The Forsaken (12 page)

“Flip the channel, Foster,” Whitney sneered. “I got work to do.”

“Smirk all you want, you pompous worm,” Jude mumbled under his breath as he walked into the bathroom. Once there, he locked the door and took out his cell phone in hopes of reaching his brother. All he got was voicemail.

Jude ended the call and dropped his cell into his pocket.
Think
, he thought.
Think.. Kevin wouldn’t come back here. Where would he go?
His brother often claimed that he could sniff a cop from a mile away. And it had managed to keep him out of prison on several occasions when bailing him out wasn’t an option. But where was he now? Tonight? And why was there a dead girl lying between the sheets?

He returned to the open room, thankful to discover one of the forensics teams searching the body for additional scarring or wounds. He watched firsthand as the body was examined and re-examined. But there was no mark like he had described.

Could he be wrong? There was no trace back to the original killing. He cursed under his breath. Of course there was no mark. He should’ve suspected as much because the previous body was killed in an entirely different fashion. Not with a weapon; with no touch at all. Someone or
something
else was to blame for that murder. But who was to blame for this?

He stared for a long moment at the naked dead girl. Crystal, he heard one of the officers say. Had he wanted to believe so badly that Kevin was innocent that he imagined a cross-like image in Crystal’s flesh? He could’ve sworn he’d seen a mark on her, somewhere. No, this wasn’t right. It had to be there.

He stormed toward the body. What he desired was certainty. He shoved Whitney and his crew aside and scrutinized the corpse. Every inch of her. But still there was no mark. Was he losing grip? There were a few tattoos inked in inviting locations but nothing quite as unique as what he’d seen before.

“Getting awfully friendly there, Foster. Did you check her personal parts too?” Whitney sneered. “Make sure you’re good and satisfied?”

Jude’s mind was drowning.

“Whatever you think happened, didn’t. This is good old-fashioned redrum.”

“I’m not crazy. And I’ll prove you wrong. Scar or no scar, I know my brother, and he wouldn’t do this.” Jude watched as the paramedics placed Crystal’s corpse inside a black body bag, where she’d be forgotten.

The paramedics wheeled her out as Mike and Rachel stepped into the room. Whitney walked over to the chief and made a few remarks, low enough so Jude couldn’t hear.

“They brought you here too, huh? Just don’t touch anything. Whitney’s like a horny frat boy during rush. It’s pathetic,” Jude whispered to Rachel. “Seriously, this is just pointless. My brother isn’t a murderer.”

She looked at him, suddenly unable to discern fact from fiction. “You know that for sure?”

“I know my family. This isn’t like him. Smells like a setup. Geez, these last few nights have been pure hell.”

“I know, but we can handle it.”

“Sorry I was so cold back at the station,” Jude said abruptly. “I know I can be…difficult sometimes.”

“Is this Jude Foster offering an apology? Feel like I should write this down.”

He pushed out a sigh.

“I’m an only child, so as much as I’d like to empathize with you and tell you I know what this feels like, I can’t. Body or no body, though, your brother
is
guilty of buying and selling a laundry list of narcotics and hiring a prostitute.”

Jude looked away before he said, “I can’t let Kevin do hard time. He’s not built like me. It’ll mess with his head.”

She nodded, a bit of sadness hidden behind hazel eyes.

“Her body had no marks,” he added. “Nothing except the knife wound.”

“Were you expecting there to be a link? This is Kevin’s place. We had no reason to think he was involved in our case.”

Jude paused for a moment. “I think he was framed.”

“Try not to invite your emotions into this. I think you’re searching for a way out. You want reasonable doubt. But the chief’s gonna need more than that.”

“Rachel, Whitney’s team should’ve found my brother by now. Unless he wasn’t here when the murder took place.”

“But they’re gonna have his prints on the knife. The fact that he has a street knife like that could get him busted and fined.”

He wasn’t getting very far with Rachel. “Kevin wouldn’t be this blatant. Whoever did this wanted it to be found, like this, by
us
. The timing is too right. But there’s no note with this body.”

Rachel’s ears pricked up. “You wanna run that by me again? You found a note with the first body?” She rubbed the side of her head. “So you’re withholding crucial evidence from me?”

“Don’t start. I had every intention of showing you.”

“When?”

Jude scratched his neck.

Rachel continued, “Why are you keeping stuff about this case from me? I’ve been upfront with you.”

“Look, we don’t have time for this juvenile bickering. And I don’t have the patience. Just hear me out, okay?”

She chewed her lip like she’d bite it off if she could. Reluctantly, she nodded.

“A few years ago, my ex-partner and I were tracking a serial.”

“Victor Sedeiko, the ghost.” She said it almost mockingly. “As you know, I’m aware of what you claimed he did.”

“I’ve seen what Victor is capable of. If he can kill people without touching them, is it that farfetched for me to believe he can stage a crime scene, maybe even kill in a different way in order to throw us off?” He turned his back to her. “And if it’s possible that Victor is behind all of this, then Kevin’s not gonna be the lamb to the slaughter.” He fumed. “I think we’re being toyed with.”

“Or you’re toying with yourself. Sounds like you have some old demons to get rid of.”

“You’re not listening. I feel it, Rachel. In some way, shape, or form, I know that freak is involved somehow.”

Jude tried to continue, but the chief got close before he could tell her any more. A grief-stricken stare met them both. “We found Kevin. He tried to run, but they got him cuffed in the back of my cruiser. We’re going back to the station for questioning, and you’re coming with us.”

Rachel began to follow. “I’ll come too.”

“No, you won’t,” Mike barked. “Go home. Get some sleep. Someone should.”

“I won’t be able to sleep, sir,” she replied. “Not now.”

“Then hop on the interstate and count the highway lines. Doesn’t matter what you do, but you’re not coming with us.” His tone was harsh, even for him.

Jude glanced at her with strained eyes. He dropped his shoulders, like the weight of the world was crushing him. With determination he followed the chief outside. It was going to be a long night.

17

“GET YOUR FEET OFF
the table!” Mike shouted. He really got into character when he had to. If it were any other day with any other suspect, Jude might have found the bad-cop routine entertaining. But right now, he didn’t even blink.

Kevin reluctantly dragged his heels across the table. Some of the shiny finish scraped off and stuck to the bottom of his boot. His tattered thermal had Whitney’s team written all over it. And the black eye, Mike claimed, was because Kevin had struggled getting into the cruiser and kicked in one of the vehicle’s back doors.

“Take a look at these.” Mike dropped several grotesque close-ups of Crystal onto the table. The blood glistened slightly off the gray-white gloss. “Why’d you do it, Kevin? What, was she just not as good as you thought? Wouldn’t shut up? Or were the two of you into the freaky stuff and it went too far?”

“I don’t have a clue what you’re talking about,” Kevin fumed. Jude saw through the tough exterior Kevin liked to put on display. Inwardly, he knew there was torment and fear.

Mike folded his arms across a flabby chest, trying to evict Kevin’s lies from the room. “I want a reason. I’m a patient man. I’ve been lenient on you before, haven’t I?”

No packaged responses. Not this time.

“Just tell me straight,” Mike pushed. “Why’d you do it?”

“Talk to us, Kevin,” Jude tried. “What’s happening here?”

“Let me handle this!” Mike ordered.

Kevin shook his head unapologetically. His face turned ghostly pale, but he masqueraded almost decently enough to appear in control. But not for long. It was clear the fear would rise soon and quickly. Kevin was becoming twitchy, attempting to hide from the chief’s shameless tactics and Jude’s tired stare.

“I didn’t do it, guys,” Kevin said with a shrug. “I’m telling you the truth. If you think I did this, you’re wrong.”

“I got no reason to believe you. Come to think of it, you got a track record of screw-ups. You must take me for a sucker, boy. I can promise you that unless something changes, things will be different this time.”

Kevin’s hands trembled underneath the table.

“For a liar, you’re pretty good.”

“We don’t know he’s lying for sure, Chief,” Jude said.

“Is this your first time going all the way?” Mike carried on, as if Jude hadn’t spoken. “Maybe you thought about doing up some tramp like this for a long time. In the back of your mind.”

“She wasn’t some tramp!” Kevin started to buckle. “You know, it’s real convenient how the only time you slobs care about a hooker is when she’s dead and you want somebody to hang for it.” The veins in Kevin’s neck blistered as he spoke. “You should do your homework first before you toss the blame. I didn’t do this, you idiot!”

“Watch it, boy,” Mike growled. “And don’t think for a second that any of this is new. After eighteen years, I’ve seen it all. Bugs like you don’t ever quit. It starts with dealing, buying and selling and hustling. Now you got yourself involved with street sluts and gangsters.” Mike leaned on the table firmly, chewing what little flesh remained of the thin layer on his bottom lip. “If I turn a blind eye to this, which I won’t, you’ll just be at it again. And again, and again.”

Mike pulled out photographs Jude had never even examined and threw them on the table frivolously. Pictures of dead girls Jude imagined were from Mike’s past investigations. “Your prints were all over the blade. She was in your bed. Where were you gonna run and hide? You thought you could get far? That we wouldn’t catch up?”

“You’re all the same. You hear what you want to hear.” Kevin started tearing up. “I didn’t kill her!”

Jude flinched. He grabbed the chief’s arm. “Can I talk to you outside?”

“Not now, Detective!”

“Please, sir.”

A long sigh forced its way from the chief’s mouth. After staring at Kevin in the face until he cowered like a frightened child, Mike walked out of the room with Jude.

“What are we doing here?”

“Our job. Kevin’s been on my radar for years, and I’ve been kind to him. You know I have. But not this time. Not this time.”

“What if he is telling us the truth?”

Mike turned cold. “I know he’s your brother, but I can’t just hope the answers drop outta the freakin’ sky. He’s my property now. And I won’t let you try and take the heat for this one. So back down, and keep your mouth shut.”

Jude was suddenly staring into the eyes of a different man. More hostile. Less merciful. Full of years of suspicion and bottled-up frustrations. “We don’t have to do it like this. Can’t you see he’s freaked out enough? There’s more to this, Mike. Please, can I just talk to him for a few minutes? Screaming at him and making threats is only gonna make him shut off.”

Mike grimaced. “And what if you’re wrong? What if he did kill this broad and you’re wrong?”

“Then we’ll play it your way.” Jude cracked when he breathed out his request. “We’ll treat him like any other low-life.”

“Is that so?” Mike said, clicking his tongue. “Okay, you got five minutes, then. And I’ll be counting every second.”

Jude returned to the interrogation room and sank into his seat.

“Jude, don’t tell me you think like him. Please. You believe me, right? I didn’t kill Crystal.” He shoved the photographs off the edge of the table.

“I’m not going to accuse you of anything. But it’s real suspicious that the same girl I saw waking up in your apartment just so happens to wind up stabbed
in your apartment
. I want to believe you. But there isn’t much for me to go on here. She was in
your
bed, stabbed with
your
knife. Plus, it’s documented that she was with you yesterday.”

“Come on, bro. Crystal probably saw a number of guys yesterday.” Kevin resorted to calling Jude
bro
when he wanted to be heard for real. “I wouldn’t lie to you.”

“You’ve covered up things before.”

“But nothing like this. Do you really think I’m capable of murder?” A tear crawled down Kevin’s thin face, but he wiped it off quickly. “Remember how Mom used to tell us about finding
the one?
When you know, you know, right? Listen to me, bro. Nobody’s gotta tell me how much I’ve screwed up my life. I know I’ve done bad things.” Kevin lightly touched the scars on his arms and wrist. “But Crystal didn’t care about that crap. When we were together, it was like we could be different people, you know? I really cared about that girl.”