Blood Trails by Lyle Brandt

Author:Lyle Brandt
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Published: 2011-06-21T00:00:00+00:00

Loving had five hookers remaining at the Klondike. Wanda was the one who’d raised the first alarm the night before when Molly went missing. The rest were introduced to Slade as Cassie, Jo-Beth, Norma Jean, and Blaze. All five were bleary-eyed from loss of sleep and none too pleased at jawing with a lawman when they’d normally be bundled up in bed—alone, for once.

Al Loving had excused himself at Slade’s request, Slade watching him to make sure that he didn’t flash some signal to the girls or glare at anybody in particular. The pimp seemed honestly intent on winding up the murders, nailing down the killer, but Slade wasn’t taking anything on faith at this point in the game.

Instead of singling Wanda out, he asked, “Which one of you was first to notice Molly gone, last night?”

They hesitated, cutting glances back and forth, before Blaze said, “I must’ve been. One minute, she was standing right behind me. Next time, when I turned around, she wasn’t there no more.”

“And did you mention it to anyone, right then?” asked Slade.

Blaze shook her head, bronze waves of tangled hair in motion, as a tear escaped from her left eye and spilled across her cheek. She swiped it clear and stiffened, staring back at Slade.

“You gonna say it’s my fault, now?”

“Not even close,” he said. “I’d like to know what came to mind, though, when you found her missing. It might help me.”

Blaze softened, shrugged. Told Slade, “I didn’t really think about it at the time. You know, she coulda walked around to get a better look, whatever. Maybe gone back to her crib.”

“Okay. Was anybody else around there with you? Maybe someone that you didn’t recognize?” asked Slade.

“Mister,” said Wanda, “we know everyone in town.”

“’Cluding the mayor,” said Cassie, with a wicked smile.

“All right,” Slade said. “Someone you did know, then? Aside from each other and Mr. Loving, was anyone hanging around with you?”

Around the circle, muttered negatives and shaking heads. Slade let it go and changed directions.

“What I need to ask you now is personal,” he said. “This person that I’m looking for is obviously down on working girls. Which doesn’t mean he’s not a customer, between these other times. I need to know if any of you’s run into a . . . client who was different.”

“Than what?” asked Norma Jean.

“Than normal,” Slade replied.

“What’s normal?” Jo-Beth challenged him.

Slade thought about it for a second, then refined his question. “Someone who’s inclined to hurt you for the fun of it, not accidentally or when he’s sloppy drunk and clumsy.”

More looks passed around the group, then Wanda said, “I guess we all have, one time or another.”

“Make it recently,” Slade said. “In Jubilee, for starters. Take it back six months or so before the killings started. Anybody new and mean, or somebody who changed on you in a surprising way?”

“No one like that, for me,” said Wanda, and the others joined her in denials, one by one.

Running short of notions, Slade threw out a long shot.

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