Chapter 15

As Chip was leaving Moses turned to Jap and asked, "What can I do to help? Anything?"

"Let me talk to you about what I'm doing and you can add or subtract or correct when you see I'm off track. I tend to go off half cocked sometimes."

"It's questionable how much help I can be but let's give it a try."

"All right. First I set up our universe to include everyone in the police department, including civilian employees, the M.E.'s office, the clerks of both the District and Superior courts and the Sheriff's Department."

"Most cops wouldn't have access to the records nor would most members of the Sheriff's Department and what about the state Court of Appeals and Supreme Court?"

"It's easier to have the cops and deputy sheriffs in and eliminate them than to try to add a group in later because of something we forgot. As to the appellate courts they would file their request to one of the lower courts and don't have direct access themselves.

"O.K., this is the easy part. We eliminate all the men. Now all the women under, let's use 5' 7". Now all the women of color. I'm going to make our first age cut at forty."

"Let's drop the age limit down to thirty-five. From the bartender's description I think forty is a little too much."

"All right, now we're cooking. We have a manageable number but still too many to do quickly. I have made a separate listing for those with any kind of nursing experience and those with military experience. We need another sort Moses."

"Well, why don't we do it? What kind of sort?"

"Those who have rape in their history. I guess I've got to do it. Damn I wish there was some other way but I don't see any."

"Moses let's go get a cup of the swill they call coffee," Guinea suggested. "When he's got one like this it's better to leave him alone. He needs some quiet time to get prepared to break the law. The good thing is he always does. How do you think we close so many cases."

"Well let's give the man some space. Coffee it is," Moses said as they went to the coffee room.

"Holy shit! Moses, Guinea get in here. We got trouble right here in River City. How could they have been so stupid?"

"How could who have been so stupid?"

"Take a look."

"Oh, sweet Jesus. Are you sure. It says here there was an acquittal and the record was purged."

"Right Moses, but if it was ever in the ether it can never be totally erased and hidden from someone with enough know how. It looks like Bill Wilson was a busy boy and again with rohypnol."

"What about this other one? Also an acquittal. Also rohypnol."

"Wallace Hargrove. Ring a bell with anyone. He did time for a rape a little over three years ago. Rohypnol involved."

Both Jap and Guinea looked blank. The name didn't mean anything to either of them.

"Look at this."

"What is that?"

"That's her gutting and skinning a deer she had killed."

"How old does it say she was?"

"Fifteen. Lots of experience with sharp blades there. It says she learned from her father.

"And here. I pulled up the phone records and there are way too many calls between those numbers to all be work related."

"Oh, God. Chip"

"What about Chip Moses?"

"Guinea go round up our hunter. Jap have some uniforms go to Hargrove's place to be sure he's all right. Then call Chip on his cell. And if you get no answer keep calling."

"What the fuck for?"

"The life you save may be his. I'm going to get some uniforms of my own and go get him."

When he got to Annie's house Moses met the patrol car. When they got out he recognized them as Charlie and Ricky. They were argueing about having to leave a blow job on the seat or something. He couldn't understand it.

"Morning Detective Lipschitz," said Charlie.

"Damn it is morning isn't it.

"There's a cop inside this house who might be in danger. I want you to break the front door in so we can get in. Got it."

"Whatever you say detective. Let's go Ricky."

The two hurried toward the house with Moses close behind. When they got to the door Charlie, the larger of the two, kicked just to the side of the lock where the door was weakest and it shaddered the lock section and swung open. Moses directed them to the left and he took the hall to the right. As he eased down the hall a door opened and Annie's voice called out, "Is someone there?" She was framed naked in the bathroom roorway by the light from behind.

"Where is Chip, Annie?"

"You know don't you Moses?"

"Where the hell is Chip?"

"He's all right. Just drugged out of it. I couldn't do it. We throught if Chip were dead the case would go cold and everyone would lose interest. That you would think that Helen Hopkins did it but that you couldn't prove it. There was only one more and then it would be done."

"Wallace Hargrove?"

"You know. How very smart of you."

Charlie and Ricky came up behind Moses and at the sight of Annie standing there nude with her large tits pointed at him Ricky popped a hard on and started to drool involuntarily. "No one in the rest of the house," said Charlie.

"Get some clothes on her and take her to the station to the lock up."

"What charges?"

"Three murders. Tell the sargent I'll get the paper work down to him as soon as I get back to the squad room. Ricky go out to your car and call for a police ambulance to get over here. Wait for them outside to show them where to come. That's her bedroom in there Charlie. Her clothes will be there somewhere The guy laying naked on the bed is my partner. He wasn't here, O.K."

"Whatever you say."

When Chip came into the squad room from the hospital everyone was still there. Moses was still typing up reports and warrants. Jap was playing computer games and Guinea was talking to one of his girlfriends about her fixing him breakfast and then maybe they could share dessert.

"Well, here he is. How's your head feeling," Moses asked.

"Surprisingly not too bad. They gave me some kind of shot they said would clean up my blood and flush my liver so the rohypnol would quickly leave my system."

"What the hell happened Moses? When I left here everyone was trying to figure out how we were going get the number of possibles down to a manageable number."