“I bet that was tough.”
It had been, especially when Holli’s mother had hugged her after the service and whispered, “Thank you for returning our daughter to us.”
“My parents came. It made it a little easier.”
“I’m glad to see you’ve reunited with them.”
As hard as it was to do, she was glad too. She’d missed them.
“Any news on the other victims?”
Greening shook his head.
Holli was the only one of the Tally Man’s victims the police could identify. The identities of victims I, II, and V were still a mystery. Beck had kept no records, so their identities had died with him. While she knew many of the cops were glad she had put the Tally Man down, some would have liked him to have been taken alive in order to find out who he’d buried at the Palomino Ranch.
“What happens now?”
“The remains will be kept as evidence for now. We know where Beck lived and worked over the last few years, so we’ll cross-reference missing persons in those places with his preferred victim type, and go from there.”
“That’s a long shot.”
“Yes, it is.”
“And if you’re not successful?”
“The bodies will be released for burial.”
“As Jane Does?”
“Yes, as Jane Does.”
It was the worst of outcomes. Not only had Beck robbed these three women of their lives but also of their identities, resigning their families to a lifetime of purgatory. Maybe she’d been wrong to kill him. Killing him had given him a victory.
“If that should happen, will you let me know? Someone should be there to mourn these women.”
“Sure.”
Zo?’s mom came out of the apartment with a box marked Kitchen. She glanced their way and smiled.
“I need to get back. We want to be on the road by noon.”
“Of course, but just one more thing. What’s the future hold for Zo? Sutton? Back to grad school? Another mall-cop job?”
She smiled. “I don’t think so on the school idea. It’s not me anymore. Mall cop, definitely not.”
“So, no plan then?”
“Not this minute, but one will appear.”
“I know it will.” He pulled a folded letter-size envelope from his back pocket and handed it to her. “And it has.”
“What’s this?” she said, peering inside.
“It’s an application to be an SFPD police officer.”
She looked at him in surprise.
“You said to me you wanted to make a difference and wanted to protect people from another Tally Man. Here’s your chance to do that. Zo?, you can be anything you want, and if you want this, it’s the right time to do it.”
His conviction and faith astounded her. She had so little in herself that it was hard to accept anyone else’s. “Don’t you think my misdemeanor convictions will get in the way?”
“No. Not when you consider you’ll be the only applicant to say she stopped the Tally Man.”
She smiled but shook her head.
There was no smile from him. “There are people backing this if you want it.”
“People like you?”
“I’m one, Officer Martinez is another, and so is the SFPD’s top brass, but forget me and everyone else.” He tapped the envelope with the application inside. “Answer this simple question: Do you want this?”
Her answer was simple—she did.
The end
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I would like to thank Jerry Boriskin, PhD, of the Veteran’s Administration for all his time and help on the issues of post-traumatic stress disorder. As always, thanks goes to Special Agent George Fong (retired) of the FBI for all the cop-stuff help. And special thanks to Thom Futrell for all the fight lessons. Zo? couldn’t have won without you. My undying thanks to Joel Arnold, Bonnie Moebeck, Kristi Thomas, Jeff Hall, Mick Tolley, Brad Ellis, Laurie Hernandez, Rick Sobona, Gregory Solis, Karen Haldane, Judy King, Tom Fisher, Seán Dwyer, Dinah Ortiz, Michaela Shannon-Sank, and Craig Cook, who volunteered their names to be part of this book. Finally, thanks to my wife, Julie, Jenna and “The Girls,” and Anh Schluep for their critical eyes, support, and patience throughout this book.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
A former racecar driver, licensed pilot, animal rescuer, endurance cyclist, and occasional private investigator, Simon Wood is also an accomplished author with more than 150 published stories and articles under his belt. His mystery fiction, which has appeared in numerous magazines and anthologies, has earned him the prestigious Anthony Award and a CWA Dagger Award nomination. In addition to The One That Got Away, his books include Accidents Waiting to Happen, Paying the Piper, Terminated, Hot Seat, We All Fall Down, and No Show. Originally from England, he lives in California with his wife, Julie. Curious people can learn more at www.simonwood.net.