He dislodged the big man with a heave of his fists, and Ritchie flopped over on his back, grabbing at the knife in his neck with both hands. The knife oozed out of his body, wet and slippery, and clattered on the pier. Ritchie gagged and clambered to his knees, pawing the ground for his gun, but it wasn’t there. The killer already had the gun in his hand.

He watched Ritchie, who was choking on the blood that rose in his throat. The man scuttled on his hands and knees like a giant crab, limbs twitching, head jerking as torn nerves fired randomly at his brain. He put the hot barrel against Ritchie’s skull and fired into his head. One shot, expelling bone, brain, and blood in a cloud. Ritchie became dead weight, collapsing. The second dead man on the pier. The second man he’d killed tonight.

He was soaked with bay water, rain, and sweat, but he had to move. He shoved Ritchie’s gun into his belt. Bending over, he grabbed Ritchie’s body with both hands and rolled him toward the edge of the pier, until the dead man fell free and splashed into the dark water and sank. He straightened up, his whole body aching. The bullet that grazed his arm had left a burn on his skin. He was still alone, surrounded by the tumult of the storm, but the noise was muffled in his ears. He stared into the bay, unable to see anything below the surface. They would find Ritchie eventually, but that didn’t matter to him.

The other body was the one he needed.

He grabbed the dead man’s ankles and dragged him toward the beach, letting the storm clean away the trail of blood.

PART THREE

CHAYLA

31

‘You work late,’ Cab said.

Dr Reuben Smeltz snorted. ‘Paperwork,’ he said. ‘That’s what medicine is about today. A thousand insurance companies with ten thousand forms and a hundred thousand codes. I delivered a baby last week. By the time I get the paperwork done, he’ll be trying out for his sixth grade soccer team.’

‘I guess the profession has changed a lot.’

‘Profession? We’re just mechanics now. Paid by the hour.’ Smeltz slugged coffee from a foam cup and grimaced.

‘It’s still better than being a lawyer, though, right?’ Cab asked.

Smeltz smiled. ‘You do know how to look on the bright side of life, Detective.’

‘That’s what people tell me.’ Cab glanced at the water-stained drop ceiling as the fluorescent lights flickered. A gust of wind rocked the windowless office. ‘Anyway, I appreciate your seeing me. You must be anxious to get home.’

The doctor shrugged. ‘Storms are storms. I’ve seen a lot worse than this.’