“He’s smarter now.” Novak remained where he stood.
“Interesting guy,” she said.
Novak stared at the building, his jaw tensing. “What do you think, Julia?”
“He’s a nut in my book.”
“He did something twenty-five years ago. He might not have killed those girls, but he was no angel. Can you get your buddy at Shield to dig a little deeper on that one?”
“Sure, I’ll ask right now.”
She texted Andrews the request, and he responded immediately. “He’s on it,” she said.
Novak listened to his messages. “My partner has found the hotel where Lana Ortega was staying. I’m going to check it out. Care to tag along?”
“Damn, Novak, that’s the nicest thing anyone has said to me today.”
“Julia, if that’s the nicest, then you need better friends.”
“So I keep telling myself.” The stiffness released in her back as they moved toward the car. Inside, she settled into the seat. “You really think it’s the same killer?”
“If it’s not, then it’s someone who knew a lot of details about the original killings.”
“If it’s the same guy, it puts my father in the clear.”
“That’s important to you.”
“It is. I always said it didn’t matter, but it does.” She and her mother had lived their lives on the outside because of her father.
“We’ll figure this out, Julia.”
She tipped her chin up. “We certainly will.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Thursday, November 2, 2:45 p.m.
Novak parked a block away from the familiar upscale historic hotel located in the city center. When Bella had been younger, this was her place to visit at Christmas. He and his dad had made the trek with her each year. Neither Novak nor his father had liked the place—too fussy—but it was worth the trip to see Bella’s excitement. Now that his dad was gone, he continued the tradition.
He and Julia walked past a flowing fountain decorated with a dolphin centered among arching streams of water. The hotel was well over a hundred years old and was considered the place to have tea or dinner. She didn’t look in awe or that impressed. Instead, she studied the entrance in a tactical sort of way. The image of her balancing a teacup with a plate of biscuits made him smile.
“Why the smirk, Novak?” she asked.
“Imagining you here at high tea.”
“Seriously?”
“It’s not pretty.”
She shrugged. “For your information, I had tea here at Christmas with my mother and aunt when I was ten. I liked the cookies, but the tea wasn’t sweet enough, and my new shoes pinched. The entire experience wasn’t a good fit. But I pretended to like it because my mom loved it.”
“How do you and Cindy celebrate Christmas?”
“When I’m not on the job, I’m working a little behind the bar at Billy’s. The holiday season is a big time for her.”
“Where are you most at home?”
Slowly she shook her head. “Still working on that one.”
“You don’t have a clue?”
“Not really. Do you?”
“Thought I did. Now, I’m starting fresh.”
Novak introduced himself at the front desk and showed his badge, and the clerk quickly hurried into a back room in search of the hotel manager.
Julia turned from the front desk to study the gleaming marble and lush carpets and furnishings.
A man behind them cleared his voice. They turned to see a man wearing crisp suit.
“I’m Mr. Young,” the man said.
Novak made the introductions. “We’d like to see Lana Ortega’s room. My partner should be here any minute with a search warrant.”
“Yes, I’ve spoken to Detective Riggs. Let me go ahead and escort you upstairs. As he requested, we have not cleaned the room.”
“Good.”
They rode the elevator to the fifth floor, and Mr. Young hurried to room 521. He unlocked the door. “Would you like me to stay?”
“It’s not necessary.”
“I’ll wait in the lobby for your partner.”
“Thank you.”
Novak and Julia watched him glance back at them before he stepped on the elevator.
“The manager was anxious to get us out of the lobby,” Julia said. “Cops aren’t good for business, I suppose.”
“I look like a cop,” he said as he pulled on gloves. “You do not.”
She pulled latex gloves from her leather coat pocket. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”
He studied the rumpled bed. Lace underwear and a silk slip were tossed carelessly on the floor next to a pair of sparkling Louboutin high heels. A half-dozen dresses hung in the closet. “She liked the nice things,” he said, studying a red dress that still had a $2,000 price tag.
“She was always dressed well. Benny expected her to look her best. One time she wore a sweatshirt and jeans, and Benny hit her. Never again, he told her.”
“How long was Lana with Benny?”
“At least three years. She was eighteen when she met him. Came from a poor family. She was the oldest of six. Her catching Benny’s attention was a coup for her family. The drug dealer and the girl from the projects, a gangster Cinderella story.”
He crouched by the closet and studied the neat line of shoes. “You spend a lot of time with Lana?”
“Some. When she was upset she would sit at the bar and drink her pink cosmos. She wasn’t smart enough to know she shouldn’t have been talking to me or anyone about Benny. I mostly listened.”
“What can you tell me about Lana?”
“She loved Benny, though I wouldn’t describe it as a healthy relationship. He basically bought her from her family and considered her chattel. When a business deal or life wasn’t going well, he liked to hit her. Even Lana didn’t deserve that.”
“What was your relationship with her like?”
“She liked me, believe it or not. She said I was a good listener and understood her problems.”
“Ever consider Benny sent her to test you?”
“I did. I assumed every moment of that assignment was a test. I was so careful. I parsed every word I spoke.” She picked up a silver watch on the nightstand and inspected it before replacing it. “I listened to her when she talked about her hopes and dreams. She always talked about going to school. She wanted respect, and there were moments when I thought if I found the magic words, she’d leave him and go back home to her family. But, of course, that wouldn’t have helped my investigation much, would it? So the loving and beating continued on.”
“Was she involved in his business?”
“No, but she wanted to be. She thought Benny would value her more if she could help him with his business. She was always bugging him about doing more.” She frowned. “She would have done anything for Benny. Loyal to the end.”
“Do you think he blames her for all his troubles?”
“Of course. Benny is a coward and a bully. He doesn’t have the guts to put any of his troubles on himself.”
“And he’d kill her?”