The Trophy Exchange (51 page)

Seventy

Lucinda spent the morning searching through the files and notes of the investigation looking for any clue that might point to a murder prior to the one in Waverley. Ted queried databases searching for leads there. Both of them ran down alleys and into brick walls without finding a thing.

Every time, Lucinda heard a sound out in the hallway, she figured it was someone coming to deliver her suspension papers but hours passed without their arrival. She wondered why no one had come until she realized the days had blended together and she
’
d lost track of time
.
Internal Affairs
took their time,
it
would
take them a
while
to get into gear. She
’
d bought a couple of days but she knew she wouldn
’
t escape their scrutiny or her inevitable banishment.

Her cellphone chirped. Evan Spencer was on the other end of the line. She listened as he detailed his discovery at his mother
’
s house.

“
Where are the girls?
”
she asked.

“
They
’
re playing in the backyard right now. I don
’
t really want them to be here but I
’
ll have to call 9-1-1 and wait until the police arrive. You guys don
’
t have much tolerance for someone leaving the scene.
”

“
Do you know a nearby place where the girls could stay?
”

“
Yes. I know a number of my mother
’
s friends on her street. I
’
m sure one of them would be glad to watch the girls.
”

“
Then go. Get them settled and come back to the house. I
’
ll call the Lynchburg Police and let them know what
’
s going on and I
’
ll be there as quickly as I can.
”

“
Thank you, Lieutenant.
”

She pressed the disconnect button and said,
“
C
’
mon Ted. Lily Spencer
’
s dead. We
’
re going to Lynchburg. You
’
re driving.
”

“
You want me to drive?
”
he asked as he followed her down the hall.

“
Don
’
t make a big deal out of it. I need to make some calls.
”
She pushed open the door to the stairway and pounded down the steps to the parking lot.

“
You really mean it? I get to drive?
”
Ted said egging her on.

“
Don
’
t get any ideas. This does not establish a precedent.
”

Ted opened the door on the driver
’
s side of his car.
“
I can
’
t believe it. You
’
re letting a man drive.
”

“
Yeah and let your testosterone flow. I want to make it there in record time.
”

“
Wow!
”
he said with mock gravity.

“
Just drive, Ted.
”

Ted backed out of the parking space before Lucinda finished slamming the passenger door. She shook her head and thought,
Don’t blame him. You asked for it.
She called the dispatcher on duty and explained where they were going and got the phone number for Lynchburg
H
omicide.

She stabbed in the numbers and told the investigator who took the call the details of the homicide in his city and the possible relationship to the serial cases in her area. She asked that the crime scene not be disturbed until she got there.

“
We won
’
t move a thing, Lieutenant. See you soon.
”

She disconnected and wondered if she should have described the damage to her face and gotten that out of the way. I
’
ll have to deal with it when I get there. Again. She sighed.

She called a 9-1-1 operator who lived in her apartment building and asked that she give Chester fresh food and water that afternoon.
“
I
’
m not sure when I
’
ll get back to town.
”
Lucinda paused for a moment listening.
“
No
,
d
o not take Chester down to your place. Your little Yorkie would never recover from the trauma of a day with my cat.
”
After another pause, she said,
“
I know, I know, you
’
re doing it for Chester and not for me.
”
After ending the call, Lucinda muttered
“
witch
”
under her breath.

“
Lucinda
,
is that any way to talk about Chester
’
s foster mother?
”
Ted teased.

Lucinda rolled her eye.
“
So what
’
s happening on your home front, Ted?
”

“
You expect me to drive like a maniac and discuss my personal problems at the same time? You
’
ll get us both killed.
”

“
Lame, Ted. That
’
s a lame, shitty excuse to avoid the subject and you know it. What
’
s going on?
”

“
Ellen called. She offered to go to marriage counseling and even do some individual grief counseling.
”

“
That
’
s great news. She
’
s been resisting that for a while, hasn
’
t she?
”

“
Yeah.
”

“
So
,
when are you going?
”

“
Lucinda, I told you before I
’
m not dealing with that problem until this case is closed.
”

“
It
’
s closed, Ted. The perp
’
s dead.
”

“
Then why are we breaking through the sound barrier to get to Lynchburg, Lucinda? Tell me that.
”

“
Ted, stop avoiding the question.
”

“
Not now, Lucinda.
”

“
You are such a jerk.
”

“
So sue me.
”

They drove the rest of the way in silence.

At Lily
’
s house, Lieutenant Robert Johns, a lanky, immaculately dressed, black detective greeted Lucinda and Ted. His tailored suit, crisp white shirt and vibrant red, white and blue tie put their attire to shame. Still wearing the clothes they
’d
thr
o
w
n
on in the middle of the night, Ted and Lucinda felt like slobs.

On top of that, Johns could not
–
or would not
–
stop staring at Lucinda
’
s face. Exasperated, Lucinda pointed to it and said,
“
Domestic violence call.
”

Johns winced and shifted his eyes away.
“
Sorry, Lieutenant.
”
He walked the two out-of-town investigators through the crime scene. Lucinda pointed out the consistencies with her string of homicides: the mangled face and the ligature marks on the neck. Then she gasped. The pin on Lily
’
s chest. A galloping horse.
My galloping horse.
“
Omigod.
”

“
What, Lieutenant,
”
Johns and Ted said in unison.

“
That is my pin. That is what he took from my house. That little horse pin is mine. My mother gave it to me for my birthday the year that she died.
”
Tears welled in her eye.
“
Damn him. Damn him to hell.
”

Ted wrapped his arm around Lucinda
’
s shoulder and whispered
,
“
That
’
s a done deed. He
’
s burning in hell right now.
”

A small, rueful grin crossed Lucinda
’
s face. She blinked away the moisture in her eye and turned to Detective Johns.
“
I suspect the link will be confirmed by DNA from the spoon by the ice
-
cream carton.
”

“
You want my guys to pull a swab for you to take back to your lab?
”
Johns asked.

“
That would be great. If the department balks at spending the money to test it, I
’
ll pay for it myself. Then I
’
ll submit an expense voucher. With a little luck, it
’
ll slip right past the bean counters on the fifth floor.
”