Wild Justice (24 page)

63 Sean McCarthy and Alex DeVore followed Mike Greene into the conference room at the district attorney s office. Greene stared at Amanda Jaffe. Her shoulders slumped and her complexion was ashen. What the hell happened to you? Greene asked as he took a seat next to her. When Amanda answered, he had to strain to hear her. We ve all been fools. Her voice caught, and she paused to collect herself. Mike thought that she might begin to cry. Cardoni is innocent. So was Justine. It s going to take a lot to convince me of that. Amanda took a deep breath, as if the mere act of speaking had wasted her. She sipped from a glass of water. Fifteen years ago a member of my father s law firm drove to a cabin he owned near the Ghost Lake ski resort. A few days later my father learned that he had died in an arson fire. The body of a young woman was also found in the cabin. What does this have to do with Cardoni? Nothing. The lawyer s name was Dominic Fiori. He was Tony s father. The following year, the bodies of two young women were found in shallow graves a mile or so from the Fiori cabin. One had been reported missing the year before the arson during winter break. The other was reported missing two years before, also during winter break. Amanda paused. She ran her hand hard back and forth across her forehead and fought to regain control of her emotions. Are you okay? Mike asked, concerned by Amanda s obvious distress. No, Mike. I feel sick. I can t . . . Greene cast a quick glance at McCarthy, who looked equally concerned. Amanda gathered herself. When she spoke, Greene was certain he d misunderstood her. What did you say? I said the women at Ghost Lake were Tony Fiori s first victims. Amanda s voice broke as tears flooded her eyes. He killed them, Mike. He killed them all. How is that possible, Amanda? Tony was with you when Justine called you for help. The medical examiner said that Justine died within an hour of your arrival at her house. You told Sean that you were with Fiori for two hours before Justine called. Amanda wiped her eyes. When she spoke, her voice was devoid of emotion. When I visited him at the hospital, Cardoni told me that he was knocked out with a tranquilizer dart at the rest area. I think Tony kept him a prisoner somewhere, then brought Cardoni to Justine s house before I came over to Tony s house on the night Justine died. But what about the phone call? Mike asked. How could Tony kill Justine? He was never out of your sight. That s not true. I didn t see Tony while I was making the nine-one-one call at Justine s house. I ve given this a lot of thought. What if Tony tortured Justine earlier in the afternoon and forced her to make a tape? He could have left Cardoni sedated in Justine s kitchen and Justine sedated and tied to the chair in the living room. I took Justine s call in the loft on my cell phone. Tony could have played the tape over his phone in his kitchen. I couldn t see Tony when I spoke to Justine. None of her statements was responsive to anything I said. The call was short. She said my name, then she told me to come over and she hung up. I don t know, Greene said. That s quite a stretch. Amanda sat up straight in her chair and her features hardened. Cardoni had traces of heavy-duty tranquilizers in his blood. That s what you told me. Why would he tranquilize himself? Greene didn t answer. After Tony told me that Justine was tied up in the living room, he told me to stay in the car and lock myself in when I called 911. He was counting on my following his orders. I think he ran into the house and cut Justine s throat. He d calculated when the anesthetic he d given Cardoni would wear off. Maybe he even gave Cardoni something to bring him around. After that, all he had to do was place the second gun in Cardoni s hand while Cardoni was still groggy and fire the first shot. Then he shot Cardoni with his own gun. I m betting that Tony would have finished him off if I d stayed in the car. Tony needed Cardoni dead so you d stop investigating his crimes. He was afraid you d stumble onto something that would prove he was the killer. This sounds crazy, Amanda, Greene said. Tony Fiori has been killing since he was a junior in high school and no one has ever suspected him. He was supposed to be in Mexico during winter break when his father died, but that was his alibi. I think his father walked in on him while he was working on his third victim and Tony killed him. My father is the one who called Mexico to tell Tony that Dominic was dead. I asked him about that last night. He said it took the people at his hotel a day to find him. You have to do better than this. Amanda reminded Mike Greene of the killing ground in Colorado and told him about the killing ground in Peru. She also told him her dream about the blood-filled coffee cup and what it meant. It s possible, McCarthy said when she was through, but there s nowhere near enough for an indictment. There s no concrete evidence at all, Mike added. I know, Amanda answered, her voice unsteady but filled with determination. That s why you have to let me get you your evidence.

64 God, it s good to see you, Tony, Amanda said, reaching up to give him a hug. Thanks for letting me stay here. In a van parked on a side road a short distance from Tony s house, Alex DeVore, Sean McCarthy and Mike Greene heard every word broadcast through the listening devices that had been planted while Fiori was at the hospital. To tell the truth, I haven t felt like staying alone, either, since I heard Cardoni escaped. We probably don t have anything to worry about. Sean McCarthy s convinced that Cardoni is long gone. You wouldn t be staying here if you believed that. Amanda smiled coyly. I might have ulterior motives. You are such a slut. Tony put his hands around Amanda s waist, pulled her close and kissed her. She pulled back slightly, and he looked confused. Everything all right? Sure, she said, fighting to keep from sounding nervous. Cardoni s escape just has me rattled. Say, I m starving. What s for dinner? Veal piccata, but I just got home fifteen minutes ago, so I don t have dinner up yet. Busy day at the hospital? Amanda asked, to keep Tony talking. It was a madhouse. All anyone was talking about was Cardoni s killing spree. Then we had a five-car pileup on the interstate. Amanda followed Tony into the kitchen. He filled a pot of water, then took two strips of veal scaloppini out of a shopping bag and laid them between sheets of wax paper. I may have proof of Cardoni s guilt soon, Amanda said as Tony pounded the veal lightly to flatten it. Oh? Bobby Vasquez discovered two murders that occurred in Oregon that are very similar to the killings in Milton County and the murders at the farm. No kidding. When was this? One woman was killed seventeen years ago and the other sixteen years ago. Where were the murders? The Ghost Lake ski resort. The women were found in the forest, half a mile from one of the runs. This could have been Cardoni s first killing ground, so he may not have been as careful as he is now. Tony blended flour with salt and pepper, then dipped the meat in the mixture until there was a light coating of flour on the veal. Did you tell McCarthy that Cardoni accused me? he asked casually. No. Why should I waste his time with that ridiculous story? Cardoni was just desperate. He even claimed that he was drugged when he was at Justine s house. He wanted me to have the blood that was drawn prior to his operation screened for tranquilizers. Who was supposed to have drugged him? Me? Tony asked as he put olive oil and butter in a skillet, placed the skillet on a burner on the stove and turned on the heat under the pot of water. Yeah, Amanda answered, shaking her head in disbelief. He said that he was coming to when you shot him. Coming at me is more like it. What did McCarthy think about that little gem? I didn t mention it to him. Like I said, why waste his time with Cardoni s crap? Amanda shook her head. I do have to give Cardoni credit, though. He had me going for a minute. You ve got to be kidding. He s a skilled liar, Tony. You have no idea how convincing he can be. Tony looked alarmed. You actually thought I . . . that I could do that? No, but he made a pretty good case against you. How, if I didn t do it? Whether you did it or not is irrelevant. Lawyers convince juries all the time that things that didn t happen are true. Amanda smiled. I bet I could convince you that you re guilty, using my exceptional forensic skills. Bullshit. That s not a challenge, is it? Loser does the dishes. You re on. Okay, Ally McJaffe. Prove I did it. Let s see. Amanda stroked her chin dramatically. First, there s the killing ground in Colorado. What killing ground? It was on the list that Bobby Vasquez compiled for me of murder cases with MOs similar to the Oregon cases. The bodies of several torture victims were found on farmland near Boulder. The farm was purchased using the MO used to purchase the farmhouse in Multnomah County and the home in Milton County. How does that prove I m a killer? Tony asked with a skeptical smile. You were a ski instructor in Colorado, and you went to school at the University of Colorado at Boulder. That s true, but Cardoni worked in Denver. And, come to think of it, so did Justine. You won t get much mileage out of that point. Next? The water started to boil. Tony turned the heat up under the skillet. There s the coffee mug. Tony looked puzzled. What coffee mug? The one the police found at the cabin in Milton County. What about it? The police never told the press or the public that Cardoni s prints were on it. So? You knew. I did? Four years ago, at your house, we were talking about Cardoni s case after dinner. I told you about serial killer profiles, and I mentioned that organized nonsocials have active fantasy lives that enable them to visualize their crimes in advance. I said that this trait helped them anticipate errors that could lead to their capture. You commented that Cardoni did not anticipate the errors that led to his capture. You said that it was really dumb to leave a scalpel and a coffee mug with his fingerprints at the scene of the crime. I don t remember saying that. Well, you did. Come on. Tony laughed. How can you possibly remember what we talked about four years ago? Amanda stopped smiling. It was our first date, Tony. I remember everything about it. I was really taken with you and replayed the evening in my head a lot of times. It meant something to me. Well, you got the conversation wrong. I never mentioned anything about a coffee mug. I don t think I even knew the cops found a mug at the cabin, unless you told me about it. That might be where I heard about it, if I did. You said yourself that we talked about the case. The butter and olive oil were heating up, and Tony put the veal in the sizzling pan. There was another killing ground in Peru. Tony froze. Cardoni was living in the States when the victims disappeared and Justine was never in Peru, but you were in medical school in Lima then. There were similar murders when I was studying in Peru? Amanda nodded. Wow. That s amazing. Tony shrugged and smiled. Well, I didn t do it. Besides, you re forgetting that Cardoni admitted framing Justine by planting evidence at the farmhouse. That proves he was at the scene of the crime. Ah, but it doesn t prove he committed the crime. Cardoni claimed that he framed Justine because he believed that she framed him four years ago. Why would Justine do that? Clifford Grant made a deal with Martin Breach to deliver a heart that was supposed to be transplanted into a wealthy Canadian. The police raided the airport when Grant arrived with it, but Grant escaped with the money and the organ. Grant had a partner. Breach didn t know the partner s name. The partner killed Grant to keep him from talking and buried him at the cabin. Cardoni s story is that the partner created a fall guy to throw Breach off the scent. With his addiction to cocaine and erratic behavior, Cardoni was the perfect patsy. Cardoni thought Justine was Grant s partner, so he framed her to get even. Now he claims that you were Grant s partner. Of course he does. With Justine dead, he couldn t very well carry on with his ridiculous story that she framed him. Oh, it s pretty clear that Cardoni was framed. Yeah? Tony said as he dropped several handfuls of pasta into the boiling water. Cardoni didn t know about the farm until shortly before he framed Justine. I talked to Mary Ann Jager, the lawyer who bought the property. She said that Cardoni showed up at her office a few days before Justine was arrested and tried to find out who owned it and how it had been purchased. Why would he do that if he already owned it? Tony clapped his hands and laughed. Very impressive, Amanda. You re a terrific lawyer. You almost have me convinced that I killed everyone. That s why I get paid the big bucks, Amanda said, making a small bow. Still, when you add everything up, your case against me is purely circumstantial and pretty skinny. I ve won with less, she answered with a confident smile. Tony sighed. Are you taking me in before dinner or do I get a last meal? Amanda pointed to the skillet. That smells too good to waste. I think I ll wait until after we eat to bring you in. Here s a reward for your kindness. Tony secured a slender piece of veal on the tines of a fork and held it just out of reach of Amanda s lips. Take a taste, he said, feeding the slice to Amanda. As soon as it was in her mouth, Tony swung his fist as hard as he could and caught Amanda flush on the jaw. She staggered. Tony pulled her to the ground and applied a choke hold. Amanda was unconscious in moments. How about opening the wine? Tony said as he pressed tape over Amanda s mouth. He kept up a dialogue about his day at work, interspersed with cooking instructions, while he searched Amanda for a wire. If she was here on her own, he had no problems. If she was wired or the police had gotten into the house and planted listening devices, he would have to disappear. He didn t think the police were watching him on a concealed camera because they would have moved as soon as he hit Amanda. Amanda began to stir. Tony rolled her over and secured her hands behind her back with a set of plastic restraints. He hastily scribbled a short note and took a sharp knife out of a drawer while regaling Amanda with a funny story about a screwup by a new intern. As soon as Amanda s eyes opened Tony pressed the knife to her throat and held up a note: one sound and i will blind you. Amanda s eyes showed her fear, but she did not make a sound. Tony motioned her to her feet. Amanda scrambled up and stood unsteadily, still groggy from being rendered unconscious. Tony had removed all of her clothes during the search, but she was too terrified to be embarrassed. He pointed toward the basement door with his knife. Amanda hesitated, and he stabbed her in the arm. Amanda gasped. Tony put the knife to her eye and she stumbled down the hall. Is that a great Chianti or what? Tony asked cheerfully.