“Detective Black told me to report to you about our canvass.”
She pulled out her phone so she could take notes. “Do you have a witness?”
“No, ma’am. My partner and I were tasked with locating all security cameras in the area. We found three that potentially had a view between the van and the Dumpster. One was close focus only, on a store front. One was outside the convention center, but angled away from the van. The third was there”—she gestured across the street—“on the Attorney General Building. It is aimed at the alley where delivery trucks come in, and may have an angle to the street. It’s distorted, but they are copying the file from nine p.m. to midnight, per Detective Black.”
“Great. There’s nothing here on the parking lot?”
“No. But—I have one idea?”
“Tell me.”
“Well, J Street is one-way. If anyone was walking on the sidewalk or driving to the van or away from the van, there are many businesses that have security cameras, and there are several police cameras on K Street and around the capitol building. It’s a long shot—especially since we don’t know exactly what to look for—but it might be worth looking into.”
Lucy agreed. “Follow up, four-block radius, as well as checking the security from the two hotels across from the convention center. Do you know, is there any way to find out who was parked here last night during our window?”
“I can contact the parking company.”
“That would be great.”
“The only problem, it’s all pre-pay—so you pull in, go to that machine”—she motioned—“and then pay. They can tell me when cars come in, but not when they leave.”
Lucy considered. “We need to know all cars that were here between those hours. Someone might have seen something, if the company can give us a list—I don’t know if we need a warrant, or if there are any other jurisdictional issues.”
“I’ll ask. If they balk I’ll bump it up to Detective Black.”
“Perfect. Thank you, Officer . . . ?”
“Delacruz.”
“Officer Delacruz.” Lucy nodded and smiled, knowing how hard it was to be a young officer working a crime scene. Many times they received no appreciation from the people in charge, even though they were doing the bulk of the legwork.
Forensics was inspecting the area near the van as well as the alley and every place between the van and alley. Lucy turned her focus to the alley. It stood to reason that Ellen had been attacked last night and had been lying unconscious in the Dumpster for hours. Yet no one had heard anything. Was she attacked at her van or here in the alley? There was no blood evidence in the van, which told Lucy the attack likely happened when Ellen left the vehicle—though, according to John, the van had been wiped down. If the assault did happen in the alley, why was she here? She had a room in the hotel, which was in the opposite direction. She didn’t have a car at the hotel—John had checked—she had driven the tactical van from Pride headquarters yesterday morning.
Lucy hadn’t had much opportunity to inspect the wound before the paramedics rushed Ellen to the hospital, but it appeared to be blunt force trauma. She didn’t see a gunshot wound, but she couldn’t be certain. If Ellen had been shot, could someone have had a silencer? Silencers weren’t completely silent, but they wouldn’t echo on the street and possibly alert nearby residents. Had the killer thought she was dead, and that’s why he put her body in the Dumpster, to avoid being discovered quickly? Or did he know she was still breathing and expect her to die before she was found? Either way, the shooter had a uniquely dark coldness about him.
Marc was a viable suspect only because he had motive—he wanted to sell the company, Ellen didn’t. Or Steven Decker, the man who wanted to buy the company. Maybe he suspected she wouldn’t sell . . . or went to talk to her after Marc left. Either of them could have attacked her, thought they had killed her . . .
Or had Marc attempted to kill her because she wouldn’t get back together with him? Could he have taken the drone to throw off suspicion? Would he have left her breathing, especially if she would then identify him as her attacker?
Certainly possible. Greed was a common motive. Love turned easily to hate. But Ellen wasn’t dead; she would be able to testify. If she survived
Then why the elaborate explanation that he wanted to get back together with her? Was it true? Or a convenient lie?
Or was it a truth that she rejected? Maybe greed wasn’t the motive, but lust. Anger at being rejected.
That didn’t feel right to her—clearly, they had been married, divorced, worked together. Why kill her now, five years after the divorce?
She’s not dead. She could regain consciousness and tell the police everything. Including who attacked her.
She saw John walking toward her, talking on his phone, his face impassive. He ended the call and said to her, “That was the attorney general’s office. He’s supposed to speak this afternoon to the conference, and they want a threat assessment. His security wants to cancel, the AG doesn’t.”
“What’s the likelihood that Ellen was attacked because of the AG?”
“My opinion, it has nothing to do with it, but I can’t completely discount it. Political assassinations are rare in this country, so I think the AG’s office is just being cautious—in case there’s a personal reason for someone to come after the AG. He used to be a prosecutor, so that’s possible.”
“You want to talk to her ex-husband again.”
“Yes, but he’s at the hospital waiting to see her. I talked to Gabriel—Dr. Storm—a few minutes ago. Ellen has not regained consciousness. She was hit by something hard and likely metal.”
“Coldcocked?”
“Distinct possibility. With enough force to crack her skull. She has a serious brain bleed, and fragments of her skull have moved into her brain. Gabriel is sending X-rays and photos to our crime lab for assessment as well, but if he says she was coldcocked, she was. He’s called in the top neurosurgeon in Northern California for an assessment, and she’ll likely be in surgery within the hour.”
“So we talk to Dupre at the hospital.”
John nodded. “He’s there now. Megan is with him. I don’t see him for this, but maybe a spur-of-the-moment attack, he panicked, put her in the Dumpster.” He frowned.
“I can picture it—but if he wanted her dead wouldn’t he have ensured she was dead?” Lucy said.
“He could have thought she was dead.”
“Maybe she saw something, a crime in progress, a drug deal. Random attack.”
“Then why dump her body? If it was spontaneous, wouldn’t the attacker leave her where she fell? Robinson, the tech leading the forensic investigation, says that there was a small amount of blood outside the van, that it is likely Ellen’s and that she was attacked there—near the rear of the van. She’ll have it confirmed by the end of the day. Why move the body?”
Good question.
“Maybe whoever attacked her thought she was dead and panicked. Moved her to delay discovery.”
“At this point, I’d believe almost anything,” John said. He glanced at his watch. “Once we talk to Marc, we’ll talk to her staff. I’m told you have a presentation this afternoon—I’ll get you back here in time for that.”