Page 20 of M for Murder

‘Yeah, that’s where we go most evenings.’

‘What is that, a bar?’

‘It’s a nightclub, a few blocks away,’ Rebecca elaborated.

She had been there once, on her first weekend in the city, not realising until she was inside that the loud music, strobe lighting and smoky atmosphere wasn’t really her scene.

Hickok nodded, grinning. ‘The Coven, Oh, I like that. I’ll bet it’s where you and your broomstick like to hang out, isn’t it, Officer Angell?’

Rebecca felt herself redden, embarrassed that Hickok had chosen to try and humiliate her in front of Mindy. She made a mental note to make sure she got her own back on him at some point.

Vic and Hickok. Two wrongs to right. My, you are making enemies fast.

Fortunately, Mindy hadn’t picked up on his quip.

‘No, it’s got nothing to do with witches,’ she told him, looking confused. ‘It’s just a nightclub that a lot of the students go to.’

A smile spread across Hickok’s face and Rebecca stepped in quick before he had a chance to explain his little joke in detail. ‘Do you know if anyone else might have seen her there with this guy?’

Mindy shook her head.

‘Not that I know of. You could try checking with the bar staff, though. A few of them know Emma.’

A knock came at the door, and all three of them looked up. Dean Edwards stepped into the room. He cleared his throat. ‘Agent Hickok, might I have a word?’

Hickok nodded and got up from the bed. He paused, close by Rebecca, his eyes locking intently onto hers.

‘Why don’t you go buy her a cup of coffee or something?’ he suggested, keeping his voice low, so Mindy couldn’t hear. ‘See what else you can find out.’

‘Sure, okay.’ Rebecca took a step back, uncomfortable at sharing personal space with him. She watched him leave the room before turning to Mindy. ‘Why don’t we go get something to drink and you can tell me a bit more about Emma?’

Mindy smiled, not at all convincingly. ‘Sure, why not?’

6

W hy of all places did it have to be the goddamn sewer? Victor Boaz asked himself the question a hundred times as he trudged through the knee-deep polluted water.

Usually victims’ bodies were found in a field or a ditch, or even the damn river, but oh no, this killer had to be different.

And then of course there was the other question that just begged to be asked. Why him?

Of all the cops in the city who could have been stuck in this situation, he’d managed to pull the short straw twice. The odds of that happening had to be a billion to one. If there was someone upstairs, they must sure have it in for him.

Maybe it was payback time for all the shit he’d pulled in the past twelve years. For the number of times he’d used his badge for his own personal advantage. Or perhaps his ex-wives had banded together and pulled off some elaborate scheme to get him back for cheating on them. He grinned at the thought. Monogamy had never been his strongest point.

Vic Boaz loved women. It was just unfortunate that he had a problem making any kind of commitment to them. But try explaining that to exes. They would probably love to see him now, knee deep in sewage, with the trickle of more water pouring into the sewer from the various pipes and drains around him. He wished he could push the sound from his mind. Frankly, it was starting to give him the urge to urinate.

Well, Vic, buddy. You’re in the right place. You might just as well go ahead and pull your pants down.

The thought of unzipping his fly and exposing himself to all this crap was nauseating.

Why? It’s no different to being in your own john at home.

Maybe not. But it sure felt different.

Trying to push the thought to the back of his mind, Vic shone his flashlight down the tunnel ahead and continued to search. He couldn’t figure out why the hell they had to be down here in the first place. Surely it would be easier to just wait for the sewer workers to turn up what they were looking for.

The stupid Feds and their dumb ideas. His bladder started to ache.