Lullabies & Dead Bodies, page 32
“Shit,” Isaac mumbled. They started for the street, and Isaac noticed for the first time that the gunfire had stopped. He looked around just in time to see Gavin Hayes escorting the Deputy Chief out of his house in handcuffs. Another officer followed with a handcuffed older woman Isaac could only assume was his wife, Patricia.
“How could you have done this, Jay?” Gavin asked as he led the man to a cruiser. “Jeffery is responsible for fifteen murders that we know of. Sixteen if you include your own daughter. And you have aided and abetted him.”
“I never aided or abetted! You think I helped him kill those girls? My baby girl?”
“You protected him, Jay!”
“He’s my son, Gavin! What would you have done if it was Trey, huh?”
“Trey and I have talked about this since he was a very young boy. I’ve told him that if he ever gets into trouble with drugs, with gangs, with whatever, and I find out about it… I will turn him in. It’s a conversation that’s helped me keep him on the straight and narrow all these years.”
The pride in Gavin’s voice was evident, and Isaac couldn’t blame him. His boss had every right to be proud of his son. Trey was a good kid.
“Well then I guess you’re just a better father than I am.”
“It’s not a contest, Jay. You’re going to prison. You, your wife, and your son. And sixteen little girls are dead. Was it worth all that?”
“He’s my son. And I’m not saying another word without my lawyer.”
Gavin stuffed the man into a marked cruiser, and Isaac watched Jay Schiffer through the back window thinking about what a waste it all was. The Deputy Chief had thrown away a stellar career all to protect a son who would never fully appreciate the sacrifice. A son who had already departed this world and crawled back to the depths of hell.
26
The waiting area of the emergency room was overflowing with people. From plain-clothed detectives to uniformed beat cops, every corner of the small space was occupied by law enforcement, including a handful of federal suits.
Isaac hated these types of gatherings. First of all, the space was always tight whenever a cop had been shot. Way too many chances for someone to accidentally brush up against him. But more importantly, there were too many raw emotions bouncing around. Never good for someone with an over-developed sense of empathy.
The collective vibe in the room was oppressively depressing. The sadness, the worry… it all stirred together in a big cauldron of despair, and Isaac found himself actively working to push those emotions away. He closed his eyes and tried building a wall in his mind, the way his grandfather had been teaching him.
It was one of those tricks Sterling said he’d learned from his mother when he was a boy. One of the many tricks he’d never gotten the chance to teach Isaac before now. Not with the way Isaac’s dad had purposely kept them apart for so many years.
Seated in one of the not-so-comfortable chairs with Pete and Gavin on either side of him, he envisioned himself piling one cement block on top of another, building the wall higher and higher in his mind, like Sterling had instructed. He wasn’t sure why it worked, but the higher he built that wall the easier it became to sit among his fellow cops and wait for word without being overwhelmed by the heavy weight of their heightened emotions.
“I can’t believe that son of a bitch is really gone.”
Isaac opened his eyes and glanced to his right where Gavin sat shaking his head.
“I would’ve preferred to have him in custody so he could answer for his many crimes, but I’m glad we won’t have to worry about him possibly getting free and terrorizing our city anymore.”
Isaac only nodded, sharing his lieutenant’s sentiments. He waited for Gavin to say more, but his boss’ attention seemed pulled in another direction. Directly across from where they sat, Gerri Miller was folded into a chair. She looked like a lost little girl, frightened and alone. Her gaze rested on her own hands, still covered in her partner’s drying blood.
“I’m worried about her,” Isaac whispered. “Has she said a word to anyone since we got here?”
Pete shook his head. “Not that I’ve seen.”
“I’ll go see about her.”
Gavin stood and took a deep breath. Then he motioned to the uniform sitting next to Gerri. The officer got up and moved, vacating his seat. Isaac watched as Gavin took tentative steps toward her, then sat down and leaned in close. He couldn’t hear what his boss was saying to the distraught detective, but he saw silent tears roll slowly down her cheeks.
“Curt Dorn is a son of a bitch most of the time, but he’s a good cop.” Isaac kept his voice low so only Pete could hear him. “He doesn’t deserve this.”
“No, he doesn’t,” Pete responded. Then he looked at Isaac. “And I can’t help wondering who actually pulled that trigger. I mean… correct me if I’m wrong, but Jeffery Schiffer didn’t have a gun when you tackled him, right?”
Isaac shook his head.
“No. Not until he grabbed mine. Which means the deputy chief most likely fired on other officers. All to try and help his son evade the law.”
“Man!”
It was Pete’s only reply, and Isaac understood. What more was there to say? How could an officer sink so low?
“Isaac?”
Sidney’s voice was a welcome note of light amid the darkness they were shrouded in, and Isaac was glad he’d called her on the way to the hospital. He hadn’t asked her to come, but he was more than happy to see her.
He stood and wrapped his arms around her, feeling instantly better equipped to build that mental wall he’d been working on.
“Any word?”
“Not yet.”
He looked up to see an older couple rush in dragging their panic behind them in frantic, jerky movements. They zeroed in on Gerri, who stood and fell into their arms.
“Oh, God, I’m so sorry, Anna! I tried to stop the bleeding. I tried so hard!”
“Shhh. Honey we know you did everything you could.”
“Who are they?” Sidney whispered.
“Must be Curt’s parents, I’d imagine.”
The man and woman both hugged Gerri tight while Gavin stood by watching. Then he shook the man’s hand and said a few words that Isaac couldn’t hear.
The group sat down, other officers moving aside, giving up their seats so that Curt’s parents could sit. Mrs. Dorn held tight to Gerri’s bloody hands as they waited in silence. Isaac held Sidney’s hand, absorbing the calming energy she always brought him.
The waiting room grew quiet, and tight with tension. But they didn’t wait long before a doctor emerged from around a corner and headed straight for their vigil.
Curt’s parents stood, moving in eagerly, as everyone else did the same.
“The bullet all but severed Detective Dorn’s carotid artery,” the doctor said. “The pressure applied to his wound in the field kept him alive for as long as it could have, but we were never able to get him stable enough to make it to the O.R. There was just too much damage. He bled out in the trauma room. I’m so sorry.”
Dead silence followed. Then a high-pitched scream pierced the stillness.
Curt’s mother screamed again and fainted, caught by her husband and a nearby detective before she could hit the floor.
“No!” Gerri yelled, the word sounding more angry than anguished. “No!”
The second one came with sadness and tears, and Isaac watched as Gavin folded her into his arms. She buried her face in his chest and he held her tight.
Even through his carefully constructed mental wall, the overwhelming sadness was palpable, and Isaac was grateful when he felt Sidney take his hand again. He squeezed it, like he was holding on for dear life.
As he continued to watch Gavin and Gerri, he saw a few of his fellow cops send up a salute. That could only mean the Chief was close by. He turned just in time to see Chief Luther Branson enter their small gathering followed by a couple of Captains.
“At ease,” Branson mumbled with a small wave of his hand.
He walked over to where Curt Dorn’s distraught parents were sitting.
“Mr. And Mrs. Dorn, I am so sorry for your loss. Your son was one of our finest detectives. We’ve all lost a family member today. Please know that we’re here for anything you may need.”
His show of compassion and sincerity surprised Isaac, and he wondered if Branson felt somehow responsible in this mess. After all, Jay Schiffer was his Deputy Chief, his second in command. Perhaps he felt as if he should’ve known something was up with the man?
If that was the case, Branson was wrong. Isaac knew without a doubt that unless someone had been on the original lullaby case, like he and Gavin had been, you’d have no clue that anything was going on with the Deputy Chief. No reason at all to suspect a single thing.
Chief Branson turned to Gavin Hayes and placed one hand on his shoulder, and the other on Gerri’s.
“Your team will be in our thoughts, Lt. Hayes.”
“Thank you, sir,” Gavin said.
Once the chief left, Isaac approached Gavin.
“Sir, maybe you should assign someone to drive the Dorn’s home? I doubt either of them should be behind a wheel right now.”
“Good idea. Can you see to that, please? I’m going to get Gerri home.”
“Okay.”
“And don’t worry about the paperwork. It’ll keep until tomorrow. You and Pete go home.”
Isaac nodded. “Thank you, sir.” He turned to look at Gerri, who appeared to be in shock. “Gerri, I’m so sorry.”
She looked into his eyes and silently nodded.
“Drinks at Pokey’s!” someone called out, referring to a local cop bar downtown. “In Curt’s honor.”
All around him there were nods and mumbles of agreement, and Isaac felt a wave of panic wash over him. It was too soon. He couldn’t go into a bar tonight. Not so soon after his near miss from the other day when he’d almost taken a drink.
He glanced around wondering briefly if they would think bad of him for not making an appearance to to honor Curt. He licked his lips and shoved that thought aside. He did what Gavin asked and assigned a uniform to see to the Dorn’s needs. He personally gave Curt’s parents his condolences before he nodded a good night to Pete and handed over the keys to the unmarked cruiser they drove. Then he and Sidney quietly left the hospital.
Sidney watched him as they walked through the parking lot to her car. He escorted her to the passenger side and held out a hand.
“I can drive. You should relax.”
“I’m fine, Sid.”
Reluctantly, she handed over her keys and settled into the passenger seat while he walked around to the driver’s side. He adjusted the seat to accommodate his long legs. Then he started up the car and pulled out of the space.
She watched him the entire ride home, studying his face and trying to get a read on how he was feeling. She couldn’t imagine. She wanted to ask him questions, she had so many. But somehow she knew what he needed in the moment was to be alone with his thoughts.
When they finally pulled into the short driveway beside their house she couldn’t stand it any longer. She waited until they got out of the car and entered the house.
“Baby, are you okay?”
Isaac drifted into the living room and looked at her, distracted.
“Yeah. I’m fine.”
She thought about how all of his colleagues were headed to some bar to drink a toast to their fallen man. She knew Isaac didn’t join them because he didn’t want to sit in a bar, but she imagined it was incredibly tough for him. Of course, he must want to be with his colleagues at a time like this. Who wouldn’t?
“The lullaby case is over,” she said, trying to put a light spin on the events of the day. “You finally got your man.”
Isaac sighed and sat down on the comfy sectional.
“Yeah, I did. And the son of a bitch is dead.”
Sidney took a seat next to him.
“Well, if you ask me, that sleaze bag got what he deserved. Any man who can hurt defenseless little girls that way…”
Her thoughts drifted and she looked at Ike, who was still very quiet. What must he be thinking? She placed a hand on his arm.
“You’re not feeling guilty because he’s gone, are you?”
Isaac shook his head.
“No. I’m feeling angry that he even existed. I’m feeling horrified that he killed sixteen little girls. That we know of. And I’m feeling remorseful that so many of them happened on my watch.”
The agony in his voice got her. He felt things so deeply because of his superpowers, and she knew how that tormented him. But ironically, it was also one of the things that she loved most about him. Not many men were so in tune with not only their feelings, but also the feelings of others.
“Those last four from this latest killing spree?” He stared out into space for a moment before he looked her in the eyes. “I can’t shake the feeling that those four are all my fault, Sidney.”
“Isaac…”
She placed a hand on his cheek.
“If I hadn’t messed up so badly the last time, Jeffery Schiffer would’ve been in prison, and none of this ever would’ve happened.”
“You don’t know that, Ike.”
“Yes, I do. The bastard told me with his dying breath that he came back here to give me another chance to catch him. Said it was fun! Like we were playing a game. This is on me. Even Curt Dorn’s death.”
“You don’t know that,” Sidney’s voice was more forceful this time. “Even if you’d done everything right seven years ago, things still could’ve played out in so many different ways. Maybe Jeffery Schiffer would’ve been convicted, maybe not. Maybe his daddy would’ve pulled some strings somehow; or maybe he might’ve succeeded in convincing his brother-in-law, the M.E., to help him compromise evidence.”
Isaac shook his head, and something about the gesture angered her.
“My point is, anything could’ve happened, Ike. And did you ever stop to think that maybe everything happened exactly the way it was supposed to? Even the deaths.”
Isaac stared at her for a moment and then looked away, and she knew he still wasn’t convinced.
“Meow.”
Alfred Hitchcock announced himself as he jumped onto the back of the sectional and made his way over to them, bypassing Sidney and going straight for Ike. He lowered his furry head and rubbed his face against Isaac’s cheek. Ike reared back, confusion evident in his stormy grey eyes. Then the kitten plopped down into his lap and made himself comfortable.
“What are you loving on me for?” he asked, staring at the brown and cream cat. “You usually reserve this kind of affection for her.”
He nodded in Sidney’s direction, and she smiled at him.
“See? Even Alfred Hitchcock is trying to comfort you.”
Ike grinned. “Am I that pathetic?”
She reached out and ran her fingers through his honey blond hair.
“You’re not pathetic, baby. You’re just human. A human who’s had a very rough day.”
“What happened to being a superhero?”
His tone was droll, but she knew he was being sarcastic. He hated it when anyone referred to him as a real life superhero. Almost as much as he hated the psychic word.
“Oh, you’re that too.”
He frowned at her. “Well, I can’t be both human and a superhero at the same time.”
“Sure you can. Batman is human. Spiderman. Captain America. I can go on and on.”
Ike rolled his eyes. “Okay, Captain America doesn’t count because he was enhanced by that super soldier serum. And Spiderman was bitten by a radioactive spider, so that doesn’t count either.”
“Well, there are others like Batman who had no enhancements at all.”
“Name one.”
His tone was all sarcasm, and Sidney was just happy that he was talking and coming out of his weird headspace.
“Okay. Ironman. No enhancements there; he was just a billionaire genius who created an amazing suit. Oh, and Arrow. And Daredevil. He was even blind!”
“Yeah, well, this pseudo-superhero feels like crap,” he sighed. “Yes, we finally caught the sick serial killer preying on our city, but we lost a good detective in the process.”
Sidney ran her hand over his neck. She hated seeing him like this, and she wondered if something else was going on.
“Did I hear Pete say that you and the dead cop didn’t get along?”
“We had our issues. He didn’t like me much, and I guess that feeling was mutual. That doesn’t mean he deserved to go out like this, though.”
“No, of course not.”
She was about to say more when the doorbell rang.
“Sit tight.”
She got up and went to the door, opening it up to see Pete Vega standing there with a couple of other detectives she’d met before — Gary Barker and Keisha Harris. Also Hiroshi Sato, the Medical Examiner.
Pete held up a six-pack of non-alcoholic beer, and she noticed that the others had packs of the real stuff too.
“Is Ike around?”
Sidney smiled at him and opened the door wider to let them in. She enveloped Gerri Miller in a big hug when the woman stepped inside behind all the others. That was when she spotted Ike’s lieutenant coming up the walk.
She led them all into the living room. Isaac frowned and stood when they entered.
“What’s this?” he asked, looking perplexed.
“Well, you know a bunch of the guys were going to Pokey’s to have a drink in Curt’s honor,” Pete explained. “And I knew you’d feel kinda awkward doing that so…”
He let the sentence dangle and held up the non-alcoholic brew instead.
Isaac stared at him for a moment and then nodded. He didn’t say so, but Sidney could tell by the tiny light in his eyes that he appreciated the effort his friends made.
They all moved over to the big round dining table and went about opening up their beer. Gerri hung back though, and Sidney noticed that the woman had finally washed up and changed out of the bloody clothing.
“I’m surprised to see you here,” Ike said to her.
“How could you have done this, Jay?” Gavin asked as he led the man to a cruiser. “Jeffery is responsible for fifteen murders that we know of. Sixteen if you include your own daughter. And you have aided and abetted him.”
“I never aided or abetted! You think I helped him kill those girls? My baby girl?”
“You protected him, Jay!”
“He’s my son, Gavin! What would you have done if it was Trey, huh?”
“Trey and I have talked about this since he was a very young boy. I’ve told him that if he ever gets into trouble with drugs, with gangs, with whatever, and I find out about it… I will turn him in. It’s a conversation that’s helped me keep him on the straight and narrow all these years.”
The pride in Gavin’s voice was evident, and Isaac couldn’t blame him. His boss had every right to be proud of his son. Trey was a good kid.
“Well then I guess you’re just a better father than I am.”
“It’s not a contest, Jay. You’re going to prison. You, your wife, and your son. And sixteen little girls are dead. Was it worth all that?”
“He’s my son. And I’m not saying another word without my lawyer.”
Gavin stuffed the man into a marked cruiser, and Isaac watched Jay Schiffer through the back window thinking about what a waste it all was. The Deputy Chief had thrown away a stellar career all to protect a son who would never fully appreciate the sacrifice. A son who had already departed this world and crawled back to the depths of hell.
26
The waiting area of the emergency room was overflowing with people. From plain-clothed detectives to uniformed beat cops, every corner of the small space was occupied by law enforcement, including a handful of federal suits.
Isaac hated these types of gatherings. First of all, the space was always tight whenever a cop had been shot. Way too many chances for someone to accidentally brush up against him. But more importantly, there were too many raw emotions bouncing around. Never good for someone with an over-developed sense of empathy.
The collective vibe in the room was oppressively depressing. The sadness, the worry… it all stirred together in a big cauldron of despair, and Isaac found himself actively working to push those emotions away. He closed his eyes and tried building a wall in his mind, the way his grandfather had been teaching him.
It was one of those tricks Sterling said he’d learned from his mother when he was a boy. One of the many tricks he’d never gotten the chance to teach Isaac before now. Not with the way Isaac’s dad had purposely kept them apart for so many years.
Seated in one of the not-so-comfortable chairs with Pete and Gavin on either side of him, he envisioned himself piling one cement block on top of another, building the wall higher and higher in his mind, like Sterling had instructed. He wasn’t sure why it worked, but the higher he built that wall the easier it became to sit among his fellow cops and wait for word without being overwhelmed by the heavy weight of their heightened emotions.
“I can’t believe that son of a bitch is really gone.”
Isaac opened his eyes and glanced to his right where Gavin sat shaking his head.
“I would’ve preferred to have him in custody so he could answer for his many crimes, but I’m glad we won’t have to worry about him possibly getting free and terrorizing our city anymore.”
Isaac only nodded, sharing his lieutenant’s sentiments. He waited for Gavin to say more, but his boss’ attention seemed pulled in another direction. Directly across from where they sat, Gerri Miller was folded into a chair. She looked like a lost little girl, frightened and alone. Her gaze rested on her own hands, still covered in her partner’s drying blood.
“I’m worried about her,” Isaac whispered. “Has she said a word to anyone since we got here?”
Pete shook his head. “Not that I’ve seen.”
“I’ll go see about her.”
Gavin stood and took a deep breath. Then he motioned to the uniform sitting next to Gerri. The officer got up and moved, vacating his seat. Isaac watched as Gavin took tentative steps toward her, then sat down and leaned in close. He couldn’t hear what his boss was saying to the distraught detective, but he saw silent tears roll slowly down her cheeks.
“Curt Dorn is a son of a bitch most of the time, but he’s a good cop.” Isaac kept his voice low so only Pete could hear him. “He doesn’t deserve this.”
“No, he doesn’t,” Pete responded. Then he looked at Isaac. “And I can’t help wondering who actually pulled that trigger. I mean… correct me if I’m wrong, but Jeffery Schiffer didn’t have a gun when you tackled him, right?”
Isaac shook his head.
“No. Not until he grabbed mine. Which means the deputy chief most likely fired on other officers. All to try and help his son evade the law.”
“Man!”
It was Pete’s only reply, and Isaac understood. What more was there to say? How could an officer sink so low?
“Isaac?”
Sidney’s voice was a welcome note of light amid the darkness they were shrouded in, and Isaac was glad he’d called her on the way to the hospital. He hadn’t asked her to come, but he was more than happy to see her.
He stood and wrapped his arms around her, feeling instantly better equipped to build that mental wall he’d been working on.
“Any word?”
“Not yet.”
He looked up to see an older couple rush in dragging their panic behind them in frantic, jerky movements. They zeroed in on Gerri, who stood and fell into their arms.
“Oh, God, I’m so sorry, Anna! I tried to stop the bleeding. I tried so hard!”
“Shhh. Honey we know you did everything you could.”
“Who are they?” Sidney whispered.
“Must be Curt’s parents, I’d imagine.”
The man and woman both hugged Gerri tight while Gavin stood by watching. Then he shook the man’s hand and said a few words that Isaac couldn’t hear.
The group sat down, other officers moving aside, giving up their seats so that Curt’s parents could sit. Mrs. Dorn held tight to Gerri’s bloody hands as they waited in silence. Isaac held Sidney’s hand, absorbing the calming energy she always brought him.
The waiting room grew quiet, and tight with tension. But they didn’t wait long before a doctor emerged from around a corner and headed straight for their vigil.
Curt’s parents stood, moving in eagerly, as everyone else did the same.
“The bullet all but severed Detective Dorn’s carotid artery,” the doctor said. “The pressure applied to his wound in the field kept him alive for as long as it could have, but we were never able to get him stable enough to make it to the O.R. There was just too much damage. He bled out in the trauma room. I’m so sorry.”
Dead silence followed. Then a high-pitched scream pierced the stillness.
Curt’s mother screamed again and fainted, caught by her husband and a nearby detective before she could hit the floor.
“No!” Gerri yelled, the word sounding more angry than anguished. “No!”
The second one came with sadness and tears, and Isaac watched as Gavin folded her into his arms. She buried her face in his chest and he held her tight.
Even through his carefully constructed mental wall, the overwhelming sadness was palpable, and Isaac was grateful when he felt Sidney take his hand again. He squeezed it, like he was holding on for dear life.
As he continued to watch Gavin and Gerri, he saw a few of his fellow cops send up a salute. That could only mean the Chief was close by. He turned just in time to see Chief Luther Branson enter their small gathering followed by a couple of Captains.
“At ease,” Branson mumbled with a small wave of his hand.
He walked over to where Curt Dorn’s distraught parents were sitting.
“Mr. And Mrs. Dorn, I am so sorry for your loss. Your son was one of our finest detectives. We’ve all lost a family member today. Please know that we’re here for anything you may need.”
His show of compassion and sincerity surprised Isaac, and he wondered if Branson felt somehow responsible in this mess. After all, Jay Schiffer was his Deputy Chief, his second in command. Perhaps he felt as if he should’ve known something was up with the man?
If that was the case, Branson was wrong. Isaac knew without a doubt that unless someone had been on the original lullaby case, like he and Gavin had been, you’d have no clue that anything was going on with the Deputy Chief. No reason at all to suspect a single thing.
Chief Branson turned to Gavin Hayes and placed one hand on his shoulder, and the other on Gerri’s.
“Your team will be in our thoughts, Lt. Hayes.”
“Thank you, sir,” Gavin said.
Once the chief left, Isaac approached Gavin.
“Sir, maybe you should assign someone to drive the Dorn’s home? I doubt either of them should be behind a wheel right now.”
“Good idea. Can you see to that, please? I’m going to get Gerri home.”
“Okay.”
“And don’t worry about the paperwork. It’ll keep until tomorrow. You and Pete go home.”
Isaac nodded. “Thank you, sir.” He turned to look at Gerri, who appeared to be in shock. “Gerri, I’m so sorry.”
She looked into his eyes and silently nodded.
“Drinks at Pokey’s!” someone called out, referring to a local cop bar downtown. “In Curt’s honor.”
All around him there were nods and mumbles of agreement, and Isaac felt a wave of panic wash over him. It was too soon. He couldn’t go into a bar tonight. Not so soon after his near miss from the other day when he’d almost taken a drink.
He glanced around wondering briefly if they would think bad of him for not making an appearance to to honor Curt. He licked his lips and shoved that thought aside. He did what Gavin asked and assigned a uniform to see to the Dorn’s needs. He personally gave Curt’s parents his condolences before he nodded a good night to Pete and handed over the keys to the unmarked cruiser they drove. Then he and Sidney quietly left the hospital.
Sidney watched him as they walked through the parking lot to her car. He escorted her to the passenger side and held out a hand.
“I can drive. You should relax.”
“I’m fine, Sid.”
Reluctantly, she handed over her keys and settled into the passenger seat while he walked around to the driver’s side. He adjusted the seat to accommodate his long legs. Then he started up the car and pulled out of the space.
She watched him the entire ride home, studying his face and trying to get a read on how he was feeling. She couldn’t imagine. She wanted to ask him questions, she had so many. But somehow she knew what he needed in the moment was to be alone with his thoughts.
When they finally pulled into the short driveway beside their house she couldn’t stand it any longer. She waited until they got out of the car and entered the house.
“Baby, are you okay?”
Isaac drifted into the living room and looked at her, distracted.
“Yeah. I’m fine.”
She thought about how all of his colleagues were headed to some bar to drink a toast to their fallen man. She knew Isaac didn’t join them because he didn’t want to sit in a bar, but she imagined it was incredibly tough for him. Of course, he must want to be with his colleagues at a time like this. Who wouldn’t?
“The lullaby case is over,” she said, trying to put a light spin on the events of the day. “You finally got your man.”
Isaac sighed and sat down on the comfy sectional.
“Yeah, I did. And the son of a bitch is dead.”
Sidney took a seat next to him.
“Well, if you ask me, that sleaze bag got what he deserved. Any man who can hurt defenseless little girls that way…”
Her thoughts drifted and she looked at Ike, who was still very quiet. What must he be thinking? She placed a hand on his arm.
“You’re not feeling guilty because he’s gone, are you?”
Isaac shook his head.
“No. I’m feeling angry that he even existed. I’m feeling horrified that he killed sixteen little girls. That we know of. And I’m feeling remorseful that so many of them happened on my watch.”
The agony in his voice got her. He felt things so deeply because of his superpowers, and she knew how that tormented him. But ironically, it was also one of the things that she loved most about him. Not many men were so in tune with not only their feelings, but also the feelings of others.
“Those last four from this latest killing spree?” He stared out into space for a moment before he looked her in the eyes. “I can’t shake the feeling that those four are all my fault, Sidney.”
“Isaac…”
She placed a hand on his cheek.
“If I hadn’t messed up so badly the last time, Jeffery Schiffer would’ve been in prison, and none of this ever would’ve happened.”
“You don’t know that, Ike.”
“Yes, I do. The bastard told me with his dying breath that he came back here to give me another chance to catch him. Said it was fun! Like we were playing a game. This is on me. Even Curt Dorn’s death.”
“You don’t know that,” Sidney’s voice was more forceful this time. “Even if you’d done everything right seven years ago, things still could’ve played out in so many different ways. Maybe Jeffery Schiffer would’ve been convicted, maybe not. Maybe his daddy would’ve pulled some strings somehow; or maybe he might’ve succeeded in convincing his brother-in-law, the M.E., to help him compromise evidence.”
Isaac shook his head, and something about the gesture angered her.
“My point is, anything could’ve happened, Ike. And did you ever stop to think that maybe everything happened exactly the way it was supposed to? Even the deaths.”
Isaac stared at her for a moment and then looked away, and she knew he still wasn’t convinced.
“Meow.”
Alfred Hitchcock announced himself as he jumped onto the back of the sectional and made his way over to them, bypassing Sidney and going straight for Ike. He lowered his furry head and rubbed his face against Isaac’s cheek. Ike reared back, confusion evident in his stormy grey eyes. Then the kitten plopped down into his lap and made himself comfortable.
“What are you loving on me for?” he asked, staring at the brown and cream cat. “You usually reserve this kind of affection for her.”
He nodded in Sidney’s direction, and she smiled at him.
“See? Even Alfred Hitchcock is trying to comfort you.”
Ike grinned. “Am I that pathetic?”
She reached out and ran her fingers through his honey blond hair.
“You’re not pathetic, baby. You’re just human. A human who’s had a very rough day.”
“What happened to being a superhero?”
His tone was droll, but she knew he was being sarcastic. He hated it when anyone referred to him as a real life superhero. Almost as much as he hated the psychic word.
“Oh, you’re that too.”
He frowned at her. “Well, I can’t be both human and a superhero at the same time.”
“Sure you can. Batman is human. Spiderman. Captain America. I can go on and on.”
Ike rolled his eyes. “Okay, Captain America doesn’t count because he was enhanced by that super soldier serum. And Spiderman was bitten by a radioactive spider, so that doesn’t count either.”
“Well, there are others like Batman who had no enhancements at all.”
“Name one.”
His tone was all sarcasm, and Sidney was just happy that he was talking and coming out of his weird headspace.
“Okay. Ironman. No enhancements there; he was just a billionaire genius who created an amazing suit. Oh, and Arrow. And Daredevil. He was even blind!”
“Yeah, well, this pseudo-superhero feels like crap,” he sighed. “Yes, we finally caught the sick serial killer preying on our city, but we lost a good detective in the process.”
Sidney ran her hand over his neck. She hated seeing him like this, and she wondered if something else was going on.
“Did I hear Pete say that you and the dead cop didn’t get along?”
“We had our issues. He didn’t like me much, and I guess that feeling was mutual. That doesn’t mean he deserved to go out like this, though.”
“No, of course not.”
She was about to say more when the doorbell rang.
“Sit tight.”
She got up and went to the door, opening it up to see Pete Vega standing there with a couple of other detectives she’d met before — Gary Barker and Keisha Harris. Also Hiroshi Sato, the Medical Examiner.
Pete held up a six-pack of non-alcoholic beer, and she noticed that the others had packs of the real stuff too.
“Is Ike around?”
Sidney smiled at him and opened the door wider to let them in. She enveloped Gerri Miller in a big hug when the woman stepped inside behind all the others. That was when she spotted Ike’s lieutenant coming up the walk.
She led them all into the living room. Isaac frowned and stood when they entered.
“What’s this?” he asked, looking perplexed.
“Well, you know a bunch of the guys were going to Pokey’s to have a drink in Curt’s honor,” Pete explained. “And I knew you’d feel kinda awkward doing that so…”
He let the sentence dangle and held up the non-alcoholic brew instead.
Isaac stared at him for a moment and then nodded. He didn’t say so, but Sidney could tell by the tiny light in his eyes that he appreciated the effort his friends made.
They all moved over to the big round dining table and went about opening up their beer. Gerri hung back though, and Sidney noticed that the woman had finally washed up and changed out of the bloody clothing.
“I’m surprised to see you here,” Ike said to her.
