Silent Justice by John C. Dalglish Page A

calling?”
    “Lieutenant Patton.”
    “Hold , please.”
    He waited for the captain to pick up.
    “This is Garza.”
    “Jesse, I need to see you.”
    He knew the captain would recognize the significance of his lieutenant calling him by his first name.
    “Come now.”
    “Be right there.”
    John Patton hung up , grabbed the list Jason had given him, and headed to the captain’s office. Normally, he didn’t want anyone making decisions about his detectives, but this time, he was glad someone else had to make the call.
    If the list got into the wrong hands, it would create a circus worse than the original case .
     
    *******
     
    Jason and Vanessa were back in the conference room when the lieutenant went by. Vanessa raised her eyebrows at Jason.
    “I don’t think I’ve ever seen the lieutenant as tense as he seems today.”
    Jason nodded, watching his boss get on the elevator.
    “I know what you mean. He’s really shaken.”
    They returned to the file and the work at hand. Jason made a new list of names, this one belonging to the victims at the scene. He read it aloud as he made it.
    “First victim: Tiffany Barker, age thirty-six, married, mother of one. Second victim: Jim Dolan, age twenty-two, college student, engaged. Number three: Levi Anderson, age seventy-one, retired, a widower. Victim four was: Sarah Webster, age twenty-nine, married, mother of two.”
    Vanessa picked up from there.
    “If we exclude the widower for now, we’re left with three gunshot victims. Tiffany Barker, killed by a bullet from Dan Connor’s gun, Sarah Webster, killed by a bullet from by Brad Winston’s gun, and Jim Dolan, shot by the robber. Where do we start?”
    “We need to find the closest person to each victim: Mr. Barker, Mr. Webster, and if we can, Jim Dolan’s fiancé.”
    Vanessa made a note of both the Barker and Webster information from the file , and headed for her desk.
    “I’m going to run name and last known address through the Texas License Bureau database . Maybe I can get a current address for either spouse.”
    “Okay. I’ll try to track down Jim Dolan’s fiancé.”
    Lieutenant Patton got off the elevator and walked up to the two detectives.
    “The captain said to call the names on the list, but to make them aware it’s only a precaution. Tell them to keep a lid on it, and we’ll be in touch with them as more information comes available. Make them understand we don’t want a panic.”
    Jason nodded at his boss and turned to Vanessa.
    “I’ll place the calls; you go ahead with the license search.”
    The lieutenant went into his office and closed the door.
     
    *******
     
    Late that night, under the cover of darkness, a solitary figure slipped into position. The Hunter had come to finish the preparation for a kill. Each time, the location was visited the day before the shot. The Hunter needed to make sure nothing from previous scouting missions had changed and that the plan didn’t need to be adjusted.
    Everything looked as expected, and when The Hunter returned the next night, it would be for the kill.
    Just thinking of the moment of release, arrow flying to impact, was enough to bring a smile to The Hunter’s face.
    Time to go; tomorrow night is kill night.

 

     
    Chapter 13
     
    The next morning, Vanessa was waiting for Jason when he got to the station.
    “I’ve got addresses for both the Webster and Barker families. Did you have any luck finding the fiancé?”
    Jason shook his head. “Not yet.”
    “Okay, I’ll let the lieutenant know where we’re going. The Webster place is just a few blocks from here , so I figured we’d go there first.”
    “Works for me , meet you downstairs.”
     
    *******
     
    Fifteen minutes later, they arrived at the address in South San Antonio. A small adobe home , the color of red clay, with a short patio wall around the front. They walked up the driveway and through a small gate to the front door.
    The sun was beginning it s daily ritual of cooking