Wild Card

Fuller stepped aside, and Romero took his spot. He was over six feet tall, and built like a linebacker. For a big guy, his voice was unusually soft, and every cop in the room leaned forward to hear what he had to say.

“These women were all starved to death,” Romero said, his hands stuck in his pockets. “As some of you might know, starvation can take five or even six days, sometimes longer. These young women all died painfully. We’re dealing with one sick bastard here, and we’re hoping you can help us catch this guy. Thank you.”

Romero relinquished the floor to Banko. The chief asked if anyone had questions. He got no takers, and escorted the FBI agents from the room.

The cops began filing out, with no one saying a word. Soon the room was empty, save for Valentine and his partner. Doyle rose from his chair while Valentine remained seated, staring at the blank movie screen.

“Give me a minute,” Valentine said.

“Something wrong?

“I'm not sure.”

Valentine shut his eyes and focused on the darkness. It made him relax, and he felt his body melt into the chair. It was like being in a trance, and something he’d been doing since he was a kid. Doyle’s brother, a priest, called them epiphanies. All Valentine knew was that when he had them, the world always seemed a little clearer.

A minute later Valentine opened his eyes. Doyle was still there waiting for him. He stared at the blank movie screen, still seeing the faces of the three victims. He ticked off their names in his head: Mary Ann Crawford, Melissa Edwards, Connie Howard. It was an old trick a homicide cop had taught him. Remember their names, and you’ll always remember their faces.

“You going to tell me what’s wrong?” his partner asked.

“The FBI has got this case all wrong,” Valentine said.

“How the heck do you know that?”

“Because I saw this guy on a surveillance tape. He was in the casino, hunting a victim.”

“When was this?”

“Back when Higgins was in town.”

“Why is the FBI wrong? What did they miss?”

The FBI knew a lot about serial killers, but they didn’t know much about Atlantic City. Valentine had begged Banko to put him on the case a few weeks ago. Now, Banko was going to wish he had.

“He’s picking up his victims inside the casino,” Valentine explained. “We’re probably seeing him on the surveillance cameras, and not realizing it.”

“How can you be certain of that, Tony?” Doyle asked him. “Maybe he picked up one victim inside a casino, and met another in a bar, or the grocery store.”

Valentine shook his head. Doyle had missed it, and so had every other cop sitting in the room. He pushed himself out of his chair, and walked out of the room with his partner. “I need to talk to these FBI agents before they leave.”

“Sure. Just do me a favor.”

“What’s that?”

“Don’t say anything to these guys you’ll later regret.”

Valentine slapped his partner on the shoulder. Doyle knew him too well.

“I’ll be on my best behavior.”

Chapter 10

Valentine searched the station house for Fuller and Romero. The cafeteria was empty, and so were the other areas where cops hung out. Finally he asked Joe at the front desk, who was still reading his paper.

“They walked out the front door five minutes ago,” the desk sergeant said.

Valentine found the agents in the visitor’s section of the parking lot, sitting in a blue Chevy with government-issued plates. They were having a conversation, and he hesitated before going to the driver’s window, and tapping the glass with his wedding ring. The window lowered, and Fuller stuck his head out.

“What can I do for you?” Fuller said.

“We need to talk about the Dresser,” Valentine said.

The agents followed him back inside. Valentine wasn’t sure what the protocol was when dealing with FBI agents, so he got Banko to join him in the meeting room. Fuller and Romero sat in the front row with their overcoats draped over their laps. Neither man had uttered a word since getting out of the Chevy, and stared at him with blank faces.

“I hope you guys aren’t easily offended,” Valentine said.

“Depends whose doing the offending,” Fuller said.

“Your victims are all hookers,” Valentine said. “These girls came here because the casino is drawing hookers from all over the northeast. The Dresser is after hookers.”

For a long moment, neither agent acknowledged him.

“How can you know that?” Romero asked.

“All three victims recently moved here,” Valentine said. “ I’m assuming you got their occupations from their parents. Well, they lied to their parents. Atlantic City has a thirty percent unemployment rate, the highest in the nation. There are no jobs for models or beauticians. The only jobs are in the casinos, or working the street.”

“That’s a pretty big leap,” Fuller said.

Valentine hesitated, then told them what he was really thinking. “I think I saw the Dresser pick up a hooker.”