“No, that’s everything,” Sanchez replied.
“Do you remember what the note said?”
Sanchez ran a hand though his salt and pepper hair. “I will never forget it. It said: ‘What was innocent is no longer. What was beautiful is now ugly.’ ”
“Fuck,” Sin mouthed. “That was Miranda’s first mention of Blake’s poem. It’s twisted, but it’s a definite link.”
Sanchez nodded. “Look, I know I screwed up back then, and I’ve lived my life trying to make up for that mistake.
“When I heard about the note the Painted Beauty Killer had left behind on the first victim, I called Charlie and told him everything. Your name came up during that conversation. He said you were a pit bull—someone who wouldn’t stop until justice was served. That’s when I contacted Frank and asked for you to take the case from Rand.”
Sin was about to respond when Trudy and a gentleman walked out of the kitchen towards their table.
Sanchez stood to greet them. “Ramon, Trudy, it’s been a long time.”
“Si,” Ramon replied. He reached out and shook Sanchez’s hand. “What brings you back?”
Sin stood and stuck out her hand. She introduced herself and the others to Ramon and Trudy. It was clear that Ramon was not falling for her “sweetness,” so she decided to change tactics.
She passed them a picture of Miranda; the photo of the portrait that Joel had painted. “Necesitamos su ayuda. Esta mujer ha desaparecido y creemos que podría estar en esta zona. ¿La has visto?” We need your help. This woman has disappeared and we believe she might be in this area. Have you seen her?
Sin’s Spanish seemed to warm the chill in the air. Ramon reached out and took the photo. Both he and Trudy looked at it briefly before he handed it back.
“That’s Joanna Ash,” he said. “She is older, but so are we. She was very nice to us after…everything that happened.”
“How so?” Sanchez said.
“About a month after Vincent’s death, she came to the diner and told us how sorry she was. She cried and mourned with our family. She ate all her meals here for a week and then we never saw her again.”
That bitch, Sin thought, she was gloating in their misery and they didn’t even know it.
Ramon eyed the group. “Why are you here dredging up these painful memories?”
“You might not believe it but they are painful for me, also.”
Trudy ran her callused fingers down Sanchez’s face. “Even though you did not know Melody for very long, I could tell that you cared for her. I’m sorry that her parents blamed you for her death. It wasn’t right.”
So that’s why he left the Bureau, Sin thought.
Sin handed Ramon a business card. “Joanna is suspected of some art forgery, and we were just wondering if you’d seen her. If you do, we would appreciate you giving us a call.”
Ramon placed the card in his pocket and agreed.
62
Back at the hotel, the team mapped out their strategy.
“The city records show the house was sold to J&J Holding back in 2008. It’s been vacant ever since,” Sin said.
“J&J? Interesting company name,” Fletcher said.
“Yeah, I thought the same thing.”
“J&J; Joanna and Joel,” Garcia nodded.
“Damn that sniper intuition,” Sin smirked. “Nothing gets by you.”
Fletcher chuckled at Garcia’s expense, but they were soon right back in work mode.
“What’s your plan, Boss Lady?” Garcia asked.
“Straight in, straight out,” Sin said.
“Care to clue me in on your vernacular,” Sanchez said. A look of confusion washed over his face.
“Fletcher and I will approach the front of the house and make our way straight up the stairs. You will give us a thirty second head start and guard our backside. Garcia will take the same perch he had earlier today and wait for my signal.”
“Signal for what?” Sanchez asked.
“I’m hoping to maneuver Miranda to one of the windows. Once I do, I will signal Garcia to take her out.”
Sanchez appeared shocked by Sin’s words. “Take her out! What happened to taking her in?”
Sin looked up from the photos and burned a fiery stare into Sanchez. “We take her in and then what? She pleads insanity. God knows, she will probably be granted it, and then she spends the rest of her life and millions of tax dollars living in some fucking country club for the rest of her life. I don’t think so.”
“But—”
“But nothing! You said it yourself. Charlie told you that if you wanted justice, I was your ‘go to’ person. If I can get Miranda to confess to the murders, I will signal Garcia. If I can’t, we take her in. It’s that simple.”
Sanchez shook his head and pounded his fist on the table. “This is not what I signed up for.”
“You didn’t sign up for shit. No one asked you to come.”
Sin reached over and dragged her gun belt from her chair. She strapped it on, never moving her gaze from Sanchez. “If you don’t like it, then go the fuck home where you belong,” Sin said.
Fletcher and Garcia grabbed their weapons and followed Sin out the door, neither of them taking even a scant glance at Sanchez as they did.
63
Just after ten p.m., Sin and Fletcher were in front of an apartment building a couple streets down from Miranda’s suspected location. Garcia chimed into their earpieces stating he saw a light coming from the apartment.
“We can see the house from our location,” Sin said. “The entire house is lit up from the front side.”
“The house is supposed to be vacant except for Miranda, why are lights on in the other apartments?” Sanchez radioed.
Sin’s pulse started to speed up. She knows we’re here, she thought. Hearing footsteps, she turned and saw Sanchez approaching.
“Didn’t expect to see you here,” Sin said.
“Wasn’t planning on coming. I got a call just before I left for the airport. A call from Trudy. She said that Joanna, I mean Miranda, showed up for dinner. Trudy
