CSI14 - Serial, page 9
part #14 of Crime Scene Investigation Series
You okay? he asked.
Yes, she said. No … I don’t know.
What?
Why are we working so hard to find out who killed this guy? Why am I busting my butt to find his killer? She pointed at the body. I mean, mob lawyer, getting the scum of the earth off, scot free …
Better not let Gris hear you talking like that.
She threw her gaze at him, and it was almost a glare. I’m not talking to Grissom. I’m talking to you.
You know it’s not for us to decide. Warrick moved a little closer, so that Dinglemann lay between them. This guy, he’s past all that now. Good, evildoesn’t matter. He’s been murdered. That puts him in the next world, if there is onebut his body’s in our world.
She thought about that, then she shrugged. Maybe it is that simple. I don’t know. It’s just … hard for me.
Well, if you can’t divorce yourself from the good and bad, think of the guy who did this. Somebody who takes money to take lives. That bad enough for you?
She smiled, just a little. Yeah. Yeah, that’ll do it.
His cell phone rang and they both jumped. He almostdropped it in his haste to answer. Warrick Brown.
Sondra Kotsay, Mr. Brown. I think I can help you.
Waving at Sara that he had to take this call, Warrick went back down the hall to his office, grabbed a pad and plopped into his chair.
The professional voice said, The print that you faxed us is for our X-15 running shoe.
Okay.
It’s a line that, I’m sorry to say, has not done very well for us.
Warrick knew that the smaller the production run, the better his chances. How many have been produced?
Before production stopped, just under one million pair.
His heart dropping to his stomach, his head drooping, he said, A million?
I know that sounds daunting, Mr. Brown. But it’s not that badat least not for you.
Uh huh.
Over half were never sold.
That helpedsort of. As she gave him her report, he scribbled the information on the pad.
And of the remaining half-million, she said, only about one hundred pair were sold in the greater Las Vegas area.
He was liking the sound of this more and more.
The particular size that you gave us, men’s size eleven, sold less than two dozen pair in the Vegas area.
The smile split his face nearly in half. Thank you, Ms. Kotsay. Great work.
Would you like the names and addresses of the retailers that sold them?
Would you like to marry me?he thought. Thank you, Ms. Kotsaythat would be incredibly helpful.
She faxed him the list.
And then Warrick Brown went looking for Grissom.[“0743444043-toc.html#toc8”]
8
ASCATHERINE LOOKED ON,DR.ROBBINS MATCHEDMalachy Fortunato’s dental records against the teeth of the mummy. Both criminalist and coroner were in scrubs, but underneath his, Robbins was in a pinstriped shirt and diagonally striped tie with charcoal slacks; he’d had a court appearance today.
It was a little before sevenP.M.Catherine in early again, shift not officially beginning till eleven.
The coroner would study the dental X ray, then bend over the mummy, then straighten to check the X ray, a dance Robbins repeated half a dozen times before waving her over. Catherine Willows, meet Malachy Fortunato.
She smiled. At long last?
Nodding, he said, At long lasttrust me, this is indeed the elusive Mr. Fortunato. We have a textbook dentalwork match.
Well, well, she said, looking down at the mummy, her hands pressed together as if she were contemplating a fine meal. Mr. Fortunato, it’s nice tofinally meet you… . Now that we know who you are, we’ll see if we can’t find your murderer.
The leathery mummy had no reply.
Nice work, Doc, she said, and waved at Robbins on her way through the door.
That’s what I do, he said to the swinging door.
Out of her scrubs, Catherine ran into Nick, coming out of the lab.
Hey, she said. You’re in early, too, I see.
Hey, he said. But he looked a little glum. DNA’s going to take another weekthey’re completely backed up in there.
Doesn’t matter, she said with a grin. Dr. Robbins just matched the dental records to our mummyMalachy Fortunato.
All right!
You did good with that ring, Nick.
Thanks.
They headed into the break room for coffee. Nick poured, asking, When was the last time this office solved a mob hit?
A week ago never. Surprisingly little of that in Vegas.
Like they say, you don’t defecate where you dine.
I always try not to. She sipped her coffee, feeling almost giddy. We’re on a roll, Nick. Let’s get this guy.
Surewhat’s fifteen years between friends?
She half-frowned, half-smiled. You tryin’ to rain on my parade?
No way. No statute of limitations on murder. What do you need from me?
She headed out of the break room, coffee cup inhand. We’ll get to that. First, let’s go tell Grissom what we’ve got.
After Warrick explained what they’d turned up at the casino and at the storefront in Henderson, Grissom said, This still doesn’t prove he’s local.
Grissom was behind his desk, jumbles of papers, a pile of binders seemingly about to topple, and an unfinished glass of iced tea cluttering the desk, as well as assorted displayed insect specimens, dead and alive. Warrick sat in one of the two chairs opposite his boss, and Sara leaned against a file cabinet in the corner.
Sara said, But the maildrop
Grissom shook his head. Our man could just be using the maildrop. And who knows how many slot cards he has in how many names, and in how many casinos … in how many towns.
What about the shoe? Warrick asked.
Grissom said, That will help, particularly in ascertaining whether he’s local. But half a million pair were sold nationally, you said.
Warrick nodded, unhappily.
Grissom continued: For that shoe to be of any real benefit, we’ve got to find the foot that goes in it.
Sara smirked. The guy attached to the foot would also be nice.
Warrick sighed and said, Tomorrow morning, I can start watching the older tapes at the casino. If our man is local, that’s a good place to look.
It is, Grissom said, nodding. No luck with the prints? Anything on Peter Randall?
No and no, Sara said.
Warrick shook his head. Gris, you really think we’re going to track this guy down? I mean a mob hit … He shrugged helplessly.
You’re thinking of that guy at the Sphere, Grissom said, aren’t you?
Not so long ago, Warrick had worked the murder, still unsolved, of a bad debtor who had been shot to death in a glass elevator at the Sphere Hotelthat M.O., though different, also reeked mob.
Maybe, Warrick said. What makes this different?
Among other things, Grissom said, the evidence.
Before Grissom could amplify, Brass came into his office from one direction, quickly followed by Catherine and Nick from the other. Brass, a stack of files tucked under an arm, gave Grissom a quick nod.
We’ve got a positive ID from the dental records, Nick said, dropping into the chair next to Warrick. Our mummy is Malachy Fortunato, a local who disappeared fifteen years ago, owing the mobbed-up casino bosses a whole lot of money. The mummy’s a mob hit.
Warrickwho’d been kept in the dark about the similarity of the wounds on the two murder victimssat forward, alert.
The mummy seems to be, Grissom said. I’m still not sure about Philip Dingelmann. But I do believe they were both shot by the same man.
With the exception of the blank-faced Brass, mouths dropped open all around the room.
The homicide detective stepped up and tossed the stack of files on Grissom’s desk. We’re pretty sure both crimes are the work of an assassin the FBI has monikered, of course, The Deuce. He is apparentlyresponsible for at least forty contract killings across the length and breadth of our fine country, over a period approaching twenty years.
Perched in the doorway, Catherine asked, How do you know?
By the signature, said Brass. Two vertically placed small caliber wounds approximately an inch apart.
Deuce, Warrick said dryly.
But we’re going to need more than just the signature, Grissom said, to prove we’re right that these murders share a murderer.
A brief discussion ensued, as those who knew about the similarities between the corpses skirmished with those who hadn’t been in the know.
Finally Grissom notched up his voice. We may have a legitimate coincidence in the discovery of these bodies, he said.
The timing, you mean, Catherine said.
YesDingelmann was killed prior to the discovery of Fortunato’s remains, but basically they were simultaneous, unconnected events … a murder going down just about the same time as a long-dead victim of the same killer is unearthed. And nothing here indicates the two murders have anything to do with each other. Nothing yet, anyway.
Nodding, Catherine said, But the signature suggests the victims share a killer.
Now that’s a coincidence Ican’taccept, Grissom said. That two different murderers, connected to two different mob-related murders, would have the same M.O.
Warrick said, Two bullets in the back of the head,Gris, that’s a sign of mob displeasure that goeswayback.
This is more specificvertically placed shots in this exact same location, an inch apart. That struck me from the start, not as a coincidence, but as the signature we now know it is.
Howdo we know? Nick asked.
Grissom sat forward. After I examined your mummy, Nick … Catherine … I told Jim my theory, and he got his people digging in the national computers.
Brass tapped the stack of files on Grissom’s desktwice. This guy is not tied to any one organized crime family, in any one part of the country. He is apparently a freelancer with a shared client baseno one knows what he looks like and, as far as we can ascertain, no one’s ever seen him in action … and lived to tell.
We already knew we had a contract assassin who did mob hits, Sara pointed out. We now believe two murders, fifteen years apart, were the work of the same assassin. Other than that … how does this help us?
It’s more than we had, Grissom said. We have context, nowwe have direction.
Swell, Catherine said. What do we do different?
Nothing. His gaze met hers, then swept around the room including them all. We still operate as if it’s two separate cases … but now we keep everybody informed about what we learn. Catherine, you and Nick keep working on the mummy. Like Brass says, we need corroborating evidence. Find it.
You want us to prove this is the same hitter, Nick said.
Catherine, an eyebrow arched, stared at Grissom.
He looked back at her for a second. No, he said to Nick, but holding her gaze. Follow the evidenceit’s still possible we might have two murderers.
Catherine smiled.
What about the farm team? Sara asked.
Grissom turned to Warrick. Watch those hotel tapes till your eyes bleed… . Sara, I want you to find out everything that’s known about this killer. Study the files, but dig deeper. Look for linkages. Maybe other investigators missed something.
She nodded.
Nicky, Grissom said, get the bullets from both cases to the firearms examiners for ballistics tests.
Sure thing, Nick said. But, uh …
But what?
Nick shrugged. We already know the riflings on the bullets match the gun barrel found half-buried next to Mr. Fortunato.
Grissom nodded. The killer ditched the barrel, yes, but maybe he didn’t ditch the gun. We’ve still got bullets with a matching caliber on these two murders. We’ve got to cover all the bases.
Warrick had been studying his boss, and his voice conveyed confusion as he said, I don’t get it, Gris. Why do you think Dingelmann may not have been a mob hit?
Just staying objective.
I’m the subjective asshole, Brass said, pointing a thumb to himself. Philip Dingelmann was getting ready to represent Charlie The Tuna Stark in the biggest mob trial since Gottiwhy kill him? He’s agolden mouthpiece, who’d already gotten Frischotti off, and Vinci, and the two Cleveland guys, Tucker and Myers.
What was he doing in Vegas? Warrick wondered aloud.
Brass shrugged. This was probably his last chance to blow off steam, ‘fore going into the tunnel of the trial.
Nodding, Warrick said, Yeah, yeah … but why kill him?
No one had an answer for that.
Let Jim here worry about motive, Grissom told his unit. Concentrate on the only witnesses who never lie: the evidence.
Nods and smiles, all aroundthey’d heard it before.
Brass said, We’ve done a lot over the years to get the mob influence out of this city. We need to catch this son of a bitch to remind these scumbags this is not their turf anymoreit’s never going to be like the old days again.
The homicide detective told Grissom the files were copies for the unit, reminded the others to stay in touch, and slipped out.
Personally, Grissom said, now that Brass was gone, I think we owe less to the city fathers, and more to our two victims. Time doesn’t lessen the injustice done to Malachy Fortunatoand an unsavory client list doesn’t justify what was done to Philip Dingelmann.
Warrick and Sara exchanged glances.
So, Grissom said, cheerfully. Let’s go to work.
Outside the office, Catherine stopped Nick with a hand on his elbow. After you get those bullets dropped off, can you check something for me?
Surewhat?
Mrs. Fortunato mentioned a dancer her husband was involved with at the time of his disappearance. She said the dancer … a stripper … disappeared the same day as her husband.
Do we have a name? Nick asked.
Joy Starr. It may be a stage name… .
You think?
Either way, Nicky, we need to find her if she’s out there somewhere. Preferably, alive.
You mean she could be another corpse, hidden away someplace?
Definite possibility.
Nick sighed. Know anything else about her?
Not much. She worked at Swingersthat dive out on Paradise Road. When she was dancing, it would have been a little nicer than now.
And?
And what?
She worked in a strip club before disappearing fifteen years ago? That’s it?
That’s it. Maybe you can round up one of Brass’s people and go out therethough this many years later … Check the newspaper websites first. Check missing-persons recordsshe apparently dropped out of sight when Fortunato did.
He shot her one of his dazzlers. Hey, if you want me to hang out at a strip club, I guess I can make the sacrifice.
First, check the records. That club, at this late date, is a real long shot.
Okay. What about you?
Catherine was on the move already. I’m going back to the house. Back when Malachy wasn’t a mummy yet, this was a missing persons case. Now it’s the scene of a murder.
A crime scene, Nick said, understanding.
Catherine wheeled the Tahoe out of the lot and pointed it toward the Fortunato home. She was considering calling in O’Riley, but decided against it. This was an evidential fishing expedition, and didn’t involve interrogation; not a lot of point in him wasting time, too.
On her way, on her cell phone, she called the Fortunato home, got Gerry Hoskins, and asked if it would be all right to come around at this time of evening.
When she arrived, Catherine told Mr. Hoskins what she would be doing and got his okay. Annie was lying down, he said, and he wanted her to try and rest, after the stress of today’s news.
Understandable.
While Catherine prepared, Hoskins moved their two cars out of the driveway and onto the street. The scene had been done once, fifteen years ago, and now she hoped to turn up something those guys had missed. Although massive changes had occurred in the science of investigation since then, sometimes you just had to fall back on the old stuff.
Hauling the metal detector from the back of the Tahoe, Catherine pulled the headphones on, cranked the machine up, and started at the end of the driveway nearest the street. Moving slowly back and forth, Catherine combed the driveway. In the original Fortunato file, there had been nothing about shell casings;of course, blood on the gravel drive or not, the detectives hadn’t known they were searching a murder scene.
And the file said nothing about the discovery of shell casings.
Even though the sun had long since started its descent, the fiery orange ball seemed in no hurry to drop behind the mountains, the heat still hunkered down on the city, settling in for the long haul. If she weren’t at a crime scene, she wouldn’t have minded one of those refeshing if rare summer rains, though that would bring the danger of flash flooding.
She made it all the way to the far end of the carport and nothing had registered on the metal detector. Her shoulders ached, her eyes burned, and she seemed to be sweating from every pore in her body. She’d been working crazy hours, even for her. Taking the headphones off, she ran a hand through her matted hair and pulled a paper towel out of her pocket to mop her forehead.
Brutal, huh?
Mildly startled, Catherine turned to see Annie Fortunato standing there, holding two large glasses of lemonade, a smoke draped from her lip. The woman of the house handed one of the moisture-beaded glasses to Catherine.
Why, thank you, Mrs. Fortunato.
Would you stop that? Call me Annie.
Sure. Thanks, Annie. Catherine took a long gulp from the icy glass. You’re saving my life.
The woman shrugged. It’s just powdered … but this hot, even that junk’ll hit the spot.
Smiling, Catherine nodded and pressed the cool glass against her forehead.
Mrs. Fortunato removed her cigarette long enough to gesture with it toward the metal detector. What’re you lookin’ for out here, with that thing?
