“Yes, we think it is. Laurie Hernandez was stripped, strung up by her wrists, and viciously whipped before this guy killed her. Obviously, we can’t do a handwriting comparison, but the scars look to have been cut by the same person.”
It was somewhat of a relief to hear it. For so long, people had viewed her as some party girl who’d gotten so wasted she didn’t know fact from fiction. But she’d been victimized, and no one could deny it anymore. It just felt wrong that her vindication came at the price of another person’s life. It was a sad victory.
It really was him. The Tally Man was in her city. It didn’t matter if her name appeared in the newspapers or on TV, she’d already drawn attention to herself at the crime scene. All he had to do was look at the news to know she was close. The son of a bitch had the advantage on her. He knew what she looked like. He could stand in front of her, and she wouldn’t recognize him.
“So Laurie Hernandez was number six, Holli was number three, and I was number four. What about one, two, and five?”
“We’re looking into it. We’re running searches on similar victimology.”
Zo? winced. Victimology was a hard word to hear when you were a previous victim.
“Sorry. Cop speak. Not always easy on the ear.”
“It’s OK.”
“The problem is the search range. The suspect won’t be local, considering where he abducted you. The other victims could be anywhere in the country. That’s going to be tough to narrow down, and it will take a while. The law enforcement machine is thorough but it’s also slow.”
The plates Greening ordered arrived. He cherry-picked from all the appetizers and encouraged her to do the same. Despite her bad mood, she was hungry. Apparently, kicking the crap out of a classmate did that to a person. She grabbed a couple of spring rolls.
“I don’t think you’ll find the other victims,” she said.
“What makes you say that?”
“No one ever found Holli, and I was with her to report the abduction. I don’t think he wants his victims found. I bet you wouldn’t have found Laurie Hernandez if he hadn’t been disturbed.”
“Maybe, but mistakes are how cases are broken,” Greening said. “Most crimes are spur-of-the-moment and improvised. I doubt if most criminals plan more than a couple of hours ahead at any point. Even someone as organized as this guy won’t have all the angles covered. Nobody does. He’s one man against the might of the SFPD and all the other branches of law enforcement throughout the Bay Area and the country. Have a little faith in us. This Tally Man screwed up with you and again last night. That makes me feel confident of our chances.”
She liked his analysis, but did feel a certain amount of salesmanship in his pitch. The Tally Man had managed to remain hidden for years, so chances were he could for years to come. As much as a single person was no match for a police department the size of the SFPD, the Tally Man had an advantage over an organization that big. He had the ability to go unnoticed, the flexibility to move quickly and change plans. That maneuverability was hard to beat.
She kept her thoughts to herself. It would have come off as uncharitable. After all, she had to believe in the SFPD because she desperately wanted the Tally Man to be caught. She needed to have his spell over her broken.
Greening grabbed a couple more items from the appetizer plates before saying, “I spoke to a couple of your friends today.”
Friends? She didn’t know she had any of those.
“Dr. Jarocki and Officer Martinez.”
Did a shrink and a cop count as friends? If that was the best she could do, she was in trouble.
“What did Dr. Jarocki say?”
“Not a lot, due to patient confidentiality. I told him about last night.”
That was good. She had meant to call him but hadn’t been up to the task.
“Cockteaser,” someone yelled outside.
Neither Zo? nor Greening took any notice until a fist struck the window close to Zo?’s head. She jumped in her seat.
On the other side of the window was that jerk, Rick Sobona, the high-flying ad exec. A purple bruise stained him under his eyes and stretched to the bottom of his nose where she had punched him. He jabbed a finger at her.
“Cockteaser,” he yelled again.
Zo? shook her head.
“What the hell?” Greening said.
Sobona glared at Zo?, waiting for her to acknowledge him. When she said nothing, he stormed into the restaurant. The hostess raised her hands and blocked his path, but he brushed her aside.
He loomed over Zo?, standing directly against her table. Her skin prickled at the invasion of her personal space. Since Greening was there, she fought the impulse to smash him in the balls with her fist. She had a straight shot, but Greening had already seen her assault someone tonight.
“I can’t believe you’re back here after you played me last night,” he said. “I see you’re up to your old tricks, eh, cockteaser?”
“Watch the mouth, pal.”
“What did she promise you? Whatever it is, don’t believe it. She gets off on flirting and playing the game, but it’s all show. When the show’s over, she does this.” He pointed to the damage her single blow had done.