Total pages in book: 56
Estimated words: 52447 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 262(@200wpm)___ 210(@250wpm)___ 175(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 52447 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 262(@200wpm)___ 210(@250wpm)___ 175(@300wpm)
“I heard that, too, and I’m pissed. If anyone can deal with a bunch of body parts, it should be him. And what the hell was the boot situation?”
“A tech named Noah wasn’t wearing them. He led me to believe it was a boot shortage. He also said he was told to go on in and process the scene. It was too urgent to wait.”
His brows dip. “Who the hell told him that?”
“He claims the captain via his boss.”
“He’s lying. Both of those people—the captain and his boss—would come to me directly on something this big, and fucking up a crime scene is big. And I heard nothing. I’ll handle him. But him aside, can we talk about the fact that the timeline of five days between killings was not even close to accurate?”
“Yes, well, my father challenged him and used me as his weapon of choice.”
“And tonight was your father’s campaign event,” he supplies.
“Yeah,” I say. “And someone tried to kill him while he was on stage.”
He blanches. “You’ve got to be kidding me. Is he okay?”
“Peachy,” I say. “He’d never allow himself to be any other way.”
“Sounds familiar.”
“Not even close. We have nothing in common but a badge, and barely that, and because we both don’t want another murder tonight. Leave it at that.”
His lips curve ever so slightly. “All right. So now what? Does he kill tomorrow night or does he revert back to the five-day mark? Please, Lilah, say five days.”
“Is me suggesting a timeline that isn’t tomorrow night going to give you comfort right now? Because it shouldn’t.”
“You always have to be the fucking reality check, don’t you, Lilah?”
“I’m the queen of reality checks. How did he get a chainsaw in and out of the building?” I ask, but I’ve already formed an opinion on this. He didn’t. It was already in the building, and it still is.
“Answer,” he says. “It had to have already been in the building and hasn’t left, but we aren’t going to get a search warrant for everyone’s private residences.”
“It could be in a common area. Make sure you dig deep, like equal to a basement in a building in the center of New York City. Get underground if you have to.”
“Already on it.”
“Good. You don’t need me to stay. And my team is already working on connecting the dots between victims, locations, and so on. Send me all the notes from tonight’s investigation, even if it’s in pieces.”
“Copy that,” he says, and it’s the first time I’ve actually thought about Rollins’ past.
“Were you in the Army?”
“My father was. Why?”
“Just curious. I like to know who I’m working with, and it seems you just won’t go away.”
“Should I send you my resume?”
“Actually, yes.”
“I’ll show you mine, if you show me yours.”
There’s an accusation in that reply, like my resume is bloody, but perhaps his is as well. “Interesting,” I say. “Get me the investigation notes.” I start to turn away and pause to say, “Don’t bitch Noah out. Figure Noah out.” With that, I leave him staring after me while he figures out what he missed. It’s time to go find my husband. That might be exactly how I find the freak in the mask. And then we’ll brawl, oh, yes, we will, only I won’t use my fists or feet. I’ll use my blade.
Jay falls into step beside me, and I glance over at him. “What’s the first female name that comes to your mind?”
“Maria de la Santa Cruz Rosalina Angelina Rodriguez.”
I stop walking and look at him. “Who is that?”
“My mother, who I loved dearly.”
“Oh. Okay. Another name. The hottest woman you’ve ever known,” I hold up a hand “And don’t say Lilah. The second hottest.”
He chuckles. “Sally.”
My eyes light. “Oh, yes. Sally. The chick you just broke up with.”
“Yep. Snobby bitch, but she was hot.”
“Sour grapes I see, but all right. Then Sally is my new bitch.”
His brows knit. “What does that mean?”
I pat my purse. “Sally is my favorite blade. The one I plan to use to kill the freakshow in the mask. Where’s Kane?”
“Four blocks away.”
“We’ll walk,” I say. “And let’s hope the freakshow is out there, waiting for us.”
Chapter Sixteen
To Jay’s credit, he tries to do his job, which according to Kane, is to protect me. We’re walking toward the front door of the building to exit this horror show when he points the other way. “There’s a door at the side of the building where we can exit and avoid the crowds.”
I point ahead of us, my path forward steady. “The freakshow will be in the crowd,” I say. “That’s why I’m going toward the crowd.” He got in my head, I think. I’m going to get in his.
“Or waiting in the shadows at the side door, expecting you there,” he argues. “Either guess could be the right guess.”