Free The 3rd Victim by Sydney Bauer Page A

inside, my fingerprint experts confirm the woman never attempted to turn on the light after she found the cot empty, and Martinelli just called to confirm he found not one but two blood samples at the scene – the second one genetically related to the first.’
    Katz's almond eyes widened as he took it all in. Joe could see it, the cogs of self-preservation turning in Katz's brain. He was working out how to make the most of this new set of circumstances, which Joe figured would not take long.
    ‘Right. That's more than enough for probable cause,’ he said, just as Joe had predicted he would.
    ‘Hold on, Roger, there's still one thing that bothers me,’ said Joe.
    Katz rolled his eyes. ‘This is no time for your cowardly conservatism, Mannix.’
    ‘It's the nightshirt,’ a determined Joe went on, ignoring the jibe. ‘Svenson thinks the kid bled out at the scene, while being held up –’ Joe cradled his arms – ‘like this. But the blood on Walker's nightshirt was minimal, transferred, which means …’
    ‘Which means she got rid of the evidence,’ Katz dismissed him. ‘And it's your job to find the missing item of clothing so that I can do my job.’
    The smile was starting to form now, and Katz made little or no effort to contain it. ‘Granted motive is foggy,’ he said, thinking aloud. ‘I've heard all this shit about baby blues, and that's no doubt the way she'll play it … but hiding the nightshirt indicates the woman had not lost the plot completely, and murder is murder, and it is our duty to see that little girl did not lose her life in vain so –’
    ‘Chief.’ It was Joe's radio, interrupting the DA mid-sentence.
    ‘Frank,’ Joe replied, bring the radio to his ear, ‘where the hell are you?’
    ‘I'm out front,’ responded Frank, the background noise almost deafening. ‘And I found them. Jesus, Chief, it's pissing down out here now – just in time for the main players to walk the red carpet.’
    ‘Fuck,’ said Joe. ‘Hunt and his friends have decided to make a show of it.’
    ‘Smart, when you think about it,’ said Frank.
    Joe nodded before turning to Katz. ‘Walker's out front along with your entourage,’ Joe said, making no bones about knowing it was Katz who'd alerted the media, and another smile from the DA confirmed it. ‘You sure you want to do this, Katz?’ he added.
    Katz's expression turned serious. ‘Of course I'm sure.’ He straightened his tie.
    And so Joe pushed past him, running toward the front entrance – and catching sight of a familiar face in the doorway of a men's room as he sped by.
    ‘Jesus,’ he said into the radio. ‘I think I just saw Rigotti.’
    ‘What's that?’ asked Frank over the hubbub.
    ‘Nothing. Hold tight. I'm on my way out, Frank.’
    ‘Did Martinelli come through?’ asked Frank. ‘Are we gonna make the collar?’
    ‘We're making the collar,’ said Joe.
    ‘Then we're not gonna be popular. Walker looks the picture of innocence.’
    But then the noise drowned him out as Joe Mannix rounded the corner and saw that the circus had come to town.

14
    The following morning
    D avid had not yet told Sara about the call he'd received from Daniel Hunt the previous morning. He'd wanted to, several times, but she had been on the phone in her office all of yesterday morning and had left for her court appointment early. And then he was out all afternoon, and then home late, missing dinner after an unexpected call from an anxious young client due in court first thing today.
    ‘So much for last night's dinner,’ she said, reading his mind as the bread popped from the toaster and she kicked the dishwasher closed with the toe of what looked to be a brand new high-heeled shoe. They were dressed for work already, a giggling Lauren making a mess of the cereal on the highchair table top before her.
    Sara grabbed a cloth from the kitchen sink before rounding the breakfast bar and joining them at their small annexe table.
    ‘I'm sorry about that,’