Merciless Read Online Free PDF Page B

She had the
it
factor.”
    “Did she know she was good?”
    “Oh, yes, she did. She was a smart one. She knew she had the talent to go far. And she wasn’t afraid to do whatever she needed to get what she wanted.”
    “Can you explain that?”
    “Two years ago she was the understudy in a play. The night of opening, the lead actress, who was healthy as a horse, got sick as a dog. Threw up so much she had to be taken to the hospital for IVs. Sierra stepped into her place. The lead recovered, but it was two weeks before she could work again. By then Sierra had gotten all the opening-night reviews and notices. That gig quickly led to another bigger role. She had her sights on Broadway and Hollywood.”
    “Who was the actress who got sick?” Malcolm asked.
    “Zoe Morgan.”
    “Where can I find her?”
    “Works at the ballet now. I don’t know where she lives.” Burgess sighed. “Box-office sales were strong because of Sierra. She was a local favorite. I hate to think of the refunds we’ll have to process when word leaks out she won’t be in the play.”
    “You said she had her sights on Hollywood and Broadway?”
    “This was her last season with us. She planned to leave at Christmas after her surgery.”
    “Surgery?”
    “She was planning on getting a boob job.”
    Malcolm shook his head. “She told you this?”
    “Oh, yes. She was quite open about her plans. She understood the bigger the boobs the better the roles downthe line. She was pushing along her divorce so that she could get her financial settlement. Needed the money for the surgical work.” He scratched the back of his head. “She was on the phone with her attorney last week, yelling for a court date.”
    “Who was her attorney?” Garrison asked.
    “I’ll never forget the name. I heard Sierra yell it out enough. Angie Carlson.”
    Eva’s sister. The Barracuda.
    Garrison stiffened.
    Malcolm muttered an oath. “Figures.”
    “You know the woman?” Terry prompted.
    “Yeah.” Last spring she defended local plastic surgeon James Dixon, who’d been accused of attempted murder of a prostitute. Malcolm and the other cops in homicide suspected that James might be linked to the disappearance of several other prostitutes, but they’d not been able to prove it. DNA had linked him to some of the women, but at the time each had vanished, he’d had an alibi.
    However, the last hooker who’d survived her time with Dixon had run from their motel room after enduring several hours of his sadistic tastes. Bleeding, she’d run down a dark street screaming until an undercover vice cop had stopped her. She blurted out her story, and the cop put out an APB on Dixon. Officers stopped him six blocks away.
    Dixon had been arrested for attempted murder. He’d hired Carlson, who had shredded the prostitute’s testimony on the stand. She proved the woman was a drug addict and an admitted liar. The jury accepted all of Carlson’s explanations and ignored the prostitute’s testimony. They found Dixon not guilty.
    Malcolm didn’t believe Dixon was innocent for aminute. He might have been a model citizen this past year, but he was like a spider nestled in a web. He was waiting for the right victim to come along before he pounced.
    “Did she ever mention the name of her plastic surgeon?” Malcolm asked.
    “Yeah. Talked about him a lot. James Dixon.”
    “Say that again,” Malcolm said.
    “Her doctor was James Dixon.” Burgess nodded. “I know who he is, and I even told her to stay clear of him. But she liked the fact that Dixon was surrounded by his own drama. Sierra liked drama.”
    Malcolm ground his teeth as he glanced at Garrison. “Carlson and Dixon. The Dynamic Duo.”
    “With those two,” Garrison said, “Sierra Day would have gotten her fill of drama.”
    Malcolm tried not to let his mind run wild with scenarios. “Did Sierra Day have a dentist?”
    “I suppose. Her husband would know. Why?”
    “Because we’re going to need dental records