Tess Gerritsen - The Mephisto Club

It was not yet seven the next morning when she finally climbed out of bed, exhausted from her restless night, and looked out the window. The sky was a claustrophobic gray. Snow had fallen overnight, and the cars in the parking lot were blanketed in white. She wanted to go home. To hell with the bastard who wrote on her door. She wanted the comfort of her own bed, her own kitchen. But a long day still stretched ahead of her, another day of resentful silences and disapproving jibes from Jane. Just grit your teeth and get through it.

It took two cups of coffee before she felt ready to face the day. Fueled by a stale cheese Danish, compliments of the motel’s continental breakfast, she carried her overnight bag to the parking lot, where Jane already had the engine running.

“Jurevich will meet us at the house,” said Jane.

“You know how to find it?”

“He gave me directions.” Jane frowned at Maura. “Man, you look wiped out.”

“I didn’t sleep well.”

“Mattress was pretty bad, huh?”

“Among other things.” Maura tossed her bag onto the backseat and pulled her door shut. They sat without speaking for a moment, the heater blowing at their knees.

“You’re still pissed at me,” said Jane.

“I’m not feeling really chatty right now.”

“I’m just trying to be a friend, okay? If I see a friend’s life going off the rails, I think it’s my duty to say something about it.”

“And I heard you.” Maura snapped on her seat belt. “Can we get going now?”

They left the town of Norwich and headed northwest, along roads slippery with newly fallen snow. Thick clouds threatened yet more snow today, and the view that Maura saw from her window was smudged in shades of gray. The cheese Danish sat like a lump of concrete in her stomach, and she leaned back, eyes closed against the nausea.

She startled awake what seemed like only moments later, to find that they were now struggling along an unplowed road, Jane’s tires churning through snow. Dense woods pressed in on both sides, and the clouds had darkened since Maura had fallen asleep.

“How much farther to Purity?” she asked.

“We already passed through the village. You didn’t miss anything.”

“You sure this is the right road?”

“These were his directions.”

“Jane, we’re going to get stuck.”

“I’ve got all-wheel drive, okay? And we can always call a tow truck.”

Maura took out her cell phone. “No signal. Good luck.”

“Here. This has got to be the turnoff,” said Jane, pointing to a realty sign that was half-buried in snow. “The house is for sale, remember?” She gunned the engine and the Subaru fishtailed, then the tires found purchase and they surged up the road, which now began to climb. The trees parted, giving way to a view of the house that stood on the knoll.

Jane pulled into the driveway and gazed up at a three-story Victorian towering above them. “Wow,” she murmured. “This is a pretty big place.”

Crime-scene tape fluttered on the railings of a broad covered porch. Although the clapboards were badly in need of paint, the signs of neglect could not disguise the fact that this was once a handsome home, with a view to match. They climbed out of the car and flying snow stung their faces as they mounted the steps to the porch. Peering through a window, Maura could see ghostly shapes of sheet-covered furniture but little else in the shadowy interior.

“Door’s locked,” said Jane.

“What time’s he supposed to meet us?”

“Fifteen minutes ago.”

Maura huffed out a cloudy breath. “This wind is freezing. How long are we supposed to wait?”

“Let me see if I can get a signal.” Jane frowned at her cell phone. “One bar. That might do it.”

“I’m going to sit in the car.” Maura went down the steps and was just about to open the door when she heard Jane say, “There he is now.”

Turning, Maura saw a red Jeep Cherokee driving up the road. Following right behind it was a black Mercedes. The Cherokee parked next to Jane’s Subaru and a man with crew-cut hair stepped out, dressed for the weather in a voluminous down jacket and heavy boots. He held out a gloved hand to Maura, and she saw a humorless face, chilly gray eyes.

“Detective Rizzoli?” he asked.

“No, I’m Dr. Isles. You must be Detective Jurevich.”

He nodded as they shook hands. “I’m with the Chenango County Sheriff’s Office.” He glanced at Jane, who was coming down the porch steps to meet him. “You’re Rizzoli?”

“Yeah. We just got here a few minutes…” Jane stopped, her gaze suddenly freezing on the black Mercedes, on the man who had just stepped out of it. “What the hell is he doing here?”

“He predicted you’d react that way,” said Jurevich.

Anthony Sansone strode toward them, black coat flapping in the wind. He nodded to Jane, a curt greeting that acknowledged the obvious: that she did not welcome him. Then his gaze fixed on Maura. “You’ve already seen the body?”

She nodded. “Last night.”

“Do you think we’re dealing with the same killer?”

“What’s with this word we ?” Jane cut in. “I wasn’t aware you worked in law enforcement, Mr. Sansone.”

Unruffled, he turned to face her. “I won’t get in your way.”

“This is a crime scene. You shouldn’t even be here.”

“I don’t believe Chenango County is in your jurisdiction. This is up to Detective Jurevich.”

Jane looked at Jurevich. “You’re giving him access?”

Jurevich gave a shrug. “Our crime scene unit’s already processed this house. There’s no reason he can’t walk through it with us.”

“So now it’s a public tour.”

“This has been cleared through the sheriff’s office, by special request.”

“Whose request?”

Jurevich glanced at Sansone, whose face revealed nothing.

“We’re wasting time out here,” said Sansone. “I’m sure we’d all like to get out of this wind.”

“Detective?” pressed Jane.

“If you have any objections,” said Jurevich, clearly unhappy at being caught in the middle, “you can take it up with the Department of Justice. Now, why don’t we get inside before we all freeze?” He climbed the steps to the porch, with Sansone right behind him.

Jane stared after them and said softly, “What’s his pull, anyway?”

“Maybe you should just ask him,” said Maura, and she started up the steps. Jurevich had already unlocked the front door, and she followed the men into the house. Inside, she found it scarcely warmer, but at least they were now sheltered from the wind. Jane came in behind her and closed the door. After the glare of the snow, it took a moment for Maura’s eyes to adjust to the interior gloom. Looking through a doorway into the front parlor, she saw sheet-draped furniture and the dull gleam of wood floors. Pale winter light shone in through the windows, casting the room in shades of gray.

Jurevich pointed to the bottom of the stairs. “You can’t see them, but Luminol turned up lots of bloody smears on these steps and in this foyer. Looks like he wiped up after himself as he left the house, so any footwear evidence is pretty indistinct.”

“You went over the whole house with Luminol?” asked Jane.

“Luminol, UV, alternate light source. We checked every room. There’s a kitchen and dining room through that doorway. And a study beyond the parlor. Except for the shoe prints here in the foyer, nothing very interesting turned up on the first floor.” He faced the stairway. “All the action took place upstairs.”

“You said this house was vacant,” said Sansone. “How did the killer get in? Was there any sign of forced entry?”