Diana (14 page)

Others were watching them. She didn't need any more gossip or rumors about her, so she stopped.

"I have nothing to say to you, Fontella. Just leave me be and let this sink in."

She took out her keys to open the door to the unmarked police car. Luke pushed the door closed.

"I think we need to talk about things. Straighten things out."

"No, we don't. It's better left unsaid."

Diana sighed, as she glanced around them. Everyone seemed to be going about their business. Luke stood in front of her. Her eyes were level with his shoulders. She refused to look into them. The tension in the air was beyond measurement.

His hand touched her wrist. She jerked backward, and her hip hit the car door. She cursed under her breath at the pain, as well as her timid behavior toward Luke.

"Are you afraid of me?"

"There's nothing for us to talk about."

"The hell there isn't."

"You don't want to talk. You want to make accusations. Accuse my brother, or someone in the fire company, of murder and arson. I, on the other hand, want to locate the real killer, using concrete proof."

Diana abruptly opened the car door, nearly knocking Luke in the knees.

"Whether we like it or not, we are going to have to look into this,” he said.

"I will look into it, and I'll wait until the medical examiner discloses his findings, and other evidence is revealed to indicate your theory is possible. Other than that, I have nothing more to say to you."

Luke blocked the door from closing. He leaned down so only she could hear. “About last night, I'm not going to forget it. I won't let you, either. I understand the reasoning behind the attitude you gave me back there."

"I told you this morning, my main focus right now is this case."

Diana got into her car and left.

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Luke leaned back in his chair at the desk. He had several phone calls, from various sources, warning him to hold his tongue and watch himself making such outrageous accusations. His head pounded.

He thought about calling Diana, telling her what was happening, then stopped himself. This information would scare her. She was already feeling guilty for sleeping with him.

He looked at his notes, at the reports from the fire chief, and his observations of the arson scene. He should've been paying closer attention. Instead, his focus was on Detective Pellino. The woman was in total control that day, and she was quick to put him in his place by telling him, ‘Preservation of life was more important than structure safety.'

He thought about the firefighting unit that responded to the fire. He practically knew the whole crew, and Brian was a good friend. Someone else had to be responsible.

He glanced back at the pictures he had of the crime scene, looking closely at the powdery substance that lay on the floor. The tiny, thin, metal object Pellino had found under the bed frame.

He missed that. He realized the object had to be the small stand that came with the flare. But, if it were, why wasn't it in the middle of the floor? Multiple reasons filled his mind, then the more obvious.

He figured when the firefighters entered the apartment and put out the fire, they stomped through the bedroom, making sure it was secure. They probably kicked it under the bed frame. It was a simple explanation.

He thought about the possibility a firefighter could be responsible for the arson and the murders, and wondered why, then realized he should keep the criminal profiling to the professionals like Pellino.

Hearing a beeping noise, Luke looked at his computer screen. He had a new message. Logging into his email, he located the message and clicked on it.

He glanced at the return email address, opening it. His heart thumped with excitement. There was a new sighting for Stewart Howard, and a possible fire that the local authorities, two boroughs over, thought could be arson.

He opened up the attached file. Suddenly, a large clown face filled the screen. Laughter spilled from the computer speakers yelling the word ‘Sucker.’ On the bottom of the screen, a note read: “
You can't catch me. I don't exist
."

In frustration, Luke deleted the message.

A few minutes later, another one came on.

"Assholes!” He pushed himself away from his desk.

The email had been a prank, another message of warning to remember whom his comrades were.

Luke headed to his kitchen to make a fresh pot of coffee. He'd deal with the bogus emails later.

He sat at his desk and smiled wide. He was filled with excitement. The fact he was immersed in such a complex series of events should cause him worry. Instead, he was filled with an inner desire to succeed. No one would catch him. They couldn't.

Who would've thought he could be so cunning, so unpredictable? His plans suddenly changed. He admitted that he'd underestimated the abilities of both the NYPD detectives and the arson investigation unit. Together, they would be difficult to beat, unless he sent them in a different direction. That would give him time to plan his next attack.

That desire to hold life and death in his hands began to rise again. He craved the feeling, the emotion and adrenaline rush, he received from having ultimate power and control.

His old life, his old personality, were long gone, non-existent because he was reborn.

"Where should I begin?"

He logged onto the computer, knowing the first step was research.

Diana and Jerry headed toward the medical examiner's office. The ME had finished the autopsy on Lee.

"Thanks for covering for me."

Jerry's voice interrupted Diana's thoughts, as he maneuvered the car through traffic.

"No problem, stud. I hope she was worth it.” Diana smirked.

"Oh, she was, and some."

"I don't need details. Just don't go making a habit out of it."

"I'm not making any promises."

Diana sighed.

"So, Fontella really thinks that a firefighter could be our suspect?"

"I'm not sure. There just isn't enough evidence. I mean, so many people carry flares in their cars, not just firefighters and the police."

"That's true, but we need to keep an open mind. Let's think about the profile we have so far. Our suspect has to be large and very strong. He broke the first victim's spine, for Christ's sake."

"That's still not enough."

"Then we do what we do best. We gather the evidence, take it one step at a time, and find this guy."

Jerry pulled into a parking spot, and they headed inside the building.

The ME, Rob Barkley, greeted Diana first then Jerry. “Hello, Detective Pellino. How are you today?"

"I'm fine, Rob. How are you?"

"A hell of a lot better now that you're here. Remind me to ask you something before you leave."

Diana cringed as Jerry smirked. Rob blushed. She hoped he wasn't planning on asking her out. She feared this moment, and she didn't want to hurt Rob's feelings. Jerry was right when he said Rob had the hots for her.

The three of them moved closer to the examination table.

"Okay, I found some interesting things, thanks to your suspect's lack of knowledge about contact and transfer. Let's start with the cause of death.” Rob pulled on the latex gloves and started to describe his findings in detail.

"So she was strangled before the fire even started?” Diana said.

"Yes. We have a fracture of the hyoid bone with hematoma,” Rob told her.

"So she was physically strangled, not with a ligature?"

"As you now, Diana, the fracture of the hyoid bone in ligature strangulation is found in less than one percent of the cases. My findings indicate that this victim was strangled by the killer's hands."

"Bare hands?” Jerry asked, his excitement obvious in his outburst.

"Sorry, chap, not that easy, I'm afraid. Your killer used gloves."

"Can't blame a guy for asking."

"When the crime scene technicians were collecting evidence, one technician noticed some small fibers on the victim's neck. We'll have to call the lab and see if they have anything yet. Perhaps the fibers were remnants of our killer's gloves?” Diana said.

"Now, that would be great. We'll call over there later,” Jerry added.

"So, you're saying that our victim was dead before the fire started?” Diana asked Rob.

"Yes, she was. I tested the victim's blood for the level of carboxyhemoglobin and it was under 5 percent saturation, which indicates the victim was dead prior to the fire. Other than the evidence of strangulation, there were no other injuries that contributed to her death."

Diana sighed, as the ME finished covering the body with the sheet, before removing his latex gloves.

She and Jerry thanked Rob, then walked to the other room where they removed their protective masks and smocks.

They were about to leave, when she heard her name.

"Diana, I nearly forgot. I got tickets to tomorrow night's game. Interested?"

She cringed. “I can't, Rob, but thanks for the invite. You enjoy the game. The weather is supposed to be great."

"Maybe another time, then."

Diana glanced at Jerry for help. How many times did she get him out of similar jams?

"I don't think her boyfriend would be too happy about that,” Jerry said.

Rob's mouth dropped and his shoulders sagged. “Boyfriend?"

"I think so. She can't stop talking about him.” Jerry was overdoing it, and she noticed the hurt in Rob's eyes. Diana gave Jerry a light punch in the solar plexus.

"I'm sorry, Rob. It was so nice of you to ask. Take care.” Diana smiled. Rob smiled back. She could tell by his still slumping shoulders he was hurt.

She hurried out the door to the fresh air. Taking a deep breath, she heard Jerry laughing in the background.

"I thought you were tougher than that, Pellino,” he teased, as they entered the car.

"What took you so long? You had to push it, huh?"

Jerry continued to laugh.

"You always come through for me, and not always so suave, either.” Jerry started the ignition and glanced at her.

"I admit, I take my time to get you out of similar jams, but you knew that was coming. He warned me when he first got there that he had a question for me."

"My first thought was a proposal. He doesn't seem like the courting type."

"Stop, he's a nice guy, just not my type."

"I know, I know. We talked about this before. Actually, we talk about this every time we come here. Maybe you should just sleep with good old Rob and let him get you out of his system."

Jerry's cell phone rang.

"I don't think so, stud. Talk to the little sex toy you're working."

Jerry chuckled and answered the phone.

Diana's cell phone also rang. She removed it from the clip and looked at the number. Her heart thumped hard. She contemplated answering the call, then decided to let it go to voice mail, just like the three others before it.

Luke Fontella can wait
.

Diana walked out to the precinct parking lot. From a distance, she saw her brother Vinny, a detective in narcotics. He talked and laughed with a few other detectives she knew. He caught sight of her, pointed at her, indicating for her to wait for him. She leaned against one of the police cruisers parked a few rows before her car.

A couple of minutes later, he headed toward her. He greeted her with a kiss on the cheek, but a serious hello.

"What's going on? What are you doing around here?” Diana asked.

"I had to stop in to see Lieutenant Bergoff. One of his rookie cops nearly blew one of my men's cover. The information was presented during roll call, about a deal going down in a certain location, but the meathead rookie wasn't paying attention. The freaking kid thought he was getting the bust of his career. It's a long story, and a big fucking headache for me. I talked to Paul and Brian. They were pretty upset. How is your case going?"

Diana sighed. The word was out.

"The case is moving along slowly. There's not much to say about it.” She looked at her brother. He squinted and raised his eyebrow. She always laughed when he did that.

"Come on, Dee, the shit has hit the fan. You haven't heard from Mom or Pa?"

"No, I haven't, and I think they both know they shouldn't call me, nor should you ask me any questions about the case I'm working."

Vinny crossed his arms in front of his chest. “Are you fucking kidding me? That freaking fire marshal Fontella is making some serious accusations. Brian's your brother."

"Listen, the fire marshal can make all the accusations he wants. He's in charge of the arson aspect, and if firefighters didn't follow protocol then let him and the chief deal with it. My job involves the victim and finding her killer. Jerry and I are doing our best."

"Brian's pissed, Dee. You should call him."

"He called the other day and we spoke. I gave Fontella hell for making the accusation, but he's got his job to do."

"Listen, Dee, I'm not telling you how to do your job. I'd be the first one to get my defenses up if someone questioned my abilities and tactics. I'm just saying remember that you're dealing with firefighters, a whole lot of people that we're related to, friends with, and something like this can cause some heavy shit to go down. Firefighters can get nasty when one of their own is accused of something, never mind a whole company. Just watch your ass."

"I appreciate the warning, Vin, but remember what I said, the arson investigation is Fontella's job, not mine."

"The word's out. He thinks the suspect is a firefighter."

Diana put her hands in the air as if saying,
'What do you want me to tell you?'

"Well, does it look like it could be?"

She shook her head and sighed. Her brother knew not to ask. He made her more anxious about the situation. People must've been giving her family shit about it.

"Forget it. You know I have your back. Whatever you need, whatever goes down, I'm behind you 100 percent."