Читать книгу Brody Law - Carol Ericson - Страница 23
ОглавлениеElise eyed the big clock on the wall as she read the last few lines of the story of Ferdinand the bull, who liked to smell flowers all day. What a life.
Ty was recuperating in the hospital and was demanding to see her. This was one of Ty’s demands she was only too happy to oblige.
The bell rang while she and her students were dragging the beanbags and pillows back into the corners of the room. “Last day of school tomorrow. Bring your best smiles for the party and get ready for first grade.”
She waved and smiled until her cheeks hurt, and then she packed up her bag.
Viola’s husband stopped by, wedging his shoulder against the doorjamb. “You doing okay, Elise?”
“I’m fine. Just wrapping up.”
“I heard about the two murders. The boys down in homicide getting any closer to nailing this guy?”
“I hope so.” She turned off her classroom light and joined him at the door. “Are you looking forward to going to Alabama?”
He rolled his eyes. “Not at all. I’ll walk you to your car since Vi’s talking with a parent right now.”
She tossed her bag in the backseat and hung on the door of her car. “Thanks for the escort.”
“You bet. Take care and tell those boys in SFPD to call us in if they need any help.”
“I’m sure they’d take that in the spirit it was meant.”
He grinned as she slipped onto the driver’s seat and shut the door.
She raced back across the bridge into the city. She’d see Ty alone, but Sean had promised to meet her at the hospital. He hadn’t been in on the questioning of Ty, but he’d heard through certain channels that Ty had retracted his accusation against him.
At least his department didn’t believe Sean was capable of that.
She pulled into the parking structure of the hospital—the same one where she’d met Sean less than a week ago, although it seemed like an eternity. How had they gotten so close so fast?
For some reason, the killer had targeted them both and that had given them some sort of shared purpose. Would that connection end when the killings did? She didn’t want to be bound to Sean through some sick individual’s obsession.
She joined a group in the elevator and rode up to the lobby of the hospital. From there she took another elevator to the fourth floor and checked in with the nurses’ station.
“I’m here to see Ty Russell. Elise Duran.”
The nurse at the desk tapped a few keys on the keyboard and nodded. “Four fifteen, down the hall to your right.”
Elise thanked her and made her way down the antiseptic-smelling corridor, her running shoes squeaking on the shiny floor. When she reached Ty’s room, she peered through the glass at him reclining on the hospital bed, watching TV.
She rapped one knuckle against the window, and his head jerked up. He beckoned to her with his right hand—the unbandaged one.
Lifting the door handle, she pushed through with her hip. “How are you, Ty? You look a lot better. Got your color back.”
“I’m just great.” He lifted his heavily bandaged left hand. “Except I’m missing my finger.”
“I’m so sorry. That must’ve been horribly painful, but why in the world did you head to Sean—Detective Brody’s house instead of the emergency room?”
“I don’t know.” He muted the TV. “I was in shock. I was in a rage.”
“You couldn’t possibly have believed that Detective Brody would send someone after you and that person would then reveal who hired him.”
“I guess it’s pretty stupid now that I think about it.”
“Were you able to give the police a description?”
“Didn’t the detective tell you? The man that attacked me was wearing a black ski mask over his face, and a bulky jacket. He was shorter than me and a lot heavier. If he hadn’t ambushed me, I could’ve taken him.”
“I feel terrible that you got all mixed up in this. You should’ve never come out here.”
“Really, Elise? When your landlord, Oscar, called me and told me what had happened, how could I not come out?”
She sighed and wound a strand of hair around her finger. “Ty, I’m not your concern anymore.”
“Are you worried about the finger? It’s just my ring finger. I can’t wear a wedding ring on the hand, but at least it’s not my index finger or thumb.”
“The finger—that means nothing, but I can’t believe you’re talking to me about wedding rings. If we were so great together, you never would’ve cheated. It’s over between us, Ty.”
“It’s that cop.”
“It is not that cop. How many times have I told you this past year that I had moved on?” She patted his knee beneath the sheet. “You should, too. Give it a try with Gina. You must’ve seen something in her to risk our engagement.”
His mouth dropped open. “Gina? She’s a waitress at the Cozy Café.”
She raised her eyes to the ceiling, remembering all over again why she’d had her doubts about him. “I can’t help you there, Ty.”
She snatched her hand back and rubbed it against her jeans. “I’m curious and you’ve probably already told the police, but how did you get Sean’s address?”
“He gave it to me.” Ty studied his bandaged hand. “The Alphabet Killer gave it to me.”
A chill zigzagged down her spine. “Go home, Ty. Go back to Montana.”
They chatted a bit more about home until Ty’s pain meds kicked in and his eyelids began to droop and his words began to slur.
Elise tiptoed out of the room and practically ran into Sean coming around the corner at the nurses’ station.
Grabbing her shoulders to steady her, he said, “I was hoping to run into you.”
“And you did—literally.”
“You look washed out, although it could just be the lighting. Are you okay? Did Ty give you a hard time?”
“Not really. He started the conversation still believing there was a chance that I’d go back to Montana with him, but I think he’s getting the picture now.”
“He’s probably halfway in shock. That was a nasty business, and he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
“You know the killer gave him your address?”
“The detective questioning him told me.”
“Do you think he knew your address before he tracked my car there?”
“Probably.” He tapped her head. “Don’t get it into this thick skull of yours that you led him to my place.”
“Was there any evidence with the bodies?”
He cupped her elbow. “Let’s get something to drink in the cafeteria. We can’t talk here, and I’m not even supposed to be hanging around Ty’s room. I’m off the case, remember?”
They took the elevator down to the lobby and crossed to the other side of the building to the hospital cafeteria. They both filled up sodas from a self-serve machine and snagged a table in the back of the noisy room filled with clattering plastic trays and hushed conversations.
“So, what do you know?”
Sean took a long sip from his straw. “Only what I got from Curtis. It’s a lot different when you’re not on the scene.”
“I can’t believe they’re keeping you away. You know more about this case than anyone.”
“If anything, they were justified in their actions today when Ray Lopez showed up and started wondering aloud why the lead detective wasn’t at the crime scene.”
“How did Lopez even know it was the work of the Alphabet Killer?”
“He didn’t. Just fishing.” He jiggled the ice in his cup and tilted it toward the soda machines. “I’m getting a refill. How about you?”
“Diet.”
He returned with the cups topped off.
“Sean, was that cop last night right? Did the victims both have names that started with the letter C?”
“Yes. They were a married couple.”
She bit down on her knuckle. “That’s awful. Wh-where are their fingers?”
“I’m not discussing this with you, Elise. You don’t need to know the details, and don’t get all in my face and tell me you have a right to know. I’m not falling for that.”
“I’m not going to play that card.” She folded her hands on the table in front of her. “But I would like to know what was in the note. That can’t be too gory, can it?”
“The note.” He plucked a napkin from the metal dispenser and lifted a pen from his pocket. He scribbled as he spoke. “Fifty-one plus fifty equals 187. Forty-two plus fifty-eight equals 187.”
Elise cocked her head. “Makes no sense at all.”
“He’s just yanking our chain.”
“Have you tried to decipher it yet?”
“Haven’t given it a lot of thought. It’s not my case, remember?”
“Even though he sent the note to you?”
“It’s not like I can run around and investigate the case on my own. I’m not like my brother Judd.”
“What does your brother Judd do?”
“He’s a P.I., a private investigator. He follows a different drummer. He could never report to anyone. He’s a rebel who distrusts authority.”
“Where does he come in the line of Brody brothers?”
“He’s my youngest brother.”
“That makes sense. He probably remembers your father the least and has the most flimsy connection to him. Sounds like he might have grown up distrusting authority.”
“Wow, are you picking up tips from Courtney or something?”
She stirred her ice with her straw. “Some things don’t take a degree in psychology. They’re just obvious.”
“Well, you’re probably right about Judd. He doesn’t see what the big deal is. He can almost accept that his father was a serial killer and move on.”
“But you can’t.”
“Never.”
“He didn’t know him like you did. How old was he when your father jumped?”
“He was six years old.”
“A baby, like my kids.”
“Yeah, he missed Dad and would cry himself to sleep when he was gone, but he didn’t really understand what was going on.”
“Reminds me a lot of my kids. So many of them come from broken homes or they never knew their fathers, and their moms are busy supporting the family. In many ways, it’s just best if they move on, find another father figure.”
“That’s what Judd did. He’s a carefree SOB. Wish I could be more like him.”
She traced the grooves of his knuckles. “You were the oldest. You were his father figure, and you couldn’t afford to be carefree.”
“Not then, but maybe I should move on, too.” He crossed an ankle over his knee. “Is Ty going home?”
“As soon as the hospital releases him. I think he’s had enough of San Francisco.”
“I’m sorry he got caught up in this.” He turned his hand over and captured her fingers. “It’s interesting that the killer has taken the index fingers of all his victims, but he chopped off Ty’s ring finger. Do you think that has some significance?”
She tapped her cup. “Funny you should bring that up. Ty was talking about how he couldn’t wear a wedding ring anymore. It’s almost like the Alphabet Killer knew about our situation, almost like he was protecting me from Ty.”
Sean slapped his palm against the table. “I’m glad you see that, too. That’s exactly what I was thinking. He seems to have fixated on you, Elise.”
She hunched her shoulders. “I don’t want him fixated on me.”
“Of course not, but in a way it makes me feel better. I don’t think he’s going to hurt you. It’s almost as if once you escaped from him, he developed some respect for you and is putting on a show just for you.”
“Yuck. I wish he’d stop. I’ve had enough.” She tapped the table in front of him. “Does the note mean he’s going to kill again?”
“I don’t see how he’s going to keep up this pace. A killing takes a lot out of someone—emotionally, physically. He’s already killed three people this week. Some serial killers go months between kills.”
“He’s going to screw up. I just know it. Attacking Ty like that was totally out of control.”
“It feels like he’s heading for some kind of climax.”
“Sexual?”
“That’s also something curious about this guy. So many serial killers rape their victims. The victims haven’t shown any signs of molestation.”
“Of course, that would just leave more evidence like DNA. He’s very careful, isn’t he?”
He sucked down the rest of his soda, slurping at the end. “Sorry. Do you want another?”
“I’ve had enough caffeine. I’m going to have a hard enough time getting to sleep tonight.”
He grabbed her hand. “You’re staying with me, right? That’s decided.”
“Courtney invited me to join her in her fabulous suite.”
“Would you rather be with Courtney in her fabulous suite, or with me in my not-so-fabulous house?”
She ran her tongue along her bottom lip and stared deep into his dark eyes. “Your house was about the most fabulous place I’ve ever been—especially your shower.”
“Such impure thoughts from a kindergarten teacher.” He wiggled his eyebrows up and down. “Do you need to go back to your place or Courtney’s to get anything?”
“Probably not a bad idea to drop by my place even though I packed enough the first time around to get me through the week.”
“You know—” he ran his knuckles down her forearm “—it might not be a bad idea for you to get out of the city when school’s over. Did you have any plans before all this broke?”
“I was actually just going to take a week or so and drive down the coast—you know, through Monterey, Big Sur and maybe as far south as Hearst Castle. I’ve never been to any of those places.”
“That’s a great drive. You’ll love it. Can you do that sooner rather than later?”
“Are you trying to get rid of me?”
“Trying to keep you safe.”
She hunched forward. “Sean, tell me you’re going to catch this guy.”
“Me?” He jabbed his chest with his thumb. “I’m not allowed to catch him. I’ll be picking up other cases and leaving the Alphabet Killer to the task force—the task force I’m not on.”
“That’s crazy.”
Sean’s eyebrows collided over his nose. “Fifty-one fifty.”
“Huh?”
“The call for picking up someone mentally unstable—fifty-one fifty.”
“Okay, if you say so.”
He shoved the napkin in front of her. “Fifty-one fifty. It’s in the note.”
“Is he telling us he’s crazy? We already know that.” She folded up one edge of the napkin as she studied the other numbers. “Could this be a coordinate again?”
“I don’t know, Elise. Could be anything and could be a total red herring like the coordinates for the Golden Gate Bridge.”
She tapped some ice from the cup into her mouth. “I wonder what he thought when he tracked my GPS right into the bay.”
“I hope he realized two can play stupid mind games.” He rolled up the napkin and stuffed it in his pocket. “He loves those mind games.”
“And fingers.”
“Is Ty going to be okay?”
“He’ll get over it. Like you said, I think he’s beginning to realize he’s lucky to be alive.”
“And he’s beginning to realize it’s over between the two of you? Is it over?”
“Of course. Did you think I’d feel so much sympathy for his finger I’d go back to him?”
“I think he was hoping you would.”
“I set him straight.”
Sean pushed back from the table. “Unless you want to eat hospital cafeteria food, let’s get going.”
“I’m in the parking structure below.”
“Not a great idea, Elise.”
“We got rid of the GPS. He’s not tracking my movements anymore.”
“We don’t know what he’s up to.” He patted his pocket with the napkin. “He’s obviously on the hunt for a new victim.”
“Does the task force have any idea how he finds his victims?” She dropped her cup in the trash. “Any idea how he found me?”
“We...they’re looking into everything, Elise.” He glanced up and pointed. “That guy can tell you more than I can now.”
Detective Curtis was barreling into the cafeteria and didn’t notice them until Sean raised his hand.
Curtis’s eyebrows jumped. “You didn’t drop in on the vic, did you?”
Sean placed his hand on her arm. “She did. Don’t worry—I stayed well away.”
“Was Ty able to tell you anything, Detective Curtis?”
“You can call me John.” He skimmed the top of his short hair with the palm of his hand. “He couldn’t tell us much. Guy came at him out of nowhere.”
“Are you heading up the task force now?” Elise shifted from one foot to the other, brushing Sean’s arm. He seemed to be taking his removal from the task force well, but his body still seemed tight and tense.
Curtis shot an apologetic look at Sean. “Yeah, the captain has me running the show. Hey, did you see Jacoby wandering around? I thought he was coming down to get prints on the vic. Sorry, Ty.”
“I didn’t. Why, did you find a finger?”
“Not yet. I hope it doesn’t wind up in the mail to you.”
“What is this guy’s obsession with fingers, anyway?” Elise shoved her hands in her pockets.
Sean snorted. “Who knows? Maybe he got sick of people pointing fingers at him and decided to lop them off.”
“It’s sick and weird.”
“And right now, it’s Curtis’s problem.” Sean grabbed her hand. “Let’s get the rest of your stuff and move it to my place.”
Curtis coughed. “Elise is staying with you now?”
“I told you, her friend’s place was compromised. Her friend’s in a hotel, and I think Elise would be safer with me.”
“You know there’s going to be hell to pay when the captain figures out you tossed that GPS device into the bay?”
“Had to do it. Do you think we would’ve gotten anything from it? The Alphabet Killer is too careful with his fingerprints, and if he’s that careful with his prints he probably knows to file off the serial number on any device he uses.”
“You’re right, Brody. That’s why you should be heading up this case.”
Sean smacked him on the back. “You’ll do fine, Curtis, but in the meantime Elise is coming home with me, and you can tell the captain that, too.”
“The captain doesn’t have to know everything.” He winked and then rubbed his hands on his way to the hot-food counter.
Elise turned to Sean in the elevator and said, “I can’t figure out if John is happy he’s got the task force or upset.”
“Probably a little of both. It’s always good for your career to lead a task force, but he’s worked in my shadow for a long time.”
“Do you think he resents that?”
“John?” Sean stabbed at the elevator button for the parking garage a few more times. “He’s too good-natured for that.”
“Still, I get the impression that you’re the superstar detective in the homicide department.”
“I’ve solved a few big cases, but it’s all a team effort. I couldn’t do my job without all the support people.”
“With all the little people?”
The elevator doors trundled open on the second floor of the parking garage, and Sean wedged his shoulder against one side of the opening to hold the door open for her.
“Is that how it sounded to you?”
“Not at all. You sounded very modest, but I just wonder if everyone sees it that way.”
“Curtis knows the score. He’s good at some things and I’m good at other things.”
She clicked her remote. “Where are you parked?”
“Out front. Give me a ride to my car and I’ll follow you back to your place.”
“My place. I don’t even know where that is anymore.”
* * *
WHEN THEY’D COLLECTED her things and returned to Sean’s place, he stepped over the brownish spot on his carpet where Ty had collapsed. “I don’t think that stain will ever come out. I’ll have to get the carpet replaced or forever be reminded of Ty accusing me of hiring someone to attack him before passing out on my floor.”
“Ty was crazy with shock and confusion. Obviously the guy planted that in his head.”
“You know that accusation made my blood boil even though I knew there was no chance that you or anyone else would believe it. I’d fight to the bitter end to clear my name if someone unjustly accused me of a crime.” He shoved his hands in his pockets. “I just can’t understand why my father didn’t do the same.”
“You just can’t know what was going through his head, Sean.”
Elise dropped one of her bags in the corner next to the only plant in the room, making its leaves wave.
Sean snapped out of his reverie. “Hey, watch it. That plant’s barely alive as it is.”
She flicked her fingers at it as if to dismiss it. “Looks like it’s doing as well as the plants in my classroom. Just one more day of school.”
“And then you’re going to take that trip down the coast?”
“Maybe.” She tossed her hair over her shoulder. “Do you think he’ll stop sending you messages when he knows you’re off his case?”
“You haven’t been watching Ray Lopez. I think everyone in the city knows I’m off the case. He’s not going to care about that.”
“I guess not, since he left you a message with the bodies last night.”
“Exactly.”
“Fifty-one plus fifty. Fifty-one fifty.”
“Uh-huh.”
“Forty-two plus fifty-eight. That can’t be a date. He’s not going to commit a murder on April second and tell us about it today.”
“Tell us?”
“You know what I mean.” She reached for her purse. “That’s my phone. It’s Courtney.” She picked up the call. “Hey, did you get checked in?”
“It’s like a minivacation. You can join me if you like.”
“I’m good where I am.” Her gaze wandered to Sean, checking the messages on his phone.
“I’ll bet you are.”
“Thanks so much for letting me stay with you. I’m sorry I led a killer to your doorstep.”
“How were you supposed to know the creep had bugged your car? Are you going to stay there with Detective Tall, Dark and Handsome until this guy is caught, or what?”
“I’m thinking of taking my vacation a little early.”
Without looking up from his phone, Sean flashed her a thumbs-up.
Courtney concurred. “I think that’s a great idea. Oscar should be home next week and I think that he’ll be around all summer, not that he would be much help in an emergency, but at least you won’t be coming home to an empty house.”
“Maybe it’ll be safe by then.”
“Oops. Hold on a minute. The restaurant where I just ordered my dinner is calling me. They forgot to take my address.” The phone beeped on the other end and then Courtney came back on the line. “Four twenty-five, eighth floor.”
“What?”
“Oh, sorry. Wrong line.”
“You sound busy.”
Courtney huffed out a breath. “It’s that needy new client. I’m seeing him after hours again.”
“Well, you go figure out his craziness. I’ll talk to you later.”
She ended the call and pointed her phone at Sean. “Anything new?”
“I called for the autopsy report on Dr. Patrick.”
“And?”
“Preliminary report suggests heart attack.”
“Then maybe that’s all it was—a heart attack and bad timing.”
“A heart attack and an incredible coincidence.” He stretched and perched on the edge of a bar stool. “Is Courtney working late tonight?”
“Yes, her demanding new client.”
“That’s a whole lotta crazy I couldn’t handle.”
“And that’s from someone who gets a package with a finger in it.”
“Come here.” He crooked his finger at her.
She eased out of the chair and sauntered toward him, his dark eyes drawing her like a magnet.
He drew her between his open legs and pinned her. “I’m glad you’re here. I’m glad you’re safe.”
“I don’t know what I would’ve done without you, Sean.” She rested her hands on his thighs and leaned in to kiss his lips.
His legs tightened around her thighs. “Let’s go out and get something to eat. It’s getting late, and we both have to work tomorrow.”
Nodding, she slipped away from his clinch, missing her opportunity to ask him about their future. She didn’t want to push him into anything. Right now they needed each other, but when that need ended, what did they have?
“You okay?” He chucked her under the chin.
“Greek.”
“What?”
“I want to try that Greek restaurant, if that’s okay with you and if it’s still open this late.”
“Greek it is. I think they stay open until eleven for dinner.”
An hour later they were sitting at a corner table in a noisy establishment in North Beach.
“I can’t believe it’s so crowded at this time of night—and on a Wednesday.” Elise leaned across the table. “Are they going to start breaking plates?”
“Do you want them to?”
She scooped more tapenade onto her plate. “That’s okay.”
Sean checked his phone for about the third time since they sat down to dinner.
“Are you expecting a call or a message? Something about Dr. Patrick?”
“I sent my brother—the FBI agent—a text about Dr. Patrick.”
“So, let me get this straight. You’re a homicide detective, you have one brother who’s a P.I. and another who’s FBI?”
“That’s right.”
“What’s the fourth one?”
“Actually Ryan is the third one, and he’s the police chief of Crestview.”
“I guess the Brody blood really does run blue. Is there something the FBI agent can do in his position to get more information?”
“Not sure, but I’m asking.”
She felt in her purse for her own phone. “Courtney was going to check in with me when she finished with her client.”
She checked the display, but Courtney hadn’t called or texted.
“Did she call? She’s more than welcome to join us for dinner. We haven’t gotten to the main course yet, and her office is close by, isn’t it?”
“I’ll invite her if she ever finishes up with this client. She hasn’t called yet.”
“She sure goes all out for her patients, doesn’t she?”
“She comes across as a party girl, but she’s really very serious about her work and very caring. And since she’s a therapist, she calls them clients instead of patients.”
“She can’t prescribe medication, but I’m sure she has some clients that need it, right?”
“She refers them to a doctor she works with. She’s had a few certifiably crazy clients, and she ended up transferring them to a psychiatrist she knows.”
“Must be hard to deal with the really crazy ones.”
“I don’t think crazy is the term the professionals use.” She bit into her cracker and dabbed her mouth with a napkin.
“Well, that’s the term cops use.” Sean drew his brows over his nose. “You did say Courtney’s office was nearby, right?”
“Yeah, the address is forty-two something or four, two, something on Market.”
Sean balanced his fork on the edge of his plate. “What floor is she on?”
His voice was so low it barely cut through the din, but the urgency behind the words had her looking up from her plate sharply.
“Floor? I don’t remember.” She gave up trying to stab the olive with her fork and pinched it between her fingers instead. “Why are you asking? Are you suggesting we bring the food to her?”
“No, I...”
She snapped her fingers. “Wait. She was getting food delivered to her office, and she thought I was the delivery guy and she rattled off her address and floor number. It was four, two something and the eighth floor, but I don’t think she needs...” She trailed off, her gut twisting at Sean’s tight face. “What is it?”
“The message, Elise. The message from the Alphabet Killer. Fifty-one plus fifty equal 187. Forty-two plus fifty-eight equal 187.”
She blinked and gulped some water to wash down the sour taste of fear. “I don’t get it.”
“We already guessed that the fifty-one, fifty might mean crazy, as in the type of clients Courtney might see. If her address is four, two, five on the eighth floor—forty-two plus fifty-eight—we have a problem.”
She’d already shoved back from the table. “You mean Courtney has a problem. She’s in danger.”
Sean pulled out his wallet and dropped several twenties on the table. “I’m going to call this in, but let’s head over there now.”
Elise kept stabbing at the redial button on the way out of the restaurant, but the call rolled over to Courtney’s voice mail every time. When they hit the sidewalk, Elise took a deep breath after Courtney’s recorded greeting. “Courtney, it’s Elise. I don’t want to freak you out or anything, but once you’re done with your client, don’t see anyone else and just wait in your office with the door locked. Sean and I are heading over there right now. It’s about ten-thirty. Call me as soon as you get this if we don’t see you first.”
By the time they reached Sean’s car, Elise’s breath was coming out in short spurts.
Sean buckled his seat belt and chucked his phone against the dashboard. “They won’t come. The lieutenant on duty thinks it’s a wild-goose chase and is refusing to send a patrol car.”
“What about John?”
“He’s off duty. I tried him at home, but he’s not there or he’s not picking up.”
“Hurry, Sean. It’s not that far. Maybe she’s still with a client. I told her to stay in her office and lock the door.”
Sean’s tires squealed as he shot into the street, horns honking in his wake.
“Elise, did Courtney ever tell you anything about this new client of hers, the one who was so demanding?”
She clamped down on her bouncing knees. “No. Why are you asking me that?”
But she knew why. The same thought had been niggling at her brain since Sean started putting together the puzzle of the note.
“She started seeing that guy right after you were attacked, right after you moved in with her.”
Elise doubled over, sinking her face in her hands. “He found her because of me.”
“Maybe. This is all just supposition right now.”
She shot up, pain pounding behind her eyes. “Courtney did mention something about him today.”
“Description, name?”
“She wouldn’t break that confidentiality.” She stared unseeing out the car window. “She told me how he picked her out.”
“How?”
“Her name.” She dug her fingernails into Sean’s thigh. “He chose her because he liked her name, Sean. Courtney Chu. Two Cs. He’s still on the Cs.”
With this last bit of news, Sean whipped around the next corner and tossed his phone at her. “Try calling Curtis again. Leave him a message. Tell him we’re on our way to Courtney’s and give him the address again.”
Elise followed his instructions and by the time she ended the call, Sean had pulled up in front of Courtney’s office building.
Elise scrambled out of the car before it came to a complete stop. She grabbed on to the two long silver handles of the glass doors and yanked. They didn’t budge. She pressed her face against the glass, her eyes searching the lobby.
Sean joined her and picked up the phone to the right of the doors. “This is SFPD Homicide Detective Sean Brody. We’re trying to get into the building to see Courtney Chu on the eighth floor.”
He listened for a minute and then replaced the receiver. “That was security. They’re sending someone down.”
Elise kept hold of the door handles as if that could make them arrive sooner. “It’s dark, it’s locked up. Maybe Courtney left already. Maybe she’s out with Derrick. It’s so late.”
“Here’s the security guard.” Sean opened his ID and pressed his badge against the glass.
The doors clicked, and the security guard swung one open. “Is there a problem?”
“We’re here to check on Courtney Chu, eighth floor. Have you seen her? Has she left for the night?”
“I know Ms. Chu. She had some food delivered a while back, but I haven’t seen her since.”
“Did anyone come to the office to see her? Anyone you had to let in?”
“No, sir. We lock the doors at ten o’clock. If she had a client before then, I wouldn’t have opened the door for him or her.”
“Okay, thanks. We still want to check on her.”
“Sure thing.” He swung the door open wide and they stepped into the building. “From this point, you can go on up to the eighth floor.”
“Can you come with us in case we need to get into Ms. Chu’s office?”
“I have my rounds, but—” he pulled a key from his keychain “—this is the master and it’ll get you in.”
“Thanks.” Sean took the key and pounded the button for the elevator. “One more thing.”
The security guard stopped at the door to the right of the elevators with his hand on the doorknob. “Yes?”
“Has anything unusual happened tonight? Anything out of the ordinary?”
The guard cocked his head. “As a matter of fact, yes. An emergency buzzer sounded for one of the side doors about an hour ago.”
Elise swallowed and curled her hand around Sean’s arm. “What does that mean?”
“Means someone left the building by way of an emergency exit. Who knows? Maybe it was Ms. Chu.”
“H-has she ever done that before?”
The security guard shook his finger. “That Ms. Chu likes to break the rules.”
As they rode up to the eighth floor, Elise said, “Maybe that’s it. Maybe Courtney’s not even here.”
“Maybe.”
The doors opened, and Elise tugged on Sean’s sleeve to steer him to the right. The silence enveloped them, and Elise held her breath. When they got to the door of Courtney’s office, Elise let out a breath on a whispered prayer. “Please, God, let her be safe.”
Sean tried the door handle first. Then he pulled out the key the security guard had given him and shoved it into the lock. He turned the lock and pushed the door at the same time, staggering into the small waiting room.
Elise had been in here once before and it looked the same—undisturbed. Courtney had fanned out the latest magazines on one low table and had stacked others in a holder on the wall. Two fake plants bobbed in the corners, and someone had left an indentation in one of the leather love seats.
The needy client who liked Courtney’s name?
Elise marched toward the door to Courtney’s inner sanctum, but Sean put out a steadying hand.
“Wait.”
He drew his gun from his holster and crept toward the same door. Shoving Elise behind him, he eased open the door.
More silence.
Elise’s nostrils flared and the blood thrummed in her eardrums.
Sean aimed his gun at the three closed doors off the hallway and whispered, “Which one is her office?”
The whisper sent a chill up her spine, but she shook off her fear and pointed to the first door on the left.
“Stay back.”
Sean twisted the handle of the door and inched it open. He’d stepped into the office, but Elise was no longer watching him.
A slight movement on the floor to her right caught her eye. Her gaze darted to the tile in front of what she knew was the bathroom floor.
A trickle of dark liquid meandered from the crack beneath the door. As if in a trance, Elise stepped over it to push open the bathroom door. The door swung freely and then stopped.
She heard Sean’s voice coming from the office, words she couldn’t comprehend, words coming at her in a fog.
She opened her mouth and managed a small sigh. She ran her tongue along her teeth and tried again.
This time she managed a scream, a scream so loud it echoed and bounced off the walls of the small bathroom where Courtney’s lifeless form couldn’t hear her at all.
