Read Online The 3rd Victim by Sydney Bauer - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Sydney Bauer
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mini-showcase to go with the woman's release from hospital.’
But Katz did a double-take. ‘Sienna Walker is being released?’ His face lit up momentarily before settling back into ‘man of the people’ mode. ‘Well I was not aware of that, but that makes my visit all the more pertinent. Mrs Walker needs to know she has the support of the people. She needs to know we won't leave a stone unturned until …’
But Katz was interrupted by the ring of Joe's cell.
‘I thought you were going to turn that thing off,’ Katz took another shot before Joe, immediately recognising the incoming number, turned his back on the DA and signalled for Frank to join him.
‘It's Martinelli,’ Joe whispered to his partner, referring to their Crime Lab Unit chief. ‘You need to get down to room 13 and stand watch over Walker.’
Frank turned to move down the corridor as Joe finally picked up the call.
‘Martinelli,’ said Joe. ‘I have a situation here so you need to talk fast. You got something for me?’
‘More than something,’ said Martinelli.
Joe's heart skipped a beat. ‘What is it?’ he said, taking several steps further away from the now hovering DA.
‘Well, I got some preliminaries on the blood at the crime scene. The bulk of it came from the kid, and she was AB positive.’
The type was rare, but that had no bearing on the case at hand. ‘Okay.’ Joe cupped his cell to his ear.
‘But there is a second sample – quite a substantial sample – which was A.’
‘The perp's,’ said Joe.
‘Has to be. It was found in the cot and on the carpet so that's what we're thinking.’
‘This doesn't give me anything, Martinelli – and it won't until you can work on the DNA.’
‘You're right, and like I said, these things take time, but just now, in the lab, I noticed something from the get-go. I did some preliminaries and it appears that the blood from the kid and the blood from the unidentified person, well …’ Martinelli hesitated, ‘they have commonalities.’
‘Commonalities?’ Joe's brow furrowed.
‘Markers that indicate the two are related.’
‘The second sample belongs to the mother?’
‘I'd stake my career on it, and a sample from her will confirm it.’
Joe glanced at Katz, predicting exactly what was going to happen next.
‘Mannix?’ said Martinelli. ‘You there?’
‘I'm here. You work on that nightshirt yet?’
‘It's in analysis. But I know about Gus's suppositions and from where I stand, the blood on Walker's nightshirt was transferred.’
Joe nodded. ‘Okay. Listen, I gotta go. I'm about to see the mom now.’
‘You need a preliminary report for the DA?’ asked Martinelli.
Joe stole a second glance at the impatient-faced DA. ‘The Kat is clawing up my ass as we speak,’ he whispered.
‘He's at the hospital?’
‘Him and twenty or so of his closest media buddies.’
‘The man is a fuckwit.’
‘That's the general consensus,’ replied Mannix, before thanking Martinelli and hanging up.
13
‘I don't understand,’ said Sienna Walker, trying desperately to maintain her composure. She clutched at the front of her dressing gown. She felt vulnerable, afraid, her head still groggy from a second day of drug-induced detachment. ‘Daniel, why are we going this way, why do I need to …?’
‘Because the police do not have your best interests at heart,’ said Dick Davenport, who with Daniel Hunt was now rushing Sienna Walker down a set of fire escape stairs. ‘Listen, Sienna, we have a car waiting out front for us. We asked the driver to keep a lookout and he texted us saying he saw two plain-clothes police entering the hospital in a hurry. Their descriptions matched the two detectives who attended your house on Saturday, which means we need to act quickly – to make sure you are safe . I can take you home. I can organise for security. You need to rest. You need to recuperate.’
‘ Recuperate ,’ bit Sienna, Davenport's words cutting instantly through the
But Katz did a double-take. ‘Sienna Walker is being released?’ His face lit up momentarily before settling back into ‘man of the people’ mode. ‘Well I was not aware of that, but that makes my visit all the more pertinent. Mrs Walker needs to know she has the support of the people. She needs to know we won't leave a stone unturned until …’
But Katz was interrupted by the ring of Joe's cell.
‘I thought you were going to turn that thing off,’ Katz took another shot before Joe, immediately recognising the incoming number, turned his back on the DA and signalled for Frank to join him.
‘It's Martinelli,’ Joe whispered to his partner, referring to their Crime Lab Unit chief. ‘You need to get down to room 13 and stand watch over Walker.’
Frank turned to move down the corridor as Joe finally picked up the call.
‘Martinelli,’ said Joe. ‘I have a situation here so you need to talk fast. You got something for me?’
‘More than something,’ said Martinelli.
Joe's heart skipped a beat. ‘What is it?’ he said, taking several steps further away from the now hovering DA.
‘Well, I got some preliminaries on the blood at the crime scene. The bulk of it came from the kid, and she was AB positive.’
The type was rare, but that had no bearing on the case at hand. ‘Okay.’ Joe cupped his cell to his ear.
‘But there is a second sample – quite a substantial sample – which was A.’
‘The perp's,’ said Joe.
‘Has to be. It was found in the cot and on the carpet so that's what we're thinking.’
‘This doesn't give me anything, Martinelli – and it won't until you can work on the DNA.’
‘You're right, and like I said, these things take time, but just now, in the lab, I noticed something from the get-go. I did some preliminaries and it appears that the blood from the kid and the blood from the unidentified person, well …’ Martinelli hesitated, ‘they have commonalities.’
‘Commonalities?’ Joe's brow furrowed.
‘Markers that indicate the two are related.’
‘The second sample belongs to the mother?’
‘I'd stake my career on it, and a sample from her will confirm it.’
Joe glanced at Katz, predicting exactly what was going to happen next.
‘Mannix?’ said Martinelli. ‘You there?’
‘I'm here. You work on that nightshirt yet?’
‘It's in analysis. But I know about Gus's suppositions and from where I stand, the blood on Walker's nightshirt was transferred.’
Joe nodded. ‘Okay. Listen, I gotta go. I'm about to see the mom now.’
‘You need a preliminary report for the DA?’ asked Martinelli.
Joe stole a second glance at the impatient-faced DA. ‘The Kat is clawing up my ass as we speak,’ he whispered.
‘He's at the hospital?’
‘Him and twenty or so of his closest media buddies.’
‘The man is a fuckwit.’
‘That's the general consensus,’ replied Mannix, before thanking Martinelli and hanging up.
13
‘I don't understand,’ said Sienna Walker, trying desperately to maintain her composure. She clutched at the front of her dressing gown. She felt vulnerable, afraid, her head still groggy from a second day of drug-induced detachment. ‘Daniel, why are we going this way, why do I need to …?’
‘Because the police do not have your best interests at heart,’ said Dick Davenport, who with Daniel Hunt was now rushing Sienna Walker down a set of fire escape stairs. ‘Listen, Sienna, we have a car waiting out front for us. We asked the driver to keep a lookout and he texted us saying he saw two plain-clothes police entering the hospital in a hurry. Their descriptions matched the two detectives who attended your house on Saturday, which means we need to act quickly – to make sure you are safe . I can take you home. I can organise for security. You need to rest. You need to recuperate.’
‘ Recuperate ,’ bit Sienna, Davenport's words cutting instantly through the
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