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Darby
When I got over to HQ without Mark, I went immediately back to work, looking up the information we had on Winifred Labbee.
I called the number for her son’s father in St. Louis. He answered on the fourth ring. I introduced myself, and he gave me a wary look.
“I’m calling about your son’s mother, Winifred Labbee. I need to talk to her about a murder, and we can’t locate her. Do you know where she might be?”
Dashon Hildebrand shook his head. “I haven’t heard from her in months. She’s not winning any mother of the year awards.”
“She hasn’t contacted her son recently?”
“Winifred is a deadbeat. I try to get child support but the judge say she don’t have to pay much. She’s the one who wanted to get pregnant, then a couple months after our son was born, she run off, leaving me and my mom with the dirty diapers.”
“Was this after she was in the military?” I asked.
“She got pregnant to get an early discharge.”
“Dashon, do you know what Winifred did in the military?” I made notes on my glass while I talked.
He shrugged. His comm must have been cheap because the image wavered a lot. “Not exactly. We met through friends when she was on leave. She turned up pregnant a month and a half later, acted all happy about it, then run off almost as soon as she got her discharge.”
“Has she ever shown interest in her son?”
“Some. She comes around every year or two. He don’t know his momma at all, just his daddy and gramma.”
I frowned.
“What she done?” Dashon looked at me intently.
“She’s wanted for questioning in a couple murders over here.”
“You think she killed a couple people?” His eyebrows shot up.
“She’s a person of interest,” I said. Our standard line in the BPD. “If you see her or if she contacts you or your son, it would be appreciated if you could contact the KCBPD or St. Louis Virgin PD. We need to find her.”
He nodded. “I don’t want nothing to do with her if she killed someone. Who was it?”
“We’re not sure she did kill anyone,” I reiterated. “We need to talk to her to rule her out.”
“’Kay. You want I should call you directly if she calls?”
“Just call 911, and they’ll get a hold of us. Thanks, Dashon. And if she comes in contact with you or your son, do the same. Make an excuse to get away and call us. Don’t engage her, don’t let on you know we’re trying to find her, just get away and call us.”
“I can do that. Is she dangerous?”
“Potentially.” I swallowed, debating on whether to end the call or bring up one last thing. “Dashon, were you aware Winifred is a superhuman?”
His brow furrowed. “Winifred? A super?”
I nodded.
He shook his head. “No, she never told me. What kind of power does she have?”
“We’re not sure, which is another reason you need to be cautious if she shows up.”
“You think she could hurt me? Our son?”
“I’m asking you to be careful. Pay attention to what’s going on if she shows up, and don’t let her get too close.”
“Do our son need testing?”
“How old is he?” I asked.
“Eleven.”
I frowned. “Probably. Has he exhibited any odd abilities?”
“Just super-smart. Way smarter than his daddy.”
I smiled. “You can have him tested, but just because his mother is a super doesn’t mean he’ll be. But really, if you want to, talk to his doctor and have a DNA test run.”
Dashon nodded. “Thanks, Detective.”
* * *
MARK SHOWED UP AS I finished with Winifred’s ex. “Everything okay?” I asked.
“Why wouldn’t it be?”
I frowned. I could name any number of reasons he wouldn’t be okay, but I held my tongue.
“I’m fine, Darb,” he added.
He pulled out his chair and sat. “Anything new?”
I told him about my call to Dashon.
Mark frowned in response. “Did you call the Navy yet?”
“Haven’t had time.”
He nodded. “I’ll do it. The folks at the DSHA earlier said they’d seen Winifred take the 205 line on the bus. You want to call and see who drives that route between 4 and 6 P.M. and if we can talk to them?”
“Can do.” I reached for my comm, but decided to get up and wander the division as I did so. Give him some privacy.
I made the call as I circled the floor. I was feeling restless and needed to stretch. Not only did the KC Public Transportation Division give me the name of the driver of the line, they told me he was on break and put me through to him. From the looks of the guy’s holo, he was sitting in the driver’s seat of his bus.
I talked to him, and showed him a picture of Winifred. He recognized her, said she’d been riding the bus ever since he’d been driving the line, and that was the last three years. When asked where she got off, he indicated it was near Swope Park and the zoo.
It was a run-down area where a revitalization project had just started about five years ago. The gangs were getting kicked out, the middle class was buying up the historic homes, and restoring the ones worthy, tearing down the houses too far gone.
As I was finishing up, Will approached. I sensed him before I saw him. I held up a finger as I thanked the driver for his assistance and ended the call.
“Hey there, beautiful,” he said warmly. “Did you make it home okay last night?”
I blinked. Suddenly, I was thinking about the ecstasy and wondering how I’d gotten it. “Uh, yeah. Just fine. A little drunk, but my pilot got me home.”
He stepped up close and took my hands. “I should have driven you home, but you insisted.”
I opened my mouth, then closed it again, trying to decide what to say. “I honestly don’t remember anything from last night, Will.”
“You weren’t that drunk,” he said.
“Maybe not.” I glanced around and saw one of my colleagues watching us. I jerked my head for us to go around the corner from where we were. It was a quieter alcove that led toward the psychology section. Still, I dropped my voice. “Someone put ecstasy in something I drank. Like I said, I didn’t see anything. But did you?”
“Ecstasy? My God!” He turned from me. “No, I didn’t see anything, Darby. Are you sure? You were acting okay, just a little drunk.”
I winced as he pulled away. “Yeah. My partner had me tested.”
“What? Does he moonlight as a lab rat?”
“His sister owns a lab. She was there, checking on him I guess. Had a kit and tested me. I don’t remember.”
He shifted. “Well, I didn’t see anything. And I don’t know anyone there to have a list of suspects. Perhaps the bartender did it? You are an attractive woman. Or someone you’ve spurned in the SHS?”
Uncertainty crept in. “I suppose it’s possible.”
“Have you? Spurned anyone, I mean.” He added a disarming smile onto the end of his words.
A laugh burbled out of my throat, one I hadn’t expected. “If I did, I did it unknowingly.” I sighed and looked up at him. “I need to get back to work.”
“Then I’ll see you tonight. I have reservations.”
I shook my head and laughed again. “I’m sorry, did you need something? We’ve been standing here talking about me the last few minutes.”
“No, though I had been trying to find you all day to check on you.”
“Oh. I’ve been away from my desk more than at it. Dead superhuman related to my case about an hour and a half west of here.”
He grimaced. “Anyone I know?”
I blew out a breath. “The guy I had an argument with last night.”
“Did you spurn him?”
“No. I’ve known him a shorter time than you. He was a suspect.”
“Kind of hard to be a suspect when you’re dead.”
“My thoughts exactly.” I sighed and looked back toward homicide. “I’ll see you tonight.”
“Hold on. You’re not getting away that easily.” He took my hands and drew me to him. Then he bent down and kissed me.
My body flooded with pleasure, and I pressed closer to him, my hand on his cheek. His arms encircled my back and pulled me fully against him.
I didn’t want the kiss to end.
When he was done, he sighed softly. “There. That ought to hold both of us until tonight.”
I smiled shyly. “See you.”
Mark was still on the comm when I got back to our desks, but he seemed to be finishing up. I waited, and when he took the comm off and set it on his desk, I said, “Anything?”
“They didn’t do more than a surface level, just like the police academy does.”
I cocked my head. “What do you want to bet she knew that going in?”
Mark lifted an eyebrow. “Probably. What did you find out?”
I filled him in, careful to keep the fact I’d bumped into Will to myself.
“So, she must have a place near the zoo?”
I shrugged. “That’s what it sounded like.”
He sighed, and rubbed at his temple. “Can you get a couple beat cops down there to start making inquiries?”
“Sure.” I paused and looked him over. “You doing okay?”
“Yeah. Just getting a headache.”
Instinctively I put a hand on him, then drew it back in sharp pain. “Yowch!”
He frowned, glanced around, and dropped his voice. “That bad?”
I nodded. “Yeah.”
He rocked back on his heels. “Look, you get on the beat cop situation, see if there are any contacts who might be able to shed light on where Winifred lived. Did her ex know anything?”
“I don’t think so. She kept him further than arm’s length. And her son.”
Mark tapped a finger against his lip. “Okay, well see what you can find.”
“What are you going to work on?”
He glanced away. “I got a message from Yu that they need another opinion on something. I’ve got to go help them with it in the evidence room.”
I gave him a sidelong look. “Yu? He’s practically as senior as you.”
Mark shrugged, but wouldn’t totally look me in the eye. “They’re stumped.”
“Are you lying to me?”
“Why would I do that?”
“I’m not sure,” I said slowly. “But I’ve been a cop too long to believe you’re not lying to me.”
He snorted. “Yeah, like we both haven’t done our share of lying to the other lately.” He lifted his chin. “I’ll be downstairs if you need me.”
I watched him walk away, confused. What would he have to lie to me about now?