Karen Rose - I’m Watching You

„Or he could be one of us.“ Mia used the same words she’d used this morning standing over Ramey’s makeshift grave. One of us . It irritated Abe now as much as it had then. The thought that a cop could take the law into his own hands, could stalk a woman in her own home. It was repugnant. What was more unsettling, though, was that he wasn’t sure which crime bothered him more, stalking Kristen or the murder of five people.

„Why did he give us their clothing?“ Abe asked, changing the subject.

Westphalen steepled his fingertips. „What else should he have done with it?“

„Thrown it away,“ Mia said. „Why didn’t he destroy it?“

Abe paced. „If he’d thrown it away, somebody might have seen it. A dog might have pulled it from the trash. If he burned it, we might look for ashes if we ever caught up to him.“ He looked at Mia with a wry smile. „Where safer to leave it than with the cops?“

Mia returned the smile, grimly. „He is smart. Why the grave marker?“

„Now that I consider truly fascinating,“ Westphalen commented. „Such symbolism, and he went to so much trouble. He used real marble?“

Abe stopped pacing and took the chair next to Mia’s. „The lab will know for sure. We made some calls, looking for anybody that makes headstones. There weren’t that many.“

„We’re trying to find someone to see if they recognize the work,“ Mia explained. „So what about the symbolism?“

„The day of their assault is the second date,“ Westphalen said, „as if it’s the day they died. To him, the lives of the victims ended the day they were raped, even though they lived. He says he’s watched the guilty go free for too long. He could mean from afar, like on television, or he might even live where people die every day.“ His shrugged. „Or he could mean from up close, like a cop. Regardless, he’s had a trauma of his own, and recently. This is all so very personal. I’d look for someone who’s recently suffered a terrible loss.“

„A recent victim,“ Mia mused.

„Maybe, maybe not“ Westphalen frowned. „The passion is sporadic, like beating King’s face and blasting the pelvis of the two sex offenders. It’s almost like he gets them in his grasp and just can’t help it. But hunting them and disposing of them after they’re dead and the letters… very calculated. I doubt you’ll find anything of use at the crime scene. Not at first anyway. Maybe later, after he’s gotten careless, but that could take a long time.“

„Wonderful,“ Abe muttered.

„Sorry, Detective. I save my ESP for the track. No, I think that even though the loss or trauma that triggered this killing spree is recent, I don’t think the crime he’s suffered is recent at all. It takes a long time to build up such anger.“

„Any guess on our guy’s age?“ Mia asked and Westphalen shrugged.

„Don’t know. He writes like an aged scholar, but he had to have physical strength to move the bodies. I’d have to say he’s younger versus older.“

„Why did he target Kristen?“ Mia asked and Westphalen’s face became grim.

„I don’t know that either. It could be no more than the fact she’s a pretty face that the reporters like to put on television. But this man is obsessive. Does Kristen have protection?“

Mia slid Abe a slow look. „Do you think she needs it?“ she asked.

„Perhaps. If the other state’s attorneys start getting little gifts, I’d say no.“

„But you don’t think that’s going to happen,“ Abe said.

Westphalen’s expression of disturbance expanded to worry. „No, I don’t“

„Wonderful,“ Abe muttered.

Thursday, February 19,

1:30 p.m.

„Next time I pick lunch,“ Mia grumbled, taking the stairs to their office two at a time.

Abe followed her up. „It was good. Best Indian curry I’ve had in a long time.“

Mia turned to him with a frown. „It was vegetarian.“ Ray would never have – She stopped herself midthought. Ray wasn’t here. She had a new partner now. A new partner whose file she’d finally taken the time to read before going to bed the night before.

„It was one meal, Mitchell, not a disease. What’s this?“

Mia picked up the thick stack of papers on her desk, identical to the one he held in his hand. „Kristen’s new lists. She keeps her promises.“

She thumbed to a page marked with a little neon green Post-it and had to chuckle. At the head of the list was Kristen’s own name, bolded and italicized, followed in normal type by the names of her secretary, three other prosecutors, and her boss, John Alden himself.

„It’ll take us hours to go through this,“ Abe said, flipping through the pages. Mia could tell when he reached the green neon Post-it because his face turned red. „I didn’t mean to insult her. I was just surprised.“

„I think she understood.“ Mia looked up to see an unfamiliar face crossing the bullpen. Unfamiliar in and of itself, but there was too much resemblance to Abe’s to belong to a stranger. „Looks like you’ve got company.“

Abe looked up and a smile lit up his features. Mia sucked in an involuntary breath. Abe Reagan with a smile was enough to make her forget all her own rules about not dating cops. Except that she’d seen the look in his eye every time he looked at Kristen. The boy had some serious work to do there. Kristen Mayhew would be a hard nut to crack.

„Sean,“ Abe said. The two men embraced in an awkward hug, Abe shooting her a don’t-get-this-wrong grin. „My brother, Sean.“

„I figured that out for myself,“ Mia said dryly. Abe’s brother had the same dark good looks, but, unfortunately, a wedding ring on his finger.

„I was in the neighborhood,“ Sean said and Abe snorted.

„Since when do you slum in this neighborhood? He’s a stockbroker,“ Abe explained.

„Since Mom told me to come down and check on you. She wanted to be sure you were getting treated right. Dad wouldn’t let her come herself.“

Abe’s lips twitched. „I’ll just bet. It’s good to see you. How’s Ruth?“

„Better now since the baby’s sleeping through the night.“

A shadow passed over Abe’s face, and then it was gone, replaced with a smile that was strained, but sincere. „Good.“

Sean’s smile faded. „Abe… About the christening next Saturday.“

Again, the fleeting shadow and another strained smile. „I’ll be there. I promise.“

„I know. It’s just… Ruth feels just terrible, but her parents invited Jim and Sharon.“

The strained smile disappeared and Abe’s jaw clenched. Mia knew she shouldn’t be listening, but figured if they really wanted privacy, they’d go somewhere else. Jim and Sharon weren’t names she’d read in Abe’s file, but they seemed pretty damn important.

„Tell Ruth it’s all right,“ Abe said. „I’ll still come and there won’t be any trouble from me. Surely the church is big enough for the three of us.“

Sean sighed. „I’m sorry, Abe.“

„It’s okay.“ Abe forced a cardboard smile. „Really.“

„But on the upside, Mom’s making a ham for Sunday. She wanted me to tell you.“

„I’ll call her tonight and tell her I’ll be there.“ There was another short silence in which Sean’s face became pained.

„Ruth and I were out at Willowdale last weekend. The roses were nice.“

Abe’s throat worked, and this Mia understood. Willowdale was a cemetery and according to Abe’s file, he was a recent widower. „It’s the first time I’ve dared go.“

What must it have been like, she wondered, being so deep undercover that you couldn’t risk visiting your wife’s grave? She felt a stirring of compassion, of respect Abe Reagan had given up a great deal to bring some very dangerous drug traffickers to justice.