James Andrus - The Perfect Death

Peep scratched his head and wiped his nose with his fingers. “I think I started using Saturday and never laid off. Monday morning had to go back to work. Things have gotten really hazy for a couple of days. But I’ve been out asking about your man Daniel Byrd.”

“What do you got?”

“He’s not real well liked on the street. No one gets very specific. No one has any clue where he stays. Looks like he has cribs all over the city.”

Stallings nodded slowly, looking straight ahead. “That’s all stuff I know already, Peep. You have to work a lot harder if you want to earn a living like this.”

“Who says I want to earn a living being a snitch? I just want you to leave me alone if I do you a favor now and then.”

“You haven’t even provided me with enough information to leave you alone.”

For the first time he turned and looked at Stallings. A crooked smile crept across his face. “Maybe I haven’t told you everything.”

Now Stallings faced his informant. “Maybe I left you alone for too long.” To make his point Stallings cracked his knuckles so loudly a woman walking by on the sidewalk stopped and stared at him.

Peep said, “Seriously, I have some real information on Daniel Byrd. But it’s gonna cost you.”

Stallings was not opposed to fair and equitable trade. “It depends on good how the information is, but I’m sure I can come up with something.”

“A hundred bucks and a free pass the next time I get caught.”

“Get caught doing what?”

“That’s the idea of a free pass. You got enough juice at JSO to get me out of almost any trouble I can get into. I’m saying this information is good enough for you to give me out of the jam and pay me a hundred dollars right now.”

“I’ll get you off of anything that’s nonviolent and doesn’t involve kids. Basically means you can have any minor drug offenses.”

Peep considered the offer. “Daniel Byrd lays low all the time. But he’s got to collect his last paycheck at a construction site downtown. He’s picking it up tonight before the construction manager leaves the office about nine o’clock.” Peep smiled smugly and waited for Stallings’s response.

“How on earth did you get all that?”

“A good professional never reveals his methods.”

Stallings had to pat the smaller man on the shoulder and say, “If this is good information you earned your pay and a free pass.”

“Detective Stallings, this is so good you’ll have to take me to a fancy restaurant. I’d like to go to Chili’s over near Jacksonville Landing.”

Stallings laughed out loud, already thinking about who’d help him tonight at the construction site.

Patty Levine had only one flight of stairs to worry about after being summoned to the Internal Affairs office. There were so many things they could question her about that she couldn’t focus or prepare for any one line of questioning. The notice to appear in the Internal Affairs office had been so swift Patty had been unable to find Sergeant Zuni. She had managed to fire off a text message as she stomped up the stairs. This was exactly how these IA guys worked: they caused your anxiety to rise and let you consider every policy infraction you could’ve possibly violated, hoping you’d confess to some minor violation. Patty didn’t have time for this kind of shit this morning. Everyone in the squad was pushing themselves to the limit trying to find the killer of three young women in the city. She hated the idea that someone would distract her from that job.

As soon as she walked through the single, solid wooden door and looked into the spacious, comfortable office of senior IA investigator Ronald Bell she knew exactly what the problem was.

Sitting on a short couch on the back wall was the small Hispanic man Patty had hit with her car two days ago. He had a sling over one arm and a neck brace as he smiled and gave her a little wave. Sitting next to him was a sour-looking young man in an expensive suit with gaudy gold rings and gold Rolex knockoff.

Ronald Bell motioned her into the office and said, “You probably remember Mr. Alvarez, and this is his attorney, Scott Miller.”

Patty realized it wasn’t going to get any better from this point on.

Buddy was not familiar with this end of the hospital. The Jacksonville branch of the Shands hospital was nothing compared to the main teaching hospital in Gainesville. But it was still a giant and complex building north of the main downtown. He thought he knew his way around most of the hospital, but now he was flirting with the idea of walking past the pediatric endocrinology unit where Katie Massa worked.

It was safe to walk past it now because she didn’t get to work for another few hours. Buddy didn’t want anyone to recognize his face if there were questions asked later. Mainly he wanted to get a feel for the work that Katie did, to evaluate her worthiness to enter his work of art.

He had a pass that showed the time he had arrived. No one ever checked what time a visitor left. That wouldn’t be an issue at all if it came up later. So many people came and went in this medical facility that it would take a lifetime to check each and every one of them out.

Buddy checked his watch and realized he had to hustle down to the main floor. He didn’t feel up to taking the stairs three floors so he waited for the painfully slow elevator. As soon as he stepped off on the first floor a young internist dressed sharply in the white coat with a blue University of Florida Gator tie said, “Hey, Buddy.”

Buddy smiled and nodded to the young doctor. Maybe an alibi if necessary later on.

His plan was to leave, keep his pass, and come back later tonight when Katie was working. He was certain there were several places they could go to be alone at a facility this size. First he had some jobs to check on and he needed to pick up a check at a site downtown.

He’d definitely be back later.

John Stallings and Tony Mazzetti had purposely left Sparky Taylor out of the loop. Daniel Byrd was a long shot but one they could take without interrupting the investigation much. He also recruited Patty Levine. Each of them drove their own county-issued cars so they could set up on surveillance at the construction site for a long time. It was the kind of plan Stallings appreciated: short, sweet, simple. He wished life could be as easily defined. Instead, tonight he’d spend long hours alone in his car trying to figure out what his latest offense to Maria was. Since her call after finding Jeanie’s diary and spending the night huddled against Stallings’s shoulder, she’d barely spoken to him and had been out of the house more than she’d been home. He didn’t know what to make of it but couldn’t stop thinking about her.

He was also worried about Patty Levine. He knew she’d had a minor accident a couple of days ago and she told him that Ronald Bell had questioned her about not telling anyone what had happened. Patty also said he had asked her a few questions about the fight in the squad bay and if she’d seen what had happened to one of the bundles of pills the detectives were putting into evidence. She said the inquiry was casual, but Stallings didn’t trust the son of a bitch any more than he’d trust the president of Iran.

The entire sheriff’s office had followed the progress of the detective injured in the fight. He had suffered serious head trauma but appeared to be recovering. Stallings had heard that the detective had large gaps in his memory and drugs were missing from the seizure. The narcotics guys had already been questioned and any moron could see the next step would be interviewing every crime/persons detective who’d been present during the fight. It was nothing that bothered Stallings, but he felt anxiety for Patty. He wasn’t quite sure why. She’d seemed distracted over the past month. He had his own problems but always tried to stay tuned in to his partner. God knew she’d been a huge help to him over the last few years.