“He had to be confident that he could get that close to her at a party without her recognizing him.”
Captain Jeffries folded his arms and scratched his chin with his right hand. It was an obvious conclusion, but nobody had even brought it up before Danni mentioned it. So much for all the sophisticated equipment; it never replaced good police work.
“Okay, let’s assume he was disguised. What else do you have?”
“I found a very rare knife in his apartment. It was long and thin with a black pearl handle. I’d never seen a knife like that before.”
“I’m not following you, Danni. Was that knife or one like it used in any of the murders that we know of?”
“Stacey Kincaid said the murderer tried to kill her with a very unique knife. The description was something like a bowie knife with a gargoyle carved on the handle.”
“A bowie knife isn’t thin—it’s broad. Makes a wide cut. Where’s the connection?”
“Maybe he’s a knife collector. Maybe he’s got a collection of knives in that second bedroom we didn’t see and he wouldn’t let us into.”
She lost him there. She could see it in his face.
Jeffries didn’t comment on that theory directly. He knew Danni had been through a lot in the last forty-eight hours, and it was understandable that she wanted to get this guy as soon as possible. He didn’t want to tell her she was grasping at straws so he waited a few moments.
“We won’t get a search warrant with that evidence, Danni. It’s not probable cause.”
“Probable cause is what the judge says it is. Who knows? We might get Judge Reed. He pretty much signs anything that comes across his desk.”
“I don’t think so. Not even Judge Reed would sign this one once he knows all the facts. Look, I know this is personal now and you want to get this guy, but you’re targeting someone without evidence. It’s what we tend to do when we get antsy.”
“I’m not antsy, Sam. I think we need to try for this search warrant. If we’re wrong, we’re disrupting this guy’s day for a few hours. If we’re right, we might save somebody’s life. We need to do something.”
“All right, Danni, you prepare an affidavit and copy this file and I’ll ship it over to the state attorney’s office. If they think it’s worth it, they’ll go to the judge for a warrant.”
“That’s not good enough, Sam. Jane Pelicano is the assistant state attorney assigned to work with us on this case. You need to talk to her and convince her to go get that warrant for us.”
“Look, Danni, I’m the head of this task force. I don’t mind going out on a limb and trying new ideas, but I can’t start lobbying on your behalf for something I don’t believe is going to work.
“Having said that, you write a memo along with your affidavit stating every reason you can think of to justify getting a warrant and I’ll send it along. If you want to talk to Jane yourself after that, I have no problem with it.”
Danni knew that was the best deal she was going to get.
“Thanks, Captain.”
“No problem. Keep thinking, keep pushing. We’ll nail this guy.”
Chapter Nine
A few days after her memo and affidavit had been sent, Danni went to see Jane Pelicano. She’d called first and made an appointment so Jane was ready for her.
Jane Pelicano was the top assistant state attorney in Lou Daniel’s office. She tried many of the high-profile capital felonies, so it was no surprise that she’d been assigned to this case. Danni had her work cut out for her but she was ready. She wasn’t sure why, but the desire to get a warrant and search Thomas Felton’s apartment was starting to consume her.
Jane Pelicano was standing up when Danni walked into her office. She came around her desk to greet Danni. The two women knew each other professionally because they’d worked on a lot of cases together.
“I read your memo and your affidavit, Danni. Sam sent me a memo, too, along with the file. I’m with him on this: Suspicion isn’t probable cause. We’ve got nothing to connect this guy. The fact that he was in Utah and is now here is totally explainable and his story checks out. After that what do we have? He fits part of the description, and the killer probably used a disguise, but that’s not going to