She stared at him, struggling to mesh realities.
“Levi?”
He held her as she relaxed involuntarily into his arms. “I’ve been waiting for you for eighteen years, Grace.”
“What?”
Instead of answering, he scooped her up in his arms and laid her in the trunk of her own car. She stared up at his smiling face as he slammed the lid closed.
Rokov got the call fifteen minutes after he’d hung up with Charlotte. Annoyed, tired, and frustrated as he sped toward the carnival, he’d snapped into the phone, “Rokov.”
“This is Garrison.”
He shoved out a breath. “Yeah.”
“A patrol returned to the carnival. They found a body.”
His thoughts jumped to Charlotte. “Who?” “Lonnie White. His throat was cut.”
“Was there any sign of Charlotte?”
“No. Why would there be?”
“She called me just minutes ago and told me she was looking for Grady. She thought he could help us find Sooner.”
Garrison hesitated, clearly detecting the concern and familiarity. “According to patrol, they spotted a black BMW driving away from the scene.”
“Charlotte drives a BMW.”
“A man was behind the wheel.”
He took the carnival exit. “I’m almost at the carnival.”
“Good, because patrol opened Grady’s trailer searching for the killer. And they found some disturbing images. News articles on several murdered women. And Levi Kane.”
“Levi Kane?”
Garrison shoved out a breath. “Yeah. The prosecutor, who is not answering his cell, home, or office phones. In fact, I am standing in his office and have spoken to the night security guards. He’s not logged in the building for two days.”
“What about his home address?”
“Kier and I can be there in fifteen minutes.”
“I’ll search Grady’s trailer.”
“I’ll call you as soon as I know something.”
Rokov hung up his phone and pulled into the carnival parking lot, now filled with a half-dozen cop cars with flashing lights. He showed his identification and rushed toward the yellow crime scene tape. A white, bloodied sheet covered Lonnie’s body.
He moved past the scene to Grady’s trailer, where a uniformed officer stood guard. He showed his badge and identified himself before gaining admittance.
The trailer wasn’t large. There was a front section with a bed covered with rumpled blankets, a small galley kitchen along the wall, a bathroom with dozens of prescription bottles on the sink, and in the back a larger space with a table and several bench chairs around it. Spread on the table were dozens of articles featuring murders over the last eighteen years. He recognized the two murders that had been picked up by ViCap, but there were others that hadn’t been gathered by the system. Not surprising considering they were all in small towns.
Why had Grady saved the articles? Was he the killer or working with the killer? Shit. Mariah was the first to die. And now he was back and two other women had died.
Garrison and Kier arrived at Kane’s home just after four in the morning. The Kane home was a neat suburban white clapboard house on a small green lawn. Leaves peppered the neat front yard. There were pumpkins on the front steps, mock spiderwebs strewn across the bushes, and a ghost made out of an old sheet dangling from an oak.
Garrison checked his watch and then moved to the front door and rang the bell. Several seconds passed and there was no sign of movement. He rang the bell again. Finally, a light flickered on and he heard footsteps. The footsteps paused at the front door and he stood in front of the peephole with his badge held high.
“Alexandria Police,” he said.
The door opened to a small, fragile woman. A thick well-worn robe swallowed her slim body, and dark hair framed a pale face. She held a metal baseball bat in her hands. “Can I help you?”
“I’m Detective Garrison with the Alexandria Police. This is my partner, Detective Kier. Is Mr. Kane at home?”
She frowned and lowered the bat. “Levi moved out over three months ago. I can give you the address of his apartment.”
Kier glanced at Garrison, his shock mirrored his own face. “I saw him at a fund-raiser last night. He said you weren’t there because one of the kids was sick. He gave us the impression that you were happily married.”
She glanced behind her as if fearing the noise would have awoken the children. “I’ve told him to stop doing that. I’ve told him our marriage can’t be fixed. But he won’t leave me alone.”
“What has he done?”
“Someone broke into my house the other night. They stole jewelry, set the box on the floor, and urinated on it. I knew he could be foul, but he has no limits.”
Garrison flexed his fingers. “Did you call the police?” “No. Levi has too many connections. Why are you asking about Levi?”
Levi is a person of interest in a missing persons case.”
“What? Who?”
“Charlotte Wellington. She’s a defense attorney.”
“I know who she is.”
“How?” Garrison said.
She set the bat down. “Levi used to speak about her often.”
“What did he say?”
“He didn’t like her. He thought she manipulated the law.” She twisted the ties of her robe in her hands. “He called her a witch.”
“Witch,” Garrison said. “Are you sure about that?”
“Yes. I’m sure.” Thin lips flattened. “Levi never dealt well with strong women. I’m hardly what anyone would consider aggressive, and we even had our issues.”
“Can you tell us what they were?” Kier said. “I wouldn’t ask but this is important.”
“It doesn’t matter. All that matters is that I convinced him to leave.”
“How?” Kier demanded.
“I found some things in the basement. Terrible things. I found an attorney and gave what I discovered to him. I told Levi if he didn’t leave, I’d go to the media.”
“What did you find?”
“Photos of women.”
“Who?”
“I don’t know who they were. They appeared to be asleep.”
“Asleep or dead?” Kier said.
Her shoulders stiffened. “I don’t know for sure. But it was enough to make Levi leave.”
“You said he came back?”
Her lips flattened. “Yes.”
“Who has the pictures now?”
“Like I said, my attorney.” Her gaze narrowed. “Where is Levi?”
“Why didn’t you come to the police?” Garrison said.
“Because they were just pictures, and there is no proof that Levi took them. And like I said, he has connections.”
“Do you have any idea where he might be if not at his apartment?” Garrison said.
“I don’t know.”
“I think you do,” Kier said.
She pursed her lips. “I should get my attorney.”
Garrison leaned forward, using the full measure of his height to intimidate her. “You should get an attorney because I am going to prove that you knew those women weren’t sleeping but dead.”
“I didn’t know.”
“You’ve lived with the guy for how long? A decade? You are clearly afraid of him so you know what he can do.”
She shoved a trembling hand through her hair. “Our marriage is in trouble. That doesn’t mean anything.”
“And yet you had to blackmail him into leaving.” Garrison shook his head. “I’m going to arrest you if you don’t tell me what you know about Levi.”
“I’m trying to protect my children.”
“You won’t be able to protect them from jail,” Garrison said.
Tears welled in her eyes. But he had no pity for her. She held evidence that could have prevented the murders of two women. “Where are the photos?”
“Max Green. He’s in Fairfax.” She rattled off the address.
r /> Garrison wrote it down. “Does Levi have a place where he goes?”
“His father had a house. Levi inherited it a couple of years ago when his father died.”
“Where?”
“In Manassas. It’s a small house in an old neighborhood. I asked him several times to sell it but he refused.”
“What else can you tell me about your husband?” When she hesitated, he said, “We think he has Charlotte as well as a young woman named Sooner.”
She wrung her hands together then gathered the folds of her robe tighter. “He’s disturbed. I always thought he was quirky early in our marriage, and it didn’t bother me. Since his dad died, it’s gotten worse.”
“What about his mother?”
“I never knew her. She died when he was young, but there was no love lost between his father and his mother. Mr. Kane hated his late wife.”
“What else can you tell me about Kane?”
“He reads a great deal about the occult. Witches. In fact, if he saw the Halloween decorations here, he’d have a fit. This is the first year the kids have celebrated Halloween.”
Garrison’s pulse pounded in his head. As he and Kier raced to the car, he dialed dispatch and asked for squad cars to come to the Kane house. He then spoke to Rokov and told him what was happening. “Kier and I are headed to Manassas. I’ll call Fairfax Police and alert them.”
“Tell them not to go in hot,” Rokov said. “I don’t know what this guy is going to do if he hears sirens.”