Return of the Spider by Patterson James

Author:Patterson, James [Patterson, James]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Mystery & Detective, Suspense, Thriller
ISBN: 9781804948781
Publisher: Penguin Random House
Published: 2025-10-08T13:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 50

HURRYING BACK DOWNTOWN TO headquarters later that afternoon, I knew I was late for a briefing with chief of detectives George Pittman, who had been horrified to hear that a Catholic priest had been gunned down in front of his own church and outraged that Sampson and I might have been the true targets.

While Pittman attended a sit-down with the chief of Metro about everything, I’d taken a walk with Ellen Bovers, the FBI agent who’d gotten us the CCTV footage of the white van.

When I returned, Sampson was already at his desk. “Where you been?”

“Out talking to my FBI friend. She tells me they’re becoming interested in Prince too.”

“Good, because we’ve got a big problem.”

I felt like we’d been constantly bombarded with big problems, one after another. The gang killings of two teens, the Bulldog murders, the drive-by shooting—and the slaying of Father Barry. How close my wife, my son, and my grandmother had all come to dying. How close I’d come.

“Tell me,” I said wearily.

“Donovan? The undercover officer? She’s missed her last few check-ins.”

“She could be deep into something and unable to communicate.”

“Or Rodolpho figured her out. Or Prince.”

We were in Pittman’s office five minutes later. Kurtz and Diehl were there too, as was Lieutenant Stacey Lindahl, Donovan’s narcotics commander.

“Shut the door,” Pittman said. “I want this kept quiet. I mean, if they’ll gun down a priest, they’ll do anything. Lieutenant? Can you bring us up to speed?”

Lindahl nodded, looking deeply concerned. “Donovan last checked in three days ago. She is supposed to be in contact once every twenty-four hours.”

“We saw her four days ago,” Sampson said. “At that café Rodolpho goes to all the time.”

I nodded. “She seemed upset.”

The lieutenant nodded. “She was angry that day when she checked in. She’d asked you to back off and yet you didn’t. Rodolpho told her you were following him.”

Pittman held up his hands. “That was my call, Lieutenant. We wanted to send Prince a message that we were not giving up on the Miller and Mansion murders.”

“I understand, Chief, but Donovan didn’t. She said she’d been getting closer to Rodolpho, but the surveillance spooked him. He’d gotten pissed with her and told her to leave.”

“Like I said, my call,” Pittman said. “But now I’m asking, how do we handle this?”

Lindahl said, “I’m concerned. But my gut says give her another day. She might be somewhere she can’t communicate from. Or she’s on the verge of something big and trying not to do anything to jeopardize it.”

Detective Kurtz said, “With all due respect, Lieutenant, you could also assume Donovan’s cover is blown, haul in every known member of LMC Fifty-One, and put the squeeze on them, bottom up, until we find her.”

Diehl said, “I agree. There’s a cop involved. They know the penalties. Someone will talk.”

Pittman thought for several moments. “I spoke with the commissioner right before I came here. He knows she’s missing and said that we were to prioritize her welfare, not the undercover operation.”

Lindahl looked somewhat unhappy about that but agreed.

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