Say Goodbye by Lisa Gardner Read Free Book Online Page A

knows he said it. I think he was caught up in the moment. But I’m not sure. Maybe he realized it later. Maybe he knows that I know. I can’t…I don’t feel so good about things anymore. Because what if he did hurt Ginny? Choked her like that. And what if I’m the only one who can connect her to him? You gotta help me. It’s not just about Ginny. It’s me, too. I need police protection.”
    Kimberly sighed, rubbed the bridge of her nose. “You want my trust? Let’s start with your real name.”
    “Delilah Rose. You can look it up, the police did.”
    “Name, date of birth.”
    “Why is it always about me? I always gotta prove, prove, prove. I just gave you a pervert on a silver platter. Maybe you should prove yourself to
me
for a change.”
    “Which brings me to my second question: Why’d you call me? How’d you even know my name?”
    Delilah wasn’t as quick to answer this time. If anything, Kimberly thought the girl suddenly appeared sly. “You’re the one who caught the Eco-Killer. I saw it on the news. The rookie agent, a girl, no less. I figure if Spideyman killed Ginny, you’re the one who can make it right.”
    “I can’t make it right, Delilah. There’s no evidence of a crime, and even if there was, it’s not my party. You need to talk to the Sandy Springs PD.”
    “No. It has to be you. You caught the Eco-Killer, you’ll help Ginny.”
    “Delilah—”
    “I got something.”
    Kimberly stilled, eyed the girl more warily. “What is something?”
    “That night, when he was choking me, I happened to notice it on the floor, beneath the seat. When he wasn’t looking, I scooped it up.” Delilah looked around the room, as if to ensure they were really alone, then she reached down into her halter top, producing from her left bra cup a heavy gold ring.
    “It’s Ginny’s,” she whispered, plopping it on the table with a metallic thud. “She used to wear it on a chain around her neck. She never took it off. I mean
never.
So, see, this proves Ginny was in Spideyman’s truck.”
    Kimberly arched a brow, but moved the ring closer to her, using the tip of her pen and careful not to touch. It looked to her to be a class ring. The center stone was blue. Some kind of inscription appeared on the inside but was hard to read, given the layers of grime.
    “Who else saw Ginny wearing this ring?”
    Delilah shrugged. “Dunno. Never asked.”
    “Did she tell you how she got it?”
    Another negative.
    “Anyone else know you found it in Mr. Dinchara’s truck?”
    “Hell no! Now, see, this is the kind of business that can really get a girl hurt—”
    “Yeah, yeah. Got that.” Kimberly frowned, studied the ring. Frowned again. Finally, she sat back. “Can I take this?”
    “Sure, yeah, that’s why I brought it. You can open a case now, right?”
    “Not quite.”
    Delilah’s turn to scowl. “Hey, you asked for evidence, I gave you evidence!”
    “Strictly speaking, Delilah, this ring is not evidence. No chain of custody, meaning it would never hold up in court. That it belongs to Ginny has not been corroborated. That it was found inside a subject’s truck is equally murky. At the moment, it’s merely a very dirty class ring.”
    “I don’t like your attitude,” Delilah said.
    “Trust me, feeling’s mutual.” Kimberly rapped the end of her pen on the table three times fast. “Here’s what we’re gonna do, Delilah. Remember what I said? You gotta pay to play. We’re going to consider this ring a down payment.” She took out a business card, circled the Bureau’s main number on the front. “Bring me more information. Times, places, even other people who can vouch that Ginny Jones used to work in this area, wearing this ring, and has now disappeared. Maybe, if you’re lucky, you can find enough to build a case for the local PD. I’ll help walk you through it, but I gotta be honest. As of this time, this is a case for the locals, not the FBI.”
    She started gathering up her supplies