He still had a list to compile for Scarlett Bishop – one that wouldn’t arouse any undue curiosity. And he still had to figure out what to do about Jill. And Gayle. And of course there was Tala. As soon as he was done with the damn list, he’d go to the park and start looking for anyone who could ID that poodle.
But first he’d call his mother. Straightening his spine, he prepared himself for her anger. Prepared to apologize without agreeing to change his behavior. Because he planned to continue protecting ‘strangers’ – as often and as long as he was able to, whether his mother liked it or not.
Eight
Cincinnati, Ohio
Tuesday 4 August, 8.15 A.M.
When Scarlett arrived at the morgue, she found Deacon waiting for her outside the door to the autopsy suite.
‘Did Carrie tell you anything when she called to tell us to come over here?’ he asked.
‘Only that she had something to show us.’ Dr Carrie Washington, the ME, was not a chatty woman. ‘Your buddies at the Bureau any help?’
‘Maybe. The Bureau’s watching several suspected trafficking operations in the Midwest, most of them here in Ohio. The Cincinnati Field Office has the lead, so all of the data flows through here. That should work in our favor.’
Scarlett shook her head. ‘You know, I’ve read the Bureau’s reports on trafficking and I’ve been trained to spot the victims, but every time I hear that Ohio has one of the highest rates in the whole country, I think it’s got to be some kind of mistake.’ But she knew it wasn’t. The most recent stats had Ohio in the top ten, closely trailing the ‘usual suspects’ of California, New York, Florida and Texas. Hell, Toledo alone was the third worst city in the entire country for sex trafficking. Which was damn hard to believe. ‘I mean, Ohio? Seriously?’
‘Location, location,’ Deacon said grimly.
‘I know, but still . . .’ Sitting just a hop-step from Canada, with the I-75 corridor running straight through the state, Ohio was an ideal distribution route for all kinds of illegal activity. That Cincinnati was the I-75 gatekeeper at the southern end of the state meant that local law enforcement had always needed to be vigilant when it came to catching drug runners. Every rookie knew what to look for. But this . . . The trafficking of humans through the state was still new to law enforcement. At least our awareness of it is. ‘I wonder how long it’s been going on right under our noses,’ she murmured.
‘Far longer than we think, I’m sure. Most of the information I saw at the field office this morning dealt with the sex trade, so we might find a connection to Tala.’
‘You’re assuming she was forced into prostitution?’
‘Aren’t you?’
‘Yeah,’ she admitted. ‘Especially with the way she tried to pay Marcus back for his help. Besides, dog walking can’t be her only job.’
‘Exactly. The agent heading the investigation is checking to see which, if any, of the suspected operators deal in Filipino women. He’s supposed to get back to me by lunchtime. What about you? Did the two homeless people see anything valuable?’
‘Edna and Tommy were gone when I walked back to my car. They may have gotten nervous with all the sirens and taken off. I swung by Dani’s shelter to see if they’d gone there. They hadn’t yet, but they might still. If I can’t find them at the shelter, they’ll be back at their stoop later tonight.’
‘Have you heard from Marcus?’
She nodded. ‘He sent the video files of the park and the alley like he promised. I got a few decent quality stills of both Tala and Coco the poodle from them. I ran copies of the stills for the uniforms to show the homeowners around the park. But my biggest takeaway was that Tala appeared to know the person who shot her.’ And that Marcus had been literally shaking at the sight of the bullet hole in her skull. But sharing that felt too much like a betrayal. Which was ridiculous, as she owed the man nothing. Still, it wasn’t relevant, so she kept it to herself.
‘Interesting. Marcus didn’t mention that.’
‘He may not have realized it himself.’
‘I imagine he knows now. I don’t guess he’d have sent us video files he hadn’t personally reviewed.’
‘I’m sure you’re right about that,’ she murmured, still stunned that Marcus had allowed her to see his pain. ‘The dog may be our best lead out of the video. Very fancy schmancy. So I talked to Delores Kaminsky – you know, the woman who runs the shelter where Faith got Zeus.’
Deacon blew out a disgusted breath. ‘Please tell me that she misses the damn shoe-chewer and wants him back.’
Scarlett’s lips curved. Deacon was very particular about his shoes, keeping them so shiny that one could see one’s face in them. At least until Faith had brought Zeus home. Now Deacon’s shoes bore the marks left by tiny pointed puppy teeth. Even though he pretended to be grouchy about the dog, Scarlett knew he was the worst offender when it came to spoiling the ball of orange fur. ‘Nope, sorry. But she’s putting together a list of high-end groomers who might have given Coco her ’do.’
‘Groomers,’ Deacon said thoughtfully. ‘I hadn’t thought of that. Smart.’
‘Thanks. But what I don’t have yet is the list of the people who made threats to Marcus and the Ledger’s reporters. I’ve emailed and texted and even called Marcus, but he hasn’t answered any of my messages.’ Which made her both suspicious and disappointed that he hadn’t kept his word.
‘Do we really need that list now? Especially if Tala knew her killer?’
‘Probably not, but Lynda wants to be sure he isn’t withholding the list because he’s hiding something that can come back to bite us in the ass later, particularly if he’s eventually called to be a witness. I was on my way to his office to pick up the list in person when I got the call from Carrie to come here. Ready to go in?’
Deacon grimaced. ‘Yeah. Let’s get this over with.’
A sentiment Scarlett understood. Bracing herself for the odor she wouldn’t get used to if she lived to be a hundred, she pushed open the door to the morgue and grabbed a mask and gloves from the bin just inside, prepared to do her job without complaining.
Carrie looked up from the body on her autopsy table, her eyes magnified by the goggles she wore. ‘Detectives.’ She pulled a sheet up over the body with a respectful care that always tugged at Scarlett’s heart. ‘I’m glad you’re here. This way, please.’ She motioned them to follow her to the wall of refrigerated drawers and pulled one of them halfway out, revealing the top half of Tala’s body. ‘We ran her prints through AFIS but came up with nothing, so she’s got no record.’
Scarlett stared down at Tala’s face, remembering the desperation in her eyes seconds before a bullet ripped through her gut, and the agonizing grief in Marcus’s voice when he’d seen the bullet hole in her head. Gritting her teeth against the tears that stung her eyes, Scarlett pushed everything from her mind and focused on the body of a young girl who should still be alive. And free.
‘I hope the poodle is a decent lead,’ she muttered. ‘Otherwise we got nothin’ to ID her. Cause of death was the head wound, right? Nothing weird or funky we need to know?’
‘Lots of funky,’ Carrie said, ‘but more about her life than her death. She was in very good health. Good dental care, especially in the last few years. Someone had all the cavities in her mouth filled, fairly recently.’
‘What is “fairly recently”?’ Scarlett asked.