“
—
means the second victim was dumped before the first,” finished Alex.
The room grew silent. The implication that three killers were involved was staggering. Getting three people to agree to anything for very long was not an easy task
, l
et a
lone to agree
on
some kind of vigilante partnership.
“I think that explains the call I received. And since I got the call after the guy was offed in Mike’s apartment complex and
since
that crime didn’t fit the MO of the other three victims, my guess is that the group didn’t care for Stella’s Lone Ranger act,” said Manny, breaking the silence.
“Why? A dead pervert is a dead pervert to them, right?” quizzed Sophie.
“I get it
,
I think. If the other two thought she was putting their
special
project in danger, they
’d
set her up for a fall. But then what?” said Chloe. “What if she spills her guts? They all go to prison.”
“Maybe they weren’t worried about that. I mean, how would Stella know that she was
conned
?
To her, it could’ve been
bad luck. She’d take the fall. The others would let things cool off, and then, later, finish what they started,” answered Manny, sipping his coffee. “
Or maybe she
was
tipped off. Hell, maybe she figured it out
.
We don’t have enough information to be sure.
”
“Okay. Now
my
head is starting to hurt,” groaned Sophie. “That
c
ould mean that Stella is out there, doing her own thing, and she’s pissed because she was betrayed.”
“Actually, I’m not,” came the voice from the open door.
Manny
turned
his head
and saw Stella Crosby, dressed in hooker black, blood streaked down her skirt, standing
at the door
with a gun point
ed
at his head.
Chapter-45
The fourth member of the Justice Club, calling herself Penny, sat inside the stolen SUV parked down the street just east of the L
PD
headquarters, window down
,
inviting the warm air to sit with her
. It carried with it the scent of the city, her city, subtle but unmistakable
.
The CD player loosened a sound that was elevator music to most, but not to her. Penny loved the old tunes and the men that made them come alive. Not just Glen
n
Miller, Jimmy Dorsey, and Count Basie, and all that Big Band sound, but Old Blue Eyes, Sammy Davis
,
Jr., Bing Crosby, and
,
of course
,
Dean Martin. Tony Bennett could make her cry, and none were better than Andy Williams
. . .
except the one singing right now, just for her.
“Unforgettable, that’s what you are…”
His middle name said it all. Nat King Cole was the brightest star in the sky
,
and you were simply a damned fool if you didn’t believe it.
“God knows there’s a shitload of those out there,” she said softly.
Take Stella Crosby for instance. She had come undone. Stupid bitch. The Club had a good thing going
,
but Stella couldn’t keep it together
.
S
he’d
made things too
private
, and now they could all sail up Shitcreek without a paddle. And everybody knows how fast that creek can rise.
Penny
had followed Stella from the time she left the hospital and knew she wasn’t heading to the drop spot to pick up the gun, but had another path in mind. And why not? The so
-
called leader of their tight
-
knit killing
C
lub had
betrayed Stella
.
And Stella
would never have known about the setup if Penny hadn’t intervened. All it
had taken
was a brief
, anonymous call
to warn Stella that things weren’t looking good for tonight
. . .
and why. Stella had reacted predictably, took care of the next sick bastard on the hit list, setting things up for this very moment. For Stella
and
her.
King Nat switched tunes and she closed her eyes, taking in every nuance of the King of Crooner’s talent. God in heaven, she loved his music.
“Hey.”
Penny jumped
,
but held her poise.
Her
years involved with law enforcement had taught her well. She glanced over to the source of the greetings. A young uniform was leaning in her open window grinning like a
n
idiot
Cheshire cat. She hated cats.
“Hey yourself.”
“What are you doing out here this late
? S
urveillance?”
“Close, more like undercover.” The look on his face turned so serious she almost laughed out loud.
“I didn’t know
. . .
does Manny
. . .
my gosh. Did I just blow it? I’m so sorry
.
I should keep moving, right? Oh crap!”
“No harm, no foul yet
. . .
but you
’re
right, move your ass and get into the car, now.”
The young officer rushed around to the passenger side, fumbled for the handle, finally made it work
,
and climbed inside, breathing hard with excitement. “Wow. I never thought after only three months, I’d be sittin’ in an undercover unit.
”
“Well, it’s not really an undercover unit; I just couldn’t afford any witnesses.
”
“What witness? What do you
. . .
?”
She put the .22 Smith and Wesson with the custom suppressor to his temple and pulled the trigger. His head jerked to the right and slammed against the door
,
then bounced back against the head rest.
Warm blood
quickly fill
ed
the seat
,
but it wasn’t a problem. She was done
here
.
“Sorry, kid. Life is full of wrong places and wrong times.”
Ejecting the CD, she put it in her bag. Then
she
reached into the backseat and pulled the large attaché case over the seat and got out.
She scanned the area. Satisfied that no one noticed her, she moved across the street to the old brick building directly adjacent to the LPD, with a full view of the LPD’s large conference room window. Moving around back, she punched in the security code, closed the door
,
and moved up the
four
flights of steps to the fifth floor where she unpacked the M24 Remington 7.62mm rifle and snapped it together in seconds. She loaded six cartridges of M118 Special Ball ammo and racked one in the chamber.
Settling in front of the three
-
by
-
three window that gave her the best line of sight, she focused the M3A scope directly on her intended target.
Penny
took a deep breath, remembering everything she’d learned in the life before this one
and waited.
“I want everyone to put their hands flat on the table
, n
ow. If any of you even twitch the wrong way, I’ll empty this clip
,
and we’ll see how ma
ny of you are still breathing.”
Manny watched as she shifted her weight, eyes growing harder. Not good.
“I said now. I don’t have all
damned
night.”
“Easy
,
Stella
. W
e
’
re doing it,” Manny
said
quietly
.
“
Don’t start that easy-speaking, good
-
cop shit with me. I’ve heard it a million times
. I
f you do it again, I’m going to puke, then start shooting.”
She closed
the heavy door behind her
with the heel of her foot, never taking her eyes from the
group
. She
moved a few feet to Manny’s right. “At least you’re smart enough to do
what you’re told
. Not that it will do you, any of you, any good. You couldn’t save Lexy, and you won’t be able to save yourselves.”
“We did our best, Stella,” said Josh.
“Well
,
that wasn’t good enough, was it? She’s gone, you’re not
,
and I’ve hated you all ever since.”
Manny saw the tears welling in her eyes. He couldn’t tell what was worse, the pain or the anger. He chose his words carefully. “So
,
Gavin first, then me, then the others?”
“Gavin was even worse than the rest of you. He not only let her die, but he let me die, too. I wasted away on the inside, and he wasn’t there for me
;
he just wallowed in his own pity. My biggest regret is not putting a couple more rounds in him.”
She smiled a wicked grin. It reminded Manny of the lunatic they’d taken down on the cruise ship.
“As far as the rest of you go, let’s just say I brought a couple extra clips and the acid.”
“Acid? Whoa. I don’t even have a wong,” said Sophie.
“True. So maybe I’ll just shoot you a couple more times.”
“What? Not in the face though, okay?”
“Stop talking,” said Stella.
Manny’s mind was racing. She fully intended to carry out her threat. “It’s not too late to stop. There are people who can help you
.
”
“Oh
,
I found help. I found support. Not too conventional, but it worked for me. I
t
took some time, but we decided that if people like Argyle
and
the perverts we’ve already taken care of got away with doing what they do, why not us?”
“But cold
-
blooded murder?” said Sophie.
“
They did their time.”
“You call that justice? They get to ruin the lives of women, and even little girls, forever
,
and
they
get a few years in prison, then get out to do it again.
If you think that’s right, then you’re dumber than I thought. Much dumber.
That’s why we formed the Justice Club.”
Manny had seen the wild, out
-
of
-
control look
o
n
the faces of others
. It hurt to think
she’d gone
this far.
“So
,
because we’re cops, part of the system, your
C
lub decided we have to go too?” asked Alex
, h
is voice shaking.
“No. Not the
C
lub, just me. You have to go because you let Argyle and Jenkins kill my new daughter. That makes you
screw-ups
. . .
and also you’re part of the system. That’s enough strikes in this game.”
“You’re gonna shoot me a couple times? Really?” said Sophie, disbelief in her voice.
“Maybe three
i
f you don’t shut up.”
Chloe turned her eyes to Stella. “Your
C
lub set you up. Some support that turned out to be.”
Stella flinched, her hand tightening on the gun. Manny knew Chloe had hit a nerve. It was a classic technique to throw off her game
,
hoping she’d make a mistake.
Gavin’s wife
relaxed and smiled. “Nice try. What goes on in the
C
lub, stays in the
C
lub. We’ll work it out
. . .
b
ecause we’re not finished.”
“Stella, I
—
”
She put the gun to Manny’s head and bent close. “Enough talk. This is over.”
“Like hell it is,” yelled Sophie, springing from her chair, lunging for Stella in one motion.
Manny pushed his chair back violently, knocking Stella off balance. He reached for his Glock but never made it. Shots were fired
,
and at the same time, the conference room window exploded into a million pieces. He felt pain on the back of his
head, and his world went black.