Amanda reminded Mike Greene of the killing ground in Colorado and told him about the killing ground in Peru. She also told him her dream about the blood-filled coffee cup and what it meant.
It's possible, McCarthy said when she was through, but there's nowhere near enough for an indictment.
There's no concrete evidence at all, Mike added.
I know, Amanda answered, her voice unsteady but filled with determination. That's why you have to let me get you your evidence.
Chapter 64
God, it's good to see you, Tony, Amanda said, reaching up to give him a hug. Thanks for letting me stay here.
In a van parked on a side road a short distance from Tony's house, Alex DeVore, Sean McCarthy and Mike Greene heard every word broadcast through the listening devices that had been planted while Fiori was at the hospital.
To tell the truth, I haven't felt like staying alone, either, since I heard Cardoni escaped.
We probably don't have anything to worry about. Sean McCarthy's convinced that Cardoni is long gone.
You wouldn't be staying here if you believed that.
Amanda smiled coyly. I might have ulterior motives.
You are such a slut.
Tony put his hands around Amanda's waist, pulled her close and kissed her. She pulled back slightly, and he looked confused.
Everything all right?
Sure, she said, fighting to keep from sounding nervous. Cardoni's escape just has me rattled. Say, I' m starving. What's for dinner?
Veal piccata, but I just got home fifteen minutes ago, so I don't have dinner up yet.
Busy day at the hospital? Amanda asked, to keep Tony talking.
It was a madhouse. All anyone was talking about was Cardoni's killing spree. Then we had a five-car pileup on the interstate.
Amanda followed Tony into the kitchen. He filled a pot of water, then took two strips of veal scaloppini out of a shopping bag and laid them between sheets of wax paper.
I may have proof of Cardoni's guilt soon, Amanda said as Tony pounded the veal lightly to flatten it.
Oh?
Bobby Vasquez discovered two murders that occurred in Oregon that are very similar to the killings in Milton County and the murders at the farm.
No kidding. When was this?
One woman was killed seventeen years ago and the other sixteen years ago.
Where were the murders?
The Ghost Lake ski resort. The women were found in the forest, half a mile from one of the runs. This could have been Cardoni's first killing ground, so he may not have been as careful as he is now.
Tony blended flour with salt and pepper, then dipped the meat in the mixture until there was a light coating of flour on the veal.
Did you tell McCarthy that Cardoni accused me? he asked casually.
No. Why should I waste his time with that ridiculous story? Cardoni was just desperate. He even claimed that he was drugged when he was at Justine's house. He wanted me to have the blood that was drawn prior to his operation screened for tranquilizers.
Who was supposed to have drugged him? Me? Tony asked as he put olive oil and butter in a skillet, placed the skillet on a burner on the stove and turned on the heat under the pot of water.
Yeah, Amanda answered, shaking her head in disbelief. He said that he was coming to when you shot him.
Coming at me is more like it. What did McCarthy think about that little gem?
I didn't mention it to him. Like I said, why waste his time with Cardoni's crap? Amanda shook her head. I do have to give Cardoni credit, though. He had me going for a minute.
You've got to be kidding.
He's a skilled liar, Tony. You have no idea how convincing he can be.
Tony looked alarmed. You actually thought I ... that I could do that?
No, but he made a pretty good case against you.
How, if I didn't do it?
Whether you did it or not is irrelevant. Lawyers convince juries all the time that things that didn't happen are true. Amanda smiled. I bet I could convince you that you're guilty, using my exceptional forensic skills.
Bullshit.
That's not a challenge, is it?
Loser does the dishes.
You're on.
Okay, Ally McJaffe. Prove I did it.
Let's see. Amanda stroked her chin dramatically. First, there's the killing ground in Colorado.
What killing ground?
It was on the list that Bobby Vasquez compiled for me of murder cases with MOs similar to the Oregon cases. The bodies of several torture victims were found on farmland near Boulder. The farm was purchased using the MO used to purchase the farmhouse in Multnomah County and the home in Milton County.
How does that prove I' m a killer? Tony asked with a skeptical smile.
You were a ski instructor in Colorado, and you went to school at the University of Colorado at Boulder.
That's true, but Cardoni worked in Denver. And, come to think of it, so did Justine. You won't get much mileage out of that point. Next?
The water started to boil. Tony turned the heat up under the skillet.
There's the coffee mug.
Tony looked puzzled. What coffee mug?
The one the police found at the cabin in Milton County.
What about it?
The police never told the press or the public that Cardoni's prints were on it.
So?
You knew.
I did?
Four years ago, at your house, we were talking about Cardoni's case after dinner. I told you about serial killer profiles, and I mentioned that organized nonsocials have active fantasy lives that enable them to visualize their crimes in advance. I said that this trait helped them anticipate errors that could lead to their capture. You commented that Cardoni did not anticipate the errors that led to his capture. You said that it was really dumb to leave a scalpel and a coffee mug with his fingerprints at the scene of the crime.
I don't remember saying that.
Well, you did.
Come on. Tony laughed. How can you possibly remember what we talked about four years ago?
Amanda stopped smiling. It was our first date, Tony. I remember everything about it. I was really taken with you and replayed the evening in my head a lot of times. It meant something to me.
Well, you got the conversation wrong. I never mentioned anything about a coffee mug. I don't think I even knew the cops found a mug at the cabin, unless you told me about it. That might be where I heard about it, if I did. You said yourself that we talked about the case.
The butter and olive oil were heating up, and Tony put the veal in the sizzling pan.
There was another killing ground in Peru.
Tony froze.
Cardoni was living in the States when the victims disappeared and Justine was never in Peru, but you were in medical school in Lima then.
There were similar murders when I was studying in Peru?
