That little China Doll would have been great, if she hadn’t died. He didn’t even know how she died. He stared down at his hands and shook his head. He’d given her a bath in alcohol to make sure there were no signs of what he’d done. She’d been so sweet and so perfect and obviously very sick before he ever got her.
The same with Jason. That little boy had been in terrible shape. He’d loved him and had done everything he could to keep him alive, but eventually Jason had died on him. It was just so damn sad. Already he felt the tears collecting in his eyes, but he didn’t want to cry again. He didn’t want to cry over Jason; it was just too hard. He absolutely loved that kid.
He brought up the news article that he’d seen online and saved the picture of the little boy Leonard to his desktop. He felt his heart tighten as he saw that face. He really wanted him. But where the hell was he? It didn’t make sense. Unfortunately it actually did because lots of guys just like him were out there. Guys who were lonely, guys who were looking for their special companion to make life not quite so rough. Hopefully he could find Leonard and could bring him home. He also thought about who else he could take that child from because that was the key to everything. It was one thing to know somebody else had him, but no way he would let that stand.
He would take Leonard for himself.
Chapter 10
Friday, Very Early Morning
It was adamn long night. Kate worked straight through Thursday into the wee morning hours of Friday. The success of protecting the little boy was followed by an absolutely aching defeat, as Kate stood next to Owen, over what appeared to be a six-year-old girl, her skin perfectly china white. Her beauty—that simple innocence—shone through in the darkness. Kate stepped back and asked Owen, “Who found her?”
He pointed to the side of the road and said, “That man over there. Simon St. Laurant. I spoke to him when I arrived, and he said he’d come back later and talk to you. But I see he’s there now.”
She glanced across, Simon staring at her. He lifted a hand, as her breath sucked into the back of her chest. She looked down at the little girl, then back at Owen. “Any other witnesses?”
Owen nodded at the cops. They shook their heads. “Just him.”
She nodded. “I’ll go talk to him. Why isn’t the coroner here yet?”
“He’s on the way,” Owen said. “Everybody is busy tonight though. A couple bad accidents and some gang-related shooting downtown. Then this one.”
“By morning there will be half a dozen more too,” she said sadly. “Unfortunately that’s the world we live in.”
“It is, but it would sure be nice if it weren’t.”
She crossed the street, turning her hands in her pockets, while she studied Simon. As she approached, she said, “What the fuck?”
Simon shrugged. “What was I supposed to do?Notcall it in?”
She reached up and rubbed her face. “It would be nice maybe if you just weren’t involved every time I turn around,” she muttered. “Particularly with these cases.”
“You have to pick which side you think I’m on, Detective,” he said, “because this sitting on the fence could get a little rough.”
“I know which side you’re on,” she said. “And it’s not my side.”
“Are you so sure?” he asked.
She glared at him. “When did you find her?”
“About twenty minutes before the cops arrived,” he said. “I was at the club, having a couple friendly card games, and, when I was done, I walked out and came this direction and found her.”
“But this isn’t False Creek,” she said, looking at him.
“What does False Creek have to do with it?”
“I don’t know,” she said and then groaned. “Did you see anyone? Was anyone around her? Did you remove anything from her?”
“I didn’t see anyone. I didn’t see anything. I didn’t see any vehicle. I didn’t touch the body, and I didn’t remove anything from her.”
She nodded. “Were any lights on in the nearby apartments, anybody hanging around? Were there any shadows, any footsteps, any noises that didn’t fit?”
“No,” he said, shaking his head. “Nothing like that.”
She nodded. “Fine. So how did your game go tonight?”
He held out the bag with what was left of the money. “It went great.”