Mia rolled her eyes. „I spent hours looking at florists. He’s no florist. That’s why Jack didn’t find any flowers or pollen in the van. He can be anything he wants to be. Shit“
Abe’s cell phone trilled. A look at the caller ID had the hairs rising on the back of his neck. „What’s wrong, Kristen?“
Kristen’s voice was shaky. „I got another box, Abe. Mclntyre’s caught the boy who dropped it off. He’s holding him until you get here.“
„We’ll be right there,“ Abe said grimly, then turned to Mia. „Call Jack and tell him to meet us at Kristen’s. I’ll give Spinnelli the heads up. Our humble servant’s hit again.“
Sunday, February 22,
10:00 am.
„Oh, my God.“ Kristen’s face drained of color as Jack slid the contents of the envelope onto her kitchen table. „It’s Angelo Conti.“
Mia put a comforting arm around her shoulders. „Don’t faint on us now.“
„I never faint“
Abe remembered she’d said the same thing the night they met at the elevator, after he’d scared her nearly senseless. But she’d shown them she was made of sterner stuff and Abe felt pride at her strength. Keeping his distance was costing him, but he knew she wanted to maintain her professional persona. Her hair was neatly tucked and pinned, although the pins he’d removed the night before were still scattered on the countertop where he’d left them.
„There aren’t any Polaroids,“ Jack commented. „Just Conti’s student ID card from Northwestern University. Why?“
„I don’t know.“ Abe reached for the letter. „ ‘My dearest Kristen. Angelo Conti is dead. His crime was initially one of depraved indifference, crashing into Paula Garcia’s car while intoxicated. But his blatant disregard for human life led him to beat the poor woman to death. His father’s blatant disregard for the United States legal system caused Jacob Conti to taint the jury. Angelo Conti walked away a free man, at least until you would have tried him again. But if his original crimes weren’t enough, he compounded them by publicly assassinating your character, and that could not be allowed. I hope his death is a signal to all who would make a mockery of the judicial system and its servants. As always, I remain Your Humble Servant’“
Abe looked up to find Kristen gingerly lowering herself into a chair. „What’s the P.S.?“
„It’s a license plate number.“ Abe passed her the letter and her brows knit in confusion.
„It’s not mine,“ she said. „That doesn’t make any sense.“
„I think we need to talk to the delivery boy,“ Mia said and Abe nodded.
He and Mia went out to Mclntyre’s cruiser where the boy waited in the backseat.
„His name is Tyrone Yates,“ Mclntyre offered. „His parents are on their way.“
„I didn’t do nothin’,“ Yates growled.
„We didn’t say you did,“ Mia growled back. Yates provided a story almost identical to the one told by Aaron Jenkins. Except this time the white van bore the name of a carpet store. By the time the boy was done, his parents had arrived to take him home.
Kristen was making tea when Abe and Mia came back in, followed by Mclntyre. Mia dropped into a chair while Abe paced to the one window that looked out over the frozen backyard. Mclntyre just stood in the kitchen doorway, his young face troubled.
„What did you find?“ Kristen asked.
Abe tossed a frustrated look over his shoulder. „Not a whole hell of a lot.“
Mclntyre shifted uneasily. „About the white van – “
„The florist van?“ Kristen asked and Mia shook her head.
„We think he uses different magnetic signs,“ she said. „The kid from King High swears it was an electrical contractor’s van. This last kid says it was a carpet installer.“
„That’s why I didn’t find any evidence of flowers or pollen on the crates,“ Jack said angrily, smacking the table. „Dammit. He can change the van at will.“
Abe turned from the window, his face sober. „What about the white van, Mclntyre?“
„The night Miss Mayhew was run off the road, I was moving traffic along. People stop to gawk, you know. One of the vehicles was a white van with an electrical contractor’s sign.“
Kristen’s stomach churned. She knew what the P.S. meant now. She grabbed the letter on the table and showed it to Mclntyre. „Do you recognize this number, Officer?“
Mclntyre nodded. „That’s the car that hit you. It had been stolen earlier that day.“
Kristen set the letter on the table, her hands surprisingly steady. „I thought so.“
Jack hissed a curse. „He was there.“
Abe chuckled mirthlessly. „I was probably close enough to touch him. Do you remember what he looked like, Mclntyre?“
Mclntyre shook his head. „He had on one of those hats with the earflaps. Covered up most of his face. It was so cold that night, I didn’t think anything about it. He was very polite, I remember that.“
„Age?“ Mia asked sharply.
Mclntyre shrugged helplessly. „I don’t know. Maybe forty? He didn’t say much of anything, just nodded when I asked him to move along. I just figured he was embarrassed to be caught staring.“
Nobody said anything for a long moment, then Jack stood up. „I’ve got to call my team to the spot on this map. And I’ll call Julia to meet us there. You guys coming?“
„Wouldn’t miss it,“ Abe said grimly. „Let’s go.“
Kristen started to follow, but Abe stopped her. „Stay here. Please.“
„I want to be there,“ she said in a low voice, conscious of the others watching.
Abe looked at Jack, Mia, and Mclntyre. „Give us a minute, okay?“
Mclntyre bowed out instantly. „Got to get back on watch.“
Mia raised her brows, eyeing them with open curiosity. „Okay.“
Kristen felt her cheeks burn. „Reagan, please.“
Jack gave her a hard look. „He’s right. You’ve already had one accident this weekend. I don’t want to see you get hurt.“ Then he followed Mia from the kitchen, leaving them alone.
Abe looked down at her with conviction. „Stay here.“
Kristen felt frustration simmer. „Don’t shut me out. Please. I need to be there.“
His hands rose to cover her shoulders, kneading convulsively. „Do you know what will happen when Jacob Conti finds out his son has been murdered?“ His blue eyes flashed. „Do you, Kristen? If you’re at the site and the press shows up, your face will be all over the news, especially if it comes out that Angelo was killed because he verbally attacked you. Conti will strike out at you, and he isn’t someone you want after you. Please, stay here for me.“
His eyes were compelling, but in the end it was the emotion in his voice that won her acquiescence. „All right. I’ll stay here.“
His relief tangible, his hands loosened their grip. „I’ll be back to get you for dinner.“
„At four.“
He leaned down and covered her lips with his in a hard kiss that left her mind reeling. „Call me if you need me.“
Kristen sighed at the sound of her front door slamming. She’d become accustomed to doing just that. Calling him when she needed him. And in a flash of clarity his sister-in-law’s words made sense. Ruth said Abe needed to take care of her. It didn’t take a psychiatrist to pull the pieces together. Abe Reagan had watched his wife shot and had been able to do nothing. He, a man paid to keep the public safe, had not been able to keep his own wife alive.
Now he’s keeping me safe. And even as the thought brought comfort, she wondered what would happen when this whole nightmare was over and she no longer needed to be kept safe any more. She pressed her fingertips to her mouth, still tender from his hard kiss.
I’ll take what I can get and be grateful while it lasts. But for right now, there was a pile of half-sewn curtains she needed to finish.
Sunday, February 22,
11:30 a.m.