Zane sat in the room with the Darbys and Bryce for a couple of hours. Kate slept the entire time. About three in the morning, Bryce left with his parents to get them set up in a hotel, and Zane fell asleep. He woke up at 4:13 and looked over to Kate lying in the bed, hooked up to at least three different machines. He swore he saw her eyelids move a little and jumped up to be by her side.
Holding her limp hand, Zane leaned over to kiss it when he heard, “Zane?”
He looked up at Kate’s face, looking closely for the first time. It hurt his entire body to look at her battered and bruised face, swollen eyes, and stitches on her temple. “I’m here, babe, I’m here.”
She squeezed his hand, but it was so weak, it was barely finger movement.
“So tired,” she said.
“Don’t talk. Just rest. You have plenty of time. Go back to sleep.” He patted the top of her hand.
“Ncnnn,” Kate said.
Zane leaned down closer to her face, as her voice came out light and weak. “What did you say?”
She mumbled something that sounded like, “Find Newton.”
To be sure, he said, “Did you say, ‘Find Newton?’”
She wiggled her fingers, then fell back to sleep.
Zane sat in the chair, stewing over Kate’s words. “Find Newton.” Weren’t they already looking for the guy? Did he have something to do with the murders on M Street? Zane felt himself start to burn from his core. Or did Newton do this?
Bryce returned to Kate’s room around five-thirty, and Zane got up to go to the bathroom, using the one in Kate’s room. Then he excused himself and went out into the hallway. Zane and Kate’s family had decided she’d have no visitors for the night, so Francois and Underwood hadn’t seen Kate yet.
Zane pulled out his phone and sent Jake a text: Come to the hospital when you finish your shift.
Jake responded immediately: I’ll be there in less than an hour.
Zane didn’t know who he could trust, but decided Jake was still too new to be corrupted. He didn’t know enough people to have made friends or pick up any informants he owed. And Zane needed an ally. He couldn’t do this himself. He needed to find Newton. And Jake might be able to find out from Kim where Newton could be found. It was a long shot, but worth a try. He couldn’t tell anyone else, because he was sure someone had sent Payaso after Kate, and he had no idea who.
True to his word, Jake arrived in less than an hour. “How is she doing?” were the first words out of his mouth.
“She’ll live, but it’s going to be a long road. She’s pretty beat up.”
Jake looked at the floor of the hospital hallway. “I know. It was hard to look at her last night. I imagine the swelling is worse now.”
“Broken cheekbone and nose. Her eyes are black, and her eyeballs, what I could see of them, looked blood red. She’s gonna hurt pretty bad once the surgery meds wear off. I hope the morphine is enough. But that’s not why I called you.”
“What’s going on?”
“Kate said Geo Newton’s name. She said to find him. Did you or Francois hear anything about Newton and what happened with Kate last night?” Zane’s face creased with concern and longing to know the answers.
“The captain and I went back to the scene after we left the hospital. Chief Rambone wanted us to get a second look at the crime scene. Nothing was mentioned about Newton at all. Isn’t he a person of interest in the M Street murders?” Jake shoved his hands into the pockets of the pullover hoodie he wore over his uniform.
“He is. And I need to find him. If he’s the one who shot Kate, I’ll kill him myself.”
“That doesn’t seem right, Sergeant Gwilly. From everything at the scene, it looks like Silva ambushed Darby and dragged her into the alley. Somehow, he got the better of her, undressing her. From the evidence, Silva tried to rape her, but someone shot him before he could succeed. It could have been Kate, but from the dirt on her back, he had her on the ground. Silva had grease and dirt on his knees. So maybe he straddled Kate, but the angle of the bullet doesn’t make sense.”
“In what way doesn’t it make sense?” Zane asked, wanting to shake Jake to get him to the point faster.
“No way could Kate have shot him while lying on the ground. He was shot straight on. It’s obvious from the exit wound. Straight in and out. Not an angle.”
“What did Chief Rambone say?” Zane asked.
“He thinks I need to keep close to Kim. She knows more than she’s letting on.”
“That’s not exactly what I meant, but that will do. Let’s go have a chat with Kim.”
“She’s still in County. No one bailed her out this time.”
Zane didn’t have time for any crap, and he made sure the jailer understood. Kim hadn’t even had breakfast yet when they escorted her into the interview room.
“You?” Kim immediately turned back to the jailer. “I have no desire to talk to these assholes.”
The jailer looked at Zane, then back at Kim. “Sit down. Listen to what they have to say.”
Kim rocked her head from side to side, then turned and said, “What do you want with me?”
Zane and Jake sat down, Kim followed suit.
“I’m sure you know your boyfriend was killed,” Jake said.
Kim frowned. “Foss?” She showed no emotion.
“Silva,” Zane said.
Kim’s frown deepened. “Silva?”
Jake leaned closer. “Payaso.”
Kim’s frown fell away, her cool demeanor crumbled. “That’s not even funny.”
“He’s not kidding,” Zane said.
Kim’s entire body shook like an addict coming off a three-day high. Tears rolled down her cheeks. She took deep, sobbing breaths, but didn’t make any sound.
Smug, Jake said, “No one is coming to save you now, Kim. No one.”
“Fuck you, Jake. As usual, you don’t know anything.” She spat the words literally, spittle flying through the air, rolling down her chin.
“You’re right, he doesn’t know shit, but you do,” Zane said.
Jake looked at Zane as if he’d been thrown under a bus. Zane couldn’t look at him, for fear of losing his character.
“I don’t know anything. If I did, I’d be able to get out of here. Isn’t that what you always want, information? ‘I’ll cut you a deal for the right information,’ isn’t that how it always goes?” Kim rocked in her chair, the tears still streaming down her face.
“How did Andy Foss die?” Jake asked.
She turned on him. “Isn’t that your job to figure out?”
“I have a theory,” Zane said. “My theory goes something like this. You were at that house the night Foss was killed.”
“Duh! You already knew that.”
“Kim, they found GSR on your clothes. And the residue matches the residue on the back of Foss’s head.”
Kim shook her head hard. “No, no, no.”
“Yes. You shot Andy Foss, didn’t you?”
“Is that why you’re trying to say Payaso is dead, so I’ll turn on him, then you’ll arrest him and use me as a witness? Well, you can shove that up your ass, because I’m married to him. I can’t testify.”
You could have heard a tear drop in the room as Jake’s eyes went wide and his mouth opened a little. Zane and Jake glanced at each other, neither believing her.
“This isn’t a joke Kim. Payaso is dead. I’ll bring photos if that’s what you want.” Then a thought came to him. “We’re looking for his killer.”
Zane planned to look at the county records to see if Kim was bluffing about being married to Payaso. But for now, he had other, more important issues.
“It don’t matter who killed him. They don’t need you doling out justice. They’ll dole out their own brand. And it won’t be all prettied up with a judge and jury. Whoever killed my man will die an ugly, gruesome death, I promise you.” She continued to rock, her body now rigid. “I’ll get out of here, and I’ll make sure of it.”
By they, Zane knew she spoke of the Nazar cartel. Payaso had been untouchable because of his connections and rank in the cartel. Payaso planned his own death when he took on Kate. Or had he? How did he know Kate would be there? And why was she there in the first place? He couldn’t stop running the questions in his mind.
“Kim, you’re never getting out. Murder one is on the table now. But what I don’t understand is why you killed Andy.”
“You’re crazy. No way you’re pinning that on me. Maybe I was standing next to the person killed him. Wasn’t me.” Defiant, yet the look in her eyes screamed, “I’m terrified.”
Jake cut to the chase. “Tell us the truth about Geo Newton. He wasn’t your boyfriend, obviously. But you know him. I know he was working the area the night of the raid. Did he tip you off? Was that why we didn’t find any drugs in that house?”
“Fuck Newton, he’s a nobody.” Kim stopped rocking. They had her attention.
Zane waited a beat, looking closely as Kim’s eyes darted back and forth at warp speed between Jake and him. She was coming down hard. How many days had it been? Zane was too tired to count.
“What do you know about Newton?” Jake asked.
“I know he’s a snitch. He’s a goody goody, driving around in his Range Rover with his fancy clothes. Thinks he’s too good.”
“Do you know where he hangs out?” Zane asked.
Kim glared at him. “How the fuck should I know?”
Zane felt something missing in Kim’s words. He pondered her words one more time. What was it? Then he almost slapped the table with his hand. Venom. Her words lacked venom. She knew more than she let on.
“We think Newton killed Payaso,” Zane said.
Kim completely crumbled. Her back rolled forward, and she dropped her head to her knees, her arms hanging limp, with her cuffed wrists still in her lap. She no longer shook, but took long, controlled breaths. When she looked back up, she said, “His aunt lives on River Drive. When he’s in town he stays with her sometimes.”
“Do you know the address?” Zane asked.
She looked up. “I don’t, but it’s a yellow house. Not bright yellow, but like the color of the inside of a banana.”
They’d hit a nerve. If Newton killed Payaso, she wanted him to pay. She wanted them to find him. And Zane always thought the inside of a banana was more of a cream color, certainly not yellow. But whatever. They’d find the house.
They stood.
“Two more things. The first one: why did you hesitate before you pulled the trigger when you shot Foss?” Zane asked coolly, as if asking her favorite color.
Kim sat up straight, staring Zane down. She said nothing.
“Okay, if that’s how you want to play it, all the details will come out at the trial.” He turned to leave.
“I thought you said two things,” Kim goaded him.
Jake stood at the door, waiting for the jailer to buzz them out. Zane turned back to Kim. “Oh, yeah, Newton didn’t kill Payaso. Your husband tried to rape Corporal Darby, and she unloaded her gun on him. Payaso was killed by the cops.”
As they walked out the door, Kim screamed, “I’m gonna kill that bitch when I get out of here.”