The Night Stalker_ A Novel of Suspense - James Swain [104]
I found Buster sleeping on the floor as I entered the Sunset. I scratched behind his ears, and his eyes popped open, and his tiny tail began to wag.
“I think he’s feeling better,” Sonny said from behind the bar.
“How can you tell?” I asked.
“He growled at the postman. You want a beer?”
“Espresso if you have it.”
“What does this look like? A fern bar?”
“Give me a pot of coffee, then.”
Sonny served me a pot of coffee, and I asked him if I could use his computer.
“I’m sure not using it,” Sonny said.
I headed into the back room, which contained a small desk with a computer, and cartons of Budweiser stacked to the ceiling. The Internet access was dial-up, and I sucked down two cups of coffee while waiting for it to connect. Soon I was online, and I called Burrell’s cell phone.
“I was just punching in your number,” Burrell said. “You wouldn’t believe how many restaurant employees in LeAnn’s neighborhood have broken the law. I’ve pulled out records of thirty of the really bad ones.”
“Can you e-mail them to me?” I asked.
“I’ll send them right now. Give me your e-mail address.”
The bar’s e-mail address was taped to the frame of the computer. I read off the address, and a minute later, the records appeared as an attachment to an e-mail. I clicked on the attachment with the mouse, and they appeared on the screen.
I have a nose for sniffing out creeps that’s been developed from dealing with the worst scum that society has to offer. I used that instinct as I pored through the records. Each contained the suspect’s name, last-known address, mug shot, and criminal history. It was a true rogue’s gallery, with crimes that included rape, murder, aggravated assault, and kidnapping. Looking at each record, I asked myself if this was our killer.
Thirty minutes later, I was done.
I had eliminated twenty-eight of the suspects for reasons ranging from being too young, to living in another state until a few years ago. The remaining two suspects were better fits. Both were in their mid-thirties, and had done time in prison for kidnapping and violent sexual assault. Each man had been given a psychological evaluation in prison, and deemed sociopathic. Both were also Broward natives. I called Burrell on my cell.
“I’m down to two,” I told her.
“Which ones?”
“Johnnie Lee Edwards and Thaddaeus Prosper. You need to have both pulled in for questioning. I’d also have their homes searched.”
“Anything else?”
I stared at each man’s mug shot. “Can I be there when you question them?”
“I can’t get you into the building, Jack. Hell, I’m not even supposed to be here.”
“Can I listen in? I just want to hear how they answer the questions.”
“That’s doable. Don’t turn your cell phone off.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it,” I said.
CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN
I took Buster for a walk on the beach with my cell phone clutched in my hand. I was tired and my head hurt, and I put both of those things out of my mind.
The motorcycle cop stayed ten yards behind me. He’d put his helmet on his bike, and walked while talking into a cell phone. I caught snippets of conversation, and heard him talking to his wife about an upcoming vacation to the Keys. It was obvious he wasn’t taking his assignment too seriously.
On my way back, I retrieved Chuck Cobb’s homicide report from my car. I needed something to do while waiting for Burrell to call me, and reviewing Cobb’s report was a good way to pass the time.
I went inside. It was Happy Hour, and the Dwarfs noisily lined the bar. I took my usual table by the window, put my cell phone in front of me, and started to read.
“You want a beer?” Sonny called to me.
“Another pot of coffee,” I replied.
“Boo,” the Dwarfs said.
The report was fifteen pages long. A lot had happened the day I’d discovered Piper Stone’s body in the Dumpster, and I found myself stopping every few paragraphs to dredge my memory. Sonny served me a fresh pot along with a frosty mug of beer.
“What’s this?” I asked.
“They made me,” he said.
I glanced at the bar, and saw the Dwarfs raise their glasses.
By the time I had finished the report, it was