Girls Like Us(38)

“You want me to run background on her?”

“That would be great. I just don’t know how to find her. The apartment was at 97 Main Street in Riverhead. Maybe that’s a place to start.” I don’t mention the fact that I found a photograph of Adriana Marques in the apartment.

“You got it.” Lee grins. “Your dad was a real lady-killer, you know.”

“What?” I frown, unnerved.

“The ladies loved him. He was a good-looking guy, Nell. And the cop thing, some women like that. Whenever we went out, someone would try to buy him a drink.” Lee laughs. “He usually said thank you, took the drink, and then brushed them off.”

“Well, maybe that’s because he had someone in his life already.”

Lee shrugs. “I’ll see what I can find out. He’s the one you should ask, though.” He points to the door. “Dorsey and your dad were thick as thieves.”

Dorsey walks into the room, shuts the door behind him. Everyone falls silent. He signals to Lee, prompting him to begin.

Lee clears his throat and stands up. “As you all know, Marty Flynn and I worked the Sandoval case together. I’ve invited Marty’s daughter, Nell, to join us today. Nell’s with the Behavioral Analysis Unit at the FBI. We’re lucky to have her with us. Her expertise will, no doubt, be a great asset here.”

Heads swivel in my direction. Greetings ripple across the room. I give the crowd a short nod and busy myself with a pen and paper, pretending to take notes.

“I’ll try to keep this short since the clock is ticking here. Sandoval’s body was found last August. The only lead Detective Flynn and I were able to come up with for the Sandoval killing was a landscaper named Alfonso Morales. He lived across the street from our victim. He also worked on the tract of land where her body was found.” Lee points to a map of Long Island. A big red X has been drawn in the center of the Pine Barrens Preserve. “We searched his home in Brentwood and his vehicle, a dark red GMC pickup truck. We found burlap and twine, similar to that used to wrap the victim’s body, in his truck, and burlap fibers on his rug at home. A truck fitting that description was seen in the parking lot of the motel where Ria Sandoval was last seen. We interviewed Mr. Morales on two separate occasions. He had significant abrasions on his arms and legs, consistent with a struggle. We weren’t able to find enough evidence to concretely link him to the killing, however, so eventually we had to turn him loose.”

I watch Lee glance over at Dorsey. Dorsey’s face remains placid and unreadable. Lee flushes for a second and then continues. “With this new case—the body found yesterday in Shinnecock County Park—Morales remains at the top of our suspect list. He was working at Shinnecock County Park at the time Marques went missing. He also did work on the property bordering the park. As you can see from the evidence compiled here on the board, these cases mirror each other almost exactly. We are working under the assumption that one killer is responsible for both murders. Morales seems like the natural fit.”

A detective in the front raises his hand. “What’s Morales’s connection to the second victim?”

“We haven’t found a direct connection between Morales and Adriana Marques. Not yet. Adriana’s sister, Elena, mentioned that she saw a maroon truck outside her house in the days leading up to her sister’s disappearance. The description matches the truck driven by Mr. Morales, the same one that was seen at the motel the night of Ria Sandoval’s disappearance.”

I shift uncomfortably in my seat. It also matches the description of my father’s truck, the one that I’ve been driving all morning. The one that’s currently on display in the SCPD lot outside.

“We also found trace amounts of cigarette ash on and around Marques’s body. Morales is a habitual smoker, so that fits.”

“The medical examiner pointed out that whoever shot the victim was tall and left-handed,” I say. “Morales doesn’t fit that profile.”

If Lee is annoyed with me for pointing out this inconsistency, he doesn’t show it. “No,” he says. “He doesn’t. Morales is about five seven. He’s right-handed. So another possibility is that we’re looking for a team. Morales could’ve had a partner who shot the victim, and then Morales himself disposed of the bodies on his worksites.”

“Any idea how or why he targeted Marques specifically?”

“Both vics were escorts who advertised their services online. Morales could’ve connected with both victims that way.”

Ron Anastas clears his throat and we all turn toward him. I haven’t seen him since we spread Dad’s ashes over the bay. He looks exhausted: pale-faced and gripping a large cup of coffee. It occurs to me that since Dad is gone, Anastas is likely the most senior detective in homicide. I always thought he was nice enough but not terribly sharp. Still, he’s deeply loyal to Dorsey. I imagine this means he’ll be running homicide for the foreseeable future. “We got a call early this morning from a woman named Sally Hayes,” he says. “Hayes is employed as a housekeeper by James Meachem, the man whose property borders the park. We’ve been contacting everyone who works there. Her husband is the caretaker for the house. Meachem is traveling abroad, and the Hayeses have been staying in Mr. Meachem’s guesthouse for the past month, overseeing some renovations on the property. According to Mrs. Hayes, she saw a red truck pull into the parking lot of Shinnecock County Park a few weeks ago. It was nighttime, and she wasn’t able to get a look at the driver. But she felt certain that she saw someone digging in the dunes. At the time, she dismissed it, thinking it was just the Preservation Society working overtime on the restoration project. But when she saw the news this morning, she called it in.”