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A Picture of the Person Ricco glanced around as he exited the car. “Your girlfriend lives in a pretty nice neighborhood, Mac.”
The older man chuckled quietly to himself as his partner pointedly ignored him. He knew that he shouldn’t keep harassing the kid, but he couldn’t help himself. Mac seriously needed to lighten up. “Well, here we are,” Jonathan announced as they stopped in front of a respectable brick complex. At the entrance, a middle-aged woman was muttering her breath as she juggled several shopping bags. She cursed out loud as her keys hit the step. The profanity increased in volume when the contents of a bag joined the keys. “Need some help, ma’am?” The woman turned around, glaring. She snapped her jaw shut to prevent some caustic reply when she noted Ricco’s badge. “That would be great, officer.” “Here you go,” Jonathan said, handing the woman her keys. “Are you two just passing by?” When the detectives didn’t answer, she arched an eyebrow. “Well?” “Ma’am, we’re really not at liberty to say,” Ricco said. “Well, good luck getting in then.” She bent down and began gathering her fallen belongings. “Excuse me, ma’am?” She looked up at the detectives with a smug smile. “I’m Silvia Johansen, and my husband and I are the building managers here. Unless you know one of the tenants, you will need me to let you in. So why are you here?” Ricco sighed. “We need to talk to one of your tenants, a woman named Celeste Halley.” “Celeste? Well, I doubt she is here.” “Why’s that?” Jonathan asked. “It’s Thursday. She’s usually volunteering at the hospital.” Ricco quirked an eyebrow. “Do you usually keep such good tabs on your tenants?” Mrs. Johansen studied the portly detective for a moment, clearly debating on how to answer the question. “Celeste is special,” she finally replied. “She moved here shortly after her aunt died. She didn’t have any family left, so I try to keep an eye on her.” “Thank you for your help, Mrs. Johansen,” Jonathan said, turning to go. “Oh, officers, please, if you don’t mind, could you help me for just a minute?” A short while later, Jonathan couldn’t believe that he, arms laden with groceries, was following Ricco and Mrs. Johansen to the building managers’ apartment. * * * * * “Celeste is one of our most reliable volunteers,” Margaret Magee, the volunteer supervisor, said, leading the detectives down another hallway of the hospital. “She’s been volunteering since she was in high school. I wish we had more like her. Usually after they finish their community service requirements, we never see them again.” “Has anyone ever had a problem with her?” Ricco asked. Margaret stopped. “No, never. Why?” “Just curious,” the older detective answered with a shrug. However, Jonathan had worked with Ricco Malinowski long enough to know that his partner never asked a question just because he was curious. The other detective was gathering more information on their witness. The only witness to the gruesome murder of a fifteen-year-old girl. “Looks like we’re just in time for storytime,” Margaret announced as they approached a large window. “The children always look forward to this.” Jonathan stepped forward and looked inside. Several children of various ages were seated on a colorful rug, surrounded by toys. A few were still connected to IVs and some were completely bald. Despite how ill they were, all of the kids were smiling and all of their attention was focused on one person: Celeste Halley. She was seated in a child’s chair with the storybook turned to the eager faces. A small, blonde boy no older than four was at her feet, leaning contentedly against her leg. It was a lovely picture. He stubbornly pushed the thought aside and waited for Celeste to notice their presence. * * * * * Celeste smiled briefly at the volunteer supervisor as she turned a page in the storybook. “Purple cat, purple cat, what do you see?” Several of the kids joined her in the words. The book was a favorite, and it was a rare session where it wasn’t read. She could probably recite the whole thing from memory herself. The supervisor tapped the glass discreetly, once again drawing Celeste’s attention to the door. Her eyes widened when she noticed the detective standing in the hall. “Hannah, why don’t you read for me?” The girl eagerly took Celeste’s place. In the hallway, Celeste glanced from Margaret to the detectives and back. “What’s wrong?” “Ms. Halley, we need to ask you some more questions,” Jonathan said. She studied him for a long moment, clearly debating options in her head. Finally she sighed. “I see. Does this need to be now?” Ricco nodded. “We’d liked to do this at the station.” “Okay, let me gather my belongings. Maggie, will you tell the kids, if they ask, that I’m sorry and I’ll be back in a couple of days?” “Of course, Celeste, of course,” the older woman said. “Do what you need to do. Just stay in touch.” “I will.” She turned to the detectives. “The volunteers’ room is just down the hall. You can follow me or I will meet you at the main entrance.” “We’ll follow you,” Ricco said. Celeste did not seem surprised. She quickly retrieved her bag and followed the detectives to the parking lot. As she got in their unmarked car, she couldn’t shake the feeling that this wouldn’t be her last run-in with the detectives. * * * * * “And who can verify that you didn’t leave the library until closing time?” It was the third time she had been asked this question. She was trying not to be annoyed by the repetition. However, it was becoming harder. “Ed Holloman was the staff librarian that night,” she replied, hoping that her tone remained even. “He was glaring the whole time I checked out my books because he couldn’t lock up and leave until I was out of the building.” Ricco sat down on the edge of the table. “And then you decided to walk home. You know that’s not the safest of neighborhoods, especially at night.” “And not for a girl like me?” she asked. “Buses don’t run that late and I only live a few blocks away. I’ve made that walk several times without incident.” Ricco’s next question was stopped by Jonathan’s entrance. After glance at the younger man, Ricco stood up and left the room. Jonathan sat down across from her, passing her a glass of water. “Is this where you play good cop?” she asked, taking the glass. He smiled. “Actually, we’re done with questions for now.” “For now? Meaning that there will be more questions in the future?” “It’s an ongoing homicide investigation, Ms. Halley. We may need to talk to you again.” “I see. I will be glad to help.” She took a large drink of the water, welcoming the cooling liquid on her dry throat. “So, can I can leave now?” “Yes. Let me go get your things.” Ricco was waiting for him on the other side of the door. “We’re not getting anywhere, Mac.” “I know.” “If we don’t find evidence that someone else was in that ally, the captain will start looking at her, despite the press’s serial killer theory. And I don’t like her for this, Mac.” “Me neither.” “So, what are we going to do?” “We keep looking for the real monster behind these attacks.” |
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