chapter 50

This was why I had become a homicide detective. I rushed back to the office, my head whirling with how to get my hands on this lost book? When the next bombshell hit.

It was Jude.

Are you sitting?" He asked, as if he wer about to deliver the coup de grace. Richard Zaddicos was here in Cleveland. They might of the Hall Of Fame murders. The son of a bitch was here."

Zaddicos has lied right to my face. He hadn't even blinked.

It was now clear; the unidentifiable man at Hall Of Fame had been him after all. He had no alibi.

Jude explained how his men had scoured the local hotels. Finally, they incovered that Zaddicos had been at the Westin, and amazingly. He has registered under his own name. A desk clearing working there that night remembered him. She knew it the minute she saw Zaddicos, she was a fan.

My mind raced with the ramifications. This was all Jude needed.. they had a prior relationship with the victim, a possible sighting at the scene. Now Zaddicos was placed in his own town. He had even lied under questioning. "Tomorrow, I'm going to the district attorney for an indictment, Jude announced.. " as soon as we have it. I want you to pick Richard Zaddicos up.

The truth hit me like a sledgehammer. We could loose him to Cleveland. All the Evidence, all those right hunches, wouldn't help us. Now we might only be able to tag on concurrent life sentence at a second trial. The Harrys and the Weiss, the Noahs and the Voskuhl will be crushed. Mayor will go ballistic.

I was left with absolutely demoralizing choice, either pick Zaddicos up and hold him for Jude, or make our move now with less than airtight case.

I should run this up the ladder, the voice sounded in my head.

But the voice in my heart said run it by the girls.

I got them together on an hour's notice. Cleveland's ready to indict," I told them. Then I dropped the bombshell about the book Always a Bridesmaid.

"You have got to find it, Agnes declared. It's the one link we can tie in to three crimes. Given that it was unpublished, it's good as exclusive knowledge of the killing. It might even parallel the actual crimes. You find that book, Moo, we put Zaddicos behind bars. Forever!

"How? Mabel Miller mentioned a prior agent, and I went to see him. NASA. He said check the office of copyrights. Where is that?"

Alice shook her head. "Washington, I think."

"That will take days, or more. We do t have says," I turned to Agnes. Maybe it's time for a search warrant. Blow in on Zaddicos. We need the gun and the book. And we need them now. "We do that, Agnes said nervously, we might bugle the whole investigation."

Agnes, you want to loose him?"

"Anyone know about this yet?" She asked

I shook my head. "Just the first team- you guys but when mayor finds out he will want to jump in with everything he has. Cameras, microphones, the FBI waiting in the wings."

"If we are wrong, Zaddicos will sue our ass, Agnes said. I don't even want to think about it."

"And Cleveland will be waiting, said Fatimah. Make us look like a bunch of fools."

Finally Agnes signed. "All right. . . I'm with you, Moo. If you can think of another way."

I looked at the three of them to make certain we were unanimous. Suddenly, Alice burst in. Can you give me another twenty four hours?"

I looked at her. I don't know why?"

"Just until tomorrow. And I need Zaddicos's social security number."

I shook my head. Your heard. "You heard what I said about Jude. Anyway what for?"

She had the same look as the other night, when she burst into my apartment-holding the photo of Zaddicos and Hannah Simon, the third bride. "Just give me until tomorrow morning, then she got up and left.