Broken Vows Mystery 03-In Sickness and in Death by Lisa Bork

reasons.
    He muttered something under his breath. “Let me ask.”
    Gumby led us down a number of corridors into the law enforcement division, filled with empty desks. He told us to wait and leaned into an office to speak with someone. I couldn’t hear what was said, but Gumby made a number of gestures, not all G-rated. When Gumby stepped out of the office after five minutes, he had a ring of keys in his hand. “You’re lucky he’s still in pre-arraignment detention. Otherwise, you’d be SOL. Come on.”
    We went through a doorway into a hall then through a locked doorway into yet another hall. Gumby unlocked the next door a few feet down and stood aside to let us pass. We stepped into a four-cell holding area.
    The cell to the right was empty. To the left a man lay on his back, sleeping. His chest rose and fell as he alternately whistled and snorted. I figured him for a drunk.
    “Come here, kid.” Gumby patted Danny down, then took him by the arm. I followed.
    The next cell on the right was also empty, but to the left, a man sat with his back against the wall and his legs outstretched on his bunk. Now I knew where Danny got his good looks.
    His father’s hair was held back in a ponytail and his face had a few mores lines on it around his eyes and mouth, but otherwise, their facial features were almost the same. But this man had a scar on his neck as though someone had tried to slice it open and finish him off. It made Danny’s nick on the cheek look as insignificant as a pimple. On his right arm, Danny’s father had a tattoo of a heart with a sword running through it. A scroll beneath the heart was solid black.
    When he spotted Danny, he leapt to his feet with a broad smile and moved to the cell door. “Danny.”
    Gumby rattled the keys in his hand. “Back against the wall, Mr. Phillips. Danny can come inside if you wait against the wall.”
    Mr. Phillips rushed to the opposite side of the cell. Gumby unlocked the door. Danny stepped inside. He and his father met in the middle of the cell, his father’s arms encompassing him in a hug that lifted Danny off the floor. Then his father covered his face with kisses. I heard Danny sob.
    Blinking back my tears, I walked back to listen to the drunk whistle and snort. Gumby remained outside the jail cell, leaning against the far wall with his eyes averted.
    He gave them five minutes then five more. I didn’t think even he had the heart to separate them.
    When the door opened behind me and the other officer stuck his head in, Gumby asked Mr. Phillips to step back while Danny left the cell. Gumby had to tell Danny to come out three times before he did so, but only at his father’s urging. I was relieved to see Danny had stopped sobbing. He asked to use the restroom before we left.
    I waited in the lobby with Gumby. “Ray said Briana identified that woman’s arm.”
    Gumby nodded. “It’s her. The apartment manager let us in her place. At first, everything looked fine. Living room had an open magazine on the coffee table like maybe she’d just put it down. Kitchen clean and neat, flowers on the table. But her bed was soaked in blood, spatters all over the walls. No body though. We’re going to work with that county and the State Police on the investigation. Our first priority is to find the body. No one at the apartment building saw or heard anything, and no one remembers ever seeing the woman with anyone. It’s hard to tell if they’re being honest or refusing to get involved. Briana said the girls at the club don’t know anything about her either, other than she may have offered to meet a few guys outside of work for a price.”
    So the dead woman was a prostitute as well as a dancer. “What was her name?”
    “Josie Montalvo.”
    “Why would the killer cut off her arm?”
    Gumby ran his hand over his hair. “Guy might be a psycho who likes trophies. Or maybe he did it for the jewelry. The ruby ring and the gold bangles are worth a few thousand. The medical