In Her Tracks (Tracy Crosswhite #8)(60)

“Just like that? You ever stabbed a man?”

“No. Have you?”

Donna nodded. “Stabbed a john in the thigh once when he tried to get out without paying.”

“What happened?”

“He paid. My point is, Little Miss Girl Scout, it isn’t enough to have a knife. You have to be willing to use it without hesitation. You hesitate, he’s going to grab the knife and use it on you, and maybe the two of us.”

Stephanie hadn’t thought of that. “You said they’re going to kill us and leave our bodies up here for the animals.”

“That’s why we’re here. You changed the game for them. You heard Franklin. Evan wasn’t supposed to grab you. He called you a cheerleader.”

“So?”

“So. Angel and I ain’t no cheerleaders, in case you hadn’t noticed. You know how many of us go missing, get beat up? You know what the police do?”

“No.”

“Nothing. Absolutely nothing. But the police are going to look for a cheerleader. You got a mommy and a daddy likely pushing the police to find you. That’s why we’re here. That’s why they’re going to kill us. Because of you.”

Stephanie looked to Angel, who simply nodded her head. Then she said, “Then I guess I can’t hesitate. Can I? When I get the chance.”

“You’re going to get us all killed,” Donna said.

“You said they’re going to kill us anyway. What’s the difference?”

Angel laughed. “Little Miss Sunshine has a point, doesn’t she?”





CHAPTER 27

Tuesday morning, Tracy still seethed at the dressing-down she’d received from Johnny Nolasco in front of what had been her team, and at his cowardice. Maria Fernandez and Kins each called her cell phone after she left the office, but she’d let both calls go to voice mail. Neither was to blame for what had happened, but Tracy didn’t want to say something in anger she’d later regret.

She’d spent a quiet night at home, and when Dan asked if everything was okay, she’d told him she was enjoying the family time.

Tracy made calls to the cell phone numbers for Bobby Chin’s parents and his sister that she’d obtained from the preschool authorization form. None of the numbers remained in service. She turned instead to Chin’s fraternity brothers in Phi Delta Phi. She wanted to determine if Chin had a history of violence against women.

One of the brothers, Peter Gillespie, worked as a director and coordinating producer for the Root Sports television station located in a building just off the I-90 freeway in Eastgate. Gillespie sounded surprised, then perplexed by Tracy’s call, but he agreed to meet with her that morning. Before leaving home, she looked through Gillespie’s Facebook page and his LinkedIn professional page. Gillespie was popular, with more than fifteen hundred Facebook friends. His Facebook pictures dated back to his college years, including pictures of Gillespie with his fraternity brother Bobby Chin. They looked to have been close in college, and she expected to find postgraduation photos of the two of them but found very few. Gillespie posted pictures of UW football game tailgate parties, boating on Lake Washington, and of his five-year reunion. He also posted wedding photos and pictures with his wife and two kids. Tracy went through the pictures quickly. She did not see any others with Bobby Chin.

Tracy parked and made her way inside the building. She checked in at a reception counter and, minutes later, introduced herself to a heavyset man in slacks and an open-collared work shirt. Gillespie looked to have put on thirty pounds since college. He led her into a conference room on the first floor.

“I only have about twenty minutes,” he said. “But I’m also happy to talk over the phone if you have additional questions. So, this is about Bobby?”

Tracy explained her connection to the cold case, and Gillespie asked the question everyone had asked.

“Has there been a new development?”

“I’m taking a fresh look at it. How well did you know Bobby Chin?”

“We were in the same fraternity in college, the same pledge class, so we were pretty close. We hung out a lot back then.”

“Not so much anymore?”

“It’s complicated.”

“Did you have a falling-out?”

“No. We’re still friends,” Gillespie said. He looked to be struggling to define their relationship. “We just sort of drifted apart for a while. Bobby took a job with SPD straight out of college, which surprised those of us who knew him. He wasn’t around much.”

“What surprised you?” Tracy asked, expecting Gillespie to say that Chin had been wild in college.

“Never had any indication that’s what he wanted to do. He studied computer science—what they call STEM: science, technology, engineering, and math. He was really smart. Good with computers. Always figured he’d pursue a tech job.”

“You were surprised then because he chose SPD.”

“Absolutely. I asked him about it after the fact and he said he wanted to get into forensics, and he thought being an officer and starting with a working knowledge would help him. Pissed his parents off something royal though.”

“How do you know that?”

“Bobby told me. His parents are traditional Chinese. Bobby and his sister were the first generation born here. His parents wanted him to do something with computers and technology. A police officer was the last thing they wanted, at least according to Bobby.”