Read Online The 3rd Victim by Sydney Bauer - Free Book Online Page A

stomach knotted as his hands curled involuntarily into fists.
    ‘You're not going anywhere until we've had a conversation,’ Katz continued as he strode toward them, his Italian shoes clicking on the hard linoleum floor.
    ‘Shit, I'm sorry, Joe,’ whispered Lisa, obviously identifying Katz from her brother's previous trials. ‘I don't know how he got back here. No one is meant to be in this area without authorisation.’
    ‘That's okay,’ said Joe. ‘The Kat has a way of slinking around unnoticed.’
    Joe turned to Frank. ‘Your mom was wrong,’ he whispered.
    ‘About what?’ asked Frank.
    ‘About hospitals being equalisers. If they were, the Kat would be laid out on a stretcher.’
    ‘Could be arranged,’ said Frank.
    ‘Don't tempt me,’ said Joe.

12
    N ew York born, Boston Tribune Deputy Editor Marc Rigotti knew that journalism was a matter of swings and roundabouts. At face value the electronic news guys had it all over their newspaper competitors given they could put a story to air in minutes whereas Rigotti had to wait until the following morning to release his investigatory wares. But there were advantages in playing the game in print, the first one being that Rigotti could move in and out of a potential story set-up without the telltale entourage of a camera and audio tech, and the second being the time lapse between investigation and publication, giving Rigotti and his fellow broadsheet hacks the chance to dig that fraction deeper and unveil details the pretty boys had left unearthed.
    The getting-in part was easy. Rigotti simply strolled past a security dude who was busy dressing down two TV guys who had their equipment laden crews in tow. The ER itself would be harder to tackle, he might even have to stretch the professional boundaries by dodging a nurse or two.
    But it could be well worth it, he reasoned, given there were a couple of things that told Rigotti this visit was about more than just Roger Katz getting his publicity-hungry rocks off – the first being the rumour that Sienna Walker was being released from the hospital, and the second being the fact that Rigotti had spotted Joe Mannix's Nissan parked illegally out front. Rigotti had spent a solid ten years on the Tribune 's crime desk before becoming Deputy Editor – long enough for he and Mannix to become friends of sorts, as much as their respective professions would allow.
    The DA, the Head of Homicide and the mom of a murdered baby, Rigotti thought to himself as he nipped quickly in and out of a nearby male rest room, allowing a dark-haired nurse to pass by before slipping through the still closing automatic doors. Add to that the TV crews out front and the nervous-looking security dudes and one might guess that something was about to go down.
    And he was right of course, his assumptions confirmed when he heard the raised voices just beyond the corridor's next bend – and given he had spent a good decade of his life attending crime scene after crime scene, and reporting on trial after trial, he knew exactly who those voices belonged to, and counted himself more than just a little lucky that the narrow hospital walkway acted as an amplifier to the argument taking place beyond.
    *
    ‘Blatantly irresponsible … professionally negligent … grossly inept.’
    After a good minute of berating, Joe had finally had enough. ‘Why are you here, Roger?’ he asked, taking a step toward the red-faced DA.
    Katz stepped back, just a fraction. ‘What do you mean “Why am I here”? I am here because you have failed in your duties to keep me informed, I am here because I am the District Attorney and I care about the victims of crime in this county, I am here because we owe Mrs Walker an explanation as to what happened to her child and I am here because the public needs to know we are doing our best to ensure that the perpetrator is apprehended.’
    And then the penny dropped. ‘You've called the press,’ said Joe. ‘You've set up your own