cop didn’t really do it, there’d be no evidence of it. And if a cop really had...”
“But then you backed off of your story when I interviewed you. Why?”
“I wasn’t expecting to be reinterviewed, especially by someone with the DOJ. When you explained who you were, I figured you knew something. I thought if I backed off a little, if I acted wishy-washy, you’d leave me alone. And you did. But I’ve been living in fear ever since. Wondering if what I told you pissed him off. Wondering if he’s going to come after me. And I’m even more scared now. There was something about him. Even though he was wearing sunglasses, there was something about his mouth that seemed sinister when he talked to me. It gave me the creeps. Now that another murder has happened, I’m afraid he’ll come looking for me. Because he wants me to lie again to you because he wants to kill me to make sure I don’t tell you about him.”
“But you are telling me about him. Why? And why me?”
“I don’t know. Call it a sixth sense. I get a feeling with people. I can sense their light and their dark. I just know when I met you, you seemed nice. Decent. When I came over here I asked if you were here. The patrol officer said you were and...well...I figured you’re the lesser of two evils.”
Simon blew out a breath. “Well, you were right about that.” He turned away. Paced for a few seconds before coming back to her.
“Here’s the deal. You’re going to need to get off the streets. You’re now a critical police witness and we’ll protect you. But you’re going to have to cooperate, Rita. Tell us everything you know. Testify in court if we need you, too.”
“You protect me, make sure I don’t go to jail for lying to the cops before, and I will. I promise.”
“You said you don’t know who this guy was. That he wore sunglasses. What else? What did he look like?”
“Older. Conservative. Well-dressed. He carried himself well. He looked tough. And he...” She paused. Bit her lip. Looked at Simon with suddenly uncertain eyes.
“What is it?”
“He wasn’t wearing no uniform, but I’ve seen a lot of cops in my line of work. Talked to a lot of them. Undercover ones, too. I can’t know for sure, but the way this guy carried himself? If I had to guess at what he did for a living? I’d say he was a cop.”
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
IT WAS DARK BY THE TIME Simon had Rita Taylor under police protection and was able to get back to SIG. Once there, he went straight to see Commander Stevens.
He told him everything—about the cards Nina had received, the mutilation of her cat and the seeming connection between those two things and the murders of two homeless men. Then he told him about Rita Taylor’s statements.
When he was done, Stevens looked as shell-shocked as Simon felt.
“What have you heard on Davenport?” he finally asked.
After talking with Rita Taylor, Simon had once again contacted the authorities in Charleston. The officer he’d talked to said they’d just been about to call him with a report on Davenport. They’d tried contacting Davenport at his home several times, but on each occasion, his house had been empty. In addition, they’d checked with his place of employment, a local landscape company, and verified he’d called in sick for the past three days. So far they hadn’t been able to find him.
“Davenport’s neighbor has said she saw Davenport in Charleston earlier this week. I’m not buying it. I think Davenport was here on Saturday morning and put that letter underneath Nina’s entry mat. I think he killed Nina’s cat on Monday. And if that’s true, he probably killed the man murdered in the park today, as well.”
Stevens sighed. “Well, you’ve done all you can tonight. You can start fresh tomorrow. Check additional flights out of Charleston. Whether Davenport has any documented connection to the murder vic or even Louis Cann. Keep in touch with your contact at the Charleston P.D. That kind of thing. Is Ward still with Dr. Whitaker?”
“Yes.”
“And will she continue to stay with her?”
Simon hesitated. Shook his head. “I’m going to relieve her. I need to talk to Nina. Find out whether she might know anything about the murder victims. I’ll make sure she has protection.”
“Right,” Stevens said again.
“She can’t shadow me tomorrow.” Simon didn’t form it as a question.