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.He hadn't fallen in love with her because of her domestic flair.He loved just looking at Sami, smelling her hair, feeling her leg pressed against his when they stuffed pizza in their faces while watching a Chargers game.Samantha Rizzo rocked Alberto Diaz's world.He found his way to Angelina's bedroom and poked his head inside.Immediately, Al caught a whiff of baby powder and chocolate.Oh, how Angelina loved chocolate, particularly Tootsie Rolls.He could almost see that exaggerated grin and her baby teeth covered with the sticky brown candy, her tiny fingers navigating the inside of her mouth to break it free.Without entering, he carefully flipped the light switch with his elbow and looked around.Nothing appeared out of the ordinary.Then again, he thought, how could a single man have a clue as to what was ordinary to a child? Reason took control and he stepped into the room.Hanging to the floor, a Mickey Mouse comforter covered the unmade bed.Pink pajamas lay on the corner of the mattress, and furry Oscar the Grouch slippers sat on the powder-blue carpeting.Although Angelina had been abducted from Josephine Rizzo's home, he still proceeded cautiously, not wanting to contaminate anything until the latent fingerprint department dusted for prints.The top dresser drawer was slightly open, the closet door ajar, toys dotted the floor.Convinced that Angelina's bedroom offered no clues, he headed for Sami's room.The bedroom door was closed.Clinging to the last grain of hope, Al gently knocked.Using his sleeve, he carefully twisted the doorknob and pushed open the door.He saw an assortment of clothes piled on top of the unmade bed.Several pairs of shoes sat on the floor.He couldn't help feeling like an intruder, an uninvited guest molesting Sami's privileged world, desecrating the sovereignty of her private domain.On the other hand, Al felt warm all over.This is the bed where she lay beneath the sheets every night.How many times had the full-length mirror reflected an image of her naked body?Al sat on the bed and touched Sami's pillow.He picked it up and pressed it to his face.Ah.Sami's scent invaded his senses.He could never quite explain what she smelled like.Getting a whiff of Sami was like walking through a lemon grove.She had a fresh, citrus scent.Must be her shampoo, he guessed.For several minutes Al sat in a trancelike state.Like a photo album of their six-year relationship, crisp images flashed through his mind.Every detail so clear.He closed his eyes for a moment and burned an image of her face into his memory bank.One by one, Al searched her dresser drawers, carefully examining everything with precision.He could not afford to take anything for granted.Somewhere in this room, Al felt certain, a clue waited to be discovered.The contents of the drawers yielded only a momentary departure from reality.In the third drawer he discovered Sami's lingerie.He imagined what she might look like in the black lace bra and matching panties.Granted, Sami didn't have a model's figure, at least not by today's standards.Sami's figure was more like an hourglass.But Al liked a woman with curves.And by God, Sami had plenty of them!Give it up, Al.Time to be a cop, not a heartsick fool.Now the closet.Piece by piece, he rummaged through pockets: blazers, slacks, jeans, jackets--hunting for something.Anything.Again, a dead end.He sat on the bed and stared at the floor, angry, annoyed, helpless.Glancing at the nightstand, Al spotted what looked like a greeting card.Without touching it, he examined it carefully.He noticed Sami's name neatly printed on the face of the envelope.Below her name he saw the address of the precinct.A Pacific Beach postmark was imprinted next to the stamp.He used the corner of the sheet to lift the envelope.No return address, front or back.Touching just the edges of the card, Al strategically slid the card out of the envelope and read the inside greeting.May the memories you cherish fill your heart with peace today and give you the strength and courage to sustain you on your way.Warm regards,Simon.Simon?Josephine Rizzo thought that the name of Sami's Thursday evening date began with an S.Could be a coincidence, but what else did he have? Josephine also remembered that he worked as a physical therapist.With a Pacific Beach postmark, Al guessed that Simon either lived or worked in the area.If he lived in PB, how could Al possibly find him without knowing his last name? Bayshore was the only hospital in the area, but several stand-alone facilities offered physical and occupational therapy.For another thirty minutes Al ransacked Sami's bedroom, but to no avail.Having no other lead, he went with his gut and decided to pay the hospital a visit."Are we going to live here, Mommy?" Angelina sat in front of the television watching cartoons, munching saltine crackers.Sami paced the floor like a caged animal."Only for a few days, honey."Since delivering Angelina early this morning, Simon had all but vanished.The sound of footsteps above was the only sign of his presence.Sami had no idea what activities occupied him; maybe constructing a crucifix? Can't just walk into your local lumberyard and buy one ready-made.Although being in the same room with Simon would cause Sami unbearable anxiety, particularly with Angelina present, she hoped that he would spend time antagonizing them.Isn't that what crazed killers lived for, to taunt and tease their victims, like a cat toying with a mouse? Didn't they derive just as much pleasure from psychological cruelty as physical torture?To survive, Sami had to get into his head, find out what made him tick.He had to have a weakness.All nutcases did.How could she find his hot button if he remained upstairs?After the shock of Angelina's kidnapping wore off, Sami felt immediate concern for her mother's welfare.Simon didn't merely knock on her mother's front door in the early morning hours and snatch Angelina without a struggle.Sami had to rely on what Angelina had told her--"We didn't wake Grandma 'cause she was sleeping"--and pray it was true [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]