The Judge's List (The Whistler #2)(36)

“You said there might be another one.”

“There is. Five months ago he killed a man named Lanny Verno in Biloxi, Mississippi. Same method, same rope. I found out why. Me, Lacy, not the police, but me. I found Verno’s trail in Pensacola thirteen years ago. I searched for the intersection, the crossing of the paths, and found it, but not the police. They have no clue.”

“They also have no idea about Bannick,” Lacy said. “What happened?”

“An old dispute over some remodeling in Bannick’s house. Looks like Verno pulled a gun, should’ve pulled the trigger. Bannick was just a lawyer then, not a judge, and he took him to court on assault charges. Lost. Verno walked, and I guess he walked himself right onto Bannick’s list. Thirteen years he waited, can you believe that, Lacy?”

“No.”

“He’s killing more frequently, which is not unusual. Every serial killer is different and there are certainly no rules to the game. But it’s not unusual for them to speed up and then slow down.” She rocked slowly back and forth, staring ahead, trance-like.

She said, “He’s also taking chances, making mistakes. He almost got caught with Verno when some poor guy showed up at the wrong time, wrong place. Bannick cracked his skull, killed him, but didn’t use a rope. It’s reserved for chosen ones.”

Lacy again marveled at the certainty with which she described things she had never seen and certainly couldn’t prove. It was frustrating how convincing she was. Lacy asked, “And the crime scene?”

“We don’t know much about it because it’s an active investigation and the police are sitting on everything. The second guy was a local builder with lots of friends and the police are taking heat. But, as always, it appears as though Bannick left nothing behind.”

“Six and two make eight.”

“That we know about, Lacy. There could be others.”

Lacy reached over and picked up the complaint but didn’t read it. “What’s in here?”

Jeri stopped rocking and rubbed her eyes as if sleepy. “Only three murders. The last three. Lanny Verno and Mike Dunwoody last year, and Perry Kronke from two years ago. Kronke’s case is down in the Keys, the big-firm lawyer who supposedly withheld a job offer when Bannick was finishing law school.”

“And why these cases?”

“Verno because it’s easy to prove his connection to Pensacola. He once lived there and I tracked him down. Easy once we show the police how to do it. It involves old dockets buried in digital bins and old files stacked away in warehouses. Stuff I found, Lacy. Spoon-feed this stuff to the cops and maybe they can put together a case.”

“They’ll need evidence for that, Jeri. Not mere coincidences.”

“True. But they’ve never heard the name of Ross Bannick. Once you tell them, once you connect the dots for them, then they can barge in with subpoenas.”

“And Kronke? Why him?”

“It’s the only Florida case and it involved travel. It takes ten hours to drive from Pensacola to Marathon, so Bannick probably didn’t do it in one day. Hotels, gas purchases, maybe he took a flight. Lots of records along the way. You should be able to track his movements before and after the murder. Look at his court dockets, see when he was on the bench, that sort of stuff. Basic detective work.”

“We’re not detectives, Jeri.”

“Well, you’re investigators, aren’t you?”

“Sort of.”

Jeri stood and stretched and walked to the window. Looking through it she asked, “Who was the guy you brought with you?”

“Darren, a colleague from work.”

“Why bring him?”

“Because that’s the way I want to operate, Jeri. I’m the boss now and I’ll make the rules.”

“Yes, but can I trust you?”

“If you don’t trust me, then take the complaint to the police. That’s where it should be anyway. I’ve never asked for this case.”

Jeri suddenly covered her eyes with her hands and cried for a moment. Lacy was stunned by the sudden emotion and felt guilty for not being more compassionate. She was dealing with a fragile woman.

Lacy handed her tissues from the bathroom and waited for the moment to pass. When Jeri finished wiping her face she said, “I’m sorry, Lacy. I’m a mess and I’m not sure how much longer I can go on. I never thought I could make it to this point.”

“It’s okay, Jeri. I promise I’ll do what I can, and I promise to protect your name.”

“Thank you.”

Lacy glanced at her watch and realized that she had been there for only eighteen minutes. Jeri had traveled four hours from Mobile. There was no sign of coffee, water, pastries, anything related to breakfast.

Lacy said, “I need coffee. Would you like some?”

“Sure. Thanks.”

Lacy texted Darren and ordered two large cups to go. She would meet him downstairs at the elevators in ten minutes. As she put her phone away she said, “Wait a minute. You included Verno because he once lived in Pensacola and that’s where he ran into Bannick, right?”

“That’s right.”

“But he’s not the only one from Pensacola. The first one, the scoutmaster, Thad Leawood, grew up in town, not far from Bannick. Murdered in 1991, right?”