Page 103 of Kill For Me Kill For You
‘Get that out of my face. I know why I’m here, lady. You don’t need to show me a picture of the guy I killed. I see his face every night before I go to sleep.’
‘That’s not Patrick Travers, Scott. Look again.’
He blinked. Unsure for a moment. He moved closer to the picture, squinted.
‘Who is it?’
‘Read the article,’ she said. ‘The man in this picture is dead. His name was Saul Benson. He was murdered by a guy named Kowalski. Kowalski claimed a woman called Deborah Mallory convinced him of a plan to swap murders, like the movieStrangers on a Train. Only Deborah didn’t kill anyone for Kowalski – she only pretended to. Kowalski believed the guy was dead and killed Mr. Benson for Deborah, right before Deborah disappeared. Benson looks a hell of a lot like Patrick Travers, doesn’t he?’
She paused, studied Scott’s eyes. He was leaning forward, reading the article. When he was done, he leaned back, said, ‘That doesn’t prove anything . . .’
‘What about this man?’ she said, throwing up another picture against the glass. ‘Look familiar? This isn’t Patrick Travers either. This is the man she wanted us to kill. Someone got conned into attacking this man at his home just a few days ago,’ said Amanda, managing to hold her voice straight, not letting it waiver with emotion. ‘We’ll probably never know who did it, but we can’t let this happen again.’
She could see Scott’s eyes moving across the image, and, as they did so, his expression changed. He was making connections – finally.
‘And this one.’
Slap, another picture.
This was the earliest victim Amanda had found. Dan . . .
‘Puccini,’ said Scott, his gaze locked to the picture.
‘Did you know him?’ asked Amanda.
He shook his head, but he looked as if he’d seen a ghost.
‘Do you see a pattern here, Scott? If not, read the headlines above the pictures,’ said Amanda.
Each one of them carried a headline about the attack.
‘Do the math. You believe me now?’
He sat back, blew out his cheeks. His eyes were wet, glazed in tears. He quickly rubbed his face with both hands. Masking the emotional response.
Amanda had to make her play now.
‘The last thing I want is for someone else to get hurt. For another wife or mother to have to grieve like I do. Ruth is dangerous and she needs help. We need to find her and get her that help before she finds another man she thinks should be killed. Look at me and tell me I’m lying.’
He had no choice but to hold her gaze.
‘Am I lying?’
He paused, wet his lips, said, ‘I don’t want her to spend the rest of her life in jail, or in some hospital. She didn’t hurt anyone. Not intentionally.’
‘That was before. It’s different now.She’sdifferent now. I think she has been hurt too much, Scott. I think what happened to Ruth at her home that night – the night she was attacked? I think those wounds were a hell of a lot deeper than anyone realized. Help me. Help me to find her and I’ll get her help. She doesn’t have to be in the hospital for the rest of her life. Just until she’s better. Just until she gets well again.’
He swallowed, put his head back and stared at the ceiling.
‘Strangers on a Trainwas her favorite book,’ said Scott. ‘She had an old paperback of that novel. Took it everywhere with her. Last time I saw it she was using it as a doorstopper while she went out to a vending machine in our hotel.’
‘Do you believe me?’ asked Amanda.
He nodded, said, ‘I believe you. But I still don’t see how or why I should help you.’
‘Don’t do it for me. Do it for yourself,’ said Amanda. ‘Before all this, you were a good man. A lawyer. You had a life and a future, and I know if you could, you would go back and change things. I know you would give anything to go back and change what happened with Patrick Travers. But you can do the next best thing. You can make sure there are no more Patrick Traverses, or Dan Puccinis lying on a cold slab in the morgue.’
In prisons across America, there is something rarely found. It’s elusive, and it takes a long time to come along if it ever does at all. For some inmates, they’d have better odds finding a pink diamond hidden in their mashed potatoes. When it does come along, it is to be grabbed with both hands – redemption.
