Sunday, December 3
Florida Panhandle
“How is this your fault?” Creed asked.
“I’m not sure. But it feels like it is.”
He didn’t like that Maggie sounded so...defeated.
“I got impatient with Racine,” she said. “I thought she was being sloppy. But I was totally careless. I missed how dangerous this guy is.”
“Aren’t all killers dangerous?”
“Yes, but some aren’t necessarily very smart. I thought he was targeting the homeless because it was easy for him. How much effort does it take to club someone while he’s asleep on the sidewalk? Then stab that person while he’s unconscious.”
“So convenience might not be his only reason for choosing them.”
“Maybe not. I didn’t give him enough credit. I didn’t take him seriously enough. He left behind evidence in the Dumpster like a disorganized killer. Even his choice of weapons made me believe he was grabbing items that were handy or that he worked with on a regular basis. Now I realize a ball-peen hammer to the skull is efficient. It only takes one swing. And he doesn’t just cut up his victims or stab them repeatedly. He knows exactly where to slide the knife in to do the most damage. To make it fatal.”
Creed listened to her frustrated sigh.
“Nessie would be dead if Racine hadn’t interrupted.”
“Are they going to be okay?”
“I hope so. I don’t know. I left the hospital. Too much chaos. I didn’t want to be in the way. They were still working on them and not giving out much information, no matter who was asking. One of the detectives told me Nessie has a head injury. Of course she does. Probably a hammer. Racine...she ended up getting stabbed. I have no idea how bad it is.”
“What happens next?”
“I’ll check back every hour. See how they’re doing.”
“What happens next...for you?”
“I’m not sure. I guess I brace for the storm.”
“The storm?”
“They’ll need someone to blame. They always do.”
“And you think it’ll be you?”
“Yes.”
Her answer came too quickly. No hesitation.
“I’m not sure I can even disagree,” she added.
“I don’t believe that’s true. I’ve worked with you plenty of times now. Maggie, you sacrifice everything for a case: your physical self, your well-being. Body, mind, and soul. You aren’t responsible for everything that goes wrong. Nessie and Racine made their own choices.”
She was quiet. Too quiet.
“You know the best thing that you can do right now? Actually, two things.” He waited her out. Made her ask. He needed her to interact, get her mind back on track.
“Is this going to be a Hannah-ism?”
At least he could hear a bit of a smile in her voice.
“Probably.”
“She’d say I needed to get some rest. That everything looks better in the morning.”
“That sounds about right. But that’s only part of it. The other is that you need to get this guy. The Maggie O’Dell I know won’t be satisfied until she does.”
More silence.
“Do you need to be there on the streets to catch him?”
“Obviously, I didn’t do a very good job of that tonight.”
“No, I mean, do you physically need to be there?”
“I’m not sure that it’ll matter. If Alonzo is right about this guy, he doesn’t stay in one place for long. After tonight, I’d be surprised if he didn’t move on. What are you getting at?”
“I’ve seen you work with your team while you’ve been hundreds of miles away from them. Maybe you can do that this time. Hear me out for a minute. We have a substantial computer system to run our security programs and cameras. Hannah and Dr. Avelyn have all the digital bells and whistles to run our business. What they don’t have, they can get. Come down early. We have more than enough space for you to have all the peace and quiet you need. Pack up Harvey and Jake and come on down.”
It would only be a week or ten days early. He was prepared to tell her to at least think about it. He certainly didn’t expect it when she said, “Okay.”
“Okay?”
“Yes. Okay. I guess I should clear it with a few people.”
This time, both of them went quiet.
“Maybe you should clear it with Hannah,” she finally said.
“Are you kidding? She’s been bugging me to get you here earlier. I saved you from a fundraising ball.”
“A ball?”
“Yeah, with gowns and tuxedoes and a full orchestra.”
He looked down at the mess he’d made out of this one. Jason and Brodie had laughed at him when he finally joined their backyard stargazing party. Neither was surprised by his detour. To be fair, he played down his parking lot brawl quite a bit when he explained the bloody tux. Still, he was glad Maggie couldn’t see the mess right now. She worried about him too much. And this was about her.
“I bet you looked handsome in a tux.” The smile returned to her voice. “How was the food?”
“Stingy portions on a toothpick. I had to stop at Waffle House afterwards.”
“Did they have the fancy shrimp?”
“Yeah, but they were tiny. Definitely not from Joe Patti’s.”
More silence. This time he’d wait her out.
“Hey, Ryder?”
“Yeah?”
“Thanks.”