with a hard stare. “Keep your opinions to yourself and keep looking. Anyone stand out so far? Someone we need to look at more closely?” He tapped the whiteboard. “Any luck on identifying our mystery guy?”

“Nothing so far. Still a dead end. But therearea couple of new guys who caught my attention.”

“Great. We’ll look at them.” He sipped his coffee, his head still reeling from the chief’s absurd suggestion. “A psychic. Now I’ve heard everything.”

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