Prey by James Carol Read Free Book Online

she’s just screwing with you.’ Mendoza turned back to Hitchin. ‘Have you got a name for this kid?’
    The detective flipped his pad open. ‘Yeah. Nelson Price.’
    ‘What can you tell me about him?’
    ‘Absolutely nothing other than he was twenty-one when the murders took place. That’s another downside with it being the middle of the night. I’m talking to people who are accessing computer records rather than people who were actually involved in the investigation.’
    ‘Any idea where Nelson’s being held?’
    Another shake of the head. ‘Sorry, I wasn’t able to get that information.’
    ‘Who was the lead investigator?’
    Hitchin consulted his notepad again. ‘The person I spoke with said it was most likely someone called Jeremiah Lowe. He was the Monroe County Sheriff’s Department’s number one go-to guy in homicide at the time. Unfortunately it doesn’t really help since he’s dead. There is some good news, though. Hartwood’s Police Department was first on the scene, and the same chief of police is still there. Some guy by the name of Birch. I tried their number, but got diverted to the answering machine. No real surprise there. Hartwood’s tiny. They probably operate on office hours.’
    ‘Anything else?’
    Another shake of the head. ‘That’s it for now.’
    ‘I need you to get someone to take another look at the camera footage. We think that Winter was under surveillance.’ She smiled across the table at Winter. ‘Roughly what time were you there on Monday and Tuesday night?’
    ‘Around two.’
    ‘On both nights?’
    ‘On both nights.’
    She turned back to Hitchin. ‘She might be in disguise, so bear that in mind. Also, get someone to check the daytime footage for Tuesday and Wednesday as well.’
    ‘Will do. Anything else?’
    ‘No, that’s all for now.’
    Hitchin left, closing the door gently behind him.
    ‘You’re wasting your time,’ said Winter.
    ‘Okay, here’s how this works: you butt out and let me do my thing, and I’ll do my best to butt out and let you do yours. Understand?’
    He answered with a smile.
    ‘I’m serious.’
    Winter waited for her to continue, but she was done for now. He gave it another couple of seconds to be sure, then closed his eyes and pictured himself back in the diner again. He replayed the conversation with the woman, looking for something he might have missed and coming up with nothing. He could hear the tone of her voice, the pitch, the slight whispering tail-off at the end of her sentences. He could see those bright green eyes studying him from the other side of the table. What he couldn’t see was what the hell she was playing at. He opened his eyes and saw Mendoza watching him across the table.
    ‘What’s going on here, Winter?’
    ‘I was just asking myself much the same thing.’
    ‘And?’
    ‘And I’m pretty sure that we’re not going to get answers sitting around here. I vote we head on up to Hartwood. If we leave now we’ll miss the morning rush.’
    Mendoza was staring at him like he’d just suggested two weeks in Vegas.
    ‘It’s only upstate New York,’ he added. ‘It’s not like you need shots and a passport. If we leave now, I reckon we’d get there by ten, maybe half-nine if we really push it.’
    ‘Jesus, you’re serious about this. You heard Hitchin. Nelson Price did it. Hauling our asses up there will not change that fact. Believe me, I’ve got better things to do with my time than this. Read my lips: I am not going to Hartwood.’
    ‘Is this the point where I have to remind you that Lieutenant Jones has ordered you to assist me?’ Winter smiled. ‘You want to know what would help me out here? What would help me out is for you to get your hands on a really fast car.’

8
    Mendoza kept her foot down all the way and they made the distance in just over five hours. She’d called in a favour with a buddy in narcotics and got hold of a BMW M3 that had been confiscated in a drug bust. The car had