Diaz let me read the M. E.'s report while we waited for Pardy. The cause of death was a single gunshot wound to the left chest that resulted in two broken ribs, a cracked vertebra, and two ruptured arteries. George Llewelyn Reinnike had drowned in his own blood. The bullet was a copper-jacket .380, and had fragmented upon impact with the vertebra. The M. E. had found no traces of semen in the urethra, colon, or stomach, and no semen or vaginal residue present on the penis, indicating the victim had not had a recent sexual encounter. Blood-screen results were to follow, but the M. E. noted no overt evidence of drug use other than a moderate cirrhosis of the liver, indicating the victim had been a drinker. Reinnike hadn't gone into the alley to buy drugs or sex. He had gotten a phone call, cut short his prayers, and almost certainly gone downtown to meet someone. I felt certain whatever happened in the alley was not a chance encounter.

Pardy returned as I finished reading, and perched on the edge of the desk.

I said, "One other thing. The girl who was with Reinnike on the night he was murdered said he got a call when she was with him, and he cut short her visit. He got the call on a cell phone. Did you guys find a cell with the body?"

Pardy and Diaz looked at each other, and Diaz shook her head. Pardy shrugged.

"Maybe he left it in his car. We'll see when we find it."

Diaz leaned forward, then stood.

"Okay, I don't need to be here for the rest of this. I got my own cases to work. Pardy, you know what you have to do?"

"Sure. I'm going to bust a killer."

I said, "Just so everyone understands, what we now have is a two-way flow of information, right? No one has a problem?"

Pardy's jaw rippled again as it had in the elevator.

"Cole, I'm here for the murder. So long as you don't do anything that interferes with my case, help yourself. If you turn something that helps me out, so much the better."

Diaz arched her eyebrows at me.

"You happy?"

"Thrilled. And I appreciate it."

"I'm gone. Just remember, if you kick up anything, you keep us in the loop."

She left us sitting at her desk. Pardy slid off the edge, then stepped around me and sat in her chair.

"Okay, Cole, tell me what the whores said."

I gave him a detailed report. While we were talking, I thought about Diaz. I had wanted to ask if she found the witness she had been searching for, but I knew she probably hadn't. Sometimes you never find them. Sometimes, after you search long enough, you realize the person you've been chasing was nothing more than a dream.

Chapter 21