Page 13 of Kill For Me Kill For You
‘Shift will be over in four hours. Take the damn pill, man.’
‘I’ll take one on the way home,’ he said. He heard Hernandez taking a breath. She started to say something, then stopped abruptly when she saw the look on his face. They had been partners for many years now. After a while, it had become something like a good marriage. The meds helped Farrow’s back pain, but they also dulled his brain. For most cops, they wouldn’t think twice. If they’re in pain, and the pills ease that burden, they’ll pop them all day long. Not so with Farrow. He carried his cases with him. All those victims were right there on his back. And if he popped codeine or oxy, he sacrificed his edge. The drowsiness and lethargy took away that razor-sharp mind.
The man not only worked to help the victims of this city – he suffered for them. By choice. He took a breath, raised his eyes to the ceiling. Farrow was thinking, and Hernandez knew the signs and understood it was better not to interrupt him. If he didn’t have some quiet thinking time, Farrow would become irritable. No words passed between them – she just knew something was working on him and he would let it out when he was ready. It didn’t take long.
‘We need to know why he didn’t finish it. First two victims had multiple stab wounds, but the fatal blow was to the carotid artery. He didn’t get that far with Ruth Gelman. Why not?’ said Farrow, putting on his seat belt.
The motor started with some effort, and Hernandez sucked air through her teeth as she put the car in gear and rolled out of the space.
‘Maybe he just couldn’t go through with it this time?’ said Hernandez.
‘Oh, I don’t think so. Two women dead and a third attacked – this guy’s not stopping any time soon. Something happened to make him stop,’ said Farrow.
Their car wound through the lot, up the ramp and stopped at the barrier. Hernandez swiped their ticket and exited. Cops always had their parking validated. Another perk.
‘It’s a miracle she survived anyway. Maybe he thought he’d done enough?’
‘Not this guy. Not someone this meticulous. He would make sure. So why didn’t he this time? What’s special about Ruth Gelman?’
‘Maybe nothing. Maybe something else happened. Could be we never find out. So, where to now, chief?’
‘The precinct. I want to know how we did door-to-door.’
The precinct house used to be a small museum before it was donated to the city at the end of the nineteenth century. Since then, central heating had been fitted, maybe two coats of paint and some alterations to make the building more secure, but that was about it. The detective bureau was on the second floor, spread across two large rooms, with six desks in each room for twenty detectives. Desk hopping was a natural part of the job. One that Farrow hated. He had managed to claim a desk by never cleaning it, leaving all his shit sitting proudly atop. No one said a word to Farrow. He was too long in the job and just too damn tall to argue with.
Sitting on Farrow’s chair when he arrived was a stack of reports. A Post-It note was stuck on top with a phone number for patrolman Tony Gale.
Farrow picked up the desk phone, threw the reports on the floor and was about to call Gale when the patrolman walked into the detective bureau.
‘Desk sergeant said you just got back. How’s your vic?’ said Gale, a ten-year veteran officer with a hatred for police politics and arms that had won him the NYPD Golden Gloves tournament two years in a row.
‘Not good. She can’t give us anything more than a basic description. She’ll live, but she’s pretty shaken up. You about to tell me I can just file away all these reports without reading them?’
‘Top three reports are statements from neighbors across the street. One of them remembered last night all too well. Her husband had a suspected cardiac arrest and she called the paramedics.’
‘That’s it,’ said Farrow.
Hernandez nodded, said, ‘The sirens. Flashing lights. They must’ve spooked the perp. Jesus, Ruth Gelman has no idea how lucky she is.’
‘I’m not sure she would see it that way,’ said Farrow. ‘Did any of them see anything? Anyone fleeing the scene?’
‘One old lady saw a tall guy dressed all in black running down the street. That’s all we got.’
Farrow thanked Gale and promised him a beer at the end of the week. He said he’d believe that when he saw it, and left.
‘What do you think?’ asked Farrow.
‘We’ve got a man in black, a decent description, but not much else. Mr. Gelman is going to be hard work too. I didn’t warm to him,’ said Hernandez.
‘We have to cut him some slack. I’ve seen that kind of reaction before. The wife is attacked and the husband goes into full testosterone mode. It’s primal – they feel the need to protect their woman and they feel guilty they weren’t there to stop it in the first place. Poor guy.’
‘That’s some sexist, toxic-masculinity-type bullshit,’ said Hernandez. ‘I think he’s just an asshole. Kind of controling too. I got that vibe. I don’t like the guy.’
‘If we arrested everyone you don’t like, they’d need to build two more prisons on Rikers Island. Let’s get to work on the chloroform.’
6
Amanda
