New York really was going to be a hard place to leave.
Chapter 83
My heart was thumping as I jumped into my car and raced back up Broadway. Despite state and local ordinances, I had my cell phone in hand. Out of habit, I almost dialed Brett Hollis. Instead, I tried Harry Grissom. There was no answer. For all I knew, he was down at One Police Plaza, explaining how I’d left John Macy alone in the office. Then I tried Emily Parker. I got her voicemail.
As soon as I got to my desk, my next call was to Alvin Carter in the Atlanta Police Department.
As soon as he answered, I blurted, “This is Michael Bennett with the NYPD. I think I might be onto something. Have you ever heard of a company called Computelex?”
“Nope. Not that I recall.”
“Can you check with the employers of the victims down there to see if anyone from that company ever visited their offices?”
“What do you got?”
“Two victims, each worked at different businesses in separate industries. Both businesses had someone from this company Computelex on-site, working on their computers.”
There was a moment’s pause. “Your theory is that the killer works for this computer company?”
“I know it’s a long shot, but the timelines match up. I’m following up on whether the fact that a Computelex employee visited the office of both victims is statistically unlikely. If it was a big company like Microsoft, maybe. But I’ve never heard of this Computelex.”
“I’m on it.”
I then made the same call to San Francisco PD.
I had checked further with Manhattan Family Insurance, where Elaine Anastas had interned, and the medical supply company that had employed Chloe Tumber. The best they could tell me about the Computelex representative was that he was a white male. Neither company was even sure of his name. Someone from the insurance company thought it might be David. No one at either company saw him interact with the victims.
I heard a voice and glanced up from my computer screen to see John Macy standing at my desk with another man I didn’t recognize.
Macy said, “I guess you thought it was pretty funny to leave me here in the office.”
I went back to my computer. “Not now, Macy. I’m busy.” I tuned him out.
“I don’t think you’re that busy. In fact, I know you’re not. This is Detective William Funcher.”
I kept my head directly in front of the monitor as I said, “Nice to meet you, Detective Funcher.”
Macy said, “He’s your replacement. You’re no longer on the serial killer case.” Finally I looked up at the men. Funcher looked uncomfortable. Macy was beaming. This was what he’d been waiting for. And he wanted to add a little drama to it. I hated to disappoint him.
“Where do you work now, Funcher?”
“The One-Eleven.”
“Where’s that, Queens?”
“Yeah, 215th Street.”
“You work in homicide?”
“General assignment.”
“And how do you know Mr. Macy?”
The fact that I didn’t get an answer right away told me this wasn’t a case of a competent detective rising to the top. Funcher was just the first guy Macy could find who’d agreed to come up here.
I wrote down the information from my computer screen about Computelex. They were based in Omaha, Nebraska, but claimed to cover the whole country. This might be the right lead.
I looked up again at the two men standing in front of my desk. “Fortunately, I don’t work for you, Macy. I work for a guy named Harry Grissom. And if he walks in here and tells me I’m replaced, I will give everything I have to Detective Funcher. Until then, like I said, I am really busy.”
That’s when Macy made a major error. He touched me without permission.
Chapter 84
As soon as I felt John Macy’s hands on my shoulders, something in me snapped. It may seem minor, but what he did is technically an assault. That’s what I kept in my head as I reacted. I could picture it in a report. I was in fear for my safety after he assaulted me. That sounded good. I was going to go with that.
I really don’t know if it was instinct or machismo that made me spring out of the chair and turn to face Macy. I could’ve told him to cut it out and kept working. Instead, I was now face-to-face with the mayor’s aide.
I snarled, “Keep your damn hands off me.”
Macy wasn’t about to back down either. “You know what I can do to your career? You’re nothing but a minor cog in city government.”
“For a minor cog, you seem to spend a lot of time keeping me from turning with all the other cogs.”
“I don’t like your attitude one bit. You have no respect for your superiors.”
That caught me by surprise. I’ll admit I’m a smart-ass. I’ll admit I can’t control my mouth. But I have a great deal of respect for my superiors. Any man or woman who worked their way up the ladder at the NYPD deserved respect.
I said, “I respect my lieutenant. I respect our captain. I respect the commissioner of the NYPD.”
Macy said, “But not me?”
“You’re not my superior.”
“I’m the commissioner’s superior.” Macy looked like he was losing it. His voice was becoming a little shrill. His eyes were twice as big as normal. And he was sputtering. Any time a politician is at a loss for words, watch out.
That’s why it didn’t surprise me too much when he grabbed my shirt with both hands. He pulled me close to him like a schoolyard bully and raised his voice. “You hear me, Bennett? I—”
That’s when I decided to react. Maybe retaliate is the better word. But I knew I had to do it subtly.
I’m not saying I set up the mayor’s aide. I will say that as a cop, I’m aware of my surroundings at all times. At least I try to be. I had the chair that was right next to me hooked with my right foot. It was pretty close to Macy. All I did was nudge it. Okay, a little more than a nudge. It hit him directly in the groin. That’s why he stopped mid-sentence.
Macy released his grip on my shirt and stumbled back a few feet until he bumped into the leather office chair and flopped into it like a bag of old potatoes. Clearly his main concern was the excruciating pain radiating from his testicles. Every man knows the feeling.
I casually turned my attention to the cop, Funcher. “How’d you really end up in this embarrassing and awkward position?”
He slowly backed away from me and raised his hands so I could see he wanted nothing to do with me or this situation.
Funcher said, “I know Macy socially, through my wife. In my circles, he has a reputation for being loose-lipped, but he was all business this time. He told my sergeant the mayor’s office needed me, so I agreed to meet him here this morning.”
“So you’re not looking to snake this case?”
“No way.”
“Then we’re good.” I completely ignored both men and went back to work.
After about thirty seconds, Funcher turned to leave.
I called after him. “Wait.” When he turned to look at me, I said, “Take your date with you.” I tilted my head at Macy.
Funcher said, “No can do. I’m going back to the One-Eleven. He’s not authorized to ride in an NYPD vehicle.” The detective turned and walked away without another word.