Vatsal Parekh (Victory Watson)

Crime Thriller

3  

Vatsal Parekh (Victory Watson)

Crime Thriller

Sins Of The Mother (Chapter-20)

Sins Of The Mother (Chapter-20)

6 mins
162


Brooke listened quietly as Lukas went over Danny Smart’s assessment. When he was finished, she sat there with a blank look on her face. She was disappointed they had both missed the child connection, but at least it was something that might be considered another lead. It wasn’t much of a lead – sort of a cryptic lead – but it was information they hadn’t recognized previously, so it was something new.

“I can’t believe we missed that,” she said. “Damn, it seems like for the past week every time I turn around, I’m feeling like I’ve made a rookie mistake. You know what? We need to turn the tables on this guy. It’s high time someone else started feeling stupid.”

“Calm down, tiger,” Lukas said. “I know how you feel. I felt the same way when Danny dropped that little tidbit on me.”

Brooke was silent for a long minute. Then she said, “Okay, looking on the bright side, we have a new lead. Where does that leave us?”

“Nowhere,” Lukas said. “Square One.”

“I love your optimism.”

“Just being realistic. We’re no closer to him than we were on day one. So, he kills hookers who have children. His mother may have been a prostitute. She may have tried to kill him. So, what? None of that identifies him. None of it really helps us.”

“It’s been over a week since Razzy,” Brooke said. “The next one will happen soon. He knows he has us on edge, and Agent Smart is right. The killer is on some kind of high, like he’s going through a manic phase. We need to get back out on the street. I’ll talk to my people and see if we can get an operation going for tonight. Are you in?”


Lukas glanced at his right arm and slowly back to Brooke with an incredulous look.

“Shit. I forgot. You can help me in the ops center. That’s not against the rules, right?”

“They won’t let me near an operation right now. Captain Hunter made it clear – no action. If I get another injury, it had better be a paper cut or a coffee burn. That’s the deal I had to make to get back to my desk. Besides, I’ve got something I really need to take care of tonight. It’s important.”

He noticed that they both had only eaten half of their meals. Their appetites disappeared when Agent Smart’s findings made their way to the forefront of the conversation. Lukas pushed his chair away from the metal table.

“Will you be working as a handler?” Lukas said.

“I’ll be overseeing the whole thing. We’re short-handed even with you. Without you, we’re like a three-man basketball team. I think we’ll work your turf this time, though. Any advice?”

“Not really. Our guys know the area well, so they should be able to bring you up to speed.” Lukas glanced at his watch. “I’ve got to run. Be careful. Call me if anything breaks.”

“I will.”

Brooke left Johnson City and drove back to Kingsport to the Cooper Center to follow up on the abortion angle. She didn’t put much stock in the theory that the killings had anything to do with abortion, but she felt an obligation to look under every rock. She wound up wasting two hours, then went to the station to put the final touches on planning the operation for that night. It was to be much like the one they’d conducted in Kingsport. They’d get out on the street, among the hookers and johns and pimps, and see if anything broke loose.

***


In the meantime, Lukas spent the afternoon cleaning up Gabriele’s place, not that it needed much cleaning. He bought flowers and two bottles of pinot noir, which was Gabriele’s favorite. An hour before she was scheduled to get off work, he left and drove ten minutes to their favorite Italian restaurant and picked up two orders of shrimp scampi, some garlic bread, and some pasta that he’d already ordered. He set the dining room table, lit candles. By the time Gabriele arrived, the food was hot, plated, and ready to eat.

She walked in the door, and Lukas picked her up and kissed her gently.

“I’ve missed you,” he said. “We have some catching up to do.”

She squeezed him, and he winced.

“Sorry,” Gabriele said. “The shoulder?”

“It’s okay. It’s getting better every day. Are you hungry?”

“I’m starved.”

“Good. Let’s eat.”

They sat at the table and ate the food and drank wine. Lukas steered the conversation toward her work, her friends, her family, anything but the murders. When they were finished, Lukas cleared the table, loaded the dishwasher and straightened the kitchen while Gabriele took a shower. She came back out and came in the kitchen to help him.

“Go in the living room and take a load off,” Lukas said. “I’ll be with you in a minute.”

“Are you telling me I need to preserve my energy?” she said.

“You could take it that way, yeah.”


He finished in the kitchen, tossed the dish cloth he’d been using in the washing machine, and walked into the living room. Gabriele was sitting patiently on the couch, listening to music. Lukas picked her up gently. She submitted, putting her arms around his neck, her mouth gently brushing his cheek. He carried her down the hall and into the bedroom. Just as he laid her on the bed, his phone rang.

Damn.

He’d meant to leave it in his car. He took the phone out and glanced at the screen. It was Odessa McCabe. He hit the decline button, switched the phone to vibrate, and placed it on the nightstand. He turned back to Gabriele, hoping the mood hadn’t been spoiled.

Before he was able to get into bed, the phone buzzed. It was the loudest and most obnoxious cell phone buzz he’d ever heard in his life, and it seemed to go on forever. Things were quickly going to hell in a handbasket.

The phone pinged. A text.

“Lukas, you may as well take care of that,” Gabriele said. He could tell from the tone of her voice that the evening was already ruined. He walked into the kitchen and called Odessa.

“It’s about time. Where have you been?”

“I was a little busy.” He glanced back at Gabriele. She’d gotten out of bed and was now sitting on the couch with her knees pulled up to her chest, staring at the TV with a blank look on her face.

“You’ll have to tell whoever she is that it’ll have to wait. We got a DNA hit on the semen we recovered from the last victim. Captain Hunter is mobilizing the tactical team and the CSU.”

“On my way.” Lukas knew Gabriele would be madder than hell, but this could be the break they’d been waiting for. She’d just have to understand.

“Gabby, I—”

“I know.”

Lukas walked over to where Gabriele was sitting and kissed her on the head. “I’m so sorry. I really do have to go.”

She scowled. “Of course you do. You always do.”

Lukas picked his keys up off the kitchen counter and walked out without saying goodbye. He wasn’t sure if their relationship would survive this one.


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