Busted (35 page)

"Yes. No. I don't know," Joe admitted. "There was a really funny smell, and my head was fuzzy. It was hard to concentrate."

“Try,” Steve urged. “The more we know the easier we can find this guy.”

“He was…” Joe trailed off. What was he? Joe’s recollection of the attack was fragmentary at best. He hadn’t been lying when he said it had been hard to concentrate.

“When I first saw him, I thought he was an old man,” he said. “Shorter than me, his head maybe came up to my nose. White hair and, I think, maybe dark skin? Not black, more like a tan. Leathery. But…”

Trying to remember brought back the numb confusion that he’d felt when the man had been in his apartment. “Maybe he gassed me or something? I can’t really… it’s all muddled,” Joe said, shaking his head. “Maybe it was a disguise or something, he seemed young after I hit him, but I wasn’t paying too much attention.”

“Wait,” Chris said, his pen leaving a little trail of ink on the paper as he looked up at Joe. “You hit him?”

“Yeah,” Joe said. “Smacked him on the side of the head. Um… left side, and I think I drew blood. I have this mask thing, it’s enameled steel. It was on the door but the workmen had taken it down. The guy was taking me into the living room and I tripped over something. I fell on the mask and hit my head I think, because the fog kind of lifted.

“That’s when I saw him, the kid with the knife.” Joe shuddered at the memory. “He had this huge grin on his face and I think I shouted something. That’s when he stabbed me and I hit him back with the mask. He just screamed and ran away when I did that.”

“I know everything happened fast, but do you think you can describe him for us?” Steve asked. “We can get a sketch artist to help.”

Joe shook his head. “No, I didn’t. At the beginning my head was messed up and I couldn’t think, and at the end it happened so fast I didn’t see much. It was almost like it was two different guys.”

“Well, that’s something,” Steve said. “More of the details might come back to you once you’ve had a chance to relax.”

“Oh, great, just what I want to remember,” Joe said.

“We can talk to the complex and see if they have any security cameras. Might be able to get some details, see if we can find his car,” Chris said. “He’s got to have one. These are too spread out for him to be on foot.”

“Right.” Steve took a moment to think. “I’ll call forensics to get someone over to Joe’s apartment. Someone can pick up the mask and get it to the lab, and if we’re lucky our perp’s in the system. I’ll talk with the manager, see if I can get the video if they have any.”

* * *

“Hi Denise,” Steve said to the night receptionist as he strode up to the emergency room intake desk. “You guys still have a Joe Hennesey locked up back there?”

“And a nice good evening to you, too, Detective Russell,” Denise said as she tapped a few keys on her keyboard. “He’s still in the system, though it looks like he’s ready to be discharged.”

“Great,” he said, giving her a wide smile. “I’m going to take him out of here with me. Can you do your magic with that thing so I can spring him?”

Denise gave Steve an amused laugh. “You’re going to get me into trouble,” she said as she started typing.

“Yeah, but I’ll get you right back out,” he said. “Thanks, Denise.”

Steve banged the doors to the treatment area open and strode towards the room they had Joe in earlier. He took a second to double-check the chart hanging next to the door to make sure Joe was still there, then peeked in.

Joe was laying propped up on the hospital bed, his eyes closed. The thin gown and bright lights made him look pale and drawn. Steve felt a little bit of pity for the man. Joe’d had a hell of a day, and part of that was his fault.

Steve knocked on the door frame to get Joe’s attention. His eyes opened slowly and it took him a moment to focus on Steve standing in the doorway.

“Oh, god,” he croaked. “More questions?”

Steve gave him a puzzled look. “You got interrogated already?”

“Yeah,” Joe replied. “There was a detective and a cop in here a while ago. Went through the whole thing again. Twice.”

“Who was it?” asked Steve. He knew he and Chris weren’t handling Joe’s assault. He’d hoped to talk to Joe again before the detective assigned to his case did, but he’d been delayed by the search at Joe’s apartment.

Joe picked up the business card sitting on the bed next to him and squinted at it. “Detective Sanchez,” he read. “I don’t think she liked me.”

“Don’t sweat it,” Steve said, waving Joe off. “She hates everyone, but she’s good at what she does. Chris and I are better, of course.”

“Of course,” Joe agreed weakly. He was silent for a moment. “Why her? Why not you?”

“Officially? She has fewer open cases than anyone else. Unofficially you’re not dead, badly hurt, or involved in drugs, and pissed the Captain off.”

Joe sagged as Steve said that. “Swell,” he said bitterly. “Nice to know I rate some attention.”

“Joe, Chris and I probably wouldn’t get the case anyway. We know you, and the department tries to keep a little distance between the crimes and the detectives. Don’t worry, we’ll keep an eye out. Anyway, how are you doing?”

“Besides that? I’ve been better,” Joe said. “I think today may make my top ten bad days list.”

Steve raised an eyebrow at that, half-tempted to ask what the rest of that list looked like. “Well, I checked with the desk and we can get you out of here any time you’re ready to go.”

“Great,” Joe said. “Back to the apartment.”

“No, I don’t think so," Steve said. “That’s a bad idea.”

"What? Why?" Joe asked.

"This guy went after you once. He’s not going to stop until he gets you," Steve said.

"But, he ran away, didn’t he? You’re looking for him, right?" Joe shivered as he thought about it. Some madman tried to kill him, and Steve thought he would try again. "Are you sure?"

"Yes," Steve said. There was no doubt in his voice. "We’re pretty sure this is the same guy that got some other people. He has his reasons, and he's got a pattern. He wanted you badly enough that he broke that pattern. He'll try again."

"Oh," Joe said. "Great. I’m being stalked by a murderer. So what do I do?"

“First thing we need to do is get you someplace safe,” Steve said. “I’ll assume you don’t want to stay with family for now?”

“Oh, hell no,” Joe said, shaking his head. “I’ll take my chances with the killer first. Maybe a hotel.”

Steve knew that was a bad idea. Joe had been attacked in his own home, being alone after something like that was a very bad idea. That it was a good excuse to get Joe and Chris together was a bonus.

“Actually, I know a place for tonight. We can talk about tomorrow later. And,” he said, waving the bundle he had tucked under his arm, “I brought clothes. Unless you want to be flashing your ass at the world.”

“Admit it, you just want to watch me get naked,” Joe said.

“Of course,” Steve agreed. “Mary asked me to take pictures.” That Joe could joke about it made him feel a little better. Steve had been pretty sure Joe would survive this, like he’d survived whatever other things he’d lived through, but seeing him bounce back was good.

“Great. Make sure to get my good side,” Joe said as he slid himself off the bed.

“Absolutely. Face the wall and be cheeky,” Steve replied.

Joe started to laugh and couldn’t stop. He collapsed to the ground, his knees weak and tears of laughter streaming down his face.

“Clearly I have chosen the wrong profession,” Steve remarked as he watched Joe pull himself back to his feet. He laid a pair of baggy sweatpants and a loose sweatshirt on the chair next to Joe.

“Clearly,” Joe said as the giggles finally died down. He shrugged out of the hospital gown and picked up the oversized clothes. “I’m going to look like a little kid in these.”

“True, but you can get them on one-handed, and the shirt’s big enough to go over your sling,” Steve said. He watched Joe pull the clothes on. The shirt was far too big and Joe looked a little ridiculous in it, but he’d gotten it on without a problem.

“Now,” Steve said, as he took Joe by the arm and steered him out of the room, “let’s get you someplace to crash for the night.”

“Don’t I need to sign any forms or anything?” Joe asked as Steve breezed through the doors to the waiting room.

“Bye Denise,” Steve shouted over his shoulder as he pushed Joe past the reception desk.

“Night, Detective,” Denise called back with a wave.

“Guess not,” Joe muttered as they left the building. Steve had parked in one of the reserved spots next to the ER doors and he hustled Joe over to it.

“How’s the shoulder?” Steve asked as he bundled joe into his car.

“It’s still a little numb,” Joe said with a yawn. “As long as I don’t move it I’ll get used to the pain. Nurse said the guy had a sharp knife and that made it better.”

“It looked like a pretty clean cut,” Steve remarked as he got into the car himself. “Probably burn like a bitch if you skip the drugs, but it’ll heal up quick enough. Dave’s good with a needle.”

“Speaking from experience?” Joe asked.

“Bob thinks he’s a skateboard wizard,” Steve said. “I swear, that kid’s not going to have any skin left by the time he hits puberty.”

Joe gave another yawn. “Builds character,” he said.

“Pain heals, and chicks dig scars,” Steve said with a laugh. “But that doesn’t mean I want to see how far he can skid before he hits bone.”

“Mm,” Joe replied, and Steve just chuckled as he glanced over to see Joe nodding off. The man looked exhausted, and not even the wound in his shoulder was enough to keep him awake now that all the excitement was done. That suited Steve just fine; he was pretty sure Joe would object to their destination, and it was easier to leave the fight until it was too late to do anything about it.

It was nearly eleven by the time Steve pulled into his driveway. There were still lights on in his house, and next door at Chris’. He wasn’t at all surprised, given how frantic Chris had been after they’d left the hospital. It was probably a good thing that Sanchez and her partner had gotten the case. Steve wasn’t sure Chris could’ve handled it.