“The price of doing business in this town,” Savich said. “Now, don’t bother me, Lily. I’ve got a spiritual experience going with this soup. Sean? You liking it too?”
His boy sucked down a spoonful, most of it making its way down his throat, but some of the vegetables and broth dripping off his chin. He gave his father a huge grin and picked up a chunk of polenta out of his soup and squeezed it through his fingers.
“I was just waiting for him to do that,” Lily said, watching him flatten his palm against his open mouth. “I think he likes the way it feels squishing between his fingers.”
“Whatever works,” Savich said. “Thanks so much for coming over, Lily. Graciella needed some time off, her mom’s been ill.”
“Believe me, it’s my pleasure.” Savich heard the hitch in her voice. She’d lost her own little girl over a year before, but now there was a nephew in her life, and he knew it mattered. He wondered if being with Sean was keeping her in Washington rather than marrying Simon Russo and moving to New York. On the other hand, The Washington Post had picked up No Wrinkles Remus, her political cartoon series, and she was laughing more, looking better, happier.
“Yes, Lily, we really appreciate you feeding us and taking care of the little wild one here—” Sherlock was interrupted by her cell. “Excuse me,” she said and turned away. “Sherlock.”
“It’s Jimmy Maitland, Sherlock. You guys are needed, now. There’s been another murder.”
“Who?”
“Daniel O’Malley, one of Justice Califano’s law clerks.”
“Oh no,” Sherlock said. “Where did it happen?”
“His girlfriend found him in his apartment. Get over here as fast as you can. You got the address?”
“Oh yes. We’ll be right there.”
Both Savich and Lily were on their feet. “What is it, Sherlock?”
“Daniel O’Malley. Danny Boy. Someone killed him. Lily, can you—”
“If you’re thinking about asking Mom, hang it up. Sean’s mine. Go.”
Sean wanted to go too. It took a couple of minutes to convince him that rolling his red ball over his Aunt Lily’s stomach would be more fun.
DANIELO’MALLEY HADN’T died easily. He’d fought, hard, but his killer had been stronger. He’d been strangled with his own St. Christopher medal.
He lay sprawled on his back in the narrow hallway that led from the living room to the bedroom of his apartment. His fingers were cut where he’d tried to get them beneath the heavy chain. The living room had been ripped apart—his one sofa, which looked like it had come from his parents, was turned facedown, a big TV chair ripped apart, the television smashed, all the dozen upon dozen of books pulled off the shelves, many of them ripped in two.
His apartment was on Biltmore Street N.E., near the middle of a long block in a blue-collar neighborhood that had undergone some recent gentrification. The apartment was small—a narrow living room, tiny kitchen, with everything in it smashed, the refrigerator open, milk pooled in the craters on the old linoleum floor. There was one bathroom, again with everything on the floor, a long skinny bedroom, three dead plants lined up on the windowsill, the only things that hadn’t been destroyed. The mattress was turned over and slashed open. All the drawers in the small dresser were pulled out, shorts, undershirts, socks, pullovers thrown on the floor. Everything in the small closet was shredded, including two pairs of shoes.
They heard quiet weeping from the kitchen.
Jimmy Maitland and the medical examiner nodded to them in the hallway. Savich and Sherlock went down on their haunches beside Detective Ben Raven. He looked over at them. “You can thank Mr. Maitland for getting me here. He also called the dozen task force team leaders. This place is going to fill up pretty soon. He thought it would be more efficient than calling everyone together again at FBI headquarters.”
“Is Callie with you, Ben?” Sherlock asked.
“Yes, she’s downstairs in the car. I ordered her on pain of dismemberment to stay there.”
Savich said, “Good, no one wants her to see this.”
They studied Danny O’Malley’s body. “It’s like Justice Califano,” Sherlock said. “He really fought, but in the end, the murderer toyed with him, let him think he could pull the chain free, but he couldn’t, of course. The killer is strong, guys, he’s very strong.”
“And sadistic,” Ben said. “He enjoyed this as much as he did strangling Justice Califano, got a real kick out of Danny’s struggles, gave him a whiff of hope, then strangled him right through his fingers.”