The Heart Of A Killer Part 19

Her stomach rolled and her hands shook.

Dante took the evidence bag with his gloved hands and laid it on the table, slipped the card back into the envelope with the tweezers and sealed it up.

All she could do was stare at it as her breathing increased.

Not for me. He didnat do it for me.

She closed her eyes and her fatheras smiling face swam before her. She felt the dizziness and pushed it away.

Not now. She wasnat going to wallow in grief anymore. This son of a b.i.t.c.h was going down. aAnna.a She opened her eyes and glared at Dante, her teeth clenched so tightly it made her jaw hurt.

aDonat let him get to you. This is exactly the kind of reaction he wants from you.a aIam fine. Heas getting no reaction from me.a He didnat believe her and she knew it. aIall take this in and drop it off, see if maybe this time he left a print.a aWhatever.a She wanted to explode. At Dante. Wrong person to take it out on, but he was the only one here.

He reached for her, but she slapped his hand away. He walked out to finish getting ready to leave.

Shead hurt him, just as shead been hurting him since her father died.

Shead been brutal to him the past couple weeks, had hardly said anything to him. And when she did speak to him it was in short, clipped replies, or she was a downright b.i.t.c.h.

Yet he was still here. Head stayed with her, held her hand even when she didnat want him to. Despite cursing at him, screaming at him and telling him over and over again she wanted him out of her house and out of her life, head been a rock-solid presence, not once raising his voice to her in retaliation.

Maybe he liked abuse. Or maybe he realized she was grieving and he was letting her get it all out of her system at him.

He came back and filled one of the go cups with coffee.

aYouare leaving?a she asked in that same angry tone shead used on him every time she talked to him.

aYeah. Going to follow up a lead.a Making a decision, she stood. aIam going with you.a He arched a brow. aYouare not cleared to go back to work.a aThatas just a formality. Pohanski will clear me.a aYou think so?a aOf course.a She picked up the phone and dialed Pohanskias desk. He picked up on the second ring, said he was happy to hear from her, asked her how she was doing.

aIam ready to come back to work, sir.a aAre you sure? We can spare you if you need some extra time.a aYou canat spare me. Roman told me youare working everyone on double s.h.i.+fts. You need me.a aThatas true. We do. We need you to work some of the other cases while we have people on your fatheras case, and the related killings.a She paused. aCaptain, I want back on this case.a He didnat pause. aNot gonna happen, Pallino. Youare not going to work your fatheras murder, and itas directly related to the alley killings. Youare off that case.a aSira"a aThis isnat open to discussion. You want to come back to work, I have a s.h.i.+tload of it for you. But it wonat be that case. Are we clear?a aYes, sir.a She hung up and turned to face Dante. His expression remained impa.s.sive.

aYou canat work your fatheras case.a She grabbed her gun and holster. aAnd since when are you a stickler for the rules?a He shrugged. aFine with me. I donat report to your captain.a If glares could shoot bullets head be dead on the floor right now. af.u.c.k you, Dante. Iave been ready since the day we buried my dad.a He turned and walked out the front door to his car. She followed, fuming silently as she slid into the pa.s.senger side.

as.h.i.+t. Give me a minute,a she said, then hurried back into the house, ruffling her fingers over Rustyas fur as she let him out the back door and filled his water bowl out there.

aIall be back later, Rusty. You be a good boy.a When she came back out and buckled her seat belt, Danteas lips quirked.

aWhat?a she asked.

aForget you have a kid to take care of now?a aYou are so funny. Just drive.a He didnat say anything as they drove, which was probably a good thing considering she was teetering on the edge of another unreasonable outburst.

Then again, it wasnat his fault that shead wandered around in a fog the first week after her dad died. And shead had to get some papers from her fatheras house, and start figuring out what she was going to do with all his furniture, and then the house, too. So maybe she did have some stuff to deal with, and jumping right back into work wouldnat have been a great idea.

And now she couldnat work the case shead been on since the beginning?

d.a.m.n Pohanski anyway. She was going to work it, even if she did it under the table.

He dropped off the evidence at Forensics first, then came back to the car. She was sitting there with her arms folded, still stewing.

aDone pouting over there yet?a She shot him a look that he paid no attention to. aIam not pouting.a aGood. When youare done not pouting we can strategize.a It was a good thing his b.a.l.l.s werenat in kickable range. aAbout what?a aDr. Crey Robinson.a Robinson, the doctor they had been heading over to talk to the night they made the detour to her fatheras house firsta"the night her father had died. aDid you meet with him while I was off duty?a aNo. Afteraafter that night he left town to attend a medical conference, then on vacation out of the country.a How convenient. And suspicious. aIs he back now?a aYeah. Got back two days ago and is working today. Thatas where weare headed.a aOkay.a Dante motioned with his head to the folder lying on the seat between them. aThatas his file if you want to refresh.a She grabbed it, reviewed Robinsonas school history and talked it over with Dante while they were driving. By the time they parked at the medical center, she was ready.

More than ready.

She didnat think shead have to walk into a hospital again so soon after losing her dad. The stark whiteness of everything was so incongruous to the blackness of death shead experienced within the walls of the hospital where she lost her father.

Her throat tightened and she stopped in the middle of the hall. Something wasnat right. The walls were moving. She blinked a couple times, then reached out for Dante as the overwhelming dizziness. .h.i.t her.

s.h.i.+t.

She vaguely heard the sound of Danteas voice, felt his arm around her as he led her to a nearby chair and gently pushed her head down. She rested her forearms on her knees.

aAnna, breathe. You forgot to breathe. Slow and easy.a His hand was cold and so was the corridor they sat in. She needed that. It helped.

aYou can stop this before it starts. Remember, we have work to do.a She couldnat do it. She had to go home, wanted to forget all about hospitals and death and losing people she loved.

Sweat beaded and slid down her back. aItas hot in here. I canat breathe.a aItas not hot in here. Itas cold. And you can breathe. You control it. Slow. Breathe slow. We have work to do, Anna. Stop this and letas get to work.a His words penetrated. Work. They had to talk to Dr. Robinson. If she went home and crawled into the fetal position, theyad never find out who killed her dad. And George and Jeff.

She wouldnat allow her weakness to win. She closed her mouth and controlled her breath.

aShe okay?a she heard a female voice ask.

aSheas fine. Just a panic attack. She hates hospitals.a Whoever it was laughed. aMe, too, and I work here.a aYouare doing it. Bring yourself out of it,a Dante said, not coddling her, his voice firm.

The haze began to clear and she finally began to feel the cool air surrounding her. The tightness in her chest loosened and the dizziness lifted enough that she could raise her head. She met Danteas gaze.

aYou okay now?a She nodded.

aSit right here. Iall go get a bottle of water.a By the time Dante came back she felt in control again.

aIam okay.a aSit here a minute anyway and take a couple sips.a She did, and then she stood, her legs not even wobbly. She capped the bottle and shoved it in her bag, then turned to Dante. aThanks.a aNo problem. Letas go find Robinson.a He never treated her as if she was weak or a hindrance. And shead treated him like s.h.i.+t for almost two weeks.

She didnat deserve having someone like him in her life.

She grabbed his hand, pulled on it. aDante, wait.a He stopped, frowned. aWhat?a She drew him to her, wrapped her arms around him and laid her head on his chest. She tilted her head back and stared into his most gorgeous face. aIave been a b.i.t.c.h. Youave been patient. Sorry seems like such an inept word. I canat thank you enough for being there for me.a He dragged his thumb over her jaw, then her bottom lip, making her quiver.

aYou lost your dad. You were ent.i.tled to be as big a b.i.t.c.h as you wanted to be. You donat have to apologize for that.a He bent and brushed his lips over hers.

She sighed against him, leaning her body into his chest.

He broke the kiss and stared down at her with a deeply sensual look. aYou keep kissing me like that and Iam going to find a supply closet and weall end up playing doctor instead of interviewing one.a Feeling better than she had in a long time, she said, aI like this playing-doctor idea.a He c.o.c.ked her a grin. aCome on.a They found the neurology department, showed their badges and asked a woman at the desk to page Crey Robinson. She informed them he had just finished up a surgery, so there might be a short delay.

Short delay her a.s.s. They waited two hours with no word on how soon it would be until Dr. Robinson would show.

And she really hated hospitals.

aYou know Iam going to have to take the lead on this because youare not supposed to be on this case,a Dante said.

Anna held back her irritation. It wasnat in her nature to be secondary to anyone, and she was so ready to sink her teeth into Crey Robinson.

She hated that it had to be like this. d.a.m.n Pohanski.

aI know,a she said.

Finally, a tall, very handsome man with s.h.a.ggy dark hair and black gla.s.ses sauntered down the hall toward them. With his striking good looks and air of supreme confidence, Anna was surprised women werenat swooning as he walked by.

She knew the type. He presented an air of I-am-a-G.o.d-and-you-should-wors.h.i.+p-me. Shead seen it before in doctors she had to question in cases.

This should be fun.

He came to a halt in front of them. aIam Dr. Creighton Robinson, chief resident of neurosurgery. You wanted to see me?a Anna started forward, but Dante flipped his badge. aSpecial Agent Dante Renaldi of the FBI. This is my colleague from the St. Louis Police Department, Anna Pallino. Is there someplace we can talk?a He frowned. aWhatas this about?a aSomeplace we can talk?a he asked again.

Since Dante wasnat swooning over him, and neither was she, the poor doctor didnat know how to react.

aUh, yes, sure. Follow me.a Dr. Robinson led them into a conference room and shut the door, then stared at the clock. aI have a meeting in about ten minutes.a aHave a seat, Dr. Robinson,a Dante said. aWeall try to be brief.a Obviously not used to being ordered around on his own turf, he said, aIall stand.a aFine. Weare here to talk about Tony Maclin.a He paused for a second, then asked, aWho?a aTony Maclin. He went to the same high school as you did, but he was a few years behind you.a Robinson crossed his arms. aThen I wouldnat have known him.a aHe was murdered in an alley off Lindell twelve years ago,a Dante said. aBeaten to death.a aReally? Huh. I grew up in Kirkwood and I never heard about that murder. But since I donat know the guy, I wouldnat have known. I still have no idea why youare here.a aHe was in the alley to either buy or sell drugs.a He gave them a blank look again. aStill no clue why youare asking me these questions.a aWere you ever involved in dealing drugs while you were in college?a He laughed. A forced laugh. aNo.a aWhere were you on the nights of June twenty-third, June twenty-seventh and July tenth this year?a Anna asked.

He threw up his hands. aHow the h.e.l.l should I know?a Defensive. Was that his normal demeanor, or did he have something to hide?

aCould you check?a Dante asked.

aNow?a aThat would be good.a He dragged out his phone and opened his calendar, scrolling through it. aJunea What was the first date?a Dante gave him the dates again.

He scrolled through his phone. aWorking. All those dates. I was working. Here at the hospital. You can verify it with them.a aWe will,a Dante said.

Now the doctor was starting to look worried. aDo I need a lawyer?a aI donat know, Dr. Robinson,a Dante said. aDo you?a aThis is bulls.h.i.+t. I donat have anything else to say to you. Iam out of here.a He opened the door and left.

Anna and Dante followed him and watched his long-legged stride eat up the hallway. He didnat once turn around to see if they followed or if theyad object to his departure.

They left the hospital and, as Dante pulled out of the parking lot, Anna said, aThat was interesting.a aUnderstatement. Heas hiding something.a She nodded. aI think so, too. For someone so cool when we first met him, his feathers were sure ruffled by the end of the interview.a aAnd it didnat take much to ruffle them. I think he knows something.a aWe need to confirm if he was working the nights of all the murders. Let me calla"s.h.i.+t.a Dante glanced over at her. aWhat?a aIam not supposed to be working. I canat call anyone. This sucks.a She folded her arms.

aIall make the calls. You can go into the precinct with me and work the other cases.a Dante knew Anna wasnat happy. But he only had so much power and influence, and in her precinct he had none.

Losing her father had taken its toll on her. Head watched her cry, mope and lose the spark that made her who she was. The one thing he agreed witha"she needed to get back to work, and head slide around Pohanskias edict to help her.

Shead gone into Pohanskias office when theyad returned to the precinct, had come out with a look on her face like shead eaten something really bad.

He was at the desk next to hers.

aThat bad?a aHe gave me bulls.h.i.+t cases, some open homicides to follow up on. Nothing new.a He slid his chair over. aIsnat that a good thing?a She curled her lip. aIn what way?a aItall give you some free time to work this one with me.a She shrugged. aI guess.a aShake it off, Pallino. Youare stuck with this until your captain decides otherwise.a aDoesnat mean I have to like it.a aYou can anot like ita while weare talking about Robinson.a aFine.a Dante swiveled in his chair and looked toward Pohanskias office. Door was closed and so were his blinds. Great. He turned back to Anna.

aRobinson had definite fear or something to hide.a She leaned forward, shaking off her irritation. aI agree. My take on this is he was probably involved with selling drugs to Maclin, or getting Maclin to be part of his drug-selling network.a aAnd a prominent surgeon who once sold drugs? Thatall ruin him.a Anna nodded. aWhich means if he thinks we could possibly backtrack the Maclin case to him, or if he suspects any of us saw him with Maclin in the alley that night, head have a good reason for wanting to get rid of all of us.a Dante loved seeing the sparkle in Annaas eyes, the first light head seen in them since her dad was killed.

If Robinson was the killer, it would be hard for Dante to keep his hands off the b.a.s.t.a.r.d. But he also believed in justice and the law, something he hadnat believed in as a kid, which was why Maclin died in the alley that night.

He wouldnat make the same mistake twice. This time head let the law take care of him.

Danteas phone rang. He took the call, asked a few questions and wrote down the information, then hung up.

aWell, s.h.i.+t.a aWhat?a Anna asked.

aHospital administrator confirms that Robinson was working on the nights the murders were committed.a aThatas disappointing.a Dante shrugged. aSo he has an alibi. Doesnat mean he didnat commit the murders.a She leaned back in her chair. aYou think he hired them out?a aIt wouldnat surprise me. Pretty boy like that with his magic surgery hands. Wouldnat want to mess them up beating the h.e.l.l out of someone.a She nodded. aYouare right. He could have contracted someone to do the killings. Itas a long shot, but weall keep him on the list for now.a aKeep who on the list for now?a Roman asked as he walked in. aAnd nice to see you back at work, Anna.a aThanks. It feels good to be back.a She filled Roman in on their interview with Crey Robinson and what they found out.

Roman slid into his chair and leaned back. aThatas an interesting theory. Good one, though. There are a lot of cons out there who would do just about anything for money.a aBut our killer is neat and tidy,a Anna reminded them. aCleans up the crime scene, leaves no evidence of himself and has access to drugs to disable the victims so he can take them to the alley.a aWhich means he isnat your typical off-the-street thug,a Dante said. aI guess that would make sense, though. Robinson doesnat strike me as the type who would know your average street punk.a aThat could work to our advantage,a Anna said. aSomeone more sophisticated than your average batterer is our target. That should narrow our search.a Anna swiveled in her chair to face Roman. aWhat did you find out about the morphine angle?a aSeveral dealers have been busted recently for selling it. None of them are talking about who they sold to. You start giving up your clients, you lose business when you get back out on the street. Iave got some leads on some dealers on the street Iam going to talk to next.a aGot names on the recent busts? Maybe I can get somewhere with them.a He punched up a list in his computer and hit the print b.u.t.ton. aYouare welcome to give it a try. I got nowhere with them.a aShe thinks if she flirts with them sheall get somewhere,a Dante said.

Roman laughed. aGive it your best shot, honey.a Anna grabbed the list off the printer and her keys. aWatch me work my magic. Itas amazing how distracting b.r.e.a.s.t.s can be during an interview.a aSo youare intending to flash them?a Dante asked.

aIf you are, Iam coming along to watch,a Roman added.

Anna shook her head as she came back to her desk to make a call. aYouare both morons. No testosterone invited.a aIn that case, Iam going to talk to Gabe,a Dante said. He stood and grabbed his keys.

She lifted her head. aAbout what?a aI want to know more about Robinson and the drug trade. I think Gabe can give me some insight.a aOkay.a He brushed her fingers with his. aYou be careful and keep your s.h.i.+rt b.u.t.toned.a She laughed. aWill do my best.a

Twenty-One.

aI want you to tell me about the mob and the drug network you have going.a Gabe paused with the bottle of beer halfway lifted to his lips. He put it down on his kitchen counter. aYou donat waste time, do you?a Dante shrugged. aNo time to waste, man. You know what weare up against. This is all connected somehow.a Gabe finally took a long swallow. aYeah? How?a aWe interviewed Dr. Crey Robinson and think he was dealing drugs to Tony Maclin when Maclin was in high school and Robinson was a medical student.a Gabe hated this s.h.i.+t, hated that it involved kids. But thatas where the money was, wasnat it? And you followed the money trail if you wanted to be in big business like Bertucci. aWhat do you want to know?a aHow big is this network? Whatas the organization?a aThe mob provides the product and recruits the sellers. The sellers go out and find the buyers, who in turn provide the money by buying the product.a aAnd who are the buyers?a Gabe shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant, as though he didnat give a s.h.i.+t. aAnyone and everyone. You know how it is. Rich people, poor people, young and old.a Dante nodded, his expression benign. He wasnat making judgments. aLetas keep it with the young for now. Whoas tracking the high schoolers? You have a network of sellers in charge of getting the product to these kids?a aYes. Thereas a hierarchy. Bertuccias family took over that market about forty years ago. They have a stranglehold in the city and county. No one steps on his territory and gets away with it.a Dante took a drink and nodded. aI can imagine. The familyas pretty powerful.a aThey are.a aAnd how did you get wrapped up in all this?a Now it was Gabeas turn to take a long pull of his beer, give himself time to come up with a suitable answer. aJust lucky, I guess.a aIs this really what you want to be doing with your life, Gabe?a The truth this time. aI told you, Iam doing exactly what I always wanted to do.a Dante sighed, and Gabe felt his disappointment. He wished he could tell him the truth about what he was really doing, but he couldnat. Thatas how the game was played, and how he lived his life. Someday maybe head be able to tell his friends he was one of the good guys.

Then again, maybe not. And sometimes the people you cared the most about had to believe you were the sc.u.m of the earth. If thatas how his job got done, thatas what head live with.

aSo a kid like Maclin back thena If he was buying drugs from Robinson, a college studentaa aRobinson would have worked for one of Bertuccias guys, a top-tier distributor who kept an eye on all the sellers. The distributors are given product and funnel it down, and the sellers get out there and push it to the kids. Then when theyare out of product, which is usually in a hurry because these kids are greedy, they turn in their money, get their cut and get more product.a aLucrative business?a Sadly, yes. aLike you wouldnat believe. People like their drugs.a Dante slid him a sidelong glance. aHow about you?a aMe?a Gabe laughed. aI donat touch the s.h.i.+t. Itas for business only, not pleasure. Iave seen how whacked out people get on that stuff.a aYeah. Iave seen plenty of it, too. At least I donat have to worry about you ODaing on me.a aNo, you donat have to worry about that.a aI do worry about you staying alive, though.a Gabe took a swallow of beer. aYou know what, Dante? I worry about that, too. Every G.o.dd.a.m.n day.a They both went silent then, and Gabe was glad for that. He needed to think about what head said, if there was anything head given away. He already gave away too much to his friends, and it threatened his job. But what could he do about that? Walk away from Anna? From Dante? No matter what his job, he still had his friends, and there were some people head never turn his back on.

He walked a f.u.c.king tightrope every day. And it was getting harder to remember what side he was on.

aIs there any way you could find out if Robinson was part of the network?a Gabe figured that question was coming and shrugged. aI could try. It was a while back, though. There might not be a record of him, but Iall ask around. Sometimes they like to keep track of their old dealers, just in case they need favors.a aI guess that could come in handy.a aYou never know. Drug dealer one day, politician the next. Blackmail is a handy thing in this business. And with Robinson having been a medical studenta? They might have wanted to keep tabs on him in case they needed him later on.a aFor impromptu bullet removal?a Gabe quirked a half smile. aSomething like that.a aI guess your job is never boring, is it, Gabe?a He lifted his bottle to his lips. aNope.a Dante called Anna after he left Gabeas condo late that night, figuring shead still be working. Surprisingly, she said she was at home.

Maybe that was Rustyas influence. She couldnat abandon the dog all day long. Having someone other than herself to take care of might mean she had to take care of herself, too.

He walked in the front door and found hera"and Rustya"curled up on the sofa watching a movie. Her hair was in a ponytail and she wore a tank top and very short cotton shorts. He tightened as he remembered the lack of intimacy between them the past couple weeks. The smile she gave him was encouraging.

He grabbed a soda, kicked off his shoes and climbed in next to her and Rusty.

aI made popcorn,a she said, handing him the bowl.

He took a handful and focused his attention on the TV. aWhat are you watching?a aDie Hard.a He turned to face her. aAnd here I expected to find you weeping over some chick flick, your tear-filled face buried in Rustyas fur.a She gave him a horrified look. aDo you not know me at all?a He laughed and kissed the tip of her nose, then shoveled more popcorn into his mouth. aThis is why youare perfect for me.a aHmm,a she said, then laid her head on his shoulder. aMaybe you want to watch a chick movie. Something weepy with a tragic ending, maybe?a aGag. I can go back to my own place, you know.a She moved the bowl to the table and climbed onto his lap, facing him. Rusty jumped to the floor, clearly annoyed by the two of them moving around on the sofa. aNo, you canat go back to your own place.a He placed his hands on her hips, definitely more interested in her sitting on him than in any movie. aIad rather be right here with you.a aYouare just saying that because we havenat had s.e.x in a while.a aYou noticed. Finally.a He lifted her tank top and slid his hands under. The softness of her skin and the heat of her turned his d.i.c.k from semi to rock hard in the span of two-point-two seconds.

aNow you sound like a man whoas been married for a long time.a He laughed and lifted her top off, sweeping his hands over the swell of her b.r.e.a.s.t.s. aAnd now you sound b.i.t.c.hy and wifey.a She arched a brow and pulled his s.h.i.+rt off, then raked her nails down his chest. aYouare an a.s.shole.a He unhooked her bra and removed it, tossing it to the floor. aI love when you whisper sweet words to me. Gets me all hot and hard.a She rocked against him, making him hiss.

aWhy, yesayes, it does.a She slid back on his legs and palmed his erection. aWhat are you going to do about that, Dante?a He wrapped his hands around her b.u.t.t and stood, marched them into the bedroom and threw her on the bed, being none too gentle about it.

Shead riled him up and he was long on pa.s.sion and short on patience now.

He pulled her shorts down, then her panties, stood over her while he shed his clothes, anxious to remove any barriers between them. He was in a hurry, but not so much of one that he couldnat take a few seconds to stare down at her as she sprawled on top of the covers. Her body was beautiful, curved and lush, and he spotted several areas he wanted to take a long, slow journey across with his tongue.

G.o.d, the things her naked body did to his nervous system. She made him breathe faster, made his heart pound. Head already started to sweat. And he was hard, tight and straining.