1st to Die - James Patterson [104]
She nodded, scanned the group as if she were presenting at a medical conference. “On Lindsay’s urging, I spent all last night going through the three case files; I was looking for anything that would implicate Joanna. At first, nothing. Other than coming to the same conclusion I had before—that from the angle of the first victims’ wounds, the killer was right-handed. Jenks is left-handed. But it was clear that it wouldn’t stick.
“Then something struck me that I had never noticed before. At both the first and third crime scenes there were traces of urine. Individually, I guess neither the medical examiner in Cleveland nor I ever thought much of it. But as I thought through the crimes scenes in my head, the locations of these deposits didn’t make any sense. Early this morning, very early, I rushed down here and performed some tests.”
There was barely a breath in the room.
“The urine we found at the Grand Hyatt demonstrated large deposits of yeast, as well as atypically large counts of red blood cells. Red blood cells in that amount appear in the urine during menstruation. Coupled with the yeast, there’s no doubt in my mind that the urine was a woman’s. A woman killed David Brandt, and I have no doubt we’ll find a woman was in the stall in Cleveland, too.”
Jill blinked, dumbfounded. Cindy’s bright red lips parted in an incredulous half smile.
Raleigh just shook his head.
“Jenks didn’t do it,” I said. “Joanna must have. He abused her, then he dumped her for his new wife, Chessy, just as he was about to strike it rich. Joanna tried to sue him twice, unsuccessfully. Ended up with a settlement many times smaller than she would have gotten a year later. She watched him gain celebrity and wealth, and a new, seemingly happy, life.”
Chris looked amazed. “You really believe a woman could physically pull this off? The first victims were stabbed, the second were dragged twenty, thirty yards to where they were dumped.”
“You haven’t seen her,” I replied. “She knew how to set Jenks up. She knew his tastes, his investments, and had access to his possessions. She even worked at Saks.”
Cindy chipped in, “She was one of the few people who would’ve been aware of Always a Bridesmaid.”
I nodded toward Jill. “She had the means, the motive, and I’m damned sure she had the desire.”
A really heavy silence filled the room.
“So how do you want to play this?” Chris finally said. “Half the force is looking for Jenks.”
“I want to inform Mercer, try to get Jenks brought in without someone killing him. Then I want to go ahead and pierce Joanna’s cover. Phone calls, credit cards. If she was in Cleveland, something will tie her there. I think you’d agree now,” I said to Jill, “we have enough to authorize a search.”
Jill nodded, at first hesitantly, then with more resolve. “It’s just impossible to believe that after all this, we now have to defend that bastard.”
Suddenly, there was a loud rap on the glass window of the door. John Keresty, an inspector on the task force, broke in on us.
“It’s Jenks…. He’s just been sighted. He’s up in Pacific Heights.”
Chapter 119
RALEIGH AND I LEAPED UP, almost as one, racing back to the command center.
It appeared Jenks had been seen in the lobby of a small hotel called the El Drisco. A bellboy spotted him. Free of his cuffs. Now he was on the streets, somewhere up in Pacific Heights.
Why there? My mind ratcheted through the possibilities. Then it became clear.
Greg Marks lived up there.
I radioed Paul Chin, who was still sitting surveillance on the agent’s brownstone. “Paul, be on the alert,” I told him. “Jenks may be headed your way. He was seen in Pacific Heights.”
There was a beep on my cell phone. It was Jacobi. Everything was happening at once.
“Boxer, there’s an All Available Units on Jenks up in the Heights about a mile from here. I’m headed up there.”
“Warren, don’t leave,” I shouted into the receiver. I still believed Joanna was the murderer. I couldn’t leave her unmonitored—especially with Jenks on the loose. “Stay at your post.”
“This takes