Zeb turned on his flasher, waited for a break in the metallic river, and headed out.
‘Where to, ladies?’
‘Downtown,’ Meghan replied, her serious look changing to one of mirth for a moment.
‘To see two of your favorite people in the world.’
‘Pizaka and Chang.’
Pizaka and Chang were First Grade detectives who headed a Major Case Squad in the NYPD.
Zeb and his team had come across the two cops when bringing down serial killers and terrorists in the city. Given the clandestine nature of their agency, Zeb and his crew’s involvement was known to only the Commissioner and Pizaka and Chang.
The two cops were the leads on those cases and got credit for the closures. Their careers received major boosts from the media fall out; rapid promotions followed and the two became celebrities in their own right.
Pizaka had published a couple of books, had a rapidly growing public profile, and was actively seeking movie deals. Chang was more low profile and was content for his partner to hog the limelight.
The two presented themselves differently; Pizaka dressed sharply, his black hair perfectly groomed, while Chang wore a perennial sleepy, rumpled look.
Despite their appearances and differing appetite for publicity, the two worked well together and were two of the best detectives in the NYPD.
‘Why them?’ Zeb flicked a glance sideways at Meghan.
‘They are on the case. Regina called the Commissioner when Beth was attacked.’
‘The Commissioner didn’t have anyone else?’ Beth groaned from behind.
‘They are good cops,’ Zeb replied mildly as he steered their ride to One Police Plaza, the NYPD headquarters, and headed to the parking lot.
He exited and tossed the keys in a silvery arc to Meghan.
She caught them one handed and frowned at him. ‘You aren’t joining us?’
‘Nope. I’ll get in the way. I will be at the VA.’
She nodded in understanding. Pizaka didn’t like Zeb; in fact he didn’t like any of them. He regarded them as vigilantes; however it was Zeb for who he reserved his biting sarcasm. That Zeb didn’t respond, riled him even more.
Chang met them, looking as if he had just woken up and had tossed on a wrinkled cream colored suit. His short hair bristled and he walked languidly till he met the twins.
Then he burst into a trot, a wide smile on his face, and hugged the twins tight. ‘You ladies are becoming strangers.’
‘You don’t need us anymore, Chang. You’re getting better at your job,’ Meghan deadpanned.
Chang led them up an elevator and then to an office in which a well-dressed man awaited. Dressed in a tan suit whose edges could slice through butter, shades that reflected light, hair perfectly groomed, Pizaka looked a model. Or a Hollywood star.
Pizaka nodded at them and didn’t offer to shake hands. He looked behind the twins’ shoulders.
‘Zeb isn’t coming. He said you intimidate him,’ Meghan read his glance.
Chang sighed when Pizaka continued looking behind them. ‘Where are the others? You know how he is. He likes to know who else he has to work with.’
‘Bear and Chloe are in Indonesia, on vacation. Bwana and Roger are somewhere in Chile. They are on vacation too. Broker is with his girlfriend, in Washington D.C.’
‘Carter isn’t on vacation?’ Pizaka spoke for the first time.
‘The last time he took a vacation, he came across us. That was enough for him,’ Beth cracked, drawing a chuckle from Chang.
Pizaka’s face didn’t change. Humor was for lesser mortals. Besides, smiling wrinkled one’s face. There were interviews to give, talk shows to go on, wrinkles weren’t good.
‘Why are you here?’
‘You know why, Pizaka. Regina Hunnicker. Close friend of the Commissioner’s wife. Rings a bell?’
Chang cut his tired eyes to his partner. ‘Can we cut through this?
‘They’re here as Hunnicker’s liaison. So what if they investigate on their own? Finding the girl is important.’
Pizaka straightened at his partner’s rebuke, went through the events outside the Columbus Avenue office and cut himself short when Meghan waved him on. They knew the events.
‘We interviewed Amy Kittrell. Didn’t get much there. Usual stuff about good marriage. No enemies. No reason for husband to kidnap daughter.’
‘We talked to Ms. Hunnicker too and the kids. She told us to stop wasting time and start investigating.’
‘A team is interviewing passersby, other offices, door men. So far, not one witness has come forward.’
Chang bent down to straighten a trouser leg; it stubbornly remained wrinkled. He gave up with a sigh. ‘Another team is looking at CCTV cameras. There aren’t many in that area. All airports, train stations, bus stations, have been alerted. Posters and flyers will go up in public places.’
‘We have a few in front of our office,’ Meghan corrected him. ‘We’ll check the feed as soon as we get back.’
Pizaka pulled out a single sheet of paper from a slim folder and handed it to them.
‘Josh Kittrell, from his employer. As you can imagine, he’s our prime suspect.’
Beth skimmed through the sheet quickly and passed it to Meghan.
There wasn’t much on the sheet; a single sentence on Kittrell and an entire paragraph on the firm. No photograph.
Kittrell was a partner in the law firm, in a division called Settlements. Nothing on the sheet revealed what the division did.
The law firm was the fifth largest in the country, had over two thousand employees, and worked with large corporations, most of them defense contractors.
Meghan handed the sheet back and with her next words, sucked the air out of the room.
‘Josh Kittrell has a history of hitting his wife.’