The Woods

Gil Perez was in the photograph too. And that was why I was here.

I pointed my desk light and took a closer look.

Upstairs, I’d remembered something. I am right-handed, but when I fun-punched Gil on the arm, I used my left hand. I did this to avoid touching that awful scar. True, it was healed up, but I was afraid to go near it. Like it might tear open anew and start spewing blood. So I used my left hand and hit his right arm. I squinted and moved closer.

I could see the bottom of the scar peaking out beneath the T-shirt.

The room began to spin.

Mrs. Perez had said that her son’s scar was on his right arm. But then I would have punched him with my right hand, ergo, hitting his left shoulder. But I hadn’t done that. I had punched him with my left hand—on his right shoulder.

Now I had the proof.

Gil Perez’s scar was on his left arm.

Mrs. Perez had lied.

And now I had to wonder why.

CHAPTER 7

I ARRIVED IN MY OFFICE EARLY THE NEXT MORNING. IN half an hour, I would have Chamique Johnson, the victim, on the stand. I was going over my notes. When the clock struck nine, I had enough. So I called Detective York.

“Mrs. Perez lied,” I said.

He listened to my explanation.

“Lied,” York repeated when I finished. “Don’t you think that’s a little strong?”

“What would you call it?”

“Maybe she just made a mistake?”

“A mistake about which one of her son’s arms was scarred?”

“Sure, why not. She knew it wasn’t him already. Natural.”

I wasn’t buying it. “Have you got anything new on the case?”

“We think Santiago was living in New Jersey.”

“You have an address?”

“Nope. But we have a girlfriend. Or at least we think she’s a girlfriend. A friend anyway.”

“How did you find her?”

“That empty cell phone. She called it looking for him.”

“So who is he really? Manolo Santiago, I mean?”

“Don’t know.”

“The girlfriend won’t tell you?”

“The girlfriend only knew him as Santiago. Oh, something else important.”

“What?”

“His body was moved. I mean, we were sure of that in the first place. But now we have it confirmed. And our ME says, based on the bleeding out and some other nonsense I don’t quite understand or care to, Santiago was probably dead an hour before he got dumped. There are some carpet fibers, stuff like that. Preliminary shows that they’re from a car.”

“So Santiago was murdered, stuck in a trunk, and then dumped in Washington Heights?”

“That’s our working theory.”

“Do you have a make on the car?”

“Not yet. But our guy says it’s something old. That’s all he knows. But they’re working on it.”

“How old?”

“I don’t know. Not new. Come on, Copeland, give me a break here.”

“I have a pretty big personal interest in this case.”

“Speaking of which.”

“What?”

“Why don’t you jump in and help?”

“Meaning?”

“Meaning I have a psychotic caseload. We now have a possible New Jersey connection—Santiago probably lived there. Or at least his girlfriend does. And that’s where she saw him exclusively—in New Jersey.”

“My county?”

“No, I think it’s Hudson. Or maybe Bergen. Hell, I don’t know. But it’s close enough. But let me add something else into the mix.”

“I’m listening.”

“Your sister lived in New Jersey, right?”

“Yes.”

“That’s not my jurisdiction. You can probably claim it as your own, even if it’s out of your county. Open up the old case—it’s not like anybody else wants it.”

I thought about that. I was being played, in part. He was hoping I’d do some of his legwork and hand off the glory—all of which was fine for me.

“This girlfriend,” I said. “Do you have a name?”

“Raya Singh.”

“How about an address?”

“You’re going to talk to her?”

“You mind?”

“As long as you don’t screw up my case, you can do whatever you want. But can I give you a piece of friendly advice?”

“Sure.”

“That lunatic, the Summer Slasher. I forget his real name.”

“Wayne Steubens,” I said.

“You knew him, didn’t you?”

“Have you read the case file?” I asked.

“Yep. They looked at you hard for it, didn’t they?”

I still remember that Sheriff Lowell, that look of skepticism. Understandable, of course.

“What’s your point?”

“Just this: Steubens is still looking to overturn his conviction.”

“He was never tried for those first four murders,” I said. “They didn’t need them—they had better evidence in the other cases.”

“I know. But still. He was linked. If it really is Gil Perez and Steubens was to hear, well, it would help him. You know what I’m saying?”

He was saying to keep it quiet until I knew something for sure. I got that. The last thing I wanted to do was help Wayne Steubens.

We hung up. Loren Muse stuck her head in my office.

“You got anything new for me?” I asked.

“Nope. Sorry.” She checked her watch. “You ready for your big direct?”

“I am.”

“Then come on. It’s show time.”

“The People call Chamique Johnson.”

Chamique was dressed on the conservative side but not ridiculously so. You could still see the street. You could still see the curves. I even had her wear high heels. There are times you try to obstruct the jury’s view. And there are times, like this, when you know that your only chance is for them to see the entire picture, warts and all.

Chamique kept her head high. Her eyes shifted right and left, not in a dishonest-Nixon way but in a where-is-the-next-blow-coming-from way. Her makeup was a little heavy. But that was okay too. It made her look like a girl trying to look like a grown-up.

There were those in my office who disagreed with this strategy. But I believed that if you are going to go down, go down with the truth. So that was what I was prepared to do now.

Chamique stated her name and swore on the Bible and sat down. I smiled at her and met her eye. Chamique offered me a little nod, giving me the okay to go ahead.