Ambush

Chapter 39

I got the call about a double homicide down in Madison Square Park around nine o’clock. Mary Catherine understood that I had a certain duty, no matter what time of the day or night I was called. She just reminded me to take it easy, since I was still recovering from my injuries.

There’s a certain Zen to doing the job you’re trained for and understand so well. I even had a twinge of excitement as I hopped in my city car and headed south. This time of night, I made it to the crime scene pretty quick.

Sometimes I forget about the turnover in the NYPD. I didn’t recognize a single one of the young uniformed officers maintaining the perimeter of the crime scene. It was at the lower end of the park near a massive water fountain. I had my ID and a badge on a chain around my neck. I didn’t wear a jacket, so everyone saw the second badge clipped next to my gun on my belt.

As I approached the fountain, I saw exactly who I was looking for. Cassie Max was on one knee by the edge of the fountain looking back toward some bushes and a low wall. Her short black hair was covered by a scarf as she focused her attention on the far side of the fountain.

As soon as she saw me, a smile whipped across her face and she sprang to her feet.

Cassie said, “It’s nice to see that senior detectives still come out after dark.”

“When I was younger, the word senior was code for ‘old.’”

“Nothing’s changed.” She gave me a sly smile that conveyed her wit and intelligence. Then she said, “I called you as soon as I realized this victim was Canadian. When I saw she might be connected to the Canadian mob, I knew you’d be interested.”

“It looks like you get all the homicides in parks.”

“They can be a convenient place to kill someone.”

“What about the second victim? Is he a Canadian as well?”

“No. He’s a local thug named Anthony Chichee. He has half a dozen arrests for assault and is the suspect in two homicides. He’s known as an enforcer and bodyguard for hire.”

I said, “So what have you figured out so far?”

“The woman, Alicia Toussant, was shot one time just above her nose. The bullet never exited. The medical examiner’s people took both the bodies about twenty minutes ago. I was just trying to line up where the shot was probably taken from. There’s a spent casing over there.” She pointed to the edge of the concrete.

“Depending on the weapon the killer was using, I suspect whoever took the shot was standing about ten feet away.”

“Same caliber as your murder near Bryant Park?”

“It was a nine, but so are about seventy million others. If the killer is as professional as I think, I doubt we’ll match up the slugs.”

I took a few seconds to scan the entire crime scene. Experience had taught me that you sometimes thought of a new angle when you just looked around.

I said, “I don’t think anyone wants to hear about a turf war here in the city. It sure looks like someone has got it in for Canadians, and my sources say it’s one of the Mexican cartels.”

“I’ll leave it up to you to look at the big picture. I just want to find the killer here and in Bryant Park.”

“Was the second victim also shot?”

“No. He was killed up close. I suspect it was before Ms. Toussant was shot. Someone shoved a sharp-edged weapon up through his jaw and into his brain.”

Instantly I realized the other connection to murders in the city. I didn’t need to take a look at the ViCAP database to tell me what I already knew. I said to Cassie, “Would you call that sharp-edged weapon a stiletto?”

She thought about it for a moment, then nodded.

I said, “Then I can guarantee that these murders are connected to what I’m looking at.”