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The odd formalityin Parker’s voice sent a shiver through Jessie. Something was terribly wrong.
“Is Dr. Lemmonokay?” she demanded immediately.
“As far as I know,she’s fine, Ms. Hunt,” Parker told her. "This is about something else.Hank Costabile is missing."
The shiver thatJessie had felt moments earlier turned into a full-body quake.
CHAPTER TWENTY SIX
Jessie wasn’t sureshe had heard the words properly.
Her brain had beenso focused on the case that recalibrating it to think about Costabile took amoment. But Ryan didn’t have that problem.
“What the hellhappened?” he demanded.
“Apparently theofficers tailing him lost him at a Hollywood area Metro station,” Parker said.
“How long ago didthis happen?” Jessie asked, managing to regroup slightly. She looked at thetime. It was 3:49.
“About twentyminutes ago,” Parker said. “We’ve got officers checking every Metro stop forten miles in either direction. We think we’ve got a lead on his plans though.”
“What are they?”Ryan pressed.
“Officer DanielCarrera, who was one of Costabile’s assigned tails for the day, spoke to ahomeless man who got in his way while he was searching for Costabile. He foundit suspicious, and after some basic questioning, the man admitted thatCostabile paid him to provide a distraction. The man also said that Costabilementioned something about getting down to San Diego and crossing the borderinto Tijuana.”
“Why would hereveal that?’ Ryan asked skeptically. “It sounds like something he’d say tothrow us off his scent while he was staying here or going somewhere else.”
“You may beright,” Parker conceded. “However, we did find a record of him purchasing aticket on the Pacific Surfliner train, which left Union Station for San Diego afew minutes ago. We have someone headed to catch it to see if he’s actually onit. But whether we find him or not, I don’t know that there’s much we can doabout it.”
“Why not?” Bethasked.
Jessie had theanswer to that question, though she didn’t like it.
“Becauseofficially, he hasn’t done anything wrong,” she said. “Even though he wasreleased from prison on a technicality, he’s a free man. He can go wherever hewants. Chief Decker only assigned those officers to watch him because he wasworried that Costabile might pursue a vendetta against me. And maybe he intendsto. But it’s just as possible that he got sick of having a couple of copsfollowing him around wherever he went and decided to bust loose of them for afew hours. He could be at a friend’s house or a strip club blowing off steam.Even if they find him, and I’m not sure they will, what can they do? Arrest himfor slipping their tail?”
“All of that istrue,” Parker acknowledged, “but just the same, Chief Decker has asked me toensure that precautions are taken in case he didn’t really leave town. Twoofficers are being sent to your home in case Costabile tries to sneak in. We’dalso like to post two more to watch your sister in case he goes after her. Myunderstanding is that she's staying at Kat Gentry's place to help her outduring her time of grieving.”
“That’s correct,”Jessie said, not asking how Parker knew that detail.
“That will make iteasier,” the captain said, “better to have them in the same place.”
“I appreciatethat,” Jessie told her.
“Not a problem,”Parker said. “I’d also like you to keep us apprised of your location as youpursue this case. Just let the dispatch sergeant know about any stops you make,and he’ll make sure that a squad car is in the immediate vicinity. That is,unless you prefer we just have a car follow you wherever you go tonight.”
Jessie looked atRyan, who shrugged.
“I don’t have aproblem with it,” he said.
He might not, butJessie did.
“I don’t thinkthat’s necessary,” she said. “Costabile doesn’t have any clue where we’ll be,and I don’t want to scare off any witnesses or suspects we talk to by having asquad car right behind us the whole time. Besides, the man isn’t an idiot. Evenif he does have it in for me, he know we’ll be on high alert until he’s found.He’s not going to try anything stupid after just getting out of prison. So noon the tail thanks, Captain. But having a squad car in the area is probably agood idea.”
“I’ll arrange itwith the dispatch sergeant,” Parker said. “Just call when you get moving. Bythe way, do you have any new suspects?”
“That’s what we’retrying to determine right now," Jessie told her, not wanting to get into aback-and-forth about Robertson until she was confident enough to plead hercase.
“Alright, thenI’ll leave you to it,” Parker said.
