The Acceptance

as you should—as clearly as you normally would.”

Luther glanced at Ann. Eaten up? Yeah, he was. Gaby had him twisted up in a dozen different ways. He stared at the road ahead of him. “Let’s hear it.”

And still Ann fretted before finally saying, “How did Gaby know that there was someone in that fire? No one else knew, right?”

“She claims to have this incredible intuition.” Feeling idiotic, but unable to stop his defense of Gaby, Luther attempted to explain. “You know, like a cop’s instincts that tell him something isn’t right. You’ve done it. So have I.”

“Not like that, Luther. Gaby knew someone was inside. She didn’t just suspect it.”

He didn’t have an answer for that, so he said nothing.

“And after just stumbling on that dead vagrant, how did she then go several blocks away, only to discover a pipe bomb in an old playground?”

Oh God. He should have asked himself those same questions. But when he was with Gaby, his need for her blunted his suspicions. She made him believe in her.

Probably because he so badly wanted to believe in her.

“I don’t know.” Luther shook his head, growing more tense by the moment. “It could all be bizarre circumstance.”

“I suppose that’s possible.” Ann’s hand tightened on his arm. “But, Luther, you’re a cop. You have to accept the other possibility—that Gaby knows these things, because . . .”

He didn’t want to hear it. He didn’t. “Ann—”

“She knows, because she’s the one responsible for them.”

Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck. Luther tightened his hold on the steering wheel. Acid burned his throat and his guts churned. But he needed to hear it all. “You’ve gotten to know her some, Ann. In your personal opinion, do you think she’s capable of that?”

“Capable?” She answered without equivocation. “Absolutely. I’ve never seen anyone more capable. But do I think she did it? No.”

His lungs filled. “No?”

“I was there when she stormed past that fire to save someone she didn’t know. I was there when she stood over that damned bomb. You heard from the bomb squad. If it had detonated, there would have been no more than little bits and pieces of Gaby left.”

So he wasn’t the only one under Gaby’s spell? Nice to know, but under the circumstances, not a whole lot of comfort.

“Gaby is hurting. I see that, too, Luther. And people in pain can do astounding things. Mort trusts her with his life.”

“They have a screwy friendship.” A smile took him by surprise. “Want to hear something funny? When I first met Gaby and got to know Mort, I thought they had something romantic going on.”

Ann smiled, encouraging him with her silence.

“I was jealous.” Feeling raw, Luther laughed at himself. “That’s pretty fucked up, huh?”

“You know what I think?”

He wasn’t sure he wanted to. “What?”

“I think Gaby is incapable of causing such carnage, but she knows a whole lot more than she’s telling you. And regardless of our personal feelings on it, we’re obligated to explore every possibility.”

Luther pulled up to the curb in front of Mort’s apartment building. “Meaning you want me to count her a suspect?”

“I don’t relish Mort’s reaction to such a thing. He’ll feel betrayed, and that’s sure to cause a rift between us.” She opened her seat belt. “But do we really have any choice?”

“No.” They were about to get out when a call came in.

Ann answered, saying, “Detective Kennedy.” After a moment of listening, she closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead. “I see.” She listened again, then said, “Oh God. Yeah, we’ll be right there.”

Seeing the strain on her face alerted Luther to the seriousness of the call. As soon as she disconnected, he asked, “Trouble?”

“That’s an understatement.” She looked at him with sympathy. “We have to make this visit short.”

“He got another woman?”

“No, this time it was a man. We’re being called in because he was tortured pretty badly, in a similar way to our first victim.”

Ice cut along Luther’s spine. “Where’d they find the body?”

“About two blocks from where Gaby lives.” Ann reached for his arm. “It’s worse than the female victim, though. They say this guy had his testicles and heart removed. They were left on either side of his head, so no one would miss the . . . significance.”

“Christ.” Luther looked up at the building holding Gaby. Somehow, he just knew she was involved.

“There’s more, Luther.”

Ah. Just as he figured. “There always is.”

“An anonymous source claims that Gaby fought with this guy the night before last. He said he witnessed her beating him to within an inch of his life.”

Numb, Luther looked at Ann, and asked the only thing he could think of. “Why?”

“Something about the guy abusing one of the hookers. I guess Gaby took exception to it.”

“She would.”

“The thing is . . . the witness says he overheard her threaten the guy with further punishment.”

Dread formed a cold lump in his guts. “Let me guess. She told him she’d cut off his balls?”

Ann nodded. “And carve out his heart.”

Luther scrubbed his face and laughed. “Leave it to Gaby to let her arrogance bury her neck deep in shit.”

Leaving it up to Luther, Ann asked, “What do you want to do?”

Patting Ann’s hand, he silently thanked her for the support. “Gaby’s not stupid, you know. She wouldn’t openly threaten a man, and then kill him and display him for all the world to see.”

Ann considered that. “They said the corpse is pretty mangled.”

“Yeah, and that, Gaby could do.”

At Ann’s surprise, Luther shrugged. “If the man hurt one of the prostitutes bad enough, I have no doubt Gaby would have beat him nearly to death. She’s ferocious in her protection of anyone she thinks is smaller or weaker than herself.”

“I’ve noticed that.”

Luther’s thoughts churned. “In all honesty, I believe she could even kill the guy.” He looked Ann in the eyes. “But if Gaby murdered someone, no one would ever know about it. The body would never be found.”

Refraining from judgment, Ann sat quiet.

“I guess we should go.”

“A few uniforms are holding the site for us.” She softened. “If you want to stay here to talk to Gaby, I can head over there without you—”

“Forget that.” Luther opened his door. “This is going to be quick.”

Ann hurried out of her side of the car. “And if Gaby is resistant?”

He strode toward the front door. “She won’t be. Not this time.” Luther swore it to himself, and hated what he knew he’d have to do. But damn her, she had his back against the wall.

What happened next would be on her. She’d brought this on herself.

But knowing that for truth didn’t alleviate Luther’s consuming guilt one little bit.

Chapter 14

Edginess had been creeping in on her for days. Not the feverish diminution of strength and thought that usually accompanied a true calling, but a more frenetic sensation that left her discomforted, antsy.