Goddess of Justice by Dwayne Clayden (mobi ebook reader TXT) 📕

Blighe’s head swung up from her legal pad. “I’m sorry? You said—”

Martina shook head. “Nyet. You said man.”

“It was a woman?” Blighe sat back in her chair. Steele’s eyes widened.

Martina shrugged. “Maybe, maybe not. Voice sounded, uh, different.”

Blighe glanced from one girl to the other. “How so?”

“Like trying to be deep,” Martina said. “Some words not deep.”

“How big was the killer?”

“Big?”

“Large.” Blighe gestured to Steele. “Like this man?”

Martina shook her head and pointed at Blighe. “Nyet. Like you.”

Zerr waited in the hall outside the interview room. No sense jamming the room with people and scaring the ladies further. He watched through the window in the door for two minutes, then decided that was a waste of time. He headed down the hall and talked to the desk sergeant. At this time of morning, even the criminals were tired, so there were few arrests and the booking area was quiet.

The back door opened. Sergeant Toscana stepped in. “Hey, Zerr. What brings the TSU out in the wee hours of the morning? I heard nothing on the radio.”

“Morning, Sarge. Steele and I were doing a follow-up. It took longer than we thought.”

Toscana glanced around. “Where’s Steele?”

Zerr jerked his head toward the interview rooms. “He’s interviewing two hookers with Blighe.”

“You’ve got the crown prosecutor involved?” Toscana’s eyes widened. “At four in the morning with hookers?”

Zerr shrugged. “We think they have information about the murders at the tattoo parlor.”

Toscana sucked on her lower lip. “This is huge.”

“We hope so. I should check on the third girl.” Zerr headed down the hall.

Toscana followed. “A third girl?” She peered in the window where Blighe and Steele were conducting the interview. Her jaw tightened. The second room was empty. In the third room a lady sat in a chair, eyes closed, head on the table.

“She won’t talk,” Zerr said. “I need to get her something to drink. I forgot about her when she said she wouldn’t talk. Can you keep an eye on her? I’ll be right back.”

“No problem.” Toscana stared at the woman through the window as Zerr headed down the hall.

The interview door swung open. Blighe stepped out and headed down the hall past Zerr.

“Wait,” Zerr shouted. “What did they say?”

Blighe stopped and peered over her shoulder. “I’m in a rush, it’s god knows what time. I need to write my notes, prepare a presentation for a judge, and, oh yeah, I’m in court at nine-thirty.”

“I’m not asking for a detailed synopsis.” Zerr stepped in front of Blighe. “What did they say? Can they clear Brad?”

“There’s enough to their story to suggest his car was not at the crime scene until after the murders.”

“It’s all circumstantial,” Steele added, joining them in the hallway.

Blighe shrugged. “Doesn’t change the ballistic evidence, though.”

“There’s a lot of reasonable doubt,” Zerr said.

“It’s up to a judge or jury to decide reasonable doubt.” Blighe put her hand on Zerr’s chest and pushed him away. “How about we talk this afternoon? I need to go.”

Zerr stepped aside. “Sure, no problem.” His voice grew icy. “Forget that you owe your life to Brad.”

Blighe kept walking and raised a finger.

Chapter Fifty-Nine

Despite careful planning and agonizing over the tiniest details, the timetable would no longer work. The final act had to start immediately. It was an inconvenience. Not everything was in place. This was not a perfect time, but there was no option. With luck, it might work better. It would be Dice’s crowning achievement and Coulter’s farewell performance. With Coulter out of the picture, Dice would have to take a break, give things time to cool down.

Dice drove to the southwest community of Lakeview and cruised the streets. The early hour and the biting cold kept most people inside. Other than tow trucks and taxis, few vehicles were on the road. From surveillance, the odds were better than fifty percent that the target would arrive soon. He’d come by taxi, so picking out the vehicle wouldn’t be as difficult as it would be if he caught a ride with a friend, although that was still possible—slim, but possible.

When a taxi drew close, Dice’s heart beat faster, breath deepened and eyes focused. Several times it was a false alarm. It was interesting how many people were out and using taxis.

Then brake lights shone as the yellow taxi pulled to the curb a block ahead.

The occupant stepped out and stopped at the driver’s window. He waved as the taxi drove off. Dice pulled ahead and honked. The man faced the lights heading toward him. Dice rolled down the driver’s window and waved the man over.

He stumbled through the snow and leaned into the window.

Dice swung a lightning-fast punch out the window. The man staggered backward, grabbing his nose, then fell on his butt. Dice jumped out of the vehicle.

They struggled in the snow, but not for long. Dice rolled the man on his face, secured his wrists and legs, shoved a cloth in his mouth, and placed tape over the gag. Dice dragged the man to the back of the vehicle, opened the door and, after several attempts, finally pulled him onto the back seat. A quick search produced a baggie of heroin and all the paraphernalia.

Chapter Sixty

Kearse’s secretary opened the door and waved Archer and Jackson into the mayor’s office. Mayor Roger Kearse was pacing behind his antique oak desk. He was short and overweight with red veins weaving throughout his nose. Generally, his blue eyes sparkled, and his chubby face had a mischievous expression. His shaggy brown hair looked like he’d forgotten to brush it this morning. Kearse was pale, his eyes gray and dull, and his face sagged. He appeared twenty years older than his age of thirty-eight. Archer had never seen Kearse appear this ghastly.

Archer waited for Kearse to acknowledge their presence. Archer had been in this office a few times, but there were new photos on the walls. Kearse with the Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, the Calgary Stampeders football