Free Deadly Consequences by Lori Gordon Page B

agree to his stupid deal, mainly, because she thought he was wrong. “Tomorrow or the next day, you and I are going to sit down and have a nice, long conversation, but let me warn you right now, you ever pull any shit like this again, or stick your nose into one of my cases, I am going straight to the lieutenant and filing a complaint against you. I’m tired of your bullshit, your condescending attitude, and your interference. Next time you hit below the belt, I hit back, and it’s going to hurt you a hell of a lot more than it will hurt me.”
    Sam’s eyes locked on his as she handed him back the photo. “Make the damn arrest.”
    Lombardo hesitated. Alec and Rafe, two men he admired and respected, looked at him with disgust. “Sam…”
    She shook her head. “Do it. Now.”
    Lombardo shrugged, brushing past Alec. Manny stiffened. He’d been watching from a distance, probably thinking he’d gotten a reprieve. Lombardo jammed the kid against the van, twisting Manny’s arms behind his back so he could cuff him.
    “You’re under arrest for the murder of Miguel Sanchez and the mutilation of two women.”
    Manny blinked rapidly, his face turning bright red. “You sayin’ somebody killed my uncle?” he shrieked, fighting the cuffs. “Uncle Miguel is dead? That’s fuckin’ bullshit, you lyin’ bitch. What the fuck you tryin’ to pull? Miguel ain’t dead. You hear me? He ain’t dead.”
    Manny twisted his head to look at Sam. “I didn’t kill nobody,” Manny screamed. “Lady cop, you gotta listen to me. I didn’t killno one. I’d never lay a hand on family. I didn’t do it, I fuckin’ didn’t do it.”

     
    Sam turned, walking away from Manny’s protests of innocence. She didn’t want to hear his voice, or see his swarthy face as he was loaded into the van.
    She breathed a sigh of relief. It was done.
    Like most killers, Manny’s belief that he was invincible tripped him up. She wasn’t certain yet that he was a textbook narcissist. Time would tell, but he fit the other criteria of the profile, sadistic and controlling.
    She heard dogs in the distance; the canine unit had finally arrived. The dogs would help them recover the women’s remains if Manny buried them somewhere in the zoo. She could feel the temperature start to rise. Sam brushed the bangs off her forehead, lifting her face towards the slight breeze. The adrenaline rush she felt during the confrontation with Manny and Lombardo vanished, leaving her shaky. She walked along the edge of the lagoon, watching the first streaks of dawn burst through the night sky, painting the horizon brilliant shades of pink and orange. Morning dew glistened on the leaves of swaying tree branches trees, and tickled her feet through her open toes shoes.
    They’d closed the case and a new day was starting. Daylight would make the disheartening job of searching for graves easier as would the canines. She rubbed her arms, wondering why she felt so uneasy.
    It bothered her that they didn’t have a motive. Sam knew she should let it go; Manny’s case was now in the hands of the D.A., but it felt like she was missing an important piece of the puzzle. Maybe she expected too much. People killed, bad things happened. For all they knew the heinous acts might have been part of a gang initiation. Or maybe Manny was just that twisted, and worked his way up from harming small animals to inflicting his madness on women.
    Sam caught sight of Alec heading her way. She kept walking, wishing he would go away. Their earlier conversation still rang in her ears and she wasn’t in the mood to deal with him right now.
    “Hey,” Alec slowed to a stroll beside her. “What were you thinking, giving the bust to Lombardo?”
    “Either I’m forging a truce or I just made a deal with the devil.” She gave him a half-hearted smile, weary to her core. Sam counted on her decision being a win-win. Lombardo got his collar and scored a victory, but it came with a price. She put him on