sea or sky gave her reply….
Early the Next Day in Coudriet’s Office
Women all over Miami and the state of Florida were now being more cautious, for the Miami Herald and the six o’clock news had carried Patric Allain’s likeness into the homes of anyone whose newspaper subscription hadn’t lapsed or who owned a TV set. Armed with the knowledge that Allison Norris, Tammy Sue Sheppard, the more recently identified Kathy Harmon and others like them were abducted through chicanery and charm at local seaside restaurants along the Intracoastal Waterway, police officials had stepped up their surveillance of the area and had gone in with a vengeance, questioning bartenders, employees and frequent patrons of such establishments. Jessica Coran had contacted Inspector Nigel Moyler again, only to learn that there was no record of a Patric
Allain, and that the closest match was an arrest record of a Patricia Allain, an alias for a prostitute whose real name was Madeleine Tauman. She electronically asked Moyler if his killer had used a boat for his deviant operations.
Moyler’s response came up on the computer screen as “Never any killing ground located; however, it was theorized killer used a boat of some sort, yes.”
Jessica sent a reply immediately: “It’s almost a foregone conclusion here that our killer is using a boat as his killing ground. Please, see what you can learn about Patricia Allain. Long shot, but we haven’t much else to go on here.”
“ Right, and good luck. End transmission.”
The moment she ended the E-mail transmission with Moyler, Eriq Santiva entered Coudriet’s office. Livid, Eriq repeatedly slapped a copy of the Miami Herald into the palm of his hand. ‘ ‘Just who the hell gave you the authority to release this information, Dr. Coran? It’s all over the wire services, on every damned network in the nation now. Are you crazy or just an egoistic-”
“ So shoot me, Eriq.”
“ Don’t tempt me! What were you thinking? I gave you a direct order to stand down on this information until you heard otherwise from me. You know this is going to hurt us both, and you in particular, in Washington.”
“ So I’ll bleed some, but maybe in the interim, we’ve saved a life?”
“ Don’t count on it. Damnit, you might’ve at least consulted with me first.”
“ We did consult!”
“ Again then! This going over my head, looks… looks…”
“ I’m sorry if it makes you look bad, Eriq. If it hurts your male ego. That wasn’t my intention.”
“ It makes it appear that we’re at cross-purposes, Doctor.”
“ Well, maybe we are.”
He stared hard at her, fighting to control his emotions, gripping at the back of a chair, his knuckles white against his Latin skin. “Appearances are important, Jessica. You know that, I know that. I asked for a day, a lousy day, and you stab me in the back?”
“ Damnit, Eriq, it isn’t about you; it isn’t about me. It’s about the truth and the out there”-she pointed to the windows-”remember? Remember our obligation to the truth, and to people outside these walls?”
“ Nice sentiments, Jess, but-”
“- And it’s about saving lives,” she continued without a blink, her hands raised to him. “Besides, you led me to believe that the composite would at the very least go out to authorities up and down the coast.”
“ Save your crusading, Doctor. We both know this will likely send our man into hiding, possibly never to be seen again.”
“ We don’t know that, and I don’t believe it-not this guy. He’s too interested in communicating with us, and he’s out of control.”
“ You don’t know what’s going on in this madman’s brain; you can’t know it. You’re not psychic and you’re not inside his head, Jess.”
“ I know he’s still got two more verses to write.”
“ What?” Santiva was incredulous.
“ The e. j. hellering poem; he’ll have to complete it. He’ll contact us again, and he’ll go on killing.”
“ So, now you do believe you’re capable of reading his mind?”
“ Maybe… maybe…”
Santiva’s pride had obviously been badly bruised, but he was fighting to keep his calm and rational exterior intact. To this end, he now paced like a caged lion back and forth, holding his grinding teeth tightly together. Jessica appreciated this great effort.
To keep him focused, she began telling him what was in her mind. “I’ve struggled to hold up a mirror to this maniacal killer, to see him at close range, to understand him, as I’ve understood other monsters I’ve had to cope with over the years, and believe me, doing so is no simple or easy task. In fact, it costs me a great deal of sleep. Makes a person no longer at ease with herself to think like this creature, but it’s the only damned way I know to catch such a monster. You’ve got to go through the looking glass.”
“ And so… what does your mirror tell you?”
“ It’s cracked, spiderwebbed, difficult to see through, but if you want proof we’re on to the right man, take a look at this.” She held up the faxed copy of the sketch that Moyler had forwarded. “I faxed what we have to Scotland Yard. You’ll want to see what their response has been.”
She now laid out all that Inspector Nigel Moyler had shared with her.
“ Coincidence, maybe? Most likely?” he wondered aloud as his eyes played over the information.
“ A big coincidence, if you’re asking me. Look, Eriq, if it’s the same killer-”
“ Big if. To go along with your big coincidence. Crap like this happens in the movies, on TV, in novels, Jess, but like this, laying it all right in our laps? Hardly likely.”
“ Who says anything’s been laid in our laps? Look, just suppose for a moment that our killer and Moyler’s is the same guy. He starts with prostitutes in London, and he’s since decided that we’re all whores, especially those of us of a type he fancies. I just believe that in this instance, women of the victim type, in particular in this city, have a right to know that they-as a group-have been targeted by this madman and are being stalked by him as we speak, Eriq.”
He stared long and hard at her. Jessica matched his intensity in her hard glowering eyes. “Do you have any idea the trouble you’ve caused?”
“ I have a notion, yes.”
“ You’ve placed me in a difficult position with a lot of people, Jessica. And you didn’t factor in the political ramifications of your actions.”
“ Oh, please! Don’t talk politics to me when life and death are at stake!” she exploded, but he held up a restraining hand to her and pushed on.
“ In my office, I’ve got to consider all the ripples in the pond every bloody waking moment, and sometimes in my damned sleep, so pardon me if I seem a bit upset, okay?”
“ My intention didn’t factor in your comfort, Eriq.”
“ Damnit, it’s not just my comfort I’m talking about. We’re talking about power, government contracts, defense spending.”
“ You’re talking about the new U.S. payroll centers which may be slated to be built here if government bigwigs are sold on the area.” The local newscasts and the papers were full of the story of how Miami was vying with other major American cities to build three U.S. payroll centers in the Miami-Dade area, which meant lucrative government jobs.
“ It means seven thousand federal jobs with salaries and benefits averaging out at thirty-five thousand dollars. That’s one hell of an economic boost, Jess. It means a better way of life for a lot of people here. Nothing this big has come along for Miami in a decade. Depending on its size, a single payroll center could pump between sixty and two hundred million a year in direct earnings into the local economy. And in an economy that’s supported almost solely on tourism, such an infusion of dollars means a gilded future for our friends in high places here. But, bottom line, it also means one hell of a payroll for the city.”
“ And Miami stands to lose it all because of the Night Crawler.”
“ Exactly. A city’s image is everything.”
“ Yeah, more important than its life’s blood, obviously.”
