21st Birthday (Women's Murder Club #21)(56)

In the last few hours, the field had been transformed. Tall stakes had been planted every four feet in a grid. CSU was covering the area, ten CSIs and techs in a line, arm’s length apart, passed metal detectors across the ground. They also concentrated their attention along the chain-link fence dividing the two properties.

Cindy scanned the school parking lot. Clapper was in center field giving Hallows the business. Brady stood with his enormous arms crossed, watching through the fence, clearly perturbed. And she saw Richie, talking to a woman she assumed was his new partner, Sonia Alvarez, whom she hadn’t yet met. She admired the horseshoe charm Alvarez wore around her neck. Everyone working this case could use a bit of luck.

Rich was on speed dial so she handed off her police scanner to Samuels and phoned her boyfriend.

“Pick up, Richie. Pick up.”

She watched him pull his phone from his back pocket, see who was calling, and answer.

“Yeah, hi, Cin. I’m working right now.”

“I can see you.”

“Where are you?”

“Turn your face sixty degrees and look for the tall guy out on the street. I’m standing next to him.”

“Oh. Okay. I see you.”

“Rich, I got the bulletin off the scanner. So I’m here, but you didn’t tip me off. Okay to interview you? Just tell me what’s going on? Wait. Let’s do it this way.”

“What way?”

“I’m going to make a guess. If I’m right, say, “‘Love you, too.’ If I’m wrong, say something else and I’ll take another guess.”

“I love you, too.”

“Wait, damn it. Let me guess.”

She heard Rich say to Alvarez, “Cindy.”

Cindy said, “CSU is doing a search for the murder weapon.”

Rich was looking toward the fence, seeing the grid breaking up, techs in hazmat suits converging on a perimeter about twenty feet in circumference around an old oak tree.

One of the searchers was holding up something that seemed to have a little shine on it, calling out, “Got it!”

Cindy disengaged the call before Rich could say, “I love you, too,” but she knew she was right.

She heard Brady call Rich and Alvarez over, and Samuels aimed his long lens toward the CSU.

Cindy asked Samuels, “Did you get it?”

Samuels showed her the small viewfinder at the back of his camera and enlarged the image. She saw it. A gloved hand was holding what looked to be a closed straight-edge razor.

It looked like every straight razor Cindy had ever seen. The blade was four inches long; the hand holding it in the air provided scale.

“You like?” Samuels said to Cindy.

“Do I? Oh my God. Pulitzer,” she said. “Send the photo to Tyler. I’ll start writing in the car.”





CHAPTER 74





YUKI CASTELLANO AND NEWT GARDNER sat in the waiting area outside Judge John Passarelli’s chambers.

Gardner said, “Your nerves getting to you?”

“My nerves are fine,” said Yuki. “But, you’re sweating, Newt.” She swiped her index finger under her nose. He pulled out a handkerchief and dabbed at his face. She’d gotten to him.

He said, “Really. So, calling a meeting with the judge a half hour before the trial starts means ‘No problemo,’ huh? I can’t wait to hear what you’ve pulled out of your, uh, hat.”

Gardner shot his right cuff and looked at his watch. “This is nuts, even for you. Jurors are assembled. I’m ready. Why aren’t you?”

“Because we’re going to charge Burke with an additional count of murder one.”

“Give me a break. You have nothing on Burke but guesswork. Pin the tail on the donkey. This case should have been thrown out and you know it. Parisi’s having a fit about bad press. Okay with me. This is what I call a dream case.”

Yuki smiled. “Dream on, counselor.”

Gardner scoffed, and the door to Passarelli’s chambers opened. Judge Passarelli invited the two attorneys into his office and they grouped around the table near the window. Greetings were exchanged. Yuki put her briefcase on the floor next to her chair, extracted a folder, and placed it in front of her.

Judge Passarelli said, “Ms. Castellano, it’s your meeting.”

“Your Honor. Mr. Gardner. Evidence came to light on Friday afternoon that appears to be the murder weapon used in the killing of Melissa Fogarty, Lucas Burke’s girlfriend. This item, a straight razor, was processed at our crime lab immediately. Last night at nine, I received this report.”

Yuki passed copies of the report to Judge Passarelli and Gardner.

Gardner said, “Judge, this is all news to me.”

Yuki said, “The report goes into this in depth. But the bottom line is that a straight razor was found with Melissa Fogarty’s blood on the blade and Lucas Burke’s fingerprints on the handle. It was found in the weeds fifty feet and over a chain-link fence from the crime scene. Your Honor, we didn’t charge Mr. Burke with Ms. Fogarty’s murder earlier because we had no evidence until now.”

“Wait, wait,” said Gardner. “The evidence just showed up on Friday. Prints and blood? A little convenient isn’t it, Ms. Castellano? By chance could this razor have been planted by the police?”