The circumstances of the accident, as reported to her by Kelley, were mystifying to Jordan — she knew all about Suicide Hill, and its history of accidents and suicides, but how Mark — apparently in the middle of the night — had been at that location, speeding and losing control of the Equinox, made no sense. Unless... unless...
She said to Kelley, “You said you couldn’t give me any details. I understand this is a police matter. Obviously that’s what it is.”
“It’s good you understand.” His half-hooded eyes in that African mask of a face had a brooding quality. This man could explode, and somewhere in there, his fuse was lit. Why?
She made an educated guess — ten years around mental patients gave her certain insights.
“You approved Mark’s off-duty investigating, didn’t you?”
He nodded.
The hustle and bustle of the ER, the dings of periodic bells, intercom voices, provided a backdrop of urgency as they sat enveloped in a bubble of quiet.
She asked, “Why would you do that?”
Fire flared in eyes that, momentarily, were not hooded. “What do you mean, Ms. Rivera?”
“I mean you either believed he was on to something, or you had a special regard... maybe even, affection? For Mark.” She shrugged. “Maybe both.”
Kelley shrugged. “He’s got a lot on the ball. Also, he’s impetuous. Naive.”
“Yet you let him poke around out there alone.”
He frowned at her. “What are you saying, Ms. Rivera?”
“I’m guessing you know all about our little support group spin-off team. Victims who’ve gathered together to, well... to do your job?”
“Ms. Rivera, I understand you’re upset—”
Calmly, she said, “You would never dream how upset I am. I might be upset enough to go to your superiors and ask why you allowed a young, inexperienced officer to go out by himself into harm’s way.”
Kelley shifted in the plastic chair. “I called you, Ms. Rivera, as a courtesy. Because I know you and Mark are friends.”
“That’s nice of you. And I think you do like Mark. He sure spoke well of you. Looks up to you. He lost his father at a fairly young age — not as young as I did, but... well.”
“What’s your point, Ms. Rivera?”
“My point is, I can be an adversary, Captain, or an ally. I’d rather be your ally.”
“I’d rather you were.”
“Good. Then stop fucking around and fill me the fuck in.”
He frowned, then smiled a little. “I could use another smoke.”
“Let’s step outside.”
“You say that like somebody about to give somebody else an ass whooping.”
“No. I just did that. Now we can talk.”
Outside, where it was still chilly, though the sun was climbing, Kelley exhaled smoke and said, “A witness said the car never slowed down — no brake lights. Said it looked like Pryor intentionally ran into the pylons.”
“Suicide? Well, that’s bullshit. Not Mark.”
Kelley shrugged. “He’s a sensitive kid. He may have blamed himself for the Levi Mills murder.”
“Mark was with me, Captain, just a few hours before this travesty happened. When he comes out of that operation, you’ll see. He’ll tell you. But for now, you’ll have to take my word for it.”
Kelley sighed. “I already do. That kid was happy. High as hell that he’d hauled that suspect in — Carlyle.”
She shook her head. “I don’t think Carlyle’s your man.”
“Ms. Rivera, you haven’t been in for the lineup yet.”
“Mark showed me his picture — hey, I didn’t tell you that. I’ll deny I told you that.”
“You never told me that. Go on.”
“I told Mark that Carlyle might have been the guy. There were things that were off about him, and I allowed that somebody could change in ten years, and... I think Mark kind of heard what he wanted to hear.”
“I don’t know — Carlyle seems right for this.”
“Not now he doesn’t. He was in behind bars, wasn’t he, when this ‘accident’ went down?”
Kelley frowned. “You think this... this family killer did this?”
“Don’t you?”
“We have a witness...”
“Your witness is full of shit.”
Kelley grunted a laugh. “Probably. It was a guy on foot, half in the bag.”
“Well then.”
“Anyway, I only mention that Mark may have done this intentionally as it’s a possibility we have to rule out. Our crime scene team has just started investigating, and we need to cover all the bases.”
“What does Phillip have to say?”
“Phillip? Phillip who?”
She frowned at him irritably. “Phillip Traynor. Recent addition to our support-group team? Mark was heading to Traynor’s house when he left my place. Why, didn’t he make it there?”
Kelley tossed his cigarette and it sailed away spitting sparks. “You got contact info on this Traynor? Phone? Address?”
“Sure,” she said. She got out her cell. “What’s your number? I’ll text it over.”
Soon she was sitting alone in the ER waiting area, Kelley off dealing with this new information. She checked her watch — it was six. Fucking early, but she had to do it. She started making the calls, David first.
“What’s up?” David said. Obviously he knew if she called this early, there was a good reason.
She quickly filled him in.
David said, “But it’s not an accident, is it?”
“No. And the suspect Mark arrested yesterday is a dead end. Either that, or he’s half of a team.”
Kelley was coming back over.
“Can’t talk,” she whispered. “Just stay inside, and keep alert.”
“I’ll call Phillip and Kay for you.”
“Thanks. But just Kay. The police are getting in touch with Phillip, ’cause Mark was heading over there last night. All I can say.”
She ended the call.
Kelley was sitting down next to her again. “Who was that?”
“David from our team. He’s calling Kay. Also on our team. Didn’t Mark tell you anything?”
He ignored that. “Well, Phillip from your ‘team’ isn’t answering. I’ve got officers on the way there. Should know something soon.”
Jordan nodded.
“Ms. Rivera, with Mark sidelined, I need to meet with you and your friends as soon as possible. I want to be filled in, in depth, on everything you’ve shared with Mark, and frankly anything you haven’t.”
She nodded again.
“As a show of good faith,” he said, turning almost sideways in his chair to really look at her, “I’ll give you some information we’re withholding, for now. Thanks to Mark, we’ve matched a shell casing from a family killing in the Bronx to the gun found at the Walter and Katherine Gregory crime scene.”
She squinted at him, as if she were reading fine print. “So Kay’s sister and brother-in-law... that wasn’t a murder-suicide?”
“No. And it’s now linked to the other family killings. Almost certainly the same perpetrator.”
“Have you told Kay?”
“Not yet. We need to get our ducks in a row, first. Please keep that to yourself for now.”
“All right.”
“I have a call in to the FBI,” he said, “and I anticipate they will be getting involved — maybe taking over — very soon. Perhaps yet today.”
She gave him another nod.
“You should feel good about what you’ve accomplished,” he said. “But I’d suggest you accept that from here on out, you’re going to be on the sidelines.”
“Like Mark.”
“I hope not like Mark. If you’re right, and we have a serial killer who is accelerating and devolving right in front of us, you and your friends are in danger, until we’ve either determined Carlyle is indeed our man...”