‘No, Detective.’Some of the anger was back in Joe’s voice.‘I’ve been trying to put all that behind me for five years now. I moved towns so that places and people wouldn’t bring back memories… so that social services wouldn’t take me because my father just upped and left after Mom died. I changed my name because I didn’t want any part of him in my life. I’ve been trying to move on from all that hurt… all that pain… and I was doing all right until about a month ago, when I got the first call from you guys, telling me that Terry had gone missing.’Joe sucked in a lumpy breath.‘And d’you know what, Detective? I – was – scared. I was scared that he was coming to find me, and just like that.’He snapped his fingers.‘All the memories that I’ve been trying so hard to forget were back… the nightmares are all back. So yes, Detective, we’re done here. Please don’t call me again.’
‘Joe, wait.’ Hunter’s voice was urgent. ‘He’s not the only one.’
Silence came back to the line, but there was no dial tone. Joe hadn’t disconnected yet.
‘There are others, Joe.’
‘Others what?’
‘There are other victims,’ Hunter said. ‘The person who took your father’s life… it wasn’t an accident. It wasn’t over an argument in a bar, it wasn’t in a street fight for some silly reason either. The person who took your father’s life has killed before. He’s been doing it for years, Joe. And if we don’t stop him, he’ll kill again. And he’ll keep on killing. The information I’m asking for can help us stop him. Please, Joe.’
‘Hold on a second here,’Joe came back. This time, there was a doubtful lilt to his tone.‘Are you trying to tell me that my father was murdered by a serial killer? Are you fucking kidding me?’
‘No, Joe, I’m not kidding you,’ Hunter replied. ‘And yes, like I’ve said, the person who took your father’s life has killed before… more than once, so, by definition, he falls into the category of a serial killer.’
‘Oh, c’mon! Really? So instead of the “alien abduction” scenario you decided to go with the “serial killer” one? Gimme a fucking break.’
‘Do you remember my name?’ Hunter asked.
‘What?’
‘My name. I stated my name when I left you the message this morning. Do you remember it?’
‘Yeah – Detective Hunter… Robert Hunter. So?’
‘My partner and I run a specialized unit for the LAPD Robbery Homicide Division called the Ultra Violent Crimes Unit,’ Hunter explained. ‘UVC Unit for short. Please Google it.’
‘What?’
‘Please,’ Hunter urged Joe. ‘Open the browser on your phone or on your laptop and Google “LAPD Ultra Violent Crimes Unit”. We are one of only three police departments in the whole of America who run a UVC Unit. On the LAPD website, you’llfind a link to our unit. Please have a look at it. It will describe the kind of crimes we investigate… the kind of criminals that we go after. We don’t investigate everyday homicide, Joe. The Robbery Homicide Division does that.’
‘Are you for real?’
‘I am. Please, just Google it. I’ll wait. You’ll even get to see a picture of us.’
‘All right,’Joe sounded defiant.‘I will.’
Hunter muted his side of the call.
Captain Blake nodded at him. ‘Good call.’
‘I hate my picture on that webpage,’ Garcia commented, turning to face the captain. ‘Could we do something about that? Upload a new one, maybe?’
She looked at him over the rim of her glasses. ‘It’s the LAPD website, Carlos. Not Instagram. You’re supposed to look like a donkey.’
Garcia’s surprised eyes moved to his partner. ‘I look like a donkey on that photo? Really?’
‘We all do,’ Hunter replied.
‘Well, that can’t be good.’
‘Why?’Joe’s voice came through the intercom speaker once again. The defiant tone was all but gone.
Hunter unmuted his side.
‘Why would a serial killer go after my dad?’
Joe had just moved from ‘my father’ to ‘my dad’. The fact that Hunter wasn’t lying seemed to have knocked another chunk off Joe’s safety wall.
