“Maybe he’s been after Jace this whole time?” She thought back to some of the things Jace had said during the fight. “Maybe all this is about something else? He said he knew information but the Vigilante didn’t seem to care.”
Bryson flipped through a report on the desk. “Jace doesn’t have any known gang affiliations, but it’s possible. The robberies do have a crime-ring feel about them.”
The detective asked Ari some other questions about the incident. Had she seen any of the other men? He told her that the one backing up Jace had been taken to the hospital and then into custody. Jace himself had been unconscious when the police arrived, the mystery man having knocked him out.
“Any last thing you can tell us?” Bryson asked as she and Nick stood at the door.
“No, not that I can think of,” she said. But there was one other thing. One thing she kept to herself. The mystery man moved sleek and quiet, like a cat. Ari knew only one other person like that.
Chapter 15
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Ari said. The early morning air cooled her cheeks and she wished for a cup of coffee. What she really wanted was to be back in her bed, but this terrible day of all days had just begun, and looked to only get worse. She took a day off after the attack in her front yard, but that was all Ari could afford. Hope had skipped her first counseling appointment and Maria’s funeral was scheduled for later in the day. At 8:00 a.m., the day was already heading downhill.
Hope’s grandmother shook her head. A tight scarf wrapped her curler-covered hair and she wore a pink, flowered robe. “She was in her bed last night. I checked after I watched the Late Show. She must have snuck out after that.”
“I’m going to have to report this,” Ari said with a sigh. So much for second chances. Or third. Or fourth.
“I know, Ms. Grant. That girl just can’t seem to control herself.”
“Any idea where she went?”
“No ma’am, she don’t tell me anything.”
“Let me know if you hear from her,” Ari said fruitlessly. Her grandmother was sweet but no way she’d turn Hope in. She added, “I don’t want her to get hurt or anything.”
“I will. I have your number. She’ll be okay.”
Ari shook her head. “No, I’m not sure she will. I don’t know if you are aware of this but I’m going to a funeral today for a client. She was murdered and dumped by her killer. We have no idea who did it which means a murderer is loose on the street and he could be preying on girls like Hope. If you hear from her, please encourage her to come home.”
Ari left the apartment and returned to her car. During daylight, the housing project felt a little less scary, only kids and mothers were out now, heading to school. Still, Ari looked cautiously around making sure no one was following her.
Jace had been arrested, or would be if he ever woke up. The sound of his head hitting the pavement during the fight echoed in Ari’s memory. And the mystery man. She couldn’t get him out of her head, either. Was he a stalker? Her protector? Both? She knew whom to ask. She knew who taught the boys in this city how to battle like that. She just hadn’t gotten up the nerve to do so yet.
In the car, Ari dialed the number for Apprehension Services and gave them Hope’s description and the details for the arrest warrant. There was little now she could do for her but wait.
***
The funeral went on for hours. The room became unbearably warm and everyone in the church was borderline hysterical. This was not Ari’s first funeral for a client but they never got any easier. She sat in the back, fanning herself with a thick paper program, listening as the minister talked about the trials of sin. So far, he’d been speaking for close to 30 minutes and showed little sign of stopping. She’d talked to Maria’s mother and family already, but they looked at her with judgment and disdain. She wasn’t welcome there, but it was her responsibility to come. Plus, she’d cared for Maria.
“You want to get out of here?” she heard from the row behind hers. She knew the voice and it set her skin on edge. Davis. The curse of a successful one-night stand was the involuntary reaction the body had to triggers. His voice was a trigger. Conjuring images inappropriate for a church, much less a funeral.
During the next hymn, Ari made a break for the back door. Davis followed and she ducked into a small room in the narthex. She noticed his suit and tie. “What are you doing here?” she asked.
“I try to attend the services of our fallen youth.”
“Did you know Maria?”
“No, not directly, but several of my boys did. We’ve been discussing her death in our group sessions. It’s hard on them when they lose one of their own.”
“What do you mean?”
Davis tugged at his collar. The entire church was sweltering. They must have had the heat cranked up. “Do you want to get out of here? Go somewhere?”
Ari looked at her watch. Barely noon. “I’m on the clock.”