Huntington Beach, California
Shadowhawk made plans for her roommate, Casey, to meet her at the house. She pulled up and parked on the street. Her front door was marked with crime scene tape. A deep sadness shrouded her. It would be best to just put it on the market and wipe the slate clean. At least in her next home she wouldn’t be haunted by the past.
Casey pulled up behind her in her little red VW bug. Shadowhawk jumped out of her truck and greeted her with a big hug. “Damn, girl, I’ve missed you.”
“Me too,” Casey said.
“So how’s life at the love shack?”
“Good.” Casey beamed. “Really good. Although I don’t get to see Ronnie very much, she works all the time.”
“Then why the hell do you stay at her house? It’s got to be lonely.”
“She likes me there when she gets home.”
Shadowhawk studied her friend. “Sounds a bit controlling, to me.” She hoped it didn’t sound too negative, but hell, Casey wasn’t the type of girl to have someone dictate her every move.
“Oh, no. You don’t understand, she’s really busy and if I didn’t live there, we’d never see each other.”
“I guess that makes sense.” Shadowhawk felt a little better, but remained skeptical just the same. “What does she do?”
“PR for her father’s company in Los Angeles, TGT Productions.”
“And she lives in Seal Beach? That’s a lot of time on the road stuck in traffic. Why doesn’t she live closer?”
“She hates LA. Besides, she has the cutest little cottage right on the sand. I love it there.”
“It’s a good thing, because it sounds like you see the cottage more than her.”
“For now. She’s going to start her own company. She hates working for her father. When she does, I’m going to work with her, and then we’ll see each other all the time. I can’t wait.”
“When is this supposed to happen?”
“Soon. She’s doing a big job right now. After it’s finished, she’s quitting.”
“Well, I miss you, but as long as you’re happy, I’m happy.”
“Thanks. I am.” Casey gave her another hug.
They turned toward the house and Casey put her arm around Shadowhawk’s shoulder. “I’m so sorry about all you’ve been through.”
“Thanks. I regret you got pulled into it, but it’s probably best if you grab your stuff and get it out of here.”
Casey dropped her arm and turned toward her. “What about you?”
“If I could, I’d just torch the place and be done with it. Everything I really care about has been destroyed.”
Casey shook her head. “This really sucks. I hope you get the son-of-a-bitch and lock her away for a very long time.”
“That’s the plan. You ready to go in? I’ve got to warn you, it’s pretty unsettling.”
Casey grabbed her hand. “Let’s go.” Together they crossed the lawn.
Shadowhawk cut the tape from the door and opened it. Everything appeared worse in the light of day.
Casey gasped, her hand flew to her mouth.
Shadowhawk grabbed a pair of booties from a box next to the door. “Here, put these on over your shoes and don’t touch anything, except the items in your room.” She slipped a pair over her own boots.
Casey carefully stepped through the rubble. “What a nightmare. You must be devastated.”
“Come on, I’ll go up with you.” Shadowhawk started up the stairs. “I never made it this far last night, so I have no idea what’s waiting for you.” She stopped in the doorway.
Casey came up behind her.
“What the hell?”
The room was untouched.
“It looks like you were spared. Now I know why they gave us permission to access your room.” And why I got the third degree regarding Casey. To anyone else she looks pretty damn guilty. “I have some empty boxes in the garage, I’ll get them.”
“I’ll help.” Casey followed close behind.
When Shadowhawk came to the edge of the living room carpet, she stopped before entering the kitchen. “Be careful, there’s a lot of glass. I can’t clean anything up yet. Technically, the scene hasn’t been released yet.” She plotted a course through the shards on the linoleum floor.
“Oh, no, your grandmother’s pottery.”
Shadowhawk turned and found Casey squatting next to what used to be a favorite bowl. “Don’t touch anything.” She continued on toward the garage.
“Shit.” Casey’s anguished cry stopped her. She pivoted to see what she was remarking about, but her friend had disappeared. She caught up to her in Dylan’s old room where Shadowhawk had been staying.
“All your cool clothes.” Casey picked up a shredded piece of material. “I always loved this jacket.”
“Me too. I found it at a thrift store years ago. I don’t imagine I’ll find another.” Shadowhawk’s depression deepened.
Casey wrapped her arm around Shadowhawk’s waist and pulled her into her side. “I’ll help you find something even better.”
“Thanks. You know how much I hate shopping.”
“And I love it, especially when I’m spending someone else’s money.”
A surprise chuckle bubbled out of Shadowhawk’s mouth. “Yes, I know. At least we interrupted the bitch before she eviscerated everything I own. I have enough work clothes to last about a week, if I’m lucky. When this mess is over, I’ll grab you and we’ll make a day of it.”
“Sounds fun. Have you contacted your insurance?”
Shadowhawk shook her head. “Not yet. I don’t think they’ll be too happy with me.”
Casey put her hands on her hips. “Screw ’em.”
It was afternoon by the time Shadowhawk made it into the office. Thomas was glued to his computer. She grabbed a chair and pulled it up next to him. “Sorry I took so long, I helped Casey pack up her things. She’s getting fingerprinted. Afterward she’s heading to the robbery division to give them a statement. Thank God she has an alibi. She was having dinner with her sister at a busy restaurant.”
“Good. They won’t have to waste time clearing her.”
“Yeah, I was relieved. I wouldn’t want her to go through a bunch of shit because some psycho bitch has a hard on for me. It was nice of Billings to allow us to go in.”
“It was a professional courtesy. I’d be more surprised if he’d denied you.” He typed something on his computer, then turned her way. “Oh, Meagan’s really glad you’re staying with us.”
“Thank her for me. It won’t be for long, just until I find something. I think I’ll rent a furnished apartment for now. That will give me time to figure a few things out.”
“No hurry. Stay as long as you like.”
“Thanks.” She got a lump in her throat and needed to change the subject quick. “So, tell me what you’re working on.”
“It’s been a busy day. First thing this morning I called Detective Stokes down in San Diego. He’s the one investigating that rash of burglaries. They arrested a couple of surfers last night in Pacific Beach. They worked for the alarm company the victims used.”
“The Schiffs don’t have an alarm.”
“Nope.” He shrugged. “The cases aren’t related.”
Shadowhawk stared at him. “Just because they didn’t have an alarm?”
“No, because they have a solid alibi for the Schiff’s murder. They were in Hawaii from Thursday until yesterday for a surfing competition on the North Shore. Stokes identified them while they were out of town and waited until their return to arrest them. And on a different note, I got a call from Cheryl. It seems that while she was sifting through the soup that was Mr. Schiff, she found a hair. And it’s female.”
“Holy crap. I didn’t see that coming.”
“Me neither, not with the brutality of this case. She must be a real piece of work, unless she’s being forced somehow to participate,” Thomas said.
“Unfortunately the prisons are full of women who claim they were forced to commit a crime because they feared for their lives,” she added. “Then there are the women who actually commit crimes because they’re afraid of losing their man. There’s no way to know who’s really innocent because the prisons are full of people who say they are.”
“There’s a dominant person in every relationship. Men like this prey on weak women who have low self-esteem. They stay with the man no matter what because they don’t think anyone else will love them,” Thomas said.
“That works both ways. Maybe the woman is the one calling the shots,” she countered.
“Women usually kill by less messy means, like poison.”
“Does the name Aileen Wuornos ring any bells?”
He shook his head. “Always the one to go to extremes, aren’t you?”
“Just sayin’.” She gave him a big toothy grin.
“Of course you are. Anyway, Benjamin Schiff was killed Friday, as was his wife. GSW to the chest. Shotgun.”
“The bastards got what they wanted, then killed them anyway.” That really pissed her off.
“That would be my guess.”
“Back to your problem, Billings thinks he found a print at your house. He had it run through AFIS, but didn’t come up with any hits. He did say the print was small, about the size of a small woman or child.”
“Where was it found?”
“On the glass from a picture of a wedding.”
“My mother’s wedding to Bill. My sisters and I were the bridesmaids. Mom said it was the only way she could ensure I’d wear a dress.” She smiled at the memory.
“Must be some picture. You’ll have to show it to me sometime.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Because the perp was so entranced with it, she had to take off her glove to touch it. I’d say this woman’s in love with you.”
“She has a pretty screwed up way of showing it.”
“Maybe you spurned her advances and she’s punishing you,” Thomas stated.
She blew out a big breath. “Lucky me.”
“Which makes me think this is the same woman who threw that drink in your face for not remembering you’d met. We need to find her.”
“No, shit.”
The phone rang on Thomas’s desk. “Thomas.” He scribbled an address on his pad. “Thanks.” He hung up.
“That was Clark, in robbery. We got a hit on Barbara Schiff’s jewelry. A guy tried pawning it in Santa Ana. The owner called it in.”
When Shadowhawk and Thomas were buzzed into the pawn shop, the owner, a large, bald African American male was helping a young couple select a ring from a case. Probably the only way they could afford a wedding ring. He nodded to them and excused himself.
“You must be the cops. I’m Oscar, I own this shop.”
While Thomas spoke to the man, Shadowhawk watched the customers’ reaction to the fact they were cops, but they only expressed mild interest before they returned their attention to the rings. When she joined the conversation, she noticed the fax of the stolen jewelry on the counter.
The Schiffs’ daughter had gone through her parents’ photographs and selected the ones that showed her mother wearing specific pieces of jewelry. The department cut them down so the individual pieces were prominent. Oscar pointed to a diamond and emerald necklace, then the mother’s wedding ring.
“The man was tweaking really bad. I knew he was no good the moment he came through the door. I had my hand on Bessie until he left.” He raised a shotgun from under the counter to show them. “I was a bit distracted when I buzzed him in. I should have watched him in the camera a bit first. I would have noticed how jumpy he was.”
“So you have footage of the perp?” Thomas asked.
“I can do you one better, I have a photo on my desk in the back.”
“Good man,” Shadowhawk said.
He smiled, and a gold tooth winked at her before he disappeared through the curtain.
She whispered in Thomas’s ear. “I love this guy.”
“He does make our job a hell of a lot easier.”
Oscar returned with an 8 x 11 sheet with a black and white photo of the man. It wasn’t the cleanest shot, but you could see his face clear enough. He was a gaunt, string bean of a guy, typical of drug addicts.
“Do you mind if we see the footage from the tape as well?” Thomas asked.
“Not at all. I’ll set you up in my office, but then I have to see to those folks.” Oscar inclined his head toward the young couple.
“Sounds like a plan,” Shadowhawk said.
They viewed the footage for thirty minutes, rewinding and watching it over and over again. The guy was jonesing really bad; sweat rolled down his face like a waterfall. He needed a fix and wouldn’t take no for an answer. There was no sound, but you could clearly see the two arguing. Finally Oscar pointed the shotgun at him and Mr. Jones grabbed the jewelry and fled.
“I can’t see this guy pulling off anything but a smash and grab,” she said.
“He’s certainly not the brains of the operation.”