But safety was an illusion, born in the mind. If a man was made paranoid enough, he’d be afraid even in the most secure place. And that was his goal. To make every man in the fishbowl afraid.
He fingered the card in his pocket. Judge Edmund Hillman. He’d tried Leah’s case. Thanks to Skinner’s BlackBerry, he knew that the Honorable Edmund Hillman had a mistress. He and Rosemary Quincy had been together for going on three years and met every Wednesday evening at a little hotel in Rosemont where the Honorable Judge Hillman was anything but. According to Skinner’s notes, this was the only time Hillman drove alone.
He’d get to the hotel early, before Hillman was due. He’d wait and watch and then he’d make his move. Then it would be his turn to bang the gavel.
Wednesday, February 25,
11:30 A.M.
Kristen hung up the phone carefully, resisting the urge to slam it down as Ronette Smith had just done. Ronette was fine, thank you very much, and her family was fine, and her life was fine, no thanks to the U.S. justice system. And me, Kristen thought, rubbing her forehead. Ronette had been very clear on that fact.
As had most of the names on her list. Kristen looked at the list objectively. She’d managed to get in touch with over half. Three had lost jobs recently, which could be a traumatic event, but they didn’t sound like she expected a killer to sound.
And how does a vigilante killer of nine sound? Cold? Dispassionate? Insane?
She was considering the question when a shadow fell over her papers. She looked up, expecting to see Spinnelli or Abe but her eyes widened when she saw Milt Hendricks standing before her. John’s boss. Automatically she stood. „Mr. Hendricks.“
He glanced down at her papers on Abe’s desk, then back up to meet her gaze. „I won’t beat around the bush. I wanted to be sure you knew why I pulled you out of the courtroom.“
„Because the defense attorneys are afraid and you’re worried about grounds for appeal on every case I was trying,“ Kristen said, parroting John’s words.
Hendricks nodded. „That’s true. But I also wanted you out of the spotlight. Somehow this vigilante has picked you. I told John to be sure you knew this was for your safety, not a punishment. But under the circumstances, I wasn’t sure if he’d given you the entire message. This is temporary, Kristen. You’ve got the best conviction rate in the city. When this is over, I want you back at work. Although, from the looks of those papers, you’re still working.“
Kristen felt her face heat, but stood her ground. „I’m helping the police go through my old cases,“ she said. „We’re certain there’s a connection.“
Hendricks lifted a brow. „Did John tell you that you could?“
„He didn’t tell me that I couldn’t. Sir,“ she added belatedly and his lips twitched.
„I see. Well, I don’t see any issue with that. Just be careful.“ He sobered. „Stay safe. I’ve just lost one of my best prosecutors. I don’t want to lose another.“
Kristen paled. „John? Has something happened?“
„No, no. He’s physically well,“ Hendricks assured her. „He offered his resignation this morning. I accepted it.“
Kristen sat down and looked up at him. „I’m not sure what to say.“
„He compromised his position,“ Hendricks said simply, „and the integrity of the office. Hopefully, this will all be over soon and we can get back to work. Oh, I understand you needed information on the Jenkins boy’s juvenile record. Consider it done.“ With a tip of his head, Hendricks was gone, leaving Kristen staring after him.
„My mom would say if you let your mouth hang open long enough, birds will fly in.“
Kristen looked to her left where Aidan Reagan leaned against a nearby desk. She closed her mouth with a snap and he grinned. „You free for lunch?“ he asked.
„You’re asking me?“
„Yeah. Abe said you had a purchase to pick up today and I’m between Rachels.“
„Purchase? Oh,“ she remembered. „My gun. My three days are up.“ Then she frowned. „What do you mean ‘between Rachels’? Is she all right?“
„She’s fine. I’m just her shadow today because I’m on nights this week. I’ll drop her off and pick her up from school until this is all over. And don’t say you’re sorry,“ he warned. „It would make Dad really mad and he’d have to kick your ass.“
This tugged a rueful grin to her lips. „How is he?“
Aidan shrugged. „Sore. In a real pissy mood. I think he’s more upset that he didn’t hurt them worse. Blow to his pride and all. But he’ll heal.“
Kristen studied him carefully. „You change your mind about me or something?“
Aidan’s cheeks darkened, just like Abe’s did when he was embarrassed. „I’m sorry I was rude when we first met. Look, I heard about the Blade graffiti on your house. Abe said you were thinking about a dog. I know a guy who trains dogs for the K-9 unit. You interested?“
Touched, Kristen grabbed her coat. „Let’s go.“
Wednesday, February 25,
12:00 p.m.
„Any success?“ Tina the clerk asked.
Mia rolled her eyes. „Yes, but of course she was at the very end of the listings.“
„That’s the way it always is,“ Tina agreed.
„Genevieve O’Reilly,“ Abe read from his note pad. „Married Colin Barnett on September 15, 1943, in the parish of Sacred Heart by Father Thomas Reed.“
Tina gave a satisfied nod. „Good. You could check the census to see if they had any children, but if they were members of their parish, the church would have a record of births.“
„What about you?“ Mia asked. „Any progress on our land search?“
Tina handed them a piece of paper. „I remembered Hank was short for Henry, and that’s where I found it. Henry Worth. On his death it passed to a Paul Worth. It’s all I could find. I hope it’s enough.“
Mia scanned the page, then looked up, a gleam in her eyes. „It’s plenty. Let’s call Spinnelli. We’ll need full tactical gear, just in case he’s there.“
Abe grabbed his coat. „I hope he is,“ he said grimly. „I want a piece of him first.“
Wednesday, February 25,
1:30 p.m.
„You should have told me you were allergic to dogs,“ Aidan said, his voice full of laughter as he helped her out to his car.
„Oh, that hurts.“ Gone was the satisfaction she’d felt as she test-fired her new gun back at Givens’s target range. It disappeared once they’d reached their next destination – a kennel full of impeccably trained guard dogs. The first step inside had her sniffling. Five minutes later she was sneezing so hard she would have fallen over if Aidan hadn’t held her up, chuckling all the time. „This really isn’t funny, you know,“ she grumbled.
„Why the hell did you go into a kennel if you knew you had such severe allergies?“
Kristen leaned against his car to catch her breath. „I didn’t know. I haven’t been around that many dogs. Once a Seeing Eye dog came into the diner and I sneezed, but I’d hoped it was just that one dog.“ She wiped her watering eyes and got into the car. Unlike his brother, Aidan went for the smooth sleekness of a Camaro rather than the massive strength of Abe’s SUV. She sniffled and shivered as he started the engine and the heater belched out ice-cold air. „I guess I won’t be getting a guard dog after all.“