pervert.”
“No, no, ma’am,” Tobias says as she slides the mask up her face. “This man was blackmailed and we need to figure out who was blackmailing him.”
She waves a hand at him impatiently. She slides the mask back down. “Nasty boy. All you kids are perverts these days.”
He looks up at me.
“I don’t think this is working out too well,” he says. “Should we try the next apartment building?”
I nod. “It seems like Timothy was keeping himself busy in his car, though. I’m sure a lot of people passed by and saw them. I wouldn’t be surprised if a lot of people took photos and video too.”
Mary glares at me and I can feel her condemnation weigh down on me.
“Thank you for your time, Mary,” I say.
“I’ll walk you out,” George says. Tobias, George, and I leave the kitchen.
“So, you guys think someone was blackmailing that guy?” George asks as we reach the door.
“Yeah,” I say. “Did you notice something?”
He flushes. “Well, I didn’t want to say anything in front of my mother…I’m not into that whole voyeurism thing, but I’ve seen quite a few people around here who walk by his car to see if they can get a peek. There’s not much to keep people occupied around here.”
“Have you seen anyone taking photos?” Tobias asks. George’s face turns a deeper red.
“Actually…yes. I mean, I’m sure others have taken photos with their cellphones, but this guy had an expensive kind of camera,” George says. “It was really bizarre because…he was taking them like a professional. I thought the guy”—he gestures to Timothy’s picture—”hired him for kicks. But I guess if you’re asking about it…it wasn’t for fun.”
“No, no, it wasn’t,” Tobias says. “Could you describe him to a sketch artist?”
George nods. “Oh, sure. I just need to make sure my mom is comfortable before I go.”
George walks into the kitchen as Tobias sighs.
“Thank God,” he says. “This means we don’t have to canvass the whole neighborhood.”
I shake my head. “Even if he gives a detailed sketch, we’ll have to canvass the whole neighborhood again to figure out who the man is.”
He claps his hand against my shoulder. “Don’t ruin my moment. We can send a patrol officer to do that.”
His hand slides down my back. It’s lucky that he’s already heading toward the door because I wouldn’t want him to see the shiver it sends through my whole body.
~~~~~
Tobias
“SO, THE SKETCH was sent to the news stations?” Ray Stewart, my captain, asks. George’s description was quite detailed—dark hair, dark eyes, high cheekbones, and thin lips—and the sketch artist was able to make a drawing that was a match to the man that George saw.
“Yep,” Lauren says, sitting down at the restaurant table. Stewart and I sit down on either side of her. “So, hopefully, someone will call the tip line to tell us who are mysterious voyeur is.”
“Do you think the voyeur is the killer?” he asks.
“It’s possible,” I say. “The killer is very careful about not getting caught, but I’m sure he didn’t think one of the neighbors in the area would notice him taking photos of Timothy Wood.”
“What if it’s not him?” Stewart asks.
“Then, we question the voyeur and figure out why he blackmailed Timothy and who gave him the package,” Lauren says.
“Well, Williams, you are quite the go-getter,” Stewart says. “You might be just what Rodriguez needed.”
“Tobias is pretty persistent too,” she says.
“Mmm…not so much. Not since the Delray massacre,” Stewart says. I glare at him, but as always, he’s oblivious to my rising anger.
“The Delray massacre?” Lauren asks, glancing over at me. I keep my clenched fists under the table and stare down at my silverware. A waitress walks up to us.
“What would you guys like to drink?” she asks. Lauren orders water while Stewart and I get beer.
“I forgot that you haven’t been in Detroit