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Chapter54
HE DROVE OVERto the spot where he’d nearly lost his life tonight. But he didn’t go back into the abandoned building. He ventured inside Rachel Katz’s condo building and took the elevator up after flashing his creds at the officer guarding the crime scene’s perimeter.
The forensic team was still processing the area. Decker nodded at Kelly Fairweather, who was doing a bloodstain pattern analysis by the couch. In another corner of the apartment, Natty was talking with a second tech. He saw Decker and quickly headed over.
“Boy, close call for you tonight,” said Natty.
Decker nodded. “Mary really saved my butt.”
“And she nailed the bastard who killed Sally,” said Natty with a grim smile.
“Any word on Rachel Katz?”
“Still in surgery. Last I heard, she’s going to make it. Close, though, bullet nearly hit an artery. Your friend saved her life.”
“I know. Melvin’s over at the hospital now with her, probably adding another layer of protection.”
“Guy had a fancy sniper rifle with a sophisticated scope.”
“That laser scope gave me a bit of an advantage.”
“Yeah, well, the guy could have made that shot from triple the distance away and still nailed his target, easy. Or so my firearms guy tells me.”
“Any luck on identifying him?”
“We’re running his prints through the system.”
“He had pretty much the same tats as Karl Stevens had.”
“Yeah, Mary texted me and told me. You think there’s a connection, obviously.”
“We talk to Stevens and he’s dead. The shooter kills Sally and then tries to kill Katz. Yeah, I think we can definitely say there’s a connection. But the tats may help us narrow this down to a gang. They look to be some oddball collection of neo-Nazis and Klansmen.”
“Great combo,” said Natty sarcastically. “But the thing is, Decker, would that sort of gang have been operating here thirteen years ago? I mean, I don’t remember anything like that going on in Burlington then.”
“Neither do I. But keep in mind they could be muscle brought in now by the folks whoweredoing all this crap thirteen years ago.”
“Right.”
Decker eyed him. “How did your lunch go with your wife?”
At first, Natty looked like he might erupt in anger, but when he focused on Decker’s sincere expression, he said, “It went okay.”
“Did she know…anything?”
“No. I don’t think so. She might have suspected. But look, Decker. Sally and me, we never, you know. We were just friends. Okay, maybe more than friends.” He let out an exasperated breath. “It’s this damn job. It gets to you. I’m not trying to make excuses.”
Decker thought of Lancaster and her marriage. “The job gets to a lot of people, Natty.”
“So, what are we supposed to do? How do we handle it?”
“If I knew the answer to that, I’d be a consultant to cops. A rich one. But spending time with your wife is a good first step. You mind if I look around?”
“Help yourself. Just don’t keep your ‘observations’ to yourself.”
Decker nodded and went exploring.
He entered the bedroom and gazed around the space. He wasn’t exactly sure what he was looking for. He doubted Katz would have left a box with the wordSecretengraved on it for him to find, revealing all.
