If Kim were the type to twirl her hair and bat her eyelashes, she would have done so right then and there. Instead, she sat woodenly, accepting the Captain’s implied criticism. “My apologies, sir. I’ve been juggling the Winters case and my new actor charity project.”
Woodside sent a dark look her way. “I’ll get to Kane in a moment. But in the meantime, I’m catching a hell of a lot of ca-ca with your latest big bag. Politicians, bankers, CEOs – could you arrest a bigger headache for me? I’ve had those sharks they call lawyers up my behind for the past 24 hours like you wouldn’t believe.”
“With all respect, sir, I didn’t invite them to a poker game tied to our vic’s disappearance. They did that all on their own.”
“I’m with you on this one – it doesn’t look good. But we don’t have a shred of evidence to tie those high-rollers to the game that ended Virginia Winters’ life.”
“I went on what I had, sir,” Kim said, re-crossing her legs uncomfortably. Either she had to invest in a cotton pantsuit, or Woodside’s office was devilishly hot.
“Well, you’d better have a lot more to go on, pronto. Without new evidence we’re going to have to release these royal pains in the butt. Maybe that wouldn’t be such a bad thing – the lot of them act like they’re in goddamn Hilton. If I get one more request for an espresso or the Wall Street Journal, I’m going to blow a gasket.”
Kim couldn’t resist a smile. She took Woodside’s sense of humor as evidence he wasn’t about to come down too hard on her – this time.
The Captain sighed and leaned back, his chair creaking in protest. “All right, Detective, I don’t need to tell you what to do. Get some evidence linking these farts to the deadly poker game, and get it fast. Next point of business: Alexander Kane. How are things working out so far? Commissioner Bradley’s hot to know.”
Kim pursed her lips. “He seems to be having lots of fun playing detective. He’s highly annoying, sir, but he’s contributed in his own way. Reading all those hare-brained scripts has made him a creative thinker, at least. Not that I’m condoning him being here.”
Woodside rocked back in his chair, smiling faintly. “Of course not, Detective. Well, I’m glad it’s working out. Give him as much access as you can. The more he learns, the quicker he’ll be gone. That said, I know he’s signed a release, and for God’s sake keep a close eye on him. This department needs good publicity, not another disaster. We’re suffering enough with this Winters case.”
Kim restrained an eye roll. “Yes sir,” she said heavily. “I’ve got this one.”
Chapter Sixteen
Kim left Woodside’s office feeling depressed. Once again, she was failing to solve an important case. That said, how did Woodside think she was supposed to do her job while acting as Kane’s human shield? She checked her watch. Lunchtime. No one would miss her if she ducked out for an hour. She wasn’t going to be able to crack this case with a head full of steam anyway.
She sent Craig and Jacob quick texts saying she’d be back shortly and ducked out the elevator. Once in her car, she piloted over to Chelsea for her favorite de-stressing activity (other than a glass of Riesling and a vanilla bubble bath).
The High Line was New York’s new park. Built on an old railway line, the narrow path wound around old brick buildings covered in fading advertisements and rainbow-colored street art. Views of the Hudson and New York’s skyline definitely added to the appeal. But for Kim it was definitely all about the luxury of just grabbing a decent cup of decaf from a street side vendor and strolling along without aim. Her life was so structured. Free time, no matter how brief, was essential to her sanity.
Cup in hand, she shed her blazer and let the summer sun kiss her pale, freckled shoulders. Bliss. Even the endless couples strolling hand in hand didn’t bother her today. Usually the sight of happy twosomes made her a little sad – after all, it had been over two years since her last serious relationship. He’d been a military man. Strong, courageous, passionate about his work. Just like her, which was exactly why they didn’t work out.
Yet when she tried to date someone laid back, they always got clingy. “Why do you have to go to work now?” they’d whine. “Can’t you stay home for one night like a normal person?” They didn’t get how much her job meant to her. There was no winning when it came to love.
Kim tossed her paper cup and pushed those thoughts aside. She admired a new glass and steel building that curved slightly over the path. “Nancy would have loved this place,” she thought, as she always did. Her sister had wanted to be an architect. She’d loved photographing New York’s old stone skyscrapers, tooling around the city on her silver bicycle. She’d always worn a black beret, her long red hair contrasting with her pale face. She’d been taken from her own bedroom twelve years earlier, when Kim was eighteen and Nancy sixteen. Kim had been sleeping in the opposite twin bed. Never heard a thing.
Kim came to the end of the path and stopped, looking over the Hudson River. Painful feelings sat heavily on her heart. The water glittered in the summer sun, but it did little to lighten her mood. Involuntarily, she checked her smartphone. She’d missed two texts.
She opened the first, and started as a King of Spades card filled her screen. She stared at it, comprehension slowly filtering in. It was him. The true killer. Slowly, she opened the other text.
Oh little fool, don’t you know you can never win?
The game hasn’t ended by far.
I happened upon a bit player.
What happens to him depends on your next move.
Wait for my instructions tonight.
Please don’t bring company.
It would just break Mr. Kane’s heart.
Yours truly,
The King of Spades
Kim stared at her phone, her hand trembling. Then she stuffed the device in her pocket and started purposefully back towards her car. The psychopath had Kane! That’s why he wasn’t answering her calls. She blindly shoved past the crowds, drawing hostile stares as she did so. Kim didn’t see them. Her mind was racing. How had the killer gotten at Kane? And why? Alex wasn’t a pretty young woman or a card player.
Even more baffling – why would the killer make a move now, when his oligarchs were the subject of investigation? Instead of lying low, he’d deliberately announced his presence. Very bold. The hallmark of a true mastermind. The kind of killer who could rope in a crew of high-powered men, brutally murder a young girl in cold blood, and neatly wipe up all the evidence.
Kim pulled out her phone again and started to dial Jacob. No wait – involving anyone else in the kidnapping might enrage the killer. After all, he was a genius with technology. He could be tracing her calls that very moment. She put the phone away. She’d have to do this on her own.
As she drove back to the precinct, Woodside’s words rung in her ears: …for God’s sake, keep a close eye on him. This department needs good publicity, not another disaster. She’d sworn to protect Alex, and look what had happened. She owed it to Woodside, the NYPD, hell, even to Kane, to get him back and quickly.
Chapter Seventeen
Kim spent the rest of the afternoon hunkered down at her desk, desperately trying to decipher the truth behind what facts they had. Phillips and Newport cut her a wide berth, sensing her intensity. Craig figured she was onto something, while Jacob was happy to review the case alone without wild speculation and conjecture.