at the red brick and mortar building that housed
his office and the rest of the police station. Unease snaked its
way through him. He pushed it off. Taking a deep breath, he held it
for ten counts as he climbed out of his car. Once he walked through
those doors nothing would bring him down.
Kelsey and Angela demanded his best. They
deserved it too. Time was still on his side. Sekorski would provide
the results from the final tests he’d run on Angela Longfellow.
Maybe toxicology would find that she had been drugged before her
death. If that was the case, the killer could have met her at a bar
or local hangout. There would be a witness or two. It was a long
shot, maybe a pipe dream, but Tony needed the windfall.
Walking through the front door, he spotted
Chief Randall. Tony hesitated. The chief’s face was splotched red
and a ring of sweat marked his crisp blue Armani shirt.
Tony checked his attitude. Determined to
stay positive, he moved forward, away from the entry doors. Maybe
he should turn around and do some field work this morning. Drive
past the murder scenes to see if someone was hanging out who
shouldn’t be.
But that wasn’t his way. Running from
conflict had never gotten him far in the past, and he wouldn’t
start now. Regret twisted through him. He had run from Marissa.
Straightening his shoulders, he walked
towards the stations secured area, bringing him closer to the
chief.
“ Santos.” The chief’s
voice rang out, setting Tony’s nerves on edge. “You know who I got
a call from this morning?”
“ No sir.” The smile on
Tony’s face threatened to cave. This was not the type of day he had
in mind. This day was supposed to run smooth. No surprises, no
bodies popping up, and no early morning calls to the Chief of
Police.
“ Senator
Turner.”
The name sounded familiar. Tony racked his
memory, pulling the names of local officials. Damn politicians
trying to stick their fingers into police business only to stir up
a snake’s den of trouble. Or was he another bozo from Washington
who wanted all of the beaches cleared of people so the turtles
could do their thing? The giant Loggerheads needed the quiet
beaches to lay their eggs, but short of positioning armed guards,
people would always flock to the beaches.
“ Does he represent our
district?” Tony shifted from one foot to the other. Work was
waiting for him and chatting with the Chief of Police was wasting
time, precious time that could be spent catching a
killer.
“ No, he’s the Majority
Leader in the Senate.”
Tony stood silent for a moment. A bead of
sweat trailed between his shoulder blades. The day had just started
but already it had turned south. That name was associated with a
case, a recent case. His mind raced over the data gathered during
the last two days. Kelsey’s murder had taken its toll. Normally
Tony knew every case inside and out. A brief mention of a
government official in Angela Longfellow’s background came to mind.
Why had he forgotten the senator?
“ The Longfellow case. Her
second cousin was a senator,” Tony replied, a dull ache forming in
the back of his neck.
“ Is a senator,” Randall
shouted. “Why wasn’t I informed that the first victim’s cousin is,
not was, a senator? Why couldn’t he be some hick from Arkansas who
had no political sway?” The chief’s voice echoed down the hall and
a few heads turned to see the ruckus.
“ We put it in the report.”
The response was lame, and Tony cringed, knowing Randall’s anger
was peaking.
“ Report?” Randall yelled.
“What good is a damn piece of paper when the information is this
sensitive?”
Tony looked around. They were still in the
public area of the police station, not a place to be talking about
a case. No reporters would be skulking around the station at this
time in the morning, at least that’s what Tony hoped. However, a
prickle of caution raised the hairs on the back of his neck. They
needed to move.
“ Sir, can we go down
his office and the rest of the police station. Unease snaked its
way through him. He pushed it off. Taking a deep breath, he held it
for ten counts as he climbed out of his car. Once he walked through
those doors nothing would bring him down.
Kelsey and Angela demanded his best. They
deserved it too. Time was still on his side. Sekorski would provide
the results from the final tests he’d run on Angela Longfellow.
Maybe toxicology would find that she had been drugged before her
death. If that was the case, the killer could have met her at a bar
or local hangout. There would be a witness or two. It was a long
shot, maybe a pipe dream, but Tony needed the windfall.
Walking through the front door, he spotted
Chief Randall. Tony hesitated. The chief’s face was splotched red
and a ring of sweat marked his crisp blue Armani shirt.
Tony checked his attitude. Determined to
stay positive, he moved forward, away from the entry doors. Maybe
he should turn around and do some field work this morning. Drive
past the murder scenes to see if someone was hanging out who
shouldn’t be.
But that wasn’t his way. Running from
conflict had never gotten him far in the past, and he wouldn’t
start now. Regret twisted through him. He had run from Marissa.
Straightening his shoulders, he walked
towards the stations secured area, bringing him closer to the
chief.
“ Santos.” The chief’s
voice rang out, setting Tony’s nerves on edge. “You know who I got
a call from this morning?”
“ No sir.” The smile on
Tony’s face threatened to cave. This was not the type of day he had
in mind. This day was supposed to run smooth. No surprises, no
bodies popping up, and no early morning calls to the Chief of
Police.
“ Senator
Turner.”
The name sounded familiar. Tony racked his
memory, pulling the names of local officials. Damn politicians
trying to stick their fingers into police business only to stir up
a snake’s den of trouble. Or was he another bozo from Washington
who wanted all of the beaches cleared of people so the turtles
could do their thing? The giant Loggerheads needed the quiet
beaches to lay their eggs, but short of positioning armed guards,
people would always flock to the beaches.
“ Does he represent our
district?” Tony shifted from one foot to the other. Work was
waiting for him and chatting with the Chief of Police was wasting
time, precious time that could be spent catching a
killer.
“ No, he’s the Majority
Leader in the Senate.”
Tony stood silent for a moment. A bead of
sweat trailed between his shoulder blades. The day had just started
but already it had turned south. That name was associated with a
case, a recent case. His mind raced over the data gathered during
the last two days. Kelsey’s murder had taken its toll. Normally
Tony knew every case inside and out. A brief mention of a
government official in Angela Longfellow’s background came to mind.
Why had he forgotten the senator?
“ The Longfellow case. Her
second cousin was a senator,” Tony replied, a dull ache forming in
the back of his neck.
“ Is a senator,” Randall
shouted. “Why wasn’t I informed that the first victim’s cousin is,
not was, a senator? Why couldn’t he be some hick from Arkansas who
had no political sway?” The chief’s voice echoed down the hall and
a few heads turned to see the ruckus.
“ We put it in the report.”
The response was lame, and Tony cringed, knowing Randall’s anger
was peaking.
“ Report?” Randall yelled.
“What good is a damn piece of paper when the information is this
sensitive?”
Tony looked around. They were still in the
public area of the police station, not a place to be talking about
a case. No reporters would be skulking around the station at this
time in the morning, at least that’s what Tony hoped. However, a
prickle of caution raised the hairs on the back of his neck. They
needed to move.
“ Sir, can we go down
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