Simon Says_. Walk (Kate Morgan #6)(52)
Author: Dale Mayer

 

Kate shook her head. “Definitely still a battle,” she muttered. “We have a new victim, possibly ground zero, but we don’t know that for sure. If the killer already had two other victims who weren’t found yet, then it makes sense that this could be victim number one.” Kate explained about the body found in Clement Park and how another one possibly could still be out there.

 

Lilliana pondered that. “Definitely possible, isn’t it?” she muttered. “Obviously though, the killer thought, for some reason, that particular park location would be something that Simon would pick up on.”

 

“That’s one of the odd things about it,” Kate confirmed, looking up at her teammate. “I did talk to Simon, and he knew about the park. He had even donated some money for the park too. Although I’m not exactly sure whether that has any bearing on this. I don’t know if he put up a bench or something as a memorial to the mom, but the daughter’s body wasn’t found anywhere close to a bench.”

 

“That would be an interesting thing to find out,” Lilliana noted, looking at Kate. “Simon really does spend a lot of money on stuff like that, doesn’t he?”

 

She shrugged. “I honestly don’t know what he spends money on. I haven’t asked. I’ve been trying to keep that out of our relationship.”

 

Lilliana laughed. “Good luck with that,” she noted, with a wry tone. “Money is and will always be part of everybody’s relationship.”

 

“It is a big deal. I get that,” Kate admitted, “but the longer I can keep it from being part of our relationship, the better. I’m still quite uncomfortable with the relationship as it is. The fact that he has mega money compared to me is not an easy thing to adjust to.”

 

“But he’s not billionaire status,” Lilliana pointed out. “He’s just … I don’t know what he is,” she said, with a self-deprecating laugh. “For all I know, he is billionaire status.”

 

Kate immediately shook her head. “I don’t think so,” she murmured. “He doesn’t act it.”

 

Lilliana twisted her lips. “Do you even know what that would look like?”

 

“No, of course not,” Kate replied, with half a smile. “So you’re right. It was a stupid answer.”

 

Lilliana cackled. “No such thing as a stupid answer. It’s one that came from your heart and shows that’s not where your thinking goes, and that’s a good thing. I think Simon’s had enough gold diggers in his life.”

 

“That’s the truth,” Kate murmured. “Anyway, in terms of this case, I’m not sure exactly how to find another victim. If the body hasn’t shown up yet, it’s not as if I can turn around and wave a magic wand and have it appear out of the blue.”

 

“Wouldn’t that be nice,” Lilliana muttered. “Although out of the blue you just found one. Otherwise we’re all stuck waiting for things to show up, unless you have a way of jogging Simon’s memory for other locations that he might have had something to do with.”

 

“And yet, if this park has to do with this Mary Clement—which would make sense, considering her daughter is now in the morgue downstairs,” Kate said, with a wince, “we should be centering around everything else to do with that family.”

 

“Which you already have to a certain extent or have you not?”

 

“Sure, but it feels as if more is out there to find.”

 

“Well, there you have it,” Lilliana declared, as she stood up. “Knock yourself out.”

 

Kate watched her teammate saunter back to her desk, wondering at the ease with which Lilliana compartmentalized these cases. Maybe it was just her length of experience. She’d been on this team, Kate thought, at least twelve years, or maybe even a little bit longer than that. Kate couldn’t imagine getting to the point where crime seemed to make sense, or maybe it never made sense, and you just came to terms with it somehow. She half smiled as she sent Simon a quick text, asking if he was heavily involved in any of the parks around the same area. Rather than answering her, she wasn’t at all surprised when her phone rang.

 

When she answered, he said, a note of humor in his voice, “Are you seriously thinking that every park I might have had something to do with could be involved?”

 

“This one, in a way, makes sense,” she noted, “because, of course, it centers around the Clement family,” she murmured. “And we must focus on the Clement family, as far as this case goes,” she added, “but I don’t want to be so blind as to not double-check that another case may be similar, may be related, or, in any other way, may be connected. So we can’t lose sight of that as well.”

 

He pondered that. “It’s clever that you would even come to that, but I have to give it some thought. I’m not sure I would have come up with Clement Park in the first place. Uncovering that lead goes to you.”

 

“Which has definitely been a bit of a challenge,” Kate noted, “because, if you didn’t think of it, how is it that the killer knows to think of it?”

 

Silence. “And that’s another good point,” Simon admitted briskly. “And I’m not sure that I want in any way to contemplate what that means.”

 

She understood how he felt, but it wouldn’t help her case if Simon didn’t spend some quiet time thinking about just that. “For the sake of the people who have already passed due to this asshole, and any others he may be planning on sending to the afterlife in a short time frame,” Kate began, “or anybody who he’s got captive right now, perhaps you could spend a few minutes and see if you can come up with anything.”

 

She heard the note of humor in his voice when he replied, “So hang on a minute, Detective. Are you asking me to actively use my gift to help you?”

 

“I’m not asking you,” she corrected, “and certainly not about any gifts, but whatever tools you have in your toolbox,” she stated, “I would expect you to use to the best of your ability.” And with that, she said, “And I have to go.” And she quickly disconnected.

 

She heard Lilliana laughing in the background.

 

“That’s an interesting way to handle it,” Lilliana muttered.

 

As Rodney walked in, she remembered what Smidge had mentioned. She turned to the rest of the team and said, “By the way …”

 

Immediately heads came up, and the team focused on her. She explained what Smidge had shared about his association with the Clement family and all the drama that came with it. “Smidge doesn’t know what happened to Elizabeth’s bad-seed brother. So any help you can give on that matter is appreciated.”