The Heart Of A Killer Part 7

aI do make you nervous. I never used to do that.a aIam not nervous. Youare crowding me and itas p.i.s.sing me off.a He took a few steps back, his brow furrowing. aYou still freaked out about that night?a aNo.a aAnna.a aNo.a She walked past him, but he reached out and gently grasped her arm, pulled her against him.

Though she would have clocked other men for grabbing her, she melted against him. Danteas body was familiar to her. She couldnat help herself, she had to touch, to test her reaction. She slid her palms along his biceps. Hard muscle and soft skin eased across her hands, making her tingle in places that just flat out never tingled.

And he let her, this time not pus.h.i.+ng to be the aggressor. He let her explore without moving in to take.

Men and her and relations.h.i.+psa"yeah, that didnat go well. Maybe she didnat try hard enough. She put all her energy into her work and there was nothing left over for guys. s.e.x wasnat worth all the hype anyway. Quick release and out the doora"that was her motto. It had worked well over the years for both her and the guys she chose.

When she was a hormone-filled teenagera"before that nighta"and she and Dante had been filled with heat and desire for each other, then yeah, theread been the promise of something incredible.

But all that had changed.

Now she was chest to chest, hip to hip, thigh to thigh against one solid wall of muscle, and she felt stirrings of something she hadnat felt in a very long time. Something hot and delicious, like her blood had just slowed down in her veins and begun a slow heat.

Her skin p.r.i.c.kled with goose b.u.mps, her b.r.e.a.s.t.s felt full and her nipples tightened. She jerked her head up and read flat-out desire all over Danteas face. He hadnat budged, wasnat moving his hands, but, oh, man, were there clear signals in his eyes.

Shead never been so tempted to take what was so obviously being offered, to lift her fingers and touch his mouth, to taste him, to forget everything and fall back twelve years and take up where they left off.

And she still had no idea who he was, where head been, or what his involvement was in the murder the other night.

She took a step back and he let go, c.o.c.ked his head to the side and gave her a lopsided smile.

Was he playing her?

d.a.m.n.

aGet out.a His smile died. aI donat get you.a aNo, you donat aget mea at all, and youare not going to.a She walked to the door and opened it.

He stood in front of it. aIam worried about you, Anna. About what happened.a aThen or now?a aBotha aDonat be.a aI donat like whatas going on. And I canat believe youare not taking it seriously.a Her palm began to sweat as she held the doork.n.o.b. aIam taking it plenty seriously. Thatas what this meeting was about.a aBut I donat think you see yourself in the mix.a aHow could I not see myself in it? I was there. And Iam the one who got the flowers and the note. Believe me, Iam in it and I know it. But I also know Iam not the one who killed Tony Maclin.a Thatas what worried her. The guys did. She understood there was a connection between what they did and George being killed in the alley. She knew there was a reason someone had left her the flowers and the note. She just didnat know what the connection was.

He stepped outside the door. aKeep your eyes open and watch your back.a aI always do. Iam a cop, remember? I can take care of myself. You do the same.a He nodded and walked away. She shut the door, locked it and couldnat help but watch him as he made his way to his car, got in and drove away.

She turned and went to the kitchen counter, grabbed the gla.s.s Dante had drunk from earlier and bagged it.

If he didnat want to share what head been up to the past twelve years, shead find out for herself.

She might be emotional about him, but she wasnat stupid.

Pent up, his head filled with thoughts of friends.h.i.+p and murder and Anna, Dante drove around, needing to think, to process everything from tonight.

It had been great to reconnect with all the guys. Head sat back and listened to them talk, watched the way they interacted with each other. Theyad all grown up and changed, just like he had. But in so many ways they were exactly the same as theyad always been. Jeff still thought he was slick, Roman was still the glue that held them all together as brothers and Gabe still hung back and observed, a lot like Dante did.

And then there was Anna, the Snow White to all of them, though theyad never been dwarves, but they sure as h.e.l.l had rallied around her from the beginning when they first met her. Theyad probably all fallen madly in love with her from the first day shead showed her sunny smile and disposition and refused to let the school bullies push around the new kids. With her dad as a cop, the other kids had left them all alone, and Anna had become their champion.

No one had stuck up for them before. Theyad never been worth anyoneas time.

Anna had stood in front of all of them as if she could single-handedly take on the school bullies. Not that theyad needed her help, of course. Dante had gotten used to being the new kid in school and had to fight his way out of plenty of sc.r.a.ps. So had the other guys, but a couple of the group of foster kids were younger than Gabe and him, and he and Gabe protected the younger boys.

And then Anna had told the bullies where they could shove it.

Fourteen-year-old Anna, skinny as heck with braces on her teeth, looking tough as steel as she squared her shoulders and warned the boys theyad better back off.

Dante and Gabe, bigger than the boys threatening them, had taken a couple steps forward. Dante supposed theyad looked menacing enough to get the bullies to back the h.e.l.l off. Anna, looking pretty smug and satisfied, had turned to them and grinned and told them all to stick with her because her daddy was a cop and shead make sure no harm would ever come to them.

Oh, yeah. Theyad all fallen in love with her that day. And were loyal to her after that.

Except when Dante had run out on her right after the worst night of her life.

That hadnat been the most loyal thing he could have done.

Then again, head done what her father asked him to do, what he thought was best.

Or maybe head just been scared as h.e.l.l and wanted to get out of town. Who had he been protecting thena"Anna or himself?

He found himself at the alley, pulled over and got out. The tape had been removed, so he walked down toward the Dumpster. It was late, dark and so humid he was drenched in sweat in a matter of minutes, no different than a lot of h.e.l.lholes head been in over the past twelve years. Only this time he wasnat hiding from the enemy and swiping sweat from his eyes to clear his field of vision.

This time he was alonea"just him and his memories.

A rumble of thunder rolled in the distance. Rain was coming, just like that night twelve years ago. The ground had been wet and Anna had been wearing those cute white shorts that had ended up muddy and bloodstained. He walked behind the Dumpster, still able to clearly see her pushed against the brick wall of the building, holding the tattered edges of her blouse together, her eyes wide with shock, blood streaming down her chest.

His hands balled into fists. If he could, head beat the h.e.l.l out of Tony Maclin again. Dying once wasnat enough punishment for what the b.a.s.t.a.r.d had done to her. He needed to suffer over and over again.

Just like Anna continued to suffer.

She hid behind the bravado of her detectiveas badge, but Dante saw the haunted look in her eyes, especially when theyad stood in this alley where George was killed.

She still wore that look today, hidden behind her tough look and the badge she wore. He saw the fear in her eyes when he came close, felt the tension in her body when he touched her. She hadnat forgotten one minute of what had happened to her twelve years ago.

So who the h.e.l.l had dragged it all up again by repeating the crime?

Who wanted them to remember?

Eight.

aSomehow I thought Iad find you here.a Anna looked up and cast a smile at Roman as he entered the squad room.

aI couldnat sleep anyway, figured Iad go over some of my cases. What are you doing here?a He took a seat at the desk across from hers and opened his laptop. aSame thing. Howas Georgeas case going?a aYou know Iam not supposed to talk about it with you. Youare not on this case.a He gave her a look. aCome on, Anna. You know how it works. Officially, yeah, Iam off the case. Unofficiallyaa His sentence trailed off. And yeah, she did know how it worked. His name wouldnat appear on any official records or notes on the case, but head work the case with her. Thatas just how it was done. Shead do the same thing if it was someone close to her whoad been killed.

aYou talk to the captain about it?a aYeah. He told me I was off the case. I argued with him. He told me I was off the case.a She leaned back in her chair. aThen he told you that you could work it unofficially, right?a aWell, yeah.a She shook her head. Thatas the way it worked. Even the captain knew the drill. With uniforms? No. With the detectives? There was more leeway. You didnat push out a decent detective just because of involvement.

aJust watch your step on this one and donat screw it up,a Anna said.

aIam as good a detective as you. Your dad made sure of it.a She grinned. aYeah, he sure did, didnat he? Head accept no less than perfect from either of us.a aI owe him everything, so letas make him proud by bringing in the b.a.s.t.a.r.d who killed George.a She pushed a few b.u.t.tons while Roman opened his system.

aHow are things with Tess?a she asked while she let Roman take a look at the case file on George.

aGreat. Sheas working a heavy-duty tax case for a national company, so we havenat seen much of each other lately. Sheas doing a lot of traveling.a She peered around her monitor. aThat must suck.a aIt does. I thought things were getting serious, but sheas a career woman. Hard to pin her down. I think sheas married to her job.a Anna scooted her chair so she could see Roman. aAnd does that mean you want her married to you instead?a He laughed. aEver the matchmaker, arenat you?a Was she? Shead never thought about it that way, but shead like to see her guys settled. None of them were yet, and it was time. Maybe if Roman got married, that would get Jeff to think about grabbing a woman and settling down. And who knowsa"maybe even Gabe would turn his life around.

She could wish, anyway. aYou know I want you to be happy. Tess is a sweetheart. Whatas wrong with tying the knot?a aNot sure if Iam ready for that step yet, but maybe down the road things could be headed that way.a She was glad to hear it. She loved him like she loved all the guys. He, like Gabe and Jeff, were the brothers shead never had.

Dante, on the other hand, was something entirely different.

aSo, got any new leads?a he asked.

aNothing. There was no trash service that morning, no witnesses located. Forensics report on the bag of drugs came back as suspecteda"an ounce of c.o.ke. Pretty good stuff, too. Street value is about eight hundred dollars.a Roman whistled. aAny prints on the bag?a aYeah. Georgeas. No one elseas.a Roman grimaced. aThatas convenient.a aIsnat it? Anyway, autopsy is scheduled for this morning, so Iall head over and watch that. Youare welcome to come with me if youad like.a He shook his head. aThereas no way I could watch Georgeas autopsy. I can work the case with you, but that? I just couldnat.a aI understand. Iall go and find out all I can about Georgeas murder.a aWhatas there to find out? Somebody beat him to death and cut him.a aMaybe thatas all there is to it, and maybe thereas more. Hoping the M.E. can tell me more. Maybe the CSU will find hair or fibers or something the killer left behind.a aYeah, you know as well as I do that s.h.i.+t only happens on television. The amazing find under the microscope that solves the case in the last five minutes.a aTrue,a she said with a laugh. aWe should get so lucky. It would up our solve rate, wouldnat it?a aYeah, and wead all get commendations. But that doesnat happen. Most of our cases are solved with good old-fas.h.i.+oned legwork and dumba.s.s luck.a aIall take dumba.s.s luck right now. I want to get this guy.a aMe, too, honey.a Anna was right on time for the autopsy, gloved and masked and in the room. Dr. Norton had George on the table, ready to cut when she walked in. She stayed quiet and out of the way while the doctor did his inspection of the body and dictated his report, though half the time she wondered if he was talking in his official report or if he was talking to her.

aSomebody really did a number on this guy. Bruising on the torso, especially the ribs. Looks like he was kicked several times.a aAny shoe impressions on the skin?a Anna asked.

aNone apparent. Looks like whoever kicked him did it with the toe of their shoe or boot. We found no fingerprints on the body itself, no hair or fibers that didnat appear to belong to the victim or the victimas clothing. Youad think a crime like this someone would leave something, especially if it was an argument that escalated into the beating this man took.a d.a.m.n. Someone had been thorough in making sure they didnat leave any evidence, which meant it wasnat a spur-of-the-moment crime of pa.s.sion or anger. This was a deliberate attack and whoever had done it had been meticulous.

aWhat about the knife wound on his chest?a The doctor leaned over and examined with his fingers, then put the magnifying mirror over the heart-shaped wound and motioned her over.

aItas crude, as you can see. Maybe the carving of the heart was done in a hurry, as an afterthought. The cut isnat too deep.a He measured. aAbout two centimeters in.a aAny estimate on the type of knife?a The doctor looked up. aYeah, sharp and pointy.a aHa-ha.a aThe cut isnat jagged, so the knife wasnat serrated. Small blade. Some kind of pocketknife, probably.a aWe found a bag of c.o.ke on him.a Richard nodded. aWeare running a tox screen. Iall let you know what we find.a The rest of the autopsy was unremarkable, and Anna left disappointed. Shead expected something that would give her some clues to chase.

Right now she had nothing more to go on than she had when theyad started the investigation.

No witnesses, no fingerprints, no DNA evidence, nothing.

And that just plain sucked.

With nothing to go on and frustration eating away at her, she went to Forensics.

aYou get anything on that gla.s.s?a she asked Patty, one of the techs.

aI ran that earlier. Hang on.a Patty went to a stack of reports and grabbed a file, flipped it open and strolled back toward her. aWhoeveras prints those are is clean. Not in the system at all. Any system. AFIS, Interpol, nothing. Theyare clean.a Interesting. aOkay. Thanks, Patty.a She supposed that was a good thing he didnat come up anywhere, but shead run a background check on him and it was as if he didnat exist.

No one didnat exist. There were records of everyone. Everyone except Dante, and that wasnat normal.

She decided to pay Paolo Bertucci a visit.

Bertucci lived in a sprawling, private, gated area with plenty of acreage that gave him s.p.a.ce away from neighbors, unsurprisingly. His house was a remodeled two-story brick mansion set back in a thick wooded area. Perfect to give him enough privacy, especially with the gate and the security system head put in making the place look like a celebrity lived there.

Anna was certain Bertucci thought himself a celebrity of sorts. He frequented the clubs, always had two or three women on his arm. He dressed in designer clothes, wore expensive jewelry and drove flashy sports cars and high-dollar SUVs. He always had an entourage of bodyguards trailing him.

Unfortunately his celebrity status had more to do with his mob connections than Hollywood. And they hadnat been able to officially tie him into anything hard to make an arrest. All they could do was watch, make notes and work with the feds on gathering evidence, hope their informants continued to bring them information and maybe someday take the b.a.s.t.a.r.d down, because Anna knew he was dirty.

She pulled to the front gate, rolled her window down and flashed her badge at the camera. After a minute or so the gate started its slow roll open and she drove down the long concrete driveway toward the house. A tall dude in a tight black T-s.h.i.+rt meant to show off his sizable muscles met her out front. Shead just bet he had a piece tucked into the back of his pants.

He leaned against her window. aCan I help you?a aDetective Anna Pallino from St. Louis Metro. Iam here to see Paolo Bertucci.a aYou have a warrant?a aHe commit a crime that I need a warrant for? I just want to have a conversation with him.a aAbout what?a aAbout none of your f.u.c.king business.a He glared at Anna, a look meant to intimidate. She stared back, not even bothering to remove her sungla.s.ses.

He finally pushed away from her car. aJust a minute.a The guy went inside. Anna got out and leaned against her car, surveying the impeccable landscaping filled with colorful flowers, the trellis with climbing roses and the copious wide windows on all levels that offered a clear view of approaching vehicles. The windows were probably bulletproof, too. You didnat get to the top of the mob food chain like Bertucci did without making enemies.

The double front doors were thick as h.e.l.l, which meant no one could kick them in.

The place was a fortress.

Muscle man returned within a few minutes and motioned her inside. She stepped in, impressed with the Italian-marble flooring, the wide-open floor plan that led to an expansive living area on the right and a dining area on the left.

The furnis.h.i.+ngs, the artwork on the walls and tablesa"everything screamed high dollar.

aThis way. Mr. Bertucci is out back in the pool area.a Must be nice. She was taken down a long hallway, past the kitchen where a cook was busily chopping vegetables and didnat even bother looking up at her. Shead just bet the staff here saw a lot, and were paid very well not to notice a d.a.m.n thing. Or ever say a word about anything they adidnata see.

The kitchen was huge, with stainless-steel appliances, a giant center island and an eating area that would serve all her friends and possibly the entire precinct. Since she loved to cook, Anna would kill for a kitchen like that. She could spend hours, days and possibly the rest of her natural life enjoying that kitchen.

Muscle guy opened the back door and led her outside to what had to be the Garden of Eden. A sheltered arbor covered with greenery provided cool shade where a table sat filled with drinks. Beyond that was a sizable pool where Paolo Bertucci lay floating on a raft in his board shorts, his buffed hairless body well tanned, his bald head reflecting the sun with the same intensity as the giant diamond earring in his left ear. He was surrounded by a bevy of beauties sporting very tiny bikinis.

Anna was most definitely overdressed.

aAh, Detective Pallino, welcome to my home.a aThank you.a aCan I offer you something to drink? Sangria, perhaps?a aNo, thanks, Iam on duty.a aThen how about some lemonade or iced tea.a Both sounded great. It was hot and the back of her s.h.i.+rt stuck to her. But she stepped out into the bright sunlight and walked to the edge of the pool. aNo, thank you. Iad like to ask you a few questions.a aYou can ask. Depending on the questions, I may or may not answer.a aThere was a murder in an alley off Lindell two days ago. A man named George Clemons.a Paolo stared at her, then shrugged. aName doesnat mean anything to me.a aIam sure it doesnat, but he was found with an ounce of cocaine on him.a aMmm, bad boy. Someone kill him over the drugs then?a aIf they did, Iam sure they would have taken the drugs with them, donat you think?a Paolo raised his hands, the two diamond rings on his fingers glinting in the harsh sunlight. aI wouldnat know anything about that.a She crossed her arms. aI would think youad know a lot about the drug trade in my city, Mr. Bertucci, since known dealers are seen coming and going from your house all the time.a Bertucci flattened his lips. aYou watchina my house, Detective?a aMe personally? No. But I believe youare well aware that youare under surveillance, so I think we can cut through the c.r.a.p and get down to an honest discussion.a He sat up on his raft. aI donat know what youare talking about. I have a lot of friends who come and go. Sometimes there are parties. Thatas probably what your surveillance people see.a aUh-huh. Look, Iam not here to bust you for drugs. I want to know if you have any dealers working the area around the alley where the murder occurred.a He laughed. aLike Iad tell you if I did. Maybe it was your friend Gabe.a Head throw Gabe under the bus just to p.i.s.s her off? aGabeas not a suspect.a aSo you want me to give you a name?a aThatad be helpful.a He took the c.o.c.ktail offered by one of the bikini-clad women and grinned up at Anna. aNow, that would be me doing your job for you, wouldnat it?a aI would appreciate the help,a she said, gritting her teeth the entire time. aWe just want to question anyone who might have been around the alley at the time of the murder.a If there was recognition on Bertuccias face, he didnat show it. Instead, he shrugged again. aIall have to put some feelers out and see if anyone knows anything.a Right. In other words, she wasnat going to get s.h.i.+t from him. aIf you hear of anything, or your memory has an epiphany and you think of anyone who might have been in the alley that night, do let me know. Iall leave my card with one of your a.s.sociates.a aYou do that. Always nice to see you.a aLikewise.a aYouare a beautiful woman, Detective Pallino. And itas a very hot day. Care to take a dip in the pool?a She gave him a lift of her lips. aGee, Mr. Bertucci. Iam kind of overdressed for a swim.a aMy ladies here have many extra bikinis. Or you could go without.a She eyed the women, who looked as though they couldnat care less if Paolo added one more to the harem. They must be well compensated. Ugh.

aThanks for the offer, but I have to get back to work.a aSome other time, perhaps.a Yeah, around the time pigs sprouted wings. aHave an enjoyable day.a Bertucci was cool and not very forthcoming with information, but it was always a brain game to spar with him, and she had to admit she enjoyed it. And he knew something. She was sure of it. She just didnat know what he knew, or how he was connected to Georgeas murder.

The bad thing was, if Bertucci was connected, then Gabe was connected.

Did Gabe know anything? Was he withholding information from her?

Now, that really would p.i.s.s her off. Would he place his position with the Bertuccis over the death of his foster father?

Sometimes she wasnat exactly sure where Gabeas loyalties lay.

Maybe she needed to find out.

Once summoned, you didnat ignore Paolo Bertucci. Gabe had been in the area anyway when head gotten the text from Bertuccias right-hand monkey, so head ridden over.

Bertucci was on the patio in the backyard, his typical group of bikini babes serving lunch.

aYouare just in time for some salsiccia-and-polenta sandwiches. You hungry?a aSure, boss, thanks.a Gabe grabbed a bottle of beer from the center of the table and popped it open, leaned back and waited. Darla brought him a sandwich. He thanked her and ate, watching the girls frolic in the pool. Paolo talked on the phone while he ate and barked instructions to one of the black-clad morons standing guard over him.

Finally, he wiped his mouth with his napkin, sat back and lit a Cuban. aDetective Pallino dropped by today.a aYeah? What did she want?a aTo grill me about some dead guy in an alley. They found drugs on him and she thinks Iam connected.a Gabe finished the last bite of his sandwich and pushed his plate to the side, then grabbed another beer. aSheas got nothina.a aThatas what I figured, too. She wouldnat have come fis.h.i.+ng at my house if she did.a aSo no problem then.a aSheas your friend.a aYes, she is. And youave known that since the beginning. Iave never hidden that from you.a Paolo nodded and smiled. aI know. Your honesty has always been refres.h.i.+ng, Gabriel. Thatas one of the reasons youave risen so fast in my organization. I trust you.a aAnd I appreciate it, Paolo. Anna might be my friend, but you know where my loyalty lies.a aI also know having a afrienda like Anna can be useful.a Gabe leaned back in the chair and offered up a sly smile. aIt serves its purposes. She cuts me slack and feeds me information even when she doesnat know sheas doing it.a aBecause you know all the right questions to ask, and because she trusts you.a aShe thinks Iam not going to cause problems for her, and so far I havenata"that sheas aware of.a aCultivate that relations.h.i.+p.a Gabe crossed his fingers. aWeare like this.a aGood. But keep in mind the time may come when you may need to sever that tie.a Gabe shrugged. aWhatever needs to be done for the greater good. Like I said, I know where my loyalties lie.a aGood boy. Everything set up for tonight?a aYeah. MacKenzie and Smith are meeting me at eleven. s.h.i.+pment comes in at midnight.a aExcellent. Let me know how it goes.a That was his signal he was no longer needed. He stood. aWill do. Thanks for lunch.a aCare to stick around and play with the ladies?a He took a quick glance at the mounds of available b.r.e.a.s.t.s floating in the pool. He leered at the ladies, then turned to Bertucci. aTempting as h.e.l.l, but some other time, Paolo. I want to scout the warehouse in advance, make sure nothingas going to pop up that might surprise us.a Gabe left the house, climbed on his bike and headed out toward the location of the drop tonight.

Bertucci was a lot of things, but stupid wasnat one of them. Thatas why it had taken Gabe two years of working for him to get where he was now.

People like Paolo Bertucci ran these cities, smuggling in drugs right under the noses of the cops, lining the veins of the rich, the middle cla.s.s and the poor. And the ones Paolo got to push it? They were the real victims.

Gabe had no idea what George had been doing with drugs in his pocket, but those drugs were linked to Bertucci. Someone had planted them there. Someone connected to Paoloas hierarchy.

And there wasnat a d.a.m.n thing Gabe could do about it. He could find out with a little legwork and clear George, but it would blow his cover. And head spent two years getting himself dug into the Bertucci organization. No way was he going to screw this up. Head get his a.s.s fired for one thing. Or dead if Paolo found out who he was really working for.

So head have to keep his mouth shut and hope Anna could figure it all out, while he sat on the sidelines and played dumb.

Sometimes he really hated his job.