Prior Bad Acts

40

“HOW THE FUCK could this happen?” Kovac shouted at the uniforms. They stood in the Moores ’ study, out of the way of the crime scene team.

Kovac looked from one of the officers to the other.

“I don’t know,” the older one, MacGowan, said. “We never saw anybody go into the house. Neither did the guys ahead of us. We walked the perimeter every half hour. There weren’t any signs of trouble.”

Holding on to his head as if it might break in half, Kovac stalked away from them, turned, and stalked back. “You said you saw the nanny drive out.”

“She waved out the car window and called out ‘Coffee,’” the younger officer, Bloom, said. “She’s the nanny. What were we supposed to do?”

“You’re sure it was her?”

“A blond woman driving a Saab.”

“You didn’t stop her,” Kovac said.

“Why would we?” MacGowan said irritably, getting in Kovac’s face. “She had a pass-she was family. No one said to stop family. So get the fuck outta my face, Kovac. You’re in a suit, so you think you’re Jesus Fucking Christ-”

“Fuck yourself, MacGowan!” Kovac shouted. “You lost a judge. You let some mutt waltz out of here with the one person you’re supposed to be protecting! You’re gonna be a fucking crossing guard when this is over!”

“Gentlemen?” Lieutenant Dawes walked into the room. Her voice was calm, and such a contrast to Kovac’s that everyone took notice immediately. “Officers, wait in the hall, please. I’ll deal with you later.”

Bloom couldn’t get out fast enough. MacGowan lingered, giving Kovac attitude.

Kovac shook his head. “Go sharpen your pencil, asshole. You’ll be writing up jaywalkers till your teeth fall out.”

MacGowan made an angry gesture and walked away.

“Detective Kovac?” Dawes said.

Kovac continued huffing and puffing, pacing back and forth. “I can’t fucking believe this!”

“Sam, get a hold of yourself.” Dawes put herself in his path so that he had to pull up.

When he spoke, he lowered his voice to just below a shout. “How the hell could this happen? Cops here around the clock. The place locked down like a fortress. And someone just drives out of here with Carey Moore? Is this a fucking joke?”

“I don’t think anyone is laughing,” Dawes said. “And we should all get out our umbrellas, because there is going to be a shitstorm raining down on us from on high soon enough. I’ve already had a call from Assistant Chief Harding. There’s a mob of media outside. In the meantime, we need to get our ducks in a row and figure out what’s really happened here.”

Kovac rubbed his hands over his face and sighed, trying to will his blood pressure down. “I was here until about nine last night.”

“Doing what?”

He looked away, looked back, uncomfortable. “She told me she was going to ask her husband for a divorce. I wanted to be here in case the jerk flipped.”

Dawes lifted a brow. “How very chivalrous of you.”

“The guy is a creep, leading some kind of a double life,” Kovac said, scowling. “I didn’t want to take the chance.”

“Where did you go from here?”

“I followed the husband.”

“We had a tail on him to do that.”

“I wanted to rattle his cage,” Kovac said. “He has an apartment in Edina where he’s set up his girlfriend.”

“I’ve already checked with the officers who were here last night,” Dawes said. “They said the nanny left around ten-thirty to go to the 7-Eleven.”

“Did she tell them that specifically?”

“Yes. She backed out of the driveway, slowed as she came near their car, put down her window, and told them what she was doing.”

“Did they speak to her when she came back?”

“No. They were walking the perimeter of the property.”

“Dumb and Dumber out there in the hall said she backed out of the driveway around seven this morning, said the word ‘coffee,’ and drove away.”

“How close were they to her?”

“I don’t know.”

“Did she drive away from them or past them?”

“I don’t know.”

“Do you think the nanny could have done this?” Dawes asked.

Kovac thought about it for a moment. “I would say no. She seemed devoted to the family. But she is very protective of David Moore. She didn’t like me implying he could have had his wife attacked. They seemed a little too cozy when they came back from having breakfast yesterday. I asked her point-blank if she had something going on with him.”

“And?”

“And she denied it, but she didn’t want to look at me when she said it.”

“Do you think she could have done it?” Dawes asked again.

He tried to imagine Anka overpowering Carey.

“Physically could she do it? Probably. She’s young, looks athletic. She’s taller than Carey. And Carey was in no condition to fight,” he said. “And if the girl had a weapon-”

“Or if she didn’t have to struggle with her victim,” Dawes said.

Kovac knew what she was saying. If Carey was already dead, Anka would have had to struggle only with her employer’s corpse. She wouldn’t have had to be careful about it. Shove the body down the stairs, drag it down the hall and out through the kitchen and into the garage.

Kovac called over the lead of the crime scene people and told him to check the stairs for hair, blood, and tissue.

“I haven’t seen any blood,” he said to Dawes. “I guess she could have cleaned up.”

“We don’t know that she didn’t have help,” Dawes said. “When she left last night, she might have picked up an accomplice along with her movie and popcorn.”

Kovac sat back against the edge of David Moore’s desk and crossed his arms, thinking.

“If she had an accomplice, why would she leave the house this morning?” he asked. “It would make more sense to stay behind, play the victim.”

“Not everyone has the sly, conniving mind you do.”

“It’s a gift.”

“Possibilities other than the nanny?” Dawes asked.

“The house was locked tight,” Kovac said. “The alarm system was set. Of course, Moore would have given up the code if he sent someone here to do the job.”

He thought about that for a minute. “That’s some balls to go through with a kidnapping when the cops are already all over you like a bad rash. Moore doesn’t have a set like that; that’s for sure. He nearly pissed himself when I confronted him last night.”

“It doesn’t take much nerve at all to hire out the job,” Dawes said. “And he gave himself an alibi. He couldn’t have come back here last night without us knowing about it. The tail would have followed him over here.”

“We have to get a handle on the mystery man from the bar,” Kovac said. “If I could get Ginnie Bird alone, I’d scare a name out of her in three seconds.”

“And we still have Stan Dempsey running around,” Dawes said.

Kovac shrugged. “Why would Stan grab the nanny? Why wouldn’t he just tie her up, tape her mouth shut, and leave? He’s got no beef with the nanny. It doesn’t matter to him if she’s a witness. He’s not trying to be anonymous.”

“Where’s my daughter?” The demand came from the front hall. David Moore.

Kovac looked hard at Dawes. “You called him?”

“He’s the little girl’s father, Sam.”

“He’s a suspect!”

“We have nothing linking him to this or to the attack in the parking ramp.”

“Kate Quinn is here. She can take care of Lucy,” Kovac said. “Kate has experience with both kids and crime victims. And it turns out she knows the family.”

“That’s not the protocol,” Dawes said calmly.

“Fuck the protocol!”

Out in the hall, David Moore raised his voice. “I damn well will come into my own home!”

“I’m sorry, sir. This is a crime scene.”

Dawes went out into the hall. “It’s all right, Officer Potts. Mr. Moore, could you please join me in your den?”

Moore stepped past the uniform, drawing a bead on the lieutenant. “What the hell is going on? Where’s my daughter? Is she hurt?”

“Mr. Moore, I’m Lieutenant Dawes. Your daughter hasn’t suffered any physical injuries. I need you to calm down and understand what’s going on here before you see her.”

“I don’t care what you need, Lieutenant,” Moore said. He was red in the face and breathing hard. “I want to see my child.”

“Yeah,” Kovac cracked. “Here’s the fucking father of the year. Had to get out of bed with his prostitute girlfriend to come to his daughter’s aid.”

Dawes gave him a look. “Detective…”

Moore turned purple. “I want him off this case!” he shouted, jabbing a finger at Kovac. “I want him charged with harassment and brutality! He put his hands on me-”

Kovac rolled his eyes. “I never touched him.”

Dawes positioned herself between them and said to Moore, “Come with me, Mr. Moore. I’m sure your daughter will be happy to see you. She’s been through quite a trauma.”

“You’re certain she isn’t hurt?”

“She isn’t hurt, but she’s very upset. We don’t know what she might have seen or heard.”

“Oh, my God,” Moore breathed, following Dawes through the house to the family room.

Kovac hung back a few steps. David Moore hadn’t asked a single question about what had happened. He hadn’t expressed any interest in what might be happening to his wife.

Lucy had curled herself into a little ball on Kate Quinn’s lap. Kate held her tight and rocked her slowly back and forth.

Prior to Kate’s arrival, Lucy had clung to Kovac like a limpet, refusing to leave his arms for the EMT who had come to look her over for injuries. She had kept her little face pressed against his neck, sobbing. It had surprised him how emotionally difficult it had been for him to let go of her. He felt an obligation to protect her, to make her feel safe.

Now Moore rushed across the room. “Lucy!”

He hit his knees as the child climbed down and raced into his arms, the tears coming again on a new wave of hysteria.

Kate rose from the sofa, five feet nine inches of gorgeous legs, and a head of lush red hair. Kovac had known her for years, had had a crush on her most of that time. They didn’t come any more no-nonsense than Kate. She looked down at David Moore like he was turd on the carpet.

“She was calming down,” she said.

“Has she said anything about what happened?” Kovac asked.

Kate shook her head as she walked over to him with her arms crossed. Kovac recognized the look. She was pissed off. He wondered how much Carey might have confided in her regarding her marriage.

“She hasn’t said a word,” Kate said softly. “I wouldn’t count on her talking about this for a long time.”

“Do you think she witnessed the abduction?”

“Part of it, anyway. She’s terrified. This isn’t just about waking up and not finding anybody home.”

“We need to know what she knows,” Kovac said. “And I don’t want Moore anywhere near her when we ask those questions. In fact, I don’t want Moore anywhere near her, period.”

“Me neither,” Kate said. “But he is her father. Whatever else David might be, he is good at that. I’m sure Lucy will want to stay with him.”

Kovac looked to Dawes. “How are we supposed to get an answer out of her with Moore right there? He’s at the top of the suspect list, for God’s sake.”

“We can’t question a child without a parent or guardian present,” Dawes insisted.

“Don’t you need David to stay here in case there’s a ransom call?” Kate asked.

“Absolutely,” Kovac said.

She nodded and went back over to Moore, who was rocking his daughter back and forth as she cried. She knelt down beside them and started speaking quietly.

“David, things are going to stay crazy here all day, and probably beyond that. And I know the police are going to need you to be here in case there’s a call from the kidnappers. Why don’t I take Lucy to my house? She’ll be in a safe, familiar environment. Maybe she’ll be able to get some rest.”

Kovac tipped his head toward Dawes. “I guess that’s one way to do it.”

“As opposed to what?”

“Kicking his ass.”