Garcia detected a paternal tone in Hunter’s voice.
‘There’s only so much we can do, rookie, and you know we’re doing everything we can. Don’t ever forget, we’re dealing with a social psychopath who takes immense pleasure in kidnapping, torturing and killing people. The human values that to us come as second nature are completely distorted in the killer’s mind.’
Garcia pinched the bridge of his nose as if trying to fight off an oncoming headache. ‘Every night when I go to bed and close my eyes I see them. I see Jenny Farnborough staring at me with those unhuman eyes. She tries to say something but she’s got no voice. I see George Slater tied to that steering wheel, his skin popping open like bubble wrap, coughing blood onto me. His last breath, his last cry for help and there’s nothing I can do,’ Garcia said, looking away from Hunter for an instant. ‘I can smell the death smell from the wooden house, the putrid odor from George’s car.’
Hunter knew what Garcia was going through.
‘I’m starting to scare Anna. I keep her up at night with my tossing and turning. Apparently I’ve started talking in my sleep . . . on the rare occasions that I manage to fall asleep that is.’
‘Have you told her about the case?’
‘No, I know better than that, but she’s scared. She’s very intelligent and she knows me too well. I can’t get anything past her.’ He gave Hunter a pale smile. ‘You gotta meet her sometime, you’d like her.’
‘I’m sure I would.’
‘We met in high school. She broke my nose.’
‘What? You’re joking?’
Garcia gave Hunter a sincere smile while shaking his head. ‘My gang in school . . . we were jerks, no doubt about it. Always making rude comments to all the nice girls. I even made her best friend cry once. One day, I was down at the library studying for a final exam. Anna was at the table just in front of mine. We kept swapping looks and smiles until she got up and walked to where I was. Without saying a word, she swung the heavy 500-page hardcover she had in her hands. It hit me squared in the face. Blood everywhere. After that, I was hooked. Wouldn’t leave her alone until she agreed to go out with me.’
‘I like her already,’ Hunter laughed.
‘I’ll arrange dinner at my place sometime.’
Hunter could sense his partner’s anguish. ‘When I got to the sight of the first-ever Crucifix killing, it took me just thirty seconds to be sick,’ Hunter said in a low voice. ‘After so many years as a detective I thought I could handle anything this city could throw at me . . . I was wrong. The nightmares started almost immediately, and they’ve never stopped.’
‘Not even when you thought you had the killer?’
Hunter shook his head. ‘Catching the killer will soothe the pain, but it won’t erase what you’ve seen.’
An uncomfortable silence came between them.
‘On that first killing, one of the first officers to arrive at the scene was a rookie, brand new into the police force, no more than two months,’ Hunter recalled. ‘He didn’t handle it. After months with the police psychologist he ended up quitting the force.’
‘How do you handle it?’ Garcia asked.
‘Day by day, nightmare by nightmare. I fight a day at a time,’ he replied with sad eyes.
Forty-Three
She had to confess she was nervous. Maybe more nervous than she thought she’d be. Becky had spent most of the day with one eye on her computer screen and the other on the clock. She wasn’t sure if it was apprehension or excitement, but the butterflies in her stomach had been flying around since she’d got out of bed this morning. She’d barely been able to concentrate on her work, taking more breaks today than any other day, but today wasn’t like any other day, at least not for Becky.
She’d left her office at the main branch of The union Bank of California in South Figueroa Street at around 5:30 p.m., not her usual leaving time. As a financial adviser, her job had always demanded a lot from her. It wasn’t unusual for Becky to stay behind until seven or eight in the evening. Today, even her boss had given her some advice in what she should and shouldn’t do, and he was happy to see her leave a little earlier than normal.
Even with traffic as bad as it was, Becky still had enough time to drop by her apartment and grab a quick shower. She also wanted to try out the little black number she’d bought this afternoon during her lunch hour especially for tonight’s occasion. As she thought about her new dress and how she should wear her hair, she found herself feeling anxious again. She turned on the radio and hoped the music would help calm her down.