Morning came, but he hadn’t slept much. Vivid images of Jenny fighting for her life had filled his thoughts and made him stir. Throughout the night, he also heard Maggie crying in the next room. She was a tough girl, managing to hold herself together for the most part, which entitled her to a cry when she was by herself. He didn’t blame her.
When the sun was rising – as much as it could rise when the clouds were determined to darken Chicago in a charcoal hue – Logan got dressed in yesterday’s clothes and headed for the police station. He quickly found a parking spot beside Peters’s car and jumped out to catch him while he was still locking up.
“Morning,” he said. “Got anything for me?”
“Jesus,” Peters mumbled, rolling his eyes. “You don’t miss a thing, do you?”
“Not when a young woman is out there waiting to die.”
“Well, I don’t have much for you. The detectives were at it all night, which meant I managed to bank some overtime. Most of it was just legwork, securing the crime scene and taking witness statements. Whatever you need is yours, but there isn’t much.”
Logan appreciated this and intended to return the favor whenever the opportunity cropped up. He hated to take advantage of his friend’s kindness, but right now, he would do anything to get Jenny home safely. If he could catch the killer while doing so, that was a bonus.
“I just want to know about the evidence,” Logan told him.
“What evidence?”
“There must have been something left behind. A fallen hair in the struggle, an uncareful fingerprint left on the wheelchair. Something like that.”
“I’ll see what I can find out, but it could be a while.”
“I’ll be waiting.”
Peters disappeared into the police station. Logan waited for hours while sitting on the hood of his car, anxiously picking at his trimmed fingernails. He couldn’t help but feel like this was a waste of a day, but what else was he going to do? He had no leads to follow.
When Peters finally returned, he had a grim look on his face. He seemed to have aged ten years just in the few short hours in which Logan had last seen him. He crossed the road and hurried the last few feet to their cars.
“You were right,” he said.
Logan perked up and slid off the car’s hood.
“No fingerprints in the apartment, but two sets match some found on the doorframe. One belonged to your neighbor’s boyfriend, and the other belonged to a Richard Ryler.”
“Dick?”
“You know this guy?”
“Just a little.” Logan wanted to head back and strangle the guy.
“They’ve both been in for questioning. The boyfriend says he had just been by for Maggie every now and then, which Maggie confirms. As for Richard – Dick – he’s playing the innocent. Says maybe he stumbled and reached out for the frame once or twice while he came by to see you. With no prints inside the apartment, there’s not much we can do.”
“Not much you can do, but I have my own methods.”
“Don’t go doing anything stupid.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it,” Logan said sarcastically, spotting Dick Ryler across the road. He was heading for his own car, and Logan wondered where he might be heading next.
There was only one way to find out.
He thanked Peters, then got in his car and followed.