There was something about the way a couple of the boys in front of the facility looked at her that made her think she should come back another day.
It wasn’t really in Cindy’s nature to run away from problems or avoid threats. No decent reporter could do either and survive in the business. She parked her car and got out, then snapped a couple of photos of the facility with her phone. She purposely captured images of the young men staring at her. In case she had to identify them later.
She crossed the street and immediately turned to her right, avoiding any direct contact with the teenage boys. One of them was smoking a cigarette. Another, who looked a little older, smoothed out his curly hair with his hand. Then he called to Cindy, “Hey, where you goin’?”
Cindy kept walking but sensed that the two teens had fallen in behind her on the sidewalk. She glanced around but didn’t see any adults. In fact, there weren’t that many people on the street at all. This could be a problem. A real problem. Then she felt a hand on her shoulder.
Cindy spun around quickly and faced the two boys. The way the bigger one was grinning sent a chill down her spine.
Cindy made a plan. She didn’t have her pepper spray or any kind of weapon. She’d taken a couple of self-defense classes. Nothing that would help her right now. She was going to fall back on the oldest form of female self-defense. She intended to kick each of the boys directly in the genitals. Then she’d run. She’d go right back to the police department and explain why she’d attacked two minors.
The smaller, younger teen flicked away his cigarette and said, “Why’d you take a photograph of us?”
“I was photographing the youth center building.”
“Why?”
Cindy took a short step backward. She was at the perfect distance to deliver a couple of quick, well-placed kicks. She wasn’t looking forward to it, but if she waited, she might not have another chance.
CHAPTER14
EVEN THOUGH ITwasn’t my case, I was still interested in the autopsy of the young woman found in Golden Gate Park.
Randy Hicks, the detective assigned to the case, was in the medical examiner’s room as well. I’d known Randy for years and appreciated his understated approach to most police investigations. That didn’t mean he was slow or lazy. It meant he was methodical and thorough. I’d also seen him de-escalate a number of situations with his laid-back personality and deep, mellifluous voice.
Even though there was a naked corpse on a metal table sitting in front of all of us, we had been in this room so many times, no one acknowledged it directly. There was a towel draped tactically over the groin area, more for convenience than modesty.
I addressed Randy first. “Again, Randy, I promise I’m not stealing your case here. I’m just curious to see if it might relate to one of mine.”
Randy gave me a smile. “Lindsay, I don’t own any of these cases. You can’t steal anything from me. Besides, in our job, when you take a case, it just means less work for me.”
I looked over to Claire, who said, “You could learn a lot from Randy’s approach.”
I smiled and said, “I’ve already learned a lot from Randy over the years. He took me through my first burglary investigation.”
Randy said, “When you’ve been on the force for as long as I have, you start thinking about how you’ll enjoy retirement. That’s all the incentive I need. It doesn’t hurt that I have two grandkids under ten who keep me pretty active.”
We all chatted for a few more minutes. Then Claire got serious. She’d already done much of the examination. Claire looked up at Randy and said, “Were you able to work up much of a background on this woman?”
Randy nodded. “Her name is Audrey Ware, though officially she’s called Tina Barnes, which is the identity Oklahoma WITSEC gave her. She’s been involved in a couple of bad groups. Apparently, she testified against some dopers in Oklahoma. The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation put her in witness protection. They didn’t even know she was out here. It looks like she generally worked as an exotic dancer.”
I said, “Could it be a case of a patron stalking her?”
“It’s too early to tell. She hadn’t been in town long. Still, it wouldn’t surprise me if she attracted that kind of attention.”
Claire threw in, “I can see that. She was a beautiful young woman.”
It was true. Even with the pallid complexion and hair tucked behind her back, I could tell the victim had been stunningly attractive.
Randy said, “What can you tell us about her death?”
Claire glanced up from the naked cadaver lying on the table in front of her. “This actually concerns both of you.” She lookeddirectly at me and said, “The method of death is entirely different from the body that washed up on Marshall’s Beach. That young woman had been strangled. This woman was struck at least twice. Once in the face and once in the throat.”
Randy said, “What about the substance on her cheeks and nose?”
“It looks like it was some kind of homemade pepper spray or mace. We’re running more tests to see what we can determine. I think she got sprayed, maybe she tried to run away, then the suspect caught up to her. He threw a punch and caught her in the face. The second punch hit her in the throat.” She paused as she gathered her thoughts. She set a nitrile-gloved hand down on a small table next to her. Then she said, “Frankly, I’m not sure whoever struck her intended to kill her. I think when he realized what kind of breathing problems she was having after being punched in the throat, the suspect panicked and left her on the grass of the park.”
Randy said, “Are you saying my suspect is some kind of martial artist?”
