“Exactly.”
“Now let’s get back to the precinct. It’s time to squeeze Cassano’s huevos,” Dupree said.
“I’m drooling just thinking about it,” T.J. said.
“You have no idea how many one-liners are popping into my head.”
“Get your mind out of the gutter.”
“Just hanging down there with you, partner.”
When Dupree and T.J. dragged their weary bodies through the front door of the precinct, they spotted Captain Jensen having a conversation with Detectives Mark Wells and Craig Parisi.
“What’s the latest?” the captain asked Dupree. “Commissioner McVay is up my ass all-day-long.”
“Wow,” T.J. said, “I didn’t know the commissioner was a proctologist.”
Jensen glared at T.J. “Best button your lips, Detective.”
“Lots going on, Captain,” Dupree said. “I’ll have a full report by the end of the day.”
“Just give me the abridged version for now.”
Dupree told the captain everything T.J. and she had discovered over the last couple of days; Lentz’s connection to Gallo and Cassano; the unusual circumstances surrounding Tesler’s murder; Dr. Mason’s involvement with Hyland Laboratories and Gallo; the apparent romance between Lentz and Hansen. She gave him a recap of all the major facts, but decided to tell him privately about the suspicious letter she’d received.
Captain Jensen handed Dupree a plain white envelope. “This ought to make your day.”
At first, Dupree ignored Jensen’s outstretched hand, remembering the last letter she’d gotten. Feeling uneasy, she gingerly tore open the envelope and felt relieved to find Maggie Hansen’s bank statement and cell phone records. “You did make my day, Captain.”
“That’s just the beginning,” the captain said. “Parisi’s got an early Christmas gift for you.”
Parisi grinned from ear to ear. He stood and pushed his thinning hair out of his eyes. “Since Ivan Tesler’s murder, Wells and I, along with a few police officers, have been canvassing the neighborhood, hoping that someone saw or heard something. We thought that it was a bust, but then Tesler’s next door neighbor, a John Richardson called headquarters. He said that he saw a large man leaving Tesler’s home at nine p.m., the night Tesler was murdered, and that the guy looked like he was in a hurry. That’s about thirty minutes before Tesler called 911 for help.”
“How can the neighbor be sure of the time?” T.J. asked.
“Because he claims that he walks his dog every night at precisely nine-o-clock and that he’s been doing it for twelve years.”
“Did he see what kind of car the suspect was driving, or get a license plate number?” Dupree asked.
“Richardson said it was dark and he wasn’t sure what the guy was driving. But it looked like a full-size Chevy pickup truck. When the suspect started the truck and turned on the lights, Richardson memorized part of the plate number.”
“Hold on a minute,” Dupree said. “Why would he even think to do that? What led Richardson to believe the driver of the truck was up to no good?”
“I asked Richardson the same thing and he told me the guy just looked out of place.”
“Did you run the partial plate number?”
“I gave the info to Brenda—the Wizard of Oz—and she worked her mojo.” Parisi grinned again. “Guess what? The truck is registered to Oscar Cassano.”
Dupree felt her heart thumping in her ears. “Thanks, Craig.”
“My pleasure. I hope you nail this son-of-a-bitch.”
Parisi went about his business and T.J. was busy shuffling through a pile of papers.
“Hey, Dupree,” the captain yelled. “Got a few minutes for me?”
She looked at her watch. “I can do better than that. I’ll give you five.”
She asked T.J. to sit tight and said she’d be back soon. She turned to leave, but T.J. stopped her. “Are you going to tell him about the letter?”
“If I can get a word in edgewise.”
Dupree followed Jensen down the hallway to his office.
Once seated, Jensen picked up an envelope lying on top of his two-drawer file cabinet. “A FedEx driver delivered this about an hour ago. I was going to leave it on your desk until I noticed that the sender is Margaret Crawford. She’s Dr. Crawford’s mother, correct?”
Dupree nodded. Her hands began to tremble and she could barely swallow.
Jensen handed Dupree the envelope and her whole body recoiled as if he were handing her a rattlesnake.
“What’s the matter?” Jensen asked She told him about the letter she’d received from her “mother” and what the note inside said.
“There are a lot of sick fucks out there,” Jensen said. “Why didn’t you come to me sooner?”
“I had every intention to, but T.J. and I have been running our asses off.”
“Where is the envelope now?”
“I put it in a plastic bag and gave it to the techs in the lab. When they checked it over, they found several different fingerprints, which I pretty much expected.”
“Anything worth pursuing?”
“Unfortunately, not.”
Jensen set down the envelope and scratched the back of his head. “Do you really think this is from Mrs. Crawford?”
“Highly unlikely,” Dupree said. “But I’ll give her a call just to be sure.”
Dupree pulled her cell out of her purse. She had programmed Mrs. Crawford’s phone number in her contact list. It was a brief conversation.
“The letter’s not from her,” Dupree said.
“Let’s have the techies check it out. Hopefully, they’ll pick up a print we can use. And by the way. I’m your fucking boss and I need to know everything. Got it?”
“Yes, Captain.” Dupree’s stomach twisted into a knot.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
“I told you this place would be quaint and charming,” Maggie Hansen said. She stood at the foot of the bed wearing only a lace bra and skimpy, pink panties.
Lentz couldn’t wait to get his hands on her. He let his eyes wander off her just long enough to look around. The cottage looked like a small log cabin, rustic and cozy. Everything from the cathedral ceilings to the walls to the floors was built with solid wood logs, planks, and beams. On the night stand next to the bed a bottle of Moët was chilling in a silver bucket of ice.
This is going to be a memorable day, Lentz thought.
He lay on the king-size bed stripped to his Jockey shorts. “How did you find a place like this—on Long Island no less?”
“I’m more resourceful than you give me credit for.”
“Well, all I can say is that you never cease to amaze me.”
“The party is just starting,” Maggie said. “Look what I brought.” She held up her hand and jingled a pair of handcuffs. “Maybe I can amaze you even more.”
“Are you feeling naughty?” Jonathan said. “Because I do know how to handle naughty little girls.”
“Is that right? I guess we’ll just have to find out.” Maggie reached around behind her, unsnapped her bra, and let it fall to the floor. Jonathan’s eyes opened wide. Her breasts were absolutely perfect. He had seen them many times, but for some reason, today they looked exquisite.
“Like what you see?” Maggie teased.
“I’d like it more if you took off your panties.”
“I’d love to, but I shaved this morning and don’t want to get a chill.”
He could feel himself getting aroused. “Oh, I think I can keep you warm.”
Maggie eased her way onto the bed and straddled Jonathan. “Is Duke ready to come out and play?”
If only she knew. She was obviously looking for trouble and he could surely deliver. “He’s more than ready.”