Private

She said, " 'Morbid' is texting the unknown target, 'Lady D,' with a name he hijacked off her phone. It's a friend of hers."

"Gotcha."

"So Morbid just texted: 'I got something big to tell you. Can you meet me at Slommo's.' "

"What's Slommo's?" I asked Mo.

Cruz said, "I know it. Newsstand on Vermont."

Mo jumped back in. "Lady D texted again. 'I can't girlfren. I'm cookin tonite. Goin shoppin.' Morbid writes back: 'This is major. I need to meet you at the store.' "

"What store?" I asked.

"Jack, you know everything I know. Uh-oh. The target says 'OK. C u in 15.' She disconnected the call."

"Got a location, Mo? On either party?"

"Morbid is on Montrose, closing in on Glendale. That's as close as I can make it. Wait, Morbid's signal is moving. Heading north.

"Jack, he stopped on Glendale. He's either at a light or, no, his speed tells me he's now on foot."

Cruz was cracking his knuckles obsessively. He said, "There's a Ralph's Supermarket on Glendale. What are we looking for?"

"Justine said he's white, skinny. Early twenties."

"We're on our way," I told Mo-bot. I felt like I was back in combat, like I had a second chance for everything to turn out right.

Chapter 109

EAMON FITZHUGH, aka Morbid, spotted Graciella Gomez standing outside Ralph's Supermarket.

The pretty girl was wearing denim short-shorts and one of those baby-doll tops, a pink one. He came across the parking lot toward her, his hands thrust into the pockets of his jeans, his head down, hair covering his eyes, which were definitely lusting for this little doll face.

"Lady D" didn't look up. Why would she? She was waiting for her girlfriend Lulu Fernandez to meet her and tell her some major news.

Morbid watched Graciella looking at her wristwatch, and then he walked right up to her, called her by her nickname. This is where he had to be a good actor, which he was. That was why he was on point.

"Gracie?"

"Yes?"

A little shy. "I'm Lulu's friend. I'm Fitz."

"Yeah? I never heard her saying she knows any Fritz."

"It's been our secret so far. Forget about that. Lulu sent me to meet you because she has to go to the hospital. She's in trouble."

"What? That's not right. What happened to her?"

"Look. Okay, she's pregnant with my kid. She told me to tell you she's spotting and she could lose the baby." Fitzhugh teared up. "It's your decision. She really needs you, though."

"You know what? You're bullshitting me, man. She woulda told me she was hooking up with a white boy, 'specially one as old as you."

"Don't you understand English? I said she needs help."

The girl's face stretched in anger. She screamed, "You liar. Get away from me." She backed up into a train of shopping carts, stumbled, righted herself, tried to run.

Fitzhugh caught up with her easily. He grabbed her arm, dragged her to a halt, and held her firm. "Stop, Gracie, you moron. Stop that. I'm for real, okay? Look-I'll let you go."

The girl was almost buying it. He was going to tell her that Lulu was waiting in the van, but he never got to say another word.

There was a stunning blow to his ribs. He fell back, looked up at the slick Mexican guy who had thrown him to the ground and was now yanking his arms behind his back, practically wrenching his right shoulder out of the socket. Fitzhugh screamed.

"What are you trying to do to this girl, you little prick? What's your name?" Cruz said. "I'm talking to you!"

Cruz bent down, grabbed the kid's wallet out of the back of his jeans, and handed it to Jack. Then he said to the guy on the ground, "Where's Rudolph Crocker?"

"I don't know any Rudolph Crocker. Let me go or I'll yell for the police."

"Don't sweat it, Mr. Fitzhugh. The police are already on the way. I called them for you."

Chapter 110

JUSTINE GRIPPED THE armrest tightly with her right hand, held her phone with the other, and shouted to Jack over the sirens. "I'm with Nora Cronin. We've located Crocker's van a block from Ralph's. The van is pinned in by black-and-whites… Jack, I'll call you back. This thing could blow up right now."

Nora braked in the street, and she and Justine jumped out of the squad car. One of a half dozen uniforms came up to Nora.

"LT, here's the thing. He was already parked when we located him. As soon as we pulled up, he put his hands on his head. His doors are locked and he won't get out."

"He's refusing to get out of the vehicle?"

"Right. Who does that? He must have something locked in there. Dope, maybe. Or hot electronics. Guns. He can't go anywhere, though."

Justine looked through the windshield at the young white guy with the wire-rim glasses. He looked out at her, seeming oddly calm.

It was definitely Crocker, the savage sonofabitch psycho. She knew his face from the yearbook, and from seeing him yesterday in the Whiskey Blue. For the past two years, every couple of months he'd lured and killed young women who'd fallen for whatever story he and his partner had concocted.