Page 42 of Go Under

Both men stood, and all three got to work.

Kate stepped outside, choosing to be where the cold, fresh air could sharpen her senses and prevent daydreaming. The slush had frozen into ice, and more snow was falling, drifting downward in a light dusting to hide the danger from unsuspecting motorists, lulling them into false security with beauty.

Did Nora lull her victims into false security that way? The reconstructions they’d made didn’t appear particularly attractive, but to an old woman and two old men, she might have seemed beautiful, or at least harmless. Cox certainly used his charm to glamor his disciples. Even Kate wasn’t immune to the force of his personality.

She walked around the building, away from the street, just in case a more reckless driver fell victim to the façade of safety the snow provided.

Her phone buzzed a moment later. Darnell provided the four names of the arresting officers. Kate sat on a bench, stiffening slightly as the frigid metal cooled her backside despite the thick coat she wore.

She went through the names one at a time, searching their records in the Philadelphia Police Department and the Pennsylvania DOT’s Driver and Vehicle Services website. The lead officer, Sergeant Arthur Perkins, had died of COVID during the second year of the pandemic. Gavin Morrison, then an officer, had retired as a lieutenant the year before and moved to Alaska. Kate was sure that Nora would find him eventually, but he wasn’t in immediate danger.

That left Ryan Cross and Parker Belton. She contacted the police department, and after a few minutes of working her way through different department heads managed to secure a commitment to provide protection to Lieutenant Cross and Detective Sergeant Belton.

She hung up, her task completed and looked out across the deepening night. Where are you, Nora Avery?

After a minute, her phone buzzed. She didn’t recognize the number, but the caller ID informed her it was a Philadelphia police number.

She answered and a slightly gravelly voice said, “Kate Valentine?”

“Speaking. Who’s this?”

“I’m Detective Belton. My captain just called to tell me I’m getting an escort home tonight.”

“Ah. Yes, Detective. I’m sure you’re aware that we’re investigating the murders of several actors in the Daniel Avery case from 1991.”

“Yes, I know. I’m sorry to hear that this is happening.”

“So am I. Aside from confirming the reason for your protective detail, is there a reason you called?”

“Well, I’m not sure we should be wasting resources on me. Or Cross, for that matter, but that’s not my place to say.”

Kate’s brow furrowed. “Why not?”

“Because we never testified against Daniel Avery. We never suggested in public or private that we believed he was guilty of anything other than resisting with violence and agg assault with GBI.”

Kate’s brow remained furrowed. She got up and started pacing back and forth. “Do you believe he was guilty?”

Belton chuckled. “Well, in hindsight, it’s clear he wasn’t. I have to say, that goes down as the worst botch job I’ve ever seen a DA’s office put together.”

“But at the time.”

“At the time, I made it a point not to believe anything. I wasn’t a detective, and it wasn’t my place to determine guilt or to solve a case. Even as a detective, I practice willful blindness unless I’m working a case or I’m asked to consult. Belief is powerful, special agent. Even when it’s shared only in whispers to those closest to you, it spreads, like ink in water.”

“I’m well aware of that,” Kate said. “So, you never made any statements that were used by the prosecution to incriminate Daniel Avery?”

“Well, I believe they used the assault and resisting charges to paint a picture of Daniel as a career criminal.”

Kate smiled grimly. “Then that’s enough to put you on the killer’s list.”

“Maybe,” Belton said, “but if you’ll permit me to offer some advice, I believe I’m low on that list.”

Kate’s brow furrowed again. “Who do you believe is higher up on that list?”

Belton chuckled. “That’s asking me to speculate on a case I’m not investigating.”

“Yes, it is,” Kate said. “You felt it was important enough to call me. You must have a reason to feel it’s that important.”

Belton was quiet for a moment. When he spoke again, his voice carried a slight reluctance. “If I were seeking revenge for the false conviction of an innocent man, I would want the very source of that conviction eliminated.”