Kill Again by Neal Baer

Author:Neal Baer
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Kensington
Published: 2015-05-18T00:00:00+00:00

He picked up a black Magic Marker and faced his crossword puzzle.

Who’s next? he wondered, a smile spreading across his lips.

He admired his work. The letters R-O-S-A-S-A-N-C-H-E-Z fit neatly into each square. He had rid the world of another parasite and it gave him a thrilling sense of complete control. He was the master of his universe and no one would be smart or clever enough to stop him from filling the grid with more names.

Nick and Claire entered Rosa’s bedroom, which appeared to have changed little since she was a girl. Frilly pink curtains covered a pair of windows. A white, twin, four-poster bed faced a matching dresser. The furniture, though cheaply made, was in nearly perfect condition, her bookshelf filled with a neatly organized family of stuffed animals. She’d taken great care with all of her belongings.

“It’s a beautiful apartment, Maria,” Nick said.

“I’ve lived here a long time,” Maria replied, “and I’m lucky I still can. Rent control.”

“Me too,” he said. “I live in the same rent-controlled apartment I grew up in.”

“Rosa kept her room clean,” Claire observed.

“As an adult, yes,” Maria replied, standing in the doorway. “I kept it like this after she got married and moved in with Franco.” A hint of a smile crossed her face. “It wasn’t like this while she was growing up, believe me. But when she and the niños moved in here, she wanted to set a good example. That’s why she put her animales—” She fought back tears. “I should leave you alone to do this.”

“We won’t take long,” Nick promised.

Maria went down the hallway, back to the living room. Claire couldn’t help but think how difficult it must be for her to live with the constant reminder of the child she lost. Claire knew the feeling well. She became anxious every time she visited her parents at her childhood home in Rochester, New York, every time she turned into the driveway from which her best friend, Amy, was kidnapped more than two decades ago. Claire could still see Amy’s face through the rear window of her abductor’s car, tears streaming down her cheeks.

A thump brought her back to the present. She looked up to see Nick lifting Rosa’s mattress.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

He heaved the mattress on its side against the wall, exposing the box spring.

“Looking for Rosa’s diary,” he answered, surprised at the question. “If she had one. Little trick some shrink taught me last year.”

Claire smiled, remembering the first case they worked on together. If only she did have a diary, Claire thought. She’d once asked Rosa to write down her thoughts and feelings. Rosa told her she didn’t like to write, that she’d rather talk about her feelings with Claire.

“Wishful thinking,” Nick said, letting the mattress fall back into place.

Claire was silent. Something was bothering her. She scanned the room: the stuffed animals, the frilly curtains, the childlike appearance of a home occupied by an adult. She realized it looked a lot like her own room as a child.

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