Free Richard Montanari by The Echo Man Page B

you could get information such as where the victim
lived, worked, went to school, played, and the faster you could begin to collect
witness statements. Once identification was made, a person was also run through
the various databases, specifically the National Crime Information Center and
its local version, the Philadelphia Crime Information Center.
        The
victim was fingerprinted as soon as the body got to the morgue, but all you
could do before identification was canvass the area around the crime scene,
process any forensic material, and hope for the best. If they couldn't ID the
victim, the best hope was that by the next day someone would have heard the
news about the body and would start making calls about their husband, brother,
son.
        After
finishing her initial report, Jessica would head back to the scene. People
working early shifts would be getting home soon and just might have something
to tell her.
        She
made a note to ask Kevin to reach out to a friend of his, a detective who
worked out of South Detectives. The more eyes and ears on a homicide,
especially at this stage, the better. Divisional detectives knew their turf and
their criminals better than anyone.
        Before
she could do that she sensed someone nearby. She turned. Dennis Stansfield
stood behind her. He was like a virus that she couldn't seem to shake.
        'Can I
help you with something, detective?' Jessica asked.
        Stansfield
pointed to the notepad on the desk. 'I didn't mean to look over your shoulder.'
        'And
yet?'
        'Well,
lately I've heard some things about him.'
        'Him?'
        'Yeah.
Detective Byrne.'
        Jessica
closed the folder on her desk, closed her notebook. She spun her chair around,
stood up. She was not going to talk to this guy while she was sitting down.
'Like what sort of things?'
        Stansfield
glanced around the duty room, looked back, lowered his voice. 'Well, like maybe
his heart's not in it anymore.'
        'Really?'
        'Yeah,
and like maybe he's looking for the door. Like maybe he's not quite the cop he
used to be.'
        Jessica
nodded. 'Interesting.'
        'I'm
just saying, you know? This is what I've heard. And from more than one person.'
        'Well, Dennis,' Jessica said. 'Maybe you're right.'
        Stansfield
looked surprised. 'I am?'
        'Yeah.
Can I tell him you said this? I'm sure he'd like to hear it, seeing as it's
going around.'
        'Well,
I'd really prefer you didn't,' Stansfield said. 'See, I was just saying that—'
        'Then
again, why don't you tell him yourself?'
        'What
do you mean?'
        'He's
right behind you.'
        Stansfield
spun around to find Kevin Byrne, who loomed over him by about five inches,
standing there. It looked for a moment as though Stansfield was going to extend
his hand in greeting. It looked for a moment as though Byrne was going to throw
Stansfield out a window. Both men then thought better of it.
        'Detective,'
was all that Stansfield managed.
        Byrne
stared at him until Stansfield got really interested in the time of day. He
glanced at his watch, then back at Jessica.
        'I'm
going to follow up on the owner of the building,' Stansfield said. 'I'm mobile if
you need me.'
        'Yeah,'
Jessica said when Stansfield was out of earshot. 'That'll happen.' She turned
to Byrne. 'Done with the grand jury already?'
        Byrne
shook his head. 'Postponed. They're hearing the Fontana case today.'
        'Did Drummond
tell you when you're back on?'
        'Maybe
next week.'
        'Sucks.'
The longer it went on, the more likely that people were going to catch amnesia.
        Byrne
pointed across the room, at the departing Stansfield. 'When did he go on day
work?'
        'Today,'
Jessica said. 'The boss put him with me this morning. I caught a case.'
        Jessica
filled Byrne in on what they had found. They did not have crime-scene
photographs