What Have You Done(9)

Lieutenant Phillips walked off the elevator and made his way toward his two detectives. He was thin, and the overcoat he wore swallowed his frame. Long fingers reached into his pocket and came away with a pencil that he twirled in his hand. He always fiddled with something when he was stressed. A ball, a rubber band, a letter opener. This time it was a pencil. The look on his face was steel determination. Like the others, he was angry that a cop had gotten shot, and he wanted answers.

“What do we got?” Phillips growled.

Sean stood from his seat. “Samson’s in surgery. It’s touch and go. Won’t know much for another few hours. Family’s been notified. The wife is in a separate waiting room with his lieutenant. Other family’s on the way.”

“And Cutter?”

“Should be out of surgery soon. Minor. Had to go in and get the bullet out.”

“Should’ve put it between his eyes.”

“If I get another chance, I might do just that.”

Don joined his partner. “We did it by the book. It’s better this way. No mess and no fuss. He ran, shot the kid, and we got him.”

“You get a clean look at what happened?” Phillips asked. “Eyewitness account?”

Sean shook his head. “No, we were in the bedroom when we heard the shot. By the time I looked out, the kid was down, and Cutter was running from the scene. We got his weapon, so we’ll get a ballistics match from Forensics.”

“Anything else I should know?”

“Nothing that I can think of. It was pretty cut-and-dry.”

Phillips flopped down in one of the plastic seats and tossed the pencil onto his lap. “Helluva thing,” he mumbled. “That kid better make it.”

Sean’s phone began to vibrate. He pulled it from his pocket and looked at the caller ID. It was Liam. He ignored it.

“We got him,” Don said. “If the kid pulls through, we have a victim’s account, and like Sean said, we’ll have a ballistics match in twenty-four hours. Cutter’s going down. And this time we don’t have to worry about witnesses disappearing. We got everything we need.”

“I hope you’re right,” Phillips replied. “This son of a bitch has slipped through our fingers too many times before. Even with cases that were as airtight as this is.”

Sean’s phone vibrated again. Another call from Liam. Again, he ignored it. “I agree with Don. We got him.”

“What about the girlfriend?” Phillips asked.

“She’s in holding at the station,” Don said. “Attempted assault on an officer and accessory attempted murder.”

“And the kids?”

“The sweep team found them in their room under their beds. Brother and a sister. The girlfriend’s mother took them.”

Sean’s phone vibrated for a third time. He looked down. Liam. Something was up.

“You gonna get that?” Phillips asked. “That’s three times in a row.”

“It’s just my brother. It can wait.”

The phone stopped for a moment, then immediately began vibrating again.

Phillips sighed. “Apparently it can’t.”

“Sorry.” Sean turned away from the others and walked farther down the hall toward the stairwell. When he was far enough out of earshot, he answered. “Liam, what’s going on? What’s with all the calls?”

“I need you down here at the Tiger Hotel. I’m on scene. Homicide.”

Sean could hear the tremor in his brother’s voice. “What’s wrong?”

“You need to get down here.”

“I can’t. Me and Don have our own case we’re investigating. We’re at Temple Hospital.”

“But I need you.”

It sounded like Liam had been crying. “Why?” Sean asked. “What’s going on? Talk to me.”

“It’s Kerri,” Liam replied as his voice shook even more. “She’s the victim. Kerri’s dead, Sean.”

Sean stopped and pressed the phone tighter to his ear. “Kerri? Are you sure?”

“Yeah, I’m sure.”

He pushed through the steel door out into the stairwell where he could be alone. “You’re positive it’s her?”

“Yes, dammit! We have her ID. I saw her. It’s her. Kerri’s dead.”

Sean leaned against the wall and ran a hand through his hair. “Do you know what happened? Can you tell from the scene?”

“She’s strung up like some animal. Hanged and cut open.”

“Do you have any idea who she was with last night?”

“No. We haven’t talked in, like, three months. She broke it off and begged me to fix things with Vanessa. I haven’t talked to her since.”

“Not a word?”

“Maybe a couple of times on the phone, but I haven’t laid eyes on her since we broke up. I have no clue who she was seeing or what she was doing last night.”

“Jesus Christ.”

Liam sniffled on the other end and took another deep breath. “There was a bouquet of paper flowers at her feet. Just like the ones Mom used to make. And her hair was all chopped up. Like Mom did to herself that day. It’s freaking me out. Just get down here.”

“Who’s there from Homicide?”