Night Kills Read Free

phone.
    â€œBeen there, done that,” Pearl said.
    Her gaze returned to the tattooed guy and the teller, a woman named Judy. Judy was twentyish and chubby and had a round, pretty face that usually didn’t display much emotion except at lunchtime. She was frowning now at Mr. Tats. Were they arguing?
    â€œWhat kind of proposition?” Pearl asked, trying to hurry this along.
    â€œRenz came by to see me. Seems there’s a serial killer operating in the city. The news hasn’t reached the media yet, but it’s about to pop. Cindy Sellers of City Beat is sitting on it and about to release it.”
    Pearl remembered Cindy Sellers, a hard-ass little brunette who tended to move fast in straight lines.
    Well, maybe the same could be said of Pearl.
    â€œA serial killer could be harmful to Renz’s career,” Pearl said.
    â€œNot if he’s responsible for nailing the killer. Or seems to be. Then his career gets a major boost. He wants me to reassemble the team and try to achieve that result.”
    â€œHe’s already police commissioner. What more does he want?”
    â€œLong term, I don’t think we want to know. Whatever his motivation, he wants us on the hunt again.”
    Throughout the conversation, Pearl had kept watching Mr. Tattoo and Judy. They were arguing. Judy’s round face was pale and she looked uncharacteristically furious, obviously trying to keep her cool. The guy with the tats was leaning toward her doing most of the talking.
    â€œPearl?”
    â€œYeah,” she said, angling over and beginning to move toward Judy and the skinny guy with the tattooed arms. Dozens of tattoos, kind of connected, what they called full sleeve. “Serial killer. Sounds interesting.”
    â€œAll the good guys have to work with are the victims’ torsos. He also sexually mutilates the women with a sharply pointed object like a stake. I haven’t called Feds yet. You in?”
    â€œJust their torsos, you say?”
    â€œRight. Both women shot through the heart, and with the same gun.”
    â€œDamn,” Pearl said.
    Mr. Tattoo said something that made Judy flinch, then he wheeled and made for the door at a fast walk.
    Pearl looked at Judy.
    Judy looked at Pearl.
    Judy looked at Mr. Tattoo and silently mouthed, “Stop him!”
    â€œYou in, Pearl?”
    Pearl took two long strides, shoved a woman in a teller’s line aside, and made for the tattooed guy. “You,” she said softly but firmly, so as not to cause instant bedlam. “Stop right where you are.”
    â€œWhat’s that, Pearl? What’s going on?”
    She slipped the cell phone into a side pocket of her gray uniform pants and caught up with the tattooed guy. He glanced at her and broke into a run. Pearl tackled him and brought him down on the hard marble floor, bumping her elbow hard enough that her right arm went numb. Customers were moving fast, like dancing shadows, on the periphery of her vision. A woman screamed.
    â€œHey, you bitch!” yelled the tattooed guy, scrambling to get up.
    Pearl kicked his legs out from under him.
    â€œHey!” he yelled again and scooted backward out of her reach. Didn’t try to get up, though.
    She fumbled for her gun and couldn’t get it out of its holster. Hell with it. She crawled over and turned Mr. Tats on his belly and reached around for her handcuffs. He wasn’t resisting. The kick in the legs she’d given him might have sprung one of his knees.
    â€œMiss Kasner!” a woman’s voice was saying. “Miss Kasner, don’t hurt him! Please!”
    Pearl looked up to see Judy standing over her. Behind Judy, all around the lobby, the bank’s customers were frozen by fear. Some of them were on the floor like Pearl and the tattooed guy.
    â€œYou asked me to stop him,” Pearl said to Judy. “Didn’t he try to rob the bank?”
    â€œNo. He just robbed me by refusing to give me my child