“Medical school isn’t for everyone. You could’ve ended up in a worse position. This doesn’t look like such a bad place to work. You’re contributing to society.”
Gina smiled. “I was able to graduate college with a degree in psychology. After a couple of jobs in advertising and public relations, I found this.”
“You like working with the kids?”
“Oh, hell no. They’re a pain in the ass. But the place has its charms, and the job gives me some flexibility. The pay leaves something to be desired. Still, while I couldn’t afford to live in San Francisco itself, here I can get by.”
Cindy listened and didn’t offer any comments as they kept walking. She wondered if there was anything going on between Eric and Gina but decided not to ask. She had a lot of work to do on this story.
CHAPTER16
I SAT ATmy desk in the Hall of Justice, searching for some kind of link between several cases that might not even be connected.
I had photos of Nicole Snaff and the two other young women Eric Snaff had said went missing from the San Julio area. Cindy had sent me all three photos this morning, but I hadn’t heard anything from my friend since then.
I also had several photographs of Tina Barnes, the woman found dead in Golden Gate Park. Even though her real name was Audrey Ware, Tina Barnes was her name on all official documents because that was technically still her identity from witness protection.
I needed more information. I hoped it would somehow all lead back to the unidentified body from Marshall’s Beach.
I stood up from my desk to stretch. Randy Hicks walked through the bullpen. He stopped just before my desk and hesitated before he said, “I got called into court on an old homicide case. I’m expecting the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation to get back to me shortly with any information they’re willing to share onTina Barnes. Do you mind if I tell the guy to call you while I’m in court? I know you were a little interested in the case.”
“Yeah. No problem, Randy.”
“Also, we found a blurry photo from a security camera at a cheap motel near the park. You couldn’t use it in court, but we think it shows Tina with her killer at about 6:30 on the night she was murdered. I’ll forward you a copy.” He pulled up a picture on his phone and held it out to let me examine the photo more closely.
I took the phone right out of Randy’s hand and stared at the image. I could tell it was definitely Tina by her outfit. I couldn’t identify the man. But his dark hair and tall, lean torso made me think of Eric Snaff. That bothered me.
After Randy headed out, I decided to go get some fresh air. But before I could make it all the way out the main exit of the building, I ran into Yuki Castellano. She was the picture of fashion in the smart, stylish business suit from Neiman Marcus, but she looked frustrated.
“Hey, Yuki,” I said. “How’s the trial going?”
Yuki growled. Then she regained her composure. “Two defendants took overly generous plea deals. That caused a break in the trial while the others do the calculations about the two testifying against them.” She smoothed out a few wrinkles in her jacket. “For a change, the State is in a pretty good position in this case. But my schedule is screwed up until it’s all resolved. What about you? Have you heard anything from Cindy about that guy who crashed Claire’s party?”
Even though it was my turn to growl with frustration, I resisted the urge. Instead, I said, “Cindy sent me photos of some other girls who’ve gone missing from the same area as that guy’s daughter. Something about the case is making me want to connect the girlsto a couple of homicides here in San Francisco, but I can’t figure it out.”
“Have you found anything in common between them?”
“Not yet. I have almost no information on most of them.” I held up my phone and let her swipe through a series of photographs.
Yuki looked up from my phone and said, “These are some of the most beautiful women I’ve ever seen outside of a fashion magazine.”
I looked at the faces of Nicole Snaff, then Tina Barnes, then the other two missing girls. I stared at my phone for a few moments. And I said out loud, to no one in particular, “Son of a bitch. That’s the connection.”
My mind started to race with all of the new possibilities.
CHAPTER17
AFTER CATCHING UPwith Yuki for another few minutes, I exited the building to enjoy a few moments of fresh air and sunshine—well, at least relatively fresh air—then went back in to my desk. Before I could get any more information on the girls, my phone rang with a 405 area code. I wasn’t sure exactly where 405 was, but based on my discussion with Randy Hicks, I was willing to bet it was somewhere in Oklahoma, and a quick Google search confirmed it.
The woman on the phone introduced herself as Alice Johnson, captain in charge of statewide narcotics. If I hadn’t known that she was calling from Oklahoma, I wouldn’t have been able to tell from her neutral accent. Her inflection was different from what I was used to here in San Francisco, but otherwise it seemed sort of a mellow mix of Midwestern and Southern. All I could really tell was that she sounded sharp, which was what I cared about.
Captain Johnson said, “I hear you found one of our witnesses dead in San Francisco.”
“Yes, ma’am. You guys had her identity as Tina Barnes, though we’ve learned that her real name was Audrey Ware.”
“I know her. I’m sorry she’s dead. She could be a pain in the ass, but she provided pretty good information on dopers who visited topless bars in Oklahoma City. She was a great witness at a big trial we had in Muskogee.”
“I heard about that. The meth operation?”
