The Profiler Read online

  Outside, the detective holds the passenger door open for me and I hop in, relieved I will soon see my grandmother.

  “Everything’s okay?”

  “For now. Any word on La Roche yet?”

  “Nah, it’s too soon.” Severo pulls a pack of gum from the console, removes a stick for himself, then hands me the package. “You like working around the clock, don’t you?”

  The tangy zest of cinnamon bursts on my tongue and my stomach reminds me I haven’t eaten in several hours. And that’s only if you count vending machine products as food.

  “I do what it takes.”

  Driving with one hand on the wheel, Severo straightens his hair with his free hand, repeatedly checking his reflection in the mirror. Who is he trying to look good for? Certainly not for me, and I don’t know that Cain really cares what the detective looks like.

  Once his shirt is straightened, he returns both hands to the wheel, but darts his eyes about, keeping attention on both the road and our conversation.

  “Whatever it takes, eh? So, what are you in for? Life?”

  “Excuse me?”

  The scent of cinnamon drifts through the air and my stomach grumbles with every chew. I lay a hand across my belly, aware of the little bursts of sound it’s giving off to let me know fuel will soon be necessary.

  “Cain said you had bigger plans. Tell me about them.”

  Shifting in my seat, I turn to watch Severo as he quizzes me on my career path. I don’t know if he’s just making small talk to pass the time or if he’s actually interested in the answers, but Midtown West is still a ways. Better to make small talk than drive in silence.

  “Eventually, I want to train with the National Center for Analysis of Violent Crime in Virginia, get into profiling full-time. But that’s quite a long way down the line. In the meantime, all I can do is prepare in the field and try not to do anything stupid.”

  Severo laughs so hard I have to ask, “What?”

  “You were just saying earlier how happy you were to leave Virginia to come back to New York City. And here you are, already talking about going back to Virginia? You don’t think that’s funny?”

  My smile is hard to repress. “Well, if you put it that way.”

  “So for now, Cain’s primping you for the big time?”

  “That’s the plan.” I open my window a tad, to take in some of the evening breeze. The air is mixed with the scents of fresh bread from all-night bakeries, damp brown leaves dancing in the wind, and fresh coffee. “I’ll probably spend at least four years with Cain, and then…who knows. I could be in the city for a long time before NCAVC takes me on. If they ever do, that is.”

  “You know they will. With Cain as your mentor—a man who has a killer reputation among his peers—and your upbringing by your dad… Hell, Angie, profiling is in your pedigree.”

  “I guess it is,” I say, realizing how good I’ve had it. Training is one thing, but being surrounded by others who share the passion is a definite bonus. “You have a lot of respect for Cain, don’t you?”

  A sarcastic gust of air escapes from Severo’s lips and he gives a playful jab to my arm. “I don’t know that I’d go that far. Nah, I’m kiddin’ ya. He’s a good guy when you get used to him. He can be a bit hard to take, you know, when you’re just starting out with him. But he’s been around the block, knows his stuff. Wouldn’t be where he is today if he didn’t.”

  “How long have you known him?”

  “Oh, man. Lemme think.” Severo takes a right and slows his speed before turning off the engine. “A few years now.”

  “This is your stop?”

  “Yeah,” he says, sliding off his seat belt, but staying in the vehicle to finish his story. “I think I first met Cain when he was at the Newark field office, before he transferred over to New York. But I didn’t really get to know him like I do now until after he became part of the task force. Hell, that was why he hoofed it over here to begin with. Didn’t want to say no to that kind of opportunity.”

  “Sounds intense.”

  “It can be. It certainly was at times. But like I told you in my office today, I couldn’t have asked for a better group of guys to work with. Including Cain. Anyways, we’re late.”

  He exits the car, and for a moment, I just sit and watch him walking around to my side of the vehicle and then opening the door for me.

  “Late for what?”

  “Come on. You’ll see.”

  My seat belt retracts from my body and I check where we are: east of Eighth Avenue, in the heart of Midtown West. I spy a small café on the opposite side of the street. The sign for La Costa is lit by multicolored patio lanterns, and the path leading to its front door is vibrantly illuminated in similar fashion.

  “What are we doing here?”

  “I told you I had to make a stop. This is my stop.”

  Before setting the Jeep’s alarm, the detective reaches to the back seat and pulls out a gift-wrapped box, decorated with pictures of balloons and teddy bears. I shrug, not sure what to think of Carson Severo, the gift, the restaurant. Any of it.

  He crosses the street and I hesitate, but my curiosity gets the better of me and eventually I follow his lead. When I reach his side, he hands me the gift and then opens the door, letting me walk in first.

  A roomful of people, varied in age, look up, and at first they have the same expression on their faces that I am wearing. Uncertainty. Once they see the detective step from behind me, however, the room explodes in happiness and cheerful bouts of praise and pleasantries.

  Severo’s face lights up with a spirit I haven’t seen before, and when an elderly woman approaches him, his arms open wide in a generous hug.

  “Madre!”

  Oh my Lord, it’s his mother. I have no choice but to smile when the woman looks at me with big, welcoming eyes, and when she squeezes me with a friendly hug, I let my arms fall lightly onto her shoulders, not sure what else to do with them, while juggling the gift.

  Severo nudges me in the side and beams with happiness. “Angie, this is my mother. That there is my sister Maria,” he says, pointing to a petite, extremely pretty thirtysomething. His hand continues to motion across the room, attaching names to faces I will surely never remember. “This is my other sister, Frances. That’s my little brother, Marco. And this…”

  With his dramatic pause, I watch as Severo scoops his arms around a young girl, whose face I recognize from the glitter-decorated photo on his desk. “This one is special. This is my niece, Christina, and today she is eight years old.”

  Guess that answers my question.

  He smothers her with goofy kisses and the young girl giggles with delight, obviously happy to see her uncle. I am utterly in shock.

  “Angie, this is my family.”

  The many smiling faces look to me with welcoming nods and greetings. Though being stunned at the situation, I let my lips curl into a grin, and say hello as I shake hands with a number of individuals.

  One of the sisters—Maria, I think—pulls a chair out for me and sets a glass of wine on the table. “Welcome to La Costa. It’s very nice to meet one of Carson’s friends.”

  “Thanks,” I say, not sure whether or not I should clarify how I fit into the detective’s life. “This is a lovely place.”

  Maria leans back in a modest pose, her hands in the pockets of her feminine apron. “Oh, you’re kind. It’s the family’s. Been around for a long time, getting passed down from generation to generation.” Her palms extend to her lips and a slight blush creeps across her already pink cheeks. “My manners! You must be hungry. Antonio!”

  I follow her glance and see a neatly dressed young man with a cane nod back to her. Within moments, he arrives at the table with a younger family member, and they set out the dinnerware. “You and Carson should eat. You’ve probably had a long day.”

  They don’t know the half of it.

  Detective Severo takes a seat beside me, and a group of his kin fill in the remaining empty s
eats. A number of plates, topped with entrées, are spread across the table and Severo looks at me with a genuine smile. “Eat up, Angie. I’m tired of your stomach talking dirty to me.”

  I’m a little embarrassed, as his niece is showering me with a gleaming grin and I don’t want to be rude, but have to say, “I don’t know that we have time for this.”

  His fork, half raised to his lips, pauses and he shakes his head at me. “Angie, we’ve been working since this morning. I think you have time to eat at least once during your shift. Coffee doesn’t cut it. Eat up.”

  Despite my concern for getting back to the office before Cain has a full-on freak-out, I oblige and sweep the guilt from my mind. Once I do, I am able to take in the aromas of Mediterranean and Italian cuisine. Bow tie pasta with blackened chicken, a fancy salad featuring sun-dried tomatoes, grilled shrimp skewers and a variety of breads are scattered about on this large banquet table, and my senses are overwhelmed.

  “This is fantastic,” I say, almost speechless at the welcoming spread and even more welcoming hosts. “Grazie.”

  Maria generously fills my glass and sets the bottle of wine between myself and Severo. “So, tell me, brother. Did you have a good day today?”

  Dabbing at my mouth with a linen serviette, I watch closely as Severo replies to his sister. “I think it was fairly productive. Wouldn’t you agree?”

  Not sure whether to elaborate or keep the details to myself, I nod my head and agree with the detective. I don’t know if he dishes the dirt to his family or keeps them protected by not unleashing the truth about the city streets. It’s not my call, so I’m happy to leave it at that.

  Carson’s mother leans from behind his chair and pinches his cheeks. In Italian, she asks him who the pretty lady is, and I can only assume she’s referring to me, on account I’m the only stranger in the room.

  “Ma, she understands Italian. And speaks it very well.”

  Her eyes widen with disbelief and so I say, “Capisco,” to confirm that, yes, I do in fact understand.

  She gleefully cries, “Bene! Bene!” which is naturally followed by her pinching my cheeks.

  “Madre…” Severo trails off, but his mother is clearly pleased he has found someone in his life who not only understands her son, but quite possibly the entire family. So long as she doesn’t get any strange ideas.

  “Antonio!” Maria calls out to the man with the cane, and he carries a large birthday cake to the table. It is well lit with rainbow-colored candles, spreading joy across the little girl’s face.

  She is propped up atop a chair, and once everyone surrounds the table, the family leads into the birthday song as the little girl watches the cake with eager eyes.

  Amid the pleasant commotion, I become aware of my cell phone’s drilling ring, and move away from the table to answer the call. “David.”

  “Angie? Mother of God, you get caught in a parade or something? What is all that?”

  There is a narrow hallway leading to the restrooms, so I duck behind the wall and cover my left ear while listening to Cain on the other end of my phone. “It’s nothing. What’s up?”

  “Zip. Not yet, anyway. McCabe’s team won’t have any results until the morning, kiddo, so there’s no point in chasing our tails tonight.”

  Peeping my head around the corner, I see that Christina is opening her presents now, and Severo is awaiting his turn for his niece to unveil the contents of his gift.

  “Okay, so where do we go from here?”

  Cain exhales from what I gather is a cigarette and says, “Home, Angie. You know that place you’ve heard of but see so little of? Go get some rest. We’ll meet in the morning.”

  “Okay, I’ll let Severo know the news.”

  “Hey, whoa, hold on there. You still with him?”

  I lean into the wall, watching as the detective hands over the well-decorated box to his niece. “Yeah, um, he was just making a stop.”

  Along the wallpapered hallway, framed photos of the family, from both inside the restaurant and out, are hung on display. I raise a finger to a large photo, capturing the memories of a family gathering not unlike the one I am witnessing in person.

  In it, Severo is smiling broadly, his cheeks covered in some sort of sugar or icing, and hanging off his arm is an attractive woman who appears equally amused by the situation. I wonder if this is the one that got away? I wonder if he thinks of her still, and considers whether he made the right decision to let her go.

  “You two ganging up on me? You’re not up to no funny business, are ya?” His question trails into laughter, and I’d give him a look of disdain if he were in my presence.

  “Yeah, that’s what we’re doing. Having fun without you. Good night, Cain.”

  “Smarty pants. Well, g’night, kiddo. See ya tomorrow.”

  As I close my cell phone and slide it into my back pocket, I realize despite my sarcasm toward Cain, I actually meant what I said. I’m having fun with Detective Severo.

  When I return to the table, he pulls a chair out for me and hands me a piece of cake, which I gratefully accept. For not eating well during this last shift, I’m certainly making up for it now. And I don’t mind one bit that it’s all been so delicious and surrounded by pleasant company.

  “That was Cain,” I say, setting a serviette across my lap. “I’m off the hook for tonight.”

  He hunches close beside me. “No lab results yet?”

  Shaking my head as I swallow a sizable portion of cake, I explain my recent conversation. “So I’m free until morning. Who says I don’t have time off?”

  His laughter is light, like his company is right now. I’m admittedly all too surprised at this softer side of Severo. Of course, we all have intricacies to our personalities that take time to be revealed, but I never would have pegged the detective as such a family oriented man. It’s obvious now, though, in this roomful of people, that he has a home to come to when he needs it, and warm bodies to surround him when he needs them.

  Though in this situation I could easily reflect on my own family, I choose not to. My loved ones will be reunited soon, and for now I can surround myself with Severo’s family and borrow some of their abundant happiness.

  “Angie,” Severo says, leaning close so only I can hear his words. “This has been nice, hasn’t it?”

  “Indeed,” I say, feeling the wine color my cheeks.

  “Good. Come on. Let’s get you home.”

  My eyes meet his as he stands above me now, pushing his arms into his jacket. When he reaches a hand to me, I protest. “But we have the night off.”

  “And we both need our sleep, Ang. This case is just getting started, and you need to be in top form. I can’t have Cain blaming me when his protégée falls asleep on the job.”

  Severo’s lighthearted laughter is a slap back to reality. I shouldn’t be here, anyways. I should be unpacking and making a home out of what’s left of my father’s apartment. The detective probably just felt sorry for my family situation and felt obligated to entertain me among his own. Well, to hell with that.

  “You’re right,” I say, sliding into my jacket and reaching into my pocket for my cell phone. “I’ll call a cab.”

  “No, don’t do that. I can take you home.”

  Ignoring him, I seek out his mother to say thank you and take my leave. I look back at the detective as he follows me to the door. Raising a hand to let him know I’ve made up my mind, I say, “Stay. I’ll get my own way home. I can take care of myself,” before letting the door close between us.

  Chapter 6

  “Perk up, kiddo. It’s gonna be a long Saturday.”

  Cain’s voice jolts me from my relaxed position—my head lying on my crossed arms on top of my desk. Maybe Severo was right. I do need my rest. After the long hours yesterday, followed by an early morning walk with Muddy around the block in the crisp air, I’m still a bit groggy.

  Cain places a mug of steamy brew on my desk and I stretch to welcome the start of our day. “D
id the lab results come in?”

  The black coffee sends a jolt of caffeine through my veins and I set the mug back down to let it cool. A few taste buds have already grown numb, thanks to its steamy temperature.

  Clearing his throat, Cain seats his butt on the corner of his desk, then sips at his own coffee. “Yes, and it’s time to put your mind to work, Angie. That old guy, Jean, he was gonna kick the bucket any day, or so the M.E. says. Guy was running on a short stick, if you know what I mean.” As he says this, he taps his index finger to his chest, letting me know the baker’s heart wasn’t ticking as well as it should.

  “Then I was right. It’s doubtful he carried Matthias Killarney to the men’s mission?”

  “It appears as such.” He slides photos taken at the examination room in my direction, and I glance at the unfortunate evidence. Mr. La Roche somehow got tangled up in this mess, and it’s our job to figure out the details. “So, kiddo, if La Roche didn’t carry Killarney, we need to figure out who did.”

  Scanning the contents of the folders, I peruse the crime scene photos as Cain’s attention drifts from me. I follow his glance as he says, “Morning, Detective.”

  Through the glass door leading to the office Cain and I share on the twenty-third floor of Federal Plaza, I notice Severo is carrying a carton of half-and-half. “Sorry I’m late. Had to make a stop at the market.” He sets the cream on the service counter by our coffeemaker and winks at me.

  I take in the gesture, but return to my analysis of the photos. “La Roche is still a victim, though, Cain. Even if he had a bad heart, we know he was in the crematorium.”

  Severo yawns as he helps himself to the coffee. “What’s the word from the examiner?”

  As Cain explains the M.E.’s findings, the three of us get comfy in the office as our day begins to unfold. I’m glad we opted to meet here, rather than in Severo’s cramped quarters.

  The detective asks Cain, “Lab uncover any more prints?”

  “Nope. Which means the only patterns found at the crematorium belonged to our victims, Killarney and La Roche.”