Chapter 16
Chapter Sixteen
Riley was at the wheel, and Lewis was in the passenger seat. Ahead of them loomed the tall glass-and-steel elegance of the huge apartment complexes on Liberty Drive, and beyond lay Boston Harbor. Blue sky, calm water… and they were on their way to a crime scene.
“Murder doesn’t belong in a place like this,” Dan murmured beside him.
Gary shivered to hear his thoughts echoed. He glanced at Dan. “Murder doesn’t belong anywhere.” Dan raked his fingers through his hair, disturbing its perfection. His knee bounced, and his breaths were short.
Gary didn’t have to be psychic to read Dan’s body language. “What’s up?”
He closed his eyes for a second or two before replying. “Are you sure I should be here?”
“Travers okayed it,” Riley said as he took a right off Seaport Boulevard. “He agreed with us that it’s important for you to see the crime scene.”
“He agreed with you and Gary, you mean,” Lewis muttered. “No one asked my opinion.”
“Yeah, because we knew what it would be.” And this has gone far enough. They were long overdue for a conversation. Gary leaned forward, pointing. “That’s it on the right. Fifty Liberty.”
“Pretty swanky neighborhood,” Riley murmured as he pulled up behind a police car. “Nothing like the others.”
“How is it different?” Dan asked. “That might be important.”
“Up till now the victims lived in Dorchester, Roxbury, Jamaica Plain. Average-looking neighborhoods. This is new.”
“This place looks like it might have CCTV.” Lewis twisted to look at Gary. “I’ll check. You guys go on up.”
Riley’s gaze met Gary’s in the rearview mirror, but he said nothing. He switched off the engine, and they got out. At ground level, the words Fifty Liberty stood out from the wall in polished metal.
Gary glanced up the street. “Del’s here.” The medical examiner’s car was parked ahead of theirs.
“He usually beats us to it.” Riley led the way across a paved area bracketed by neatly trimmed shrubs. He stopped at the main door, where a police officer stood. “Hey, Lomax. This is getting to be a habit.”
“If it is, it’s one I’d like to break. Six days since the last one. What’s he doing, going for a record?” Lomax gave Gary a nod, then stared at Dan.
“It’s okay, he’s with us,” Gary informed him. He pushed open the door, and they stepped into the cool interior with its marble floors and expanses of glass.
“I’ll go talk to the concierge.” Lewis strode toward the rear of the lobby. Gary, Riley, and Dan headed for the elevators, where a couple of officers stood talking.
“The medical examiner arrived about five minutes ago,” one of them told Gary. “Eleventh floor, Apartment A.”
He glanced at his badge. “Thanks, Williams.” He pressed the button, and when the doors slid open, they filed inside. More marble covered the floor, and the back wall of the elevator was mirrored. Gary expelled a breath. “Okay, what do we know about the victim?”
Riley consulted his notes. “Dispatch said his name is Robin Fields. They got a call from the concierge. Mr. Fields’s cleaner arrived this morning and found him. I did a quick search online.” Riley whistled. “This guy could buy the whole building if he wanted.”
“What else do we know about him?” Gary asked as the elevator stopped and they got out.
“Apart from the fact that he’s a millionaire? Self-made man, made a fortune from the sale of his first company when he was twenty-nine, then kept doing the same thing for the next twenty years.”
Gary paused at the yellow tape across the hallway. On the other side of it, an officer walked toward them.
Dan rubbed the back of his neck, and there was tightness around his eyes.
Gary frowned. “Are you all right? It’s like Riley said, Travers agreed you should be here.” He seemed awful jumpy.
Dan swallowed. “Look, this is my first crime scene, okay? Up till now, I’ve worked with evidence, the way I did today. Walking into an apartment where someone was murdered? I-I’m not sure what to expect.”
Oh God. Gary stilled. “This could be more intense than the… signals you get from items? Is that it?”
“Yeah. And right now I don’t know whether I should open myself up to whatever is in there or shield myself from being bombarded by emotions.”
Gary squeezed his arm. “If it gets too much, you give the word, and I’ll have you out of there in a heartbeat.” He was glad Lewis wasn’t around. He could imagine the sort of crap he’d come out with.
“What he said,” Riley added, his voice warm. “If you can’t take it, you get out. Period.”
Dan nodded, then cleared his throat. “Thank you.”
Gary greeted the officer who held back the tape for them, and they entered the apartment.
The dark brown wood floor contrasted with the deep cream walls.
On the left of the entrance hall, a huge painting dominated the space, an abstract in muted shades of beige, bronze, and sand.
The narrow hall opened out into a larger area, combining kitchen, living room, and dining table.
A corner sofa filled most of the floor space, and along one wall was a unit filled with books, home theater, and ornaments. Above it was the wide-screen TV.
Rob Michaels stood beside the dining table, conversing with an officer. Behind him were floor-to-ceiling windows, affording a view of the harbor. He greeted them, his face grim. “We have to stop meeting like this.” He pointed to a door on the right. “He’s in there.”
“Did he live here alone?” Riley asked.
Rob shook his head. “There’s a boyfriend, the concierge says. We’re trying to locate him. The victim has lived here for five years.” He arched his eyebrows at the sight of Dan.
“Mr. Porter is here to provide us with his insights,” Gary told the sergeant. He glanced at Dan. “Okay so far?”
Rob said nothing for a moment, then nodded. “We’ve already dusted in there for prints, so it’s okay to touch whatever you need to.”
Gary had a feeling that last part was for Dan’s benefit.
“CSI say there are prints all over the place. We’ll have the medical examiner print the victim so we can eliminate his. We’ve got the cleaner’s prints too, once she’d given her statement. That just leaves the boyfriend.”
“Thanks, Rob.” Gary led Riley and Dan into the bedroom, one end of which was taken up with more windows. A couple of Del’s assistants stood back from the bed, clearly waiting for instructions.
Robin Fields lay naked on his back, his eyes closed.
He’d been a handsome man with graying hair, some of which could be seen on his chest. He was uncovered, his arms by his sides, his legs straight.
A pair of cuffs and a tangle of red rope sat on the bed beside the body.
Gary noted the marks on the victim’s wrists and ankles.
Del glanced up from his position next to the bed.
“Your timing is excellent. The officers already took photos, so I’ll take the rope and cuffs when you’re done.
” He lowered his gaze. “Victim was forty-nine, according to his ID. Kept himself in good shape.” He pointed to the nightstand.
“An officer found GHB in there. Not standing on top of it like the others. No apparent cause of death. I’ll know better, of course, when I get him on my table.
” He looked Gary in the eye. “I haven’t gotten to the best part. ”
Someone traced a path down Gary’s spine with an icy finger.
Del gestured to one of his assistants, and together they gently rolled Robin Fields onto his side, revealing his back.
What the fuck?
There was no letter.
“What the hell is this? It’s like he just played the blank tile in Scrabble. You know, the one that can be any letter you choose.” Riley scowled. “This bastard is playing fucking games with us.”
Dan took a step toward the bed. “Can I…?”
Gary caught up fast. “Del, could you maybe give us a moment?”
Del blinked, glanced at Dan, then back to Gary. “Okay,” he enunciated. He gestured to his assistants, who followed him out of the room.
Riley stood by the door. “No one’s coming in. Do your stuff.”
Dan shuddered, but he approached the body on the bed.
He held out his hands, and Gary saw them shake a little.
The tremors increased as he lowered them to Robin’s chest and forehead, but ceased when he made contact.
Dan drew in a deep breath. Gary didn’t move for fear of breaking Dan’s concentration.
Riley’s breathing had slowed, his gaze locked on Dan.
Then Dan sighed, and Gary focused on him, his chest aching as a tear fell on the victim’s chest. Dan didn’t wipe them from his eyes, but stared intently at the body.
What are you seeing? What are you feeling? For the first time, Gary wondered what toll this took on Dan. Did his gift make him especially sensitive to the emotions of others? How did he live with that, day after day? Did he shield himself from people for fear of being overwhelmed?
And what does he sense about me?
There were things Gary never discussed with his coworkers, mainly because it was none of their business, but he had to wonder if all his secrets lay bare before Dan.
His heartbeat raced. Does he sense my attraction to him?
Dan straightened, wiping his eyes, and Gary was forced back into the moment. Dan gave Riley a nod. “You can let them back in now.” His face was drawn, and Gary knew whatever had passed had sucked the energy right out of him.
Riley opened the door, and a moment later, Robin Fields was carried from his bedroom, followed by Del, who paused as he passed Gary. “I’ll get started on this first thing tomorrow. See you back at my place?”
Gary appreciated Del’s touch of humor. “It’s a date.”
Del didn’t move. “You don’t seem your usual self today.”
“What makes you say that?”
“Because apart from the nonexistent letter on the victim’s back, something else pretty vital is missing from this crime scene, and you don’t appear to have picked up on it.
” When Gary frowned, Del pointed toward the bed.
“There’s no condom either. This time the killer didn’t gift us with his DNA.
” His eyes grew cold. “Maybe he thinks we already have enough.” With a final glance at Dan, Del left them alone.
Gary kicked himself for his lack of focus. The reason for it was standing beside the bed.
Riley stared at Dan. “Well?”
He pointed to the chair beside the bed. “Can I sit, please?”
“Of course you can.” Gary’s stomach churned. “You got something, didn’t you?”
Dan gave a low nod as he sank onto the seat. “Not that it makes any sense, but….”
“Tell us,” Riley demanded in a low voice.
“It’s just that… I’m not getting the same emotions as last time.
There’s no anger, for one thing. And there’s something else.
” He gazed at the surroundings. “This room… I can feel him. The dead man, I mean. The place is practically vibrating with his energy. But what I felt when I touched him? That was from someone else.”
“The killer?”
Dan pulled in and slowly released another deep breath. “You’re not going to like this.”
“Tell us.” The hair lifted on the back of Gary’s neck.
Dan’s eyes met his, and they were full of misery. “I don’t think it’s the same guy.” Another glance toward the bed. “But how can that be? It looks the same as the other crime scenes.”
Gary’s mind shifted into high gear. “It may look the same, but there are two important differences. No GHB left in plain sight and no letter.” He peered at Riley. “You thinking what I’m thinking?”
Riley nodded. “This isn’t our killer, but a copycat.”
Dan’s eyes widened. “Seriously?”
“It happens.” Gary held up his gloved hands. “Don’t get me wrong. I want this to be our guy, but….”
Dan walked over to the nightstand, where a photo sat in a silver frame. “I’m okay to touch this, right? The officer out there said so.”
Gary gestured to the frame. “Go for it.”
Dan picked it up and gazed at it. “This is the boyfriend.” The man in the photo with Robin was maybe in his early thirties. The pair wore ski clothing, and their faces were tanned. The snow in the background was almost blinding in the sunlight. Both were smiling.
“I assume so,” Gary replied.
Dan gave a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “It wasn’t a question. And you need to talk to this guy.”
“We’d talk to him anyway. That’s procedure.” Riley peered at the photo. “They made a good-looking couple.”
“They do, but I don’t like his mask.” Dan shivered. “Can I leave, please?”
“Of course. Riley, will—”
“I’ll stay a while. Lewis and I will catch a ride back to the precinct.”
“Thanks.” Gary gave the photo one last glance as Dan replaced it on the nightstand.
What did he mean? Neither of them is wearing a mask.