First Offense (41 page)

The man sneered and rattled the bars. Then he broke out cackling. Soon the whole quad was in an uproar, the prisoners banging their cups on the bars, whistling and screaming.

The jailer glared at Ann. “If you just ignore them, they’ll stop. If you respond at all, they go crazy.”

“I’m sorry,” Ann said, hanging her head. “I’m not in a very tolerant mood today.”

The door to the interview room was opened, and Ann saw Delvecchio sitting vacantly, slouched low in his chair. As soon as he saw the tall blond probation officer, his eyes came alive and he straightened to an upright position.

“Well, Randy,” she said, sitting down, “I’ve made a little progress, but not enough. I want you to look at some pictures of a car and tell me what you think.” Ann took out the Polaroids and slid them across the table.

Delvecchio recognized it in a second. “That’s the car. That’s the car the man was driving that gave me the coat. How did you find it?”

Ann leaned over the table, her palms down, getting right in his face. “You’re certain. Randy? We’re talking dead certain? Anything you tell me now you’ll have to testify to in a courtroom. Are we clear?” At this point the man would identify his own mother’s car to get out of jail. She had to be certain. Even if she did know it was Glen, she wanted Delvecchio’s testimony to be truthful, not perjured.

Delvecchio was fidgeting excitedly. “I swear,” he said. “See, I know cars, but I never seen a car like this one before.”

Ann snatched the pictures back.

“What’s wrong?” Delvecchio said. “Don’t you believe me? Please, man, I swear. I wouldn’t lie to you.”

“Why did you tell me a dog bit you?” Ann said, recalling the first interview. “A white poodle with a bow in its hair. Isn’t that what you told me?”

Delvecchio hung his head. “I dunno. We was talking and I wanted you to like me. I just said it. You’re the one who wanted to talk about poodles.”

“What else have you lied about?”

“Nothing, lady, I promise. If you don’t help me, they’re gonna kill me. They’re gonna send me to the gas chamber now that woman done died.”

Watery dark eyes pleaded with her. Ann probed there, refusing to look away. She didn’t see evil or malice. She didn’t see deception and cunning. All she saw in Randy Delvecchio’s eyes was the same thing she saw when she looked in her own mirror.

Raw fear.

She watched as the muscles in Delvecchio’s face twitched. Suddenly she heard something tinkling on the floor.

Ann bent down sideways, glancing under the table. Delvecchio had urinated on the floor. He’d pissed in his pants. Feeling a prickle of fear herself, Ann quickly rang the buzzer and waited at the door until the jailer opened it.

Noah had told her he would be waiting outside the back entrance to the jail, where there were more parking spaces. Ann made her way through the crowded waiting room, down the back corridors, and then suddenly stopped in her tracks, every muscle in her body locking.

Glen was standing in the middle of the hallway, blocking her passage with his body.

“Get out of my way, Glen,” she said firmly.

“No,” he said, lunging at her with his hands, trying to grab her. “You’re sick, Ann. Everyone knows it. You’re mentally ill.”

Ann stepped back, but she didn’t run. She had to stand her ground, show him she wasn’t afraid. “Get out of my way.”

“Please,” he said, refusing to move. “I don’t look down on you, Ann. I know what it’s like to have problems. There’s a hospital right down the road that can help you. I’ll drive you there myself.”

Ann almost felt compassion for him. He was insane, completely insane. Did he really think he could cart her off to a mental institution and get away with it? Walking backward as fast as she could, she finally reached the lobby. Glen was still in the corridor. Then she jogged out the front of the building, crossing outside to the rear, and leaped into the waiting car.

At six o’clock that evening, Ann, Reed, and Abrams were sharing a pizza in the kitchen and discussing how to proceed with the case. Reed had just informed Ann of the rape exam performed after she was shot, and she was ecstatic. “They’ll have pubic hairs, Tommy,” she exclaimed. “All Melanie has to do is match them with the ones found in the rape case, and we can take this to Fielder. That’s proof,” she said, lifting her glass to toast them. “What else do we need? We’ll arrest him, get him held without bail, and then I can get my son back.” When the phone rang, Noah wanted to answer it, but Ann waved him away. “Yes?” she said, thinking it was David.

“Is this Ann Carlisle, the probation officer?”

“Yes,” she said. “Who is this?”

“I need to see you,” the voice said. “It’s important.” Ann thought she recognized the voice, but she wasn’t certain. “Jimmy,” she said, keeping her voice calm, looking over at Reed and Abrams and pointing at the door. Noah quickly took the cue and raced out the back door to go to the surveillance van. Intent in their pursuit of Hopkins, they had forgotten all about the phone calls. But they certainly wanted to trace this one. “Where are you, Jimmy?” Ann asked.

“I know the police are looking for me. I’m never going back to that jail.” He was talking fast, in a high-pitched voice. “I spent six days in that stink hole when they arrested me the first time. I didn’t shoot you, Ann, I swear. Yes, I was involved in drugs, and I said things about you to cover my ass, but I didn’t hurt anyone.”

“Jimmy,” Ann said slowly, trying to engage him in conversation long enough for them to trace the call, “why did you say those things? Did you really think people would believe you over me?”

“I saw you fucking him in the stairwell,” he said, his voice dropping to a whisper. “If you fucked him, I thought people would believe you fucked me too.”

Ann felt as if something were stuck in her throat and she couldn’t swallow. She’d been right. Sawyer was the one who had opened the door in the stairwell. Was she wrong about the tapes? She had to know. “Have you been calling me, disguising your voice?”

“What do you mean?”

“You know what I mean,” she said, looking in Reed’s eyes as she spoke. “Someone’s been calling me and disguising his voice, pretending he’s my husband.”

“Look, I’ll tell you everything I know if you’ll meet me,” Sawyer said, his voice getting stronger. “But no cops and no district attorneys. If you bring those assholes, you’ll never hear from me again.”

“District attorney?” Ann said, arching her eyebrows at Reed. “Did you say something about a district attorney?” Reed went in the other room to pick up on the extension phone.

“He’s trying to double-cross me,” Sawyer said quickly. “My father told me to call you. He said they’ll kill me if they find me.”

Ann was incredulous. They’d almost eliminated Sawyer and his cohorts from any involvement in the case. Was he saying he was a co-conspirator, that he had been working with Glen? “Who’s trying to double-cross you?” she said firmly, slapping the wall with her palm. “Say his name, Jimmy.”

“Not over the phone. I’ll tell you everything when you come. I’m a witness. If you promise to help me and not let them throw me in jail, I’ll testify for you.”

Ann felt her heart pounding. The whole thing was mind-boggling. Glen involved with Sawyer? Glen was the man who had insisted on Sawyer’s arrest, who had filed the case when no one thought they had enough evidence. “Did Glen Hopkins kill someone and store the body at your house?” she asked, thinking this might be what he had witnessed. “The fingers, Jimmy. If you want to tell me something, tell me about the fingers.”

The phone went dead.

A moment later. Reed was back in the kitchen, hopping mad. “Why did you antagonize him? When you named Hopkins, he panicked, thinking he had nothing to use as leverage. That was stupid, Ann.” He ran his fingers through his hair. “I take it back. It wasn’t stupid, it was fucking dumb.”

“I’m sorry, all right?” she cried defensively. “What if Glen did butcher some poor woman? Don’t you want to know? Christ, Tommy,” Ann said, “the fingers are gone. Sawyer might be our only link to this murder.”

“If there was a murder,” Reed tossed back at her.

Noah came back into the house, shaking his head. There hadn’t been enough time to trace the call. A few moments later, the phone rang again. “Answer it,” he said. “The equipment is set up. Keep him talking.”

“Where do you want to meet?” Ann said, knowing it was Sawyer. “Why don’t you just tell me everything on the phone? How do I know you don’t want to get me somewhere where you can hurt me?”

“Hey,” Sawyer said, far more confident than he had been before. “I’ll tell you about the fingers. And yes, they were real fingers. But you have to meet me at Marina Park in an hour. Wear something white and sit on the bench near the jungle gym. Don’t be late. I’m not going to wait.”

“No,” Ann said, trying to keep him on the line. “Don’t hang up. What about the fingers? Why would I meet someone like you, Jimmy? You could be a killer.”

“Because I’m going to tell you what you want to know.”

He hung up, and she slammed the phone down.

“Next time, Ann,” Noah said for the umpteenth time, “you have to keep him talking longer.”

“There’s not going to be a next time. He wants to meet me,” Ann said, her voice fluttering. “Didn’t you hear him? He’s ready to turn himself in, even testify against Glen.” She stopped and glared at the two detectives. “Get some men together. I’m going to meet Sawyer. I have to know what’s going on. If you don’t, I’m going in alone. And tell them to step on it. We only have an hour.”

Reed grabbed her and shook her, shouting right in her face. “I’m not letting you go out there. He could shoot you. Maybe we’re wrong about Hopkins.”

Noah pulled Reed back. “Let’s not start fighting with each other,” he said. Then he turned to Ann. “Reed’s right, Ann. You shouldn’t go out there.”

“No,” Ann roared. “I’m going. When I don’t show up, he’ll flee and we’ll never know the truth. Those were human fingers.”

They both knew what she was referring to, the possibility that Glen had committed a homicide, and without Sawyer’s information, they might never be able to prove it. As she stormed out of the room, Reed growled and banged the table with his fist. “All right, Noah,” he said wearily, “contact the radio dispatcher and have her begin assembling the necessary men and equipment.”

Chapter
22

S
even unmarked units from the narcotics pool pulled up and parked behind the Alpha Beta grocery store six blocks from Marina Park, along with several additional units from the sheriff’s department. Noah Abrams leaped out and handed Ann the wire, while Reed and the other men huddled together on the opposite side of the parking lot. Ann immediately pulled up the white parka and her sweater underneath, holding the microphone to her flesh while Abrams taped it down. Although it was chilly, Ann was perspiring. “Better put more tape on there,” she told him. “I’m sweating and it’s going to slide.”

Abrams took the masking tape and started to position the rest of the apparatus in the small of Ann’s back. Then he felt the Beretta. “You’re packing a piece,” he said. “Shit, what if the guy frisks you?”

“I’m not going to let him frisk me,” Ann answered, turning to face him once the unit was in place. “If he does, he’ll find the wire.”

“I really care about you,” Abrams said softly, holding her by the shoulders. “I wish you wouldn’t do this.”

Ann looked deep into his eyes.

The detective caressed her cheek tenderly with the palm of his hand. “We could have a life together, a good life. I’ve always been crazy about you, Ann, and I’ve always wanted a family. Hey, when Hank vanished, I’m embarrassed to say it, but I was glad.” He dropped his eyes in shame. “Pretty contemptible, huh? Reed didn’t want me to approach you, though. He was adamant about it.” He finally raised his eyes. “I guess he thought I would hurt you. He was wrong.”

Ann was so touched she was speechless. All this time he had been afraid to say something to her. If she’d only known.

“Anyway, we’d better get going,” Abrams said awkwardly, seeing her searching for words. “Here’s the earpiece.”

“I can’t wear the earpiece,” Ann said, handing it back to him.

Noah’s face contorted. “But, Ann, you have to wear it. We can’t talk to you without the earpiece.”

“So, you won’t talk to me. You can still hear me,” Ann responded, anxious to get going before she lost her nerve. “See my hair, Noah? It’s too short to cover my ear. He’ll see it the minute I walk up to him. He’ll never tell me the truth if he thinks I’m wearing a wire.

“This is so dangerous,” Abrams said, walking around in small circles. “Sawyer could be armed to the hilt. He might be coming out here just to blow you away.” He stopped and stared at Ann. “He even admitted the fingers were real. Don’t you see, Ann? We have no idea what’s really going on with this guy.”

Ann ignored him, stepping a few feet away and speaking into the microphone, “Testing, one, two, three. You got it, Noah?” She turned around, and he nodded somberly. Then she stood there jiggling her hands and shuffling her feet, trying to relieve the tension.

At last she let out a deep breath. “I’m ready,” she told him. She climbed in the driver’s seat of a borrowed Range Rover and roared off.

Detective Reed was instructing a group of officers when Abrams joined them. “I don’t want Sawyer to get within a mile of Marina Park,” he told them. “Are we perfectly clear here?”

Captain Mathews walked up just as Reed completed his sentence. “Hold it right there,” he barked, the men already walking off to their units, high-powered shotguns with scopes in their arms. “What are you talking about, Reed?”

“Just what I said,” Reed snapped. Then he realized he was speaking to his commanding officer and changed his tone of voice. “Look, Captain, Ann thinks Sawyer’s coming to spill his guts or provide us with information about Hopkins, but we don’t know what all this guy’s really involved in. If we take him before he gets to the park—”

The captain glared at him. “When you say take him, we’re talking taking the man into custody, right?” When Reed just shrugged, the captain turned to address the men. “You will not fire unless you are fired upon or Ann Carlisle is fired upon. We came out here to obtain information. I have no intention of turning this into a bloodbath.”