Nick Stephenson - Paydown (Leopold Blake Series)

“Tell me what you see. Come on, you said you were a cop. Cops have instinct, don’t they?”

“Fine.” She peered at the photo. “I see a dead guy with a bunch of stab wounds to the chest and a slit throat. So what?”

“So what does this tell you about the attacker?”

“That he had a knife.”

Leopold sighed. “The cause of death was blood loss, thanks to the severed carotid arteries. When the killer slit Teddy’s throat, the blood sprayed all over the walls here, and here.” He pointed at the photo. “The blood pooling around the abdomen wounds suggests that he was alive when they were inflicted, but the lack of spreading suggests his blood pressure was very low. In short, he was practically dead already. So why would the killer stab someone who was already dying?”

“He might have wanted to make sure he’d done a good job.”

“Sure, I can buy that. Except when the victim has six stab wounds, all inflicted after the death blow was already dealt and Teddy was practically unconscious. Not to mention the wounds are irregular in depth and spacing.”

“So what? People freak out all the time.”

“The cut to the throat was a precise and deliberate attack. The stab wounds are entirely the opposite.”

“Get to the point.”

“Whoever did this was someone who knew Mr. Gordon personally. The killer would have harbored deep resentment toward Teddy – there’s a definite connection between them. There’s real hatred here. The killer enjoyed it.”

“And you can tell me what the connection is?” Mary took a step forward.

“Well, no. Not right now, but –”

“Then shut up and let me do my job. Half-baked theories aren’t going to help me get an arrest warrant, are they?”

Leopold slipped the photos back into the folder. “This doesn’t change anything. I’m coming with you to interview the first name on this list.” He patted his jacket.

“Fine. Just keep your opinions to yourself.”

“Whatever you say.”

Before Mary could respond, the Mercedes pulled up at the curb with a muffled growl. Jerome rolled down the front window and peered out. “Can we offer you a ride, Detective?”

Mary looked at Leopold. “I wouldn’t want to put you to any trouble.”

“Don’t be silly,” said Leopold. “How else are you going to get there? You have no idea where you’re going.” He pulled open one of the rear doors and stepped to the side. “Go on, jump on in.”

“You know, you could enjoy this a little less,” she said, before letting out a deep sigh. “Let’s just get it over with.”

The first name on the list belonged to Joseph Biggs, his address listed in the Brownsville district of Brooklyn. Mary stared at the piece of paper, eyebrows raised.

“This guy does business with Needham. Why is he living in one of the roughest areas in New York?” she said. “Even cops don’t hang around here after dark.”

“We’ll find out soon enough,” said Leopold. “Though I’d venture a guess that his investment portfolio probably didn’t yield quite the returns he was looking for.”

“We’re nearly there,” said Jerome, easing the big car into a side road.

Leopold glanced out of the window. The bustle and glamor of Manhattan seemed a long way behind them now; the Brownsville neighborhood was largely deserted, only a handful of people out on the streets. Empty cars lined the roads. Most of the stores were closed, metal shutters blocking the insides from view.

“Here’s the address,” said Jerome. “We can pull in here.” He steered the car onto the curb and down a wide alleyway, parking just out of sight. The door locks clicked open.

“This is the place?” Mary asked, climbing out of the back seat.

“According to this, yes.” Leopold held up the list of names. “Apartment B. Sounds like a basement apartment.”

“Great. Nothing better than confronting a potentially violent suspect when you’ve got no escape routes.” She patted her hip instinctively.

“Relax. Just try not to wave that thing around.” Leopold eyed the bulge of her firearm. “And keep that police shield to yourself. I don’t think this is a registered neighborhood watch area.”

“You can say that again.”

Leopold glanced around as Jerome locked the car. Across the road a group of young men huddled around a wooden bench. Some were smoking, others handed around a brown paper bag with something inside, probably alcohol. A couple of others sat engrossed in their cell phones. The few pedestrians in the area gave them a wide berth.

“Cloccs,” said Mary. “One of the smaller gangs. But they try to make up for it.”

“Let’s just hope they don’t try anything stupid,” said Leopold, glancing up at the bodyguard. “Lead the way.”

The entrance to the apartment building looked out onto the alleyway. The door was reinforced steel, with a panel of buzzers mounted off to the side. Jerome jabbed the call button for Apartment B and waited. After a few seconds, he pressed it again. With a short burst of static, an irritated voice came on the line.

“Who the hell is this?” The voice was male.

Mary stepped forward before Leopold could speak. “Mr. Biggs?” she said. “We’re here to talk to you about Teddy Gordon.”

Silence.

Mary tried a different approach. “We might have some news about your accounts at Needham. Can you let us in?”

Leopold heard a faint scuffle on the line and the door locks buzzed open. Mary pushed through into a darkened hallway and waved the others forward. Inside, the smell of stale cigarette smoke hung in the air, mingled with stale cooking smells. Chinese food. Curry. The stink of grease. At the end of the hallway an unmarked door led down a flight of steps to the basement. Apartments A and B were at the bottom. Mary knocked on Biggs’ front door, one hand resting against her hip, just underneath her jacket.

The door opened a crack, the chain still attached. A pair of bloodshot eyes peered out.

“Mr. Biggs?” said Mary. “Can we come in?”

“Who are you?” said Biggs, his voice scratchy. He looked and sounded like he hadn’t slept in days.

“My name is Detective Jordan. I’m with the NYPD.” She held up her shield. “We’re here to talk to you about Teddy Gordon.”

The door slammed shut.

“I told you to keep that thing to yourself,” said Leopold. “How are we going to speak to him if he won’t let us in?”

“What else was I supposed to do? It’s standard procedure. I have to identify myself as a police officer, otherwise anything we get from him is inadmissible.”

“You don’t get it. We’re not looking for admissible evidence, we’re looking for a link to Teddy. We can find the evidence once we know where to look. And now we’ve hit a dead end. What do –”

He was cut off by a scrabbling sound from behind the door. The hinges creaked again and Biggs opened up. He stood in the doorway, dressed in shorts and a stained white vest that showed off an ornate tattoo across the shoulder and neck. A protruding gut and several days’ stubble completed the look – classic white trash.

“You comin’ in or what?” Biggs said, turning his back and heading for a tattered sofa in the corner of the room. He slumped onto the cushions and let out a burp.

“Erm, thanks,” said Mary, stepping inside.

Leopold followed close behind. Biggs’ apartment was a small studio, with a kitchenette and bedroom-slash-lounge taking up most of the space. Empty beer cans littered the carpet, which was stained and worn even without the fresh beer spills, and the sickly-sweet aroma of flavored tobacco permeated the atmosphere. Leopold noticed an empty pipe discarded on the coffee table, its burned-up contents tipped out into tiny piles of black ash. Jerome closed the door behind them.