The Rookie Club: Dead Center Part 33

Chapter 36.

When Jamie arrived in the conference room, Hailey was already waiting. Jamie was surprised to see the rookie, Mackenzie Wallace, was there, too.

Mackenzie rose from the table and stepped toward her. Her brown eyes were wide and wise. She looked older to Jamie, more mature. s.h.i.+t, the rookie had grown into a full-fledged cop. Mackenzie hesitated for only a fraction of a second before she wrapped her arms around Jamie. "I'm so glad you're okay." She squeezed gently.

"Thanks, Mackenzie." Jamie closed her eyes for a moment. "I'm actually surprised to see you here."

"I'm on loan to Hailey for a couple weeks," the rookie said.

"Paperwork only," Hailey added before pus.h.i.+ng a chair toward Jamie. "You sure you want to be here?"

Jamie just smiled. There was no good answer to that.

Tony had been surprised that she was coming in today. Jules had tried to deter her. But no one was going to forbid it. Not after yesterday.

Jamie had waited until most people would be gone for the day. She wasn't ready to answer questions just yet, but she needed to stay in the game. She felt close and didn't want to lose ground. Or maybe it was because at home alone it was too easy to remember what had happened. She wasn't prepared to face it all yet.

She and Tony had spent a quiet day in the house. He'd made grilled-cheese sandwiches for lunch, burning both of them. She didn't mind. He'd spent as little time learning to cook hot foods as she had. They had talked little, but the biggest piece of what needed to be said was already out. The rest would eke out over time. Mostly, she was relieved at the comfortable silence.

Tony had intended to start his rehabilitation this week, but since her attack, it hadn't come up again. And she was thankful. He'd stayed with her last night, sleeping in the bed beside her. It had been decades since they'd shared a bed, but it felt the same as always. Tony was her brother, the closest thing she'd ever have to a sibling-the closest for either of them now.

Every time she stirred, he woke too. She hadn't thanked him. She knew she didn't need to. They'd been apart for years, but they'd found each other. He'd found her. Thank G.o.d for that.

Tony had driven her through the city, dropping her at the building at almost six in the evening and telling her he'd be back at nine. They had planned to grab dinner on the way home-take-out, probably. She couldn't see dealing with the stares she'd get at a restaurant, considering the cuts and bruises on her face. Plus, sitting too long hurt.

Mackenzie and Hailey waited until Jamie was seated. Neither commented on how long it took her or on how bad she looked. Mackenzie's were turning greenish. Hailey probably had some, too. Sitting there, the three women represented three of Marchek's final four victims. The fourth was being sent home tomorrow. Jamie had already contacted the victim's husband to let him know Marchek was gone. Dead. No more women would suffer at his hands.

Hailey spoke first. "The medical examiner called on the autopsy."

Jamie knew Hailey meant Marchek's. She was thankful not to hear his name out loud.

"He had an explanation for the aspermatic samples we got from his victims."

Jamie took a slow, measured breath, tried to listen a.n.a.lytically.

"Seems he had an anatomical anomaly called retrograde e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.i.o.n. It's rare and, in his case, probably congenital. Instead of exiting through the urethra, the sperm is pa.s.sed in retrograde fas.h.i.+on into the bladder."

Jamie listened. "So there would be DNA sample in his urine but not in his s.e.m.e.n."

Hailey nodded.

"He probably figured it out after his first arrest." She paused. "Or maybe not." We'll never know now, she thought. Thank G.o.d. "How about Devlin?"

"We're focusing on the list of awards," Hailey told her. "Roger tested Natasha's trophy for transfer evidence and confirmed Tim wasn't hit with her trophy."

Jamie nodded. "That's encouraging. Tim didn't win anything. So maybe the killer hit Tim with his own trophy. Who else is on the list?"

Hailey slid a piece of paper across the table. Jamie turned it around and scanned the names.

Someone had made a small hash mark next to David Marshall's name. Jamie looked up, raised a brow. "Your captain?"

Hailey shrugged.

She returned to the list. Cameron Cruz had received an award. Linda James. She recognized most of the names but none stood out. "You have the other list?"

"There are no other crossovers," Hailey said. "Just Marshall."

"The only other person who touches both lists is Devlin herself," Mackenzie added.

Jamie frowned. "What do we do about Marshall?"

"I had his trophy sent to the lab."

"Does he know?"

Hailey shook her head.

Christ, she hoped the captain of Homicide wasn't Devlin's killer. Jamie stared at the list again. She scanned the t.i.tles on the names-captain, lieutenant, sergeant. "This is the whole list?"

Hailey nodded.

Jamie frowned. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and dialed the lab's number. "Roger, please," she said when someone answered.

Hailey and Mackenzie exchanged a glance.

"Roger here."

"Roger, it's Jamie."

"Hey. How are you?"

"I'm alive."

"Yeah. I heard about what happened. Your gun's down in ballistics," he added awkwardly.

"Roger, I'm calling about something else."

"Sure." He sounded relieved.

"You won an award at the banquet, didn't you?"

"Uh, yeah. I used it to test against the mold we cast of Tim Worley's head injury."

Jamie nodded. "That's what I thought. Thanks, Roger."

"Is that it?" he asked, sounding perplexed.

"That's it." Jamie ended the call and set her phone on the table. She touched the paper between them. "That's not a complete list."

Hailey frowned, scanning the list. "It only includes police."

"Right."

"You think we're looking at someone from criminalistics or administration?" Mackenzie asked.

She shrugged. "Natasha's list includes a guy in the lab, doesn't it?"

Hailey nodded. "And another from administration."

"I'll get the rest of the names together now," Mackenzie offered.

"I've got to finish up some things before I can head home," Hailey said. "We'll talk in the morning?"

Jamie nodded.

"You going to be okay?" Hailey asked.

"I'll live."

As Hailey stood, there was a knock at the door. It swung open to reveal a young man, looking terrified.

"Hey, Dave," Mackenzie said.

The officer looked at her, wide-eyed. "Hey."

"What are you doing here?" Mackenzie asked.

He scanned Hailey and Jamie and seemed to stumble on his words. "I'm looking for Jamie Vail."

Jamie knew exactly who he was. "David Priestley."

He nodded.

She waved him in.

Hailey looked at her and motioned to the door, but Jamie shook her head and explained, "Officer Priestley is Scott Scanlan's partner. He's going to tell us about the night he was at my house."

Priestley glanced at them, then studied the floor.

Hailey shut the door behind him.

He focused on his hands as though there were something written there that he could use to get out of there.

"Just tell us what happened," Jamie prodded.

Priestley glanced at the others in the room.

"They're staying," Jamie said firmly. "We're all involved." She nodded at him to tell his story.

He hesitated and then, shoulders sinking, began to talk. "Scanlan said he wanted to play a trick on someone who'd been giving him a hard time. He made it sound like a joke." Priestley looked up at Hailey and Jamie but avoided Mackenzie's gaze.

They were in academy together, Jamie figured. He was embarra.s.sed. She didn't care.

"He said he was going to let the air out of a couple of tires-that's it." He shrugged. "I didn't want to go, but s.h.i.+t, I didn't want to get into a thing about it. It was our lunch break-or dinner break, I guess, because of how late it was. So we drove up there. I knew it was going to take longer than an hour, but he promised not much-" He stopped, stared at the white wall, continued..."When we got up there, he told me to wait in the car. He just got out. I stayed. I didn't even see the knife until he came back.

"Back at the car, he pulled a T-s.h.i.+rt out of the trunk and wiped it off. That's when I saw the blood. He said a dog tried to attack him-that he was just defending himself. I freaked out. I didn't know what to do." He shook his head. "He knew it, too. He made me swear not to say anything. He said it was lucky he got to the dog first because it probably would've killed some kid." Dave looked up then. "I've been trying to figure out a way to get a new partner, to transfer. He's such a p.r.i.c.k, but his father's-" He stopped then, silent.

Hailey nodded to Jamie.

"You can go," Jamie told him.

He looked up, relieved. "Really? Are you going to-"

"No," she interrupted. "But don't say anything about this yet. I'll be in touch."

He nodded, avoiding Mackenzie's gaze, and left the room.

Hailey spoke first. "We should start by telling IA and the DA's office."

Jamie nodded. That probably made sense.

"I'll talk to IA," Hailey offered.

Jamie nodded. "I'll go talk to the D.A." She glanced at her watch. "I might be able to catch Chip Was.h.i.+ngton. Call my cell and we'll touch base. I'll be here until nine-at my desk or on my cell. Tony's picking me up then."

As she made her way up to the D.A.'s office on the eighth floor, Jamie prayed one of these leads would end in an arrest. They had to be close. She just hoped they weren't somehow looking at Devlin's murder all wrong.

Was.h.i.+ngton's secretary was gone and Jamie considered for a second that he might be, too. It was late, after all. She knocked on the door, but no one answered. She started to turn when she heard it open.

Was.h.i.+ngton emerged, wearing his coat and carrying a bulky leather attorney-style briefcase with a bra.s.s snap at the top.

"You heading home?"

He nodded. Yawned.

"You okay?"

He nodded to her bruise. "I should be asking you that."

She touched her cheek.

"I'm sorry about what happened," he offered.

"Thanks."