The Night Gardener

Don't forget the school, thought Ramone.

'You don't mind I talk to your son, do you?' said Wilkins.

'I did, and he doesn't know anything. But you probably should, for the report. Call Regina at my house, and she'll tell you the best time to come by.'

'Thanks, Gus. I know you got a personal thing with this. I'm go

'I appreciate it, Bill,' said Ramone.

Ramone joined Rhonda Willis. On their way out the door, Antonelli asked them where they were going, and Rhonda gave him the courtesy of relating the details on her new case.

'The decedent has a list of priors, some grand thefts, some drug related,' said Rhonda. 'WACIES gave me some of the names of his accomplices. They were in that game, too.'

'Sounds like a society cleanse,' said Antonelli.

'Could be,' said Rhonda. 'But you know I work them all the same way. 'Cause God made them i

She and Ramone went out the door. Garloo Wilkins was smoking a Winston down to the filter, standing on the sidewalk bordering a parking lot filled with personal cars, trucks, and SUVs, and police vehicles.

'Looks like Garloo's goin hard at it,' said Rhonda when they were out of his hearing range.

'He's pacing himself,' said Ramone.

They found a Ford product and got inside. Ramone let Rhonda drive. He wanted to think about the Johnson case. He wondered why he had not yet mentioned to any of his coworkers, including his partner, that the voice on the tape was Dan Holiday's.

Holiday carried the post out to his balcony and read the article on Asa Johnson thoroughly. He stubbed out his cigarette and took his coffee inside to the second bedroom of his apartment, which he had outfitted as his office. He had a seat at his desk, fired up his computer, and got online. He went to a search engine and typed in 'Palindrome Murders, Washington, D.C.' For the next hour he read and printed out everything useful on the subject, some of which came from serial-killer sites, most of which came from the archives of the Washington Post. He then phoned the local police union office and got a man on the line who had been a patrolman when Holiday had walked a beat in the H Street corridor. This man gave Holiday the current address of the person he was looking for.

Holiday dressed in his black suit and left the apartment. He had a pickup for an airport run.

The victim's name was Jamal White. He had been shot twice in the chest and once in the head. Burn marks and notable cranial damage indicated a close-range kill. He was on his back, with one leg folded in an u

'Nineteen years old,' said Rhonda Willis. 'Did a long juvenile stay at Oak Hill and some D.C. Jail time while he was waiting on sentencing. Car thefts, drug possessions, minor sales pops. No violent crimes on his sheet. He came up near Fifth and Ke

'His family been notified?' said Ramone.

'What there is of one. Mother's currently incarcerated. An addict with multiple larceny convictions. No father of record. There's a few half-siblings, but they weren't living with him. The closest kin is his grandmother. She's been called.'

They talked to the patrol cop out of 4D who had arrived first on the scene. They asked him if he had spoken to anyone who might have seen something, or if he himself had seen anything pertinent to the murder, and the patrol cop shook his head.

'I guess we should, uh, seek out some witnesses,' said Ramone to Rhonda.

'Please,' said Rhonda. 'Let's go see Granmoms and allow these good people to do their jobs.'

They left the working techs and drove to the grandmother's row house on the 500 block of Longfellow Street. The blinds were drawn on the windows of the front porch.

'She in there having her moment, I expect,' said Rhonda. 'Allowing herself a good cry.'

'You could come back,' said Ramone.

'No, I need to do this. Might as well make it now. She might have something to tell me while she's thinking on it.' Rhonda looked across the bench at Ramone. 'Don't suppose you want to come with me.'

'I got a few calls to make.'

'Go

He watched her go to the house and knock on the front door. The door opened and there was darkness behind. A hand reached out and touched hers and Rhonda stepped inside.

Ramone called 411 and obtained the number for Strange Investigations, a storefront operation on 9th and Upshur. Derek Strange was ex-police, now private, and Ramone had used him in the past for discreet information. In return he threw bits of meat, occasionally, back to Strange.

The phone rang and a woman picked up. It was Strange's wife, Janine.

'Is the big man in?' said Ramone.

'Working,' said Janine. 'And rarely here. All you boys like to run the streets.'

'True. Listen, I got a name. Can you get me an address and phone? I need business and residence.'

'All those toys you police have and you're askin me?'

'I'm not at the toy store,' said Ramone. 'Daniel Holiday, spell it like a vacation. Goes by Doc. He has a car or limo service, is what I hear. I imagine he'd name it after himself.'

'Okay. I'll run it through People Finder. Give me your cell number. I got it on file somewhere here, but I'm lazy.'

Ramone gave her his number. 'How's your boy?'

'Lionel's in college, praise be. Your lovely wife and kids?'

'All is good. Ya'll still got that boxer?'

'You mean Greco. He's under my desk. Got his chin on my toes as we speak.'

'Nice beast,' said Ramone. 'Call me, hear?'

'In a minute,' said Janine.

It was more than a minute, but not much more. Ramone wrote down the information on his pad and thanked Janine. Soon after that, Rhonda came out of the house. She put her sunglasses on immediately, walked to the Taurus, and got under the wheel. She removed her sunglasses and used a tissue to wipe at her eyes.

Ramone reached over and put a hand on her shoulder, massaged her there.

'I guess the old girl took it rough,' said Ramone.

'She wasn't but ten years older than me,' said Rhonda. 'Granmom raised that boy from a baby. Stayed right there by him through all his rough spots, never gave up hope that he would make it through to the other side. Now she's got nothin.'

'What was her take?'

'She said he was a good boy who had made some bad friends and unfortunate mistakes. Said Jamal had finally got himself on the straight.'

'Sounds familiar.'

'I took a quick look at his room. No cash lyin around, and the things he had didn't look all that nice. I didn't see any obvious signs that he was in it. Anyway, we go

'C'mon, you look fine.'

'I used to. Remember how I looked before I had my boys?'

'You know it.'

'I had it goin on, Gus.'

'You still do.'

'Aren't you sweet.' Rhonda opened the folder she held on her lap. 'Granmom says he's still best friends with this boy Leon Mayo. His name came up on WACIES as an accomplice in one of those car thefts and a possession beef. We ought to find him, see what he's got to say.'

'You're driving,' said Ramone. 'Or do you want me to? So you can, you know, reapply that war paint?'