CHAPTER SIXTY-TWO
LOGAN DID not join Jane for breakfast. As she dined alone, she scanned the Washington Post. Most Monday morning papers tended to be full of nothing more than re-written copy from the Sunday papers, but on an inside page, half way down, a small five paragraph article caught Jane’s eye:
She stared at the article in disbelief. Her stomach did a somersault. The coincidence was too great. She wanted to be sick. Two more girls were dead and she could have stopped it. Jane looked at her watch. Five past nine.
She folded the newspaper and strode out of the restaurant. The waiter called out after her. ‘Is everything all right, ma’am? You haven’t finished your breakfast.’
‘Fine.’ Jane said absent-mindedly as she returned and signed the chit.
She picked up the telephone receiver in her room and dialed Logan’s cell phone.
‘Good morning,’ Logan said, almost sheepishly. ‘About yesterday...’
Jane cut him short. ‘It’s forgotten. It doesn’t matter. This thing has gone past that. I need to talk to you. Now.’
Ed was already waiting in the entrance lobby when she stepped out of the lift. The old man looked dapper in a sports coat and grey slacks.
‘Hi. I’ve left my car at the front of the hotel. I didn’t think we’d be waiting long.’
‘Fine,’ she said pushing the Post into his hand. ‘Read this.’
Ed perched a pair of half moon, gold rimmed glasses on the end of his nose and brought the article into focus. After a minute or so, he looked up.
‘You think this is West?’
‘No, Ed. I know it’s West. You don’t think it’s a coincidence that there have been two murders in Washington, both using Blue Heaven, one of them almost within days of him returning to the country? It’s time we all stop pratting around. We need to talk to someone from that police department, see what we can find out.’
‘Second District Station,’ Ed said, flicking through he mental address book. ‘The son of an old colleague of mine is a Lieutenant there. Carter. I’ll give him a call and see if we can meet him this morning.’
‘The Monroe family are extremely powerful. How much help do you think he’ll give us?’ Jane asked.
‘They may be powerful, but power doesn’t win many friends.’
She opened her handbag and gave Ed the cell phone she had borrowed from McIntyre.
By the time Logan and Newman wandered into the lobby, Ed was on the phone speaking to Carter.
Jane hugged Scott.
‘It’s so good to see you,’ he said, bear hugging her back, then kissing her tenderly. He too looked good now he’d shaved and the bruises had gone.
‘How are you?’ she asked.
‘Alot better for seeing you.’
‘When you two have finished,’ interrupted Logan. ‘What the hell’s Dad doing here? And who’s he talking to?’
‘I’m sorry,’ Jane apologised. ‘I shouldn’t have kept this from you…’
Ed butted in. The Lieutenant would be in his office all morning.
Quickly, Jane told the two FBI men how she believed a rapist who had attacked women back home in Cambridge was now killing here in Washington.
‘We’re going to see a Lieutenant Carter at Second District.’
Logan and Newman followed them to the Second District station. As his father’s old Ford Sedan pulled away from the kerb outside the Jefferson, in the car behind Logan dialed Tenant.
His boss’s mood hadn’t improved overnight. ‘So what’s new?’ he asked grumpily.
‘Jane did a bit of sightseeing over the weekend and the only time Monroe’s name was mentioned was when we were in the Capitol Building and she asked one of the guides what committees he sat on. At the moment, she’s more concerned about the deaths of two date rape victims she read about in the Washington Post this morning.’
‘I don’t want her interfering in any investigations in this country,’ Tenant said.
‘She’s only here for a fortnight. What harm could she do? We’ll tag along and keep an eye on her.’
Logan wasn’t sure why, but he neglected to mention Jane’s forthcoming meeting with McIntyre.
‘Right. Keep me informed,’ Tenant said. Perhaps the news about McIntyre would keep him happy later in the day.
Tenant rocked back in his chair. He still couldn’t work out why Monroe had called him three times at home over the weekend. Maybe this latest bit of information would get the Congressman off his back. If Inspector Blackburn was now distracted by some other investigation, she might leave Monroe alone now. He hoped so. The sooner this ended the better. He hated tying up men on a personal goose chase.
He picked up the phone.