there’s a new victim, it’s time to find out,” Shield said.
Bowman dug into his memory. “You never found any of the other gamblers?”
“No. But I did hear of a couple of gamblers that vanished in Las Vegas over a four-month period, months after my informant was murdered. That could have been the Shark cleaning up all loose ends.”
“Those gamblers could also have been men who owed money to the wrong men. It’s a high-risk business, especially when you’re losing.”
“You’re right. I have nothing linking the dead players to my informant or the girls. But again, I don’t believe in coincidences.”
Bowman also sensed these random pieces were connected. “If your informant was right, there’s one player running the games.”
“That’s my guess. And I believe the placement of this latest body in Riley’s patrol area suggests he knows who she is and he’s returned for her.”
Bowman again studied the image of the fifth victim. The only thing he was sure of now was that he wanted back in the trooper’s life.
“Protect her,” Shield said.
“Consider it done.”
Kevin held the disposable phone in his hand with his thumb hovering over the “Send” button. His stomach remained knotted after the killing, and no matter how much he tried to push the girl’s face from his mind, to exorcise the feel of the rope cutting into her neck, to shut out the sound of her last choking breaths, he could not. She haunted him. Chased him in his dreams. He’d thought killing her would be easy. She was a hopeless runaway who was selling her body on the streets. Her death shouldn’t have mattered. But it did.
Closing his eyes, he hit “Send” and slowly raised the phone to his ear. The phone rang five times, and he thought for a moment it would simply go unanswered, but then he heard a curt, “Why are you calling?”
Kevin closed his eyes. “I’m turning myself in to the cops.”
“You’re doing what?”
“I’m going to the cops. I can’t do this. I can’t live with the guilt of choking that girl to death.”
A long pause. “We made a deal. You swore secrecy.”
“I never understood why the girl had to die.”
“It’s important that I won. But it’s more important that someone else lost.”
Still light-headed from too much booze, Kevin opened his eyes and cleared his throat. He wanted these words to be clear. “I won’t bring you into this. I won’t tell.”
“That’s comforting.”
“I mean it. I won’t tell them about you.”
“You also said you would never go to the cops.”
“I won’t bring you into this. You have my word.”
“Why are you telling me this? You could have just gone to the cops.”
“To give you fair warning. To give you a chance to flee. I owe you that.”
“Why would I have to flee if you don’t tell anyone about me?”
“You know how it goes with cops. Some are smart, and events can go sideways. I don’t want you caught up in this.”
“Sideways. Like now. Like you crumbling. Do you really think talking to the cops is going to give you absolution?”
“I don’t know. But I deserve to be punished.”
“Did it ever occur to you that you did that girl a favor? Can you imagine what she would look like in five years? Ten years? She’s a whore. The streets eat up kids like her.”
“She was so young.”
“Her beauty was on the verge of fading. It was a mercy killing.”
“Mercy killing?”
“You do believe in an afterlife, correct?”
“What does that have to do with her?”
“She’s in a better place now. Besides, if the Almighty wanted her to live, then the cards would’ve turned differently. You would’ve won and she would still be alive. It wasn’t meant to be.”
Kevin pinched the bridge of his nose, willing the tightness in his chest to dissipate. “I don’t know . . .”
“What’re you really asking?”
Unshed tears choked his throat. “I don’t know.”
“Do you want a second chance?”
“What?”
“A
Bowman dug into his memory. “You never found any of the other gamblers?”
“No. But I did hear of a couple of gamblers that vanished in Las Vegas over a four-month period, months after my informant was murdered. That could have been the Shark cleaning up all loose ends.”
“Those gamblers could also have been men who owed money to the wrong men. It’s a high-risk business, especially when you’re losing.”
“You’re right. I have nothing linking the dead players to my informant or the girls. But again, I don’t believe in coincidences.”
Bowman also sensed these random pieces were connected. “If your informant was right, there’s one player running the games.”
“That’s my guess. And I believe the placement of this latest body in Riley’s patrol area suggests he knows who she is and he’s returned for her.”
Bowman again studied the image of the fifth victim. The only thing he was sure of now was that he wanted back in the trooper’s life.
“Protect her,” Shield said.
“Consider it done.”
Kevin held the disposable phone in his hand with his thumb hovering over the “Send” button. His stomach remained knotted after the killing, and no matter how much he tried to push the girl’s face from his mind, to exorcise the feel of the rope cutting into her neck, to shut out the sound of her last choking breaths, he could not. She haunted him. Chased him in his dreams. He’d thought killing her would be easy. She was a hopeless runaway who was selling her body on the streets. Her death shouldn’t have mattered. But it did.
Closing his eyes, he hit “Send” and slowly raised the phone to his ear. The phone rang five times, and he thought for a moment it would simply go unanswered, but then he heard a curt, “Why are you calling?”
Kevin closed his eyes. “I’m turning myself in to the cops.”
“You’re doing what?”
“I’m going to the cops. I can’t do this. I can’t live with the guilt of choking that girl to death.”
A long pause. “We made a deal. You swore secrecy.”
“I never understood why the girl had to die.”
“It’s important that I won. But it’s more important that someone else lost.”
Still light-headed from too much booze, Kevin opened his eyes and cleared his throat. He wanted these words to be clear. “I won’t bring you into this. I won’t tell.”
“That’s comforting.”
“I mean it. I won’t tell them about you.”
“You also said you would never go to the cops.”
“I won’t bring you into this. You have my word.”
“Why are you telling me this? You could have just gone to the cops.”
“To give you fair warning. To give you a chance to flee. I owe you that.”
“Why would I have to flee if you don’t tell anyone about me?”
“You know how it goes with cops. Some are smart, and events can go sideways. I don’t want you caught up in this.”
“Sideways. Like now. Like you crumbling. Do you really think talking to the cops is going to give you absolution?”
“I don’t know. But I deserve to be punished.”
“Did it ever occur to you that you did that girl a favor? Can you imagine what she would look like in five years? Ten years? She’s a whore. The streets eat up kids like her.”
“She was so young.”
“Her beauty was on the verge of fading. It was a mercy killing.”
“Mercy killing?”
“You do believe in an afterlife, correct?”
“What does that have to do with her?”
“She’s in a better place now. Besides, if the Almighty wanted her to live, then the cards would’ve turned differently. You would’ve won and she would still be alive. It wasn’t meant to be.”
Kevin pinched the bridge of his nose, willing the tightness in his chest to dissipate. “I don’t know . . .”
“What’re you really asking?”
Unshed tears choked his throat. “I don’t know.”
“Do you want a second chance?”
“What?”
“A
Similar Books
