201 South Figeroa Street
Los Angeles
Renfro's expression was sour as he opened the door to Lockley Investigations. The office was in a shabby building without an elevator, air conditioning and, it seemed, janitorial services. "After you, Sam."
Gerard brushed past him, his eyes scanning the small office. There were two desks, one covered with files, a computer and an assortment of books that looked beyond old. Ancient. A coffee maker sat on the window sill, a pair of mugs next to it. In the corner, slamming a file cabinet drawer was a woman.
She turned to face them, not saying a word as her azure blue eyes swept over first Renfro and then Gerard. When she finally spoke, her voice was flat and hard. "Get out."
Gerard didn't flinch, just shifted into an easy aw-shucks grin and produced his ID. "Ms. Lockley –"
"Do you have a warrant," Lockley asked crisply.
"I just wanted to talk. Jim Brenner thought you might be able to shed some light on this." Gerard reached into the briefcase and held up the dagger.
She came closer, peering through the plastic at the weapon. "Is this some kind of joke?"
"No, ma'am, no joke," Gerard said, quickly, catching Renfro's stare and then turning his attention back to Lockley. "Does this mean anything to you?"
"It does, Deputy..."
"Gerard."
"Deputy Gerard," she repeated, a faint smile appearing at last on her face, though it didn't reach her eyes. "It means that you're in over your head on this case, whatever it is."
Gerard exchanged another quick glance with Renfo, reaching a silent agreement to let Gerard continue working on the ex-cop. "What makes you say that, Ms. Lockley?"
"I'm curious, Deputy Gerard," Lockley said, ignoring his question. "Why bring that to me?"
"Brenner –"
"Did Brenner tell you why I'm not a cop anymore, Deputy?" She took the evidence bag from his hand. Her eyes met his and didn't look away. "I'm not a cop anymore because I know about things like this."
He followed Lockley as she led him towards the desk with the stack of books. Before he could reach for one, she shot him a look that warned him not to try.
She switched on the computer and punched a few keys. "Tell me about this dagger, Gerard. What was it used for?"
"That's why Brenner sent me to you, actually. It was used in an attempted murder up in Stockton. Brenner mentioned you were the arresting officer in the original case." Gerard waited until she looked up from the computer. "Does the name Faith ring bell?"
Lockley dropped the dagger onto her desk as if it were on fire. "My god...she's escaped. That's why you're here. And you have no idea what you're dealing with. Gerard, do yourself a favor and mark this one unsolved."
"That's a pretty extreme reaction, Ms. Lo –"
"Kate," she corrected him. "And yes, it is. Trust me, this is something you don't want to get mixed up in. I did and it cost me my reputation, my job and it almost cost my life. This goes deeper than some prison escape, Gerard. This goes into things you don't want to know about."
He couldn't help himself, so he asked, "What kind of things?"
She shook her head and handed the dagger back to him. "I can't help you, Gerard. Sorry."
"At least tell me about the girl,' Gerard persisted. Lockley had information, he was certain, that would take him days, maybe even weeks, to find out. He wasn't leaving without it. "You worked the case, tell me what you remember."
"Try the file."
"I'd rather hear it in your words."
"The file is in my own words."
Stand-off. It was a shame Renfro wasn't more charming, Gerard mused. "Help me out here, Kate. They spotted your girl in Chicago."
"Chicago?" Kate blinked and Gerard could almost see her mind racing, trying to make the connections. "That doesn't make sense. What the hell is in Chicago?"
"They spotted her in Cleveland a couple of months before," Renfro piped up.
"Of course," she said, softly, almost absently. "She'd have to go there, wouldn't she?"
Gotcha! "What's in Cleveland?"
The smile came back, this time with the tiniest hint of warmth. "Uh-uh. If you're going to chase after this, you do it on your own."
"Come on, Kate. Give me something." Gerard hit her with all the good ol' boy charm he could muster.
"All right." She locked stares with him, her blue eyes issuing a challenge. "That's the Dagger of D'akkronn. I'm not going to tell you what it means or how I know. When you find it out for yourself and if you decide you still want to go after Faith, you can come back and we'll talk."
"How do you spell that," Renfro asked. "D-a-c-r-o-n?"
"It's not a pair of socks," Kate sighed and then spelled it for him. As Gerard passed her on his way out, she grabbed his arm. "Be careful, Gerard. It's more dangerous out there than you think."