A Killing in China Basin - Kirk Russell [22]
Raveneau found Bryce working on the tenth green. When Bryce saw who it was he got off his mower and said, ‘You can’t do this to me.’
‘I’m not doing anything to you. I’ve got an open homicide that happened here and I’m going to work it until I solve it. You can understand me doing my job, can’t you, Ray?’
Bryce’s claim was he’d stopped his mower pre-dawn and gone up into trees between two fairways to urinate. He’d relieved himself no more than five feet from her body and claimed he hadn’t noticed her until after he’d finished.
This morning his black work boots were speckled with wet grass clippings and his knees wet. He smelled like fertilizer and as Raveneau teed up a ball he was unsure for a moment what Bryce would do next. What he did was hop on his mower and drive down the path to the green Raveneau was playing toward. When Raveneau chipped on to the green Bryce stooped and picked the ball up. He put it in his pocket, flipped Raveneau off, and drove away.
With that, Raveneau turned around and took the cart back to the clubhouse. He took a call from la Rosa as he pulled away from Lincoln Park.
‘Two San Jose detectives are with Heilbron right now. How far away are you?’
‘Ten minutes.’
Raveneau missed most of their interview but got there in time to hear them tell Heilbron that the DNA had turned up and this was his last chance for a plea bargain.
‘We’ll have results tomorrow, so you’re at the decision point, bud. Come clean and we’ll go to the DA and make sure he understands you cooperated.’
Raveneau knew this wasn’t going anywhere but he watched Heilbron closely, especially after la Rosa went into the interview box. Heilbron focused on her as she sat down. He answered the San Jose detectives’ questions while looking at her. When she ignored him and left the room his face changed, became completely impassive, his dark eyes unreadable.
At two that afternoon they cut Heilbron loose and the crime lab released his van, though not before showing la Rosa and Raveneau the hole drilled for the camcorder mounted inside at the rear of the van and operated with switches mounted at the dash. Heilbron got in his van and, with Raveneau and la Rosa tailing him, drove straight to China Basin.
SEVENTEEN
Heilbron slowed as he reached China Basin then continued south to his former employer, Boyle’s Auto Body. He pulled into an open bay, probably to pick up his last check or ask for his job back. Up the street, Raveneau eased the car over to the curb.
‘Who is this guy?’ la Rosa asked, and he understood what she meant. The San Jose detectives brought their file this morning. La Rosa read through it. So had he.
‘Here’s what I think,’ Raveneau answered. ‘When Heilbron walked into the homicide office and tossed out the San Jose rape after confessing to this killing, he was building his credibility. He knew the DNA was missing, probably wouldn’t magically show up, and if it does Heilbron’s probably been advised by a defense attorney that the amount of time it was lost will get it discredited as evidence. The district attorney won’t go anywhere near a chain-of-custody problem.’
‘OK, but he knew the San Jose detectives would come interview him again.’
Raveneau paused. He looked over at her.
‘He wanted that. It was another chance to taunt them and that’s probably what he’s trying to do with us. I’m not seeing the evidence yet that he’s our guy and I doubt we will. He was standing outside talking to the responding officers when we were upstairs. He got what he knows about the inside of the building from them.’
Taylor, the younger officer, had looked at a photo of Heilbron and IDed him.
‘Then why are we following