Page 74 of Cyn
“Do you have any ins here, Anthony?” Cyn asked when the four of them met on the front stoop.
Anthony shook his head. “My cousins in the police do some community service projects out here, but the DeMarcos are strictly Catholic,” he said with a grin that let them all know that he probably wasn’t the most faithful of devotees.
Joe started in but paused when Cyn remained on the stoop.
“What are you thinking?” he asked her.
She didn’t speak for a moment, but then she gestured to the street. “This doesn’t feel right,” she said. As if someone had pulled a string, he, Anthony, and Six all turned around and faced the street. A group of men and women waited at the bus stop; each person was wearing a uniform that looked to be from one of the downtown hotels. A group of four young teenagers walked by, and a few shops were flicking on their “Open” signs and getting their day started, despite the holiday.
“You’re right,” Six said.
Joe glanced at Anthony, who shrugged. “What makes it different from the others?” Joe asked.
“Two were in neighborhoods with a fairly diverse population, and one was in a community that is historically Jewish,” Six said. “This”—she waved toward the street much as Cyn had—“isn’t what those boys would want to target.”
Joe looked at the area, and it took him about five seconds to see what she meant. This particular part of town was predominantly white working class. Not a single person of color could be seen on the streets.
In an effort to gather his thoughts, he dropped his gaze to the ground. He was sure Cyn would have them do a cursory look at the church, but what happened after that?
“Let’s have a quick look while we’re waiting to hear from Devil and Nora,” Cyn said. “If we don’t find anything here, we can head over to their last location and meet them there.”
“What about Brookline or Allston?” Joe asked.
When Six and Anthony shot them questioning looks, Cyn answered as she led them all inside. She was in the middle of giving them a brief summary of her text exchange with Nora when the pastor walked up the aisle to greet them.
Joe and Anthony flashed their badges, although Anthony, as a specialized member of the Boston police, was the only legit Boston law enforcement in the group. After a quick introduction, the pastor granted his permission to search the premises but suggested they wouldn’t find much as, much like the community center, their basement had been partially closed off after a fire five years ago.
Not feeling great about the odds of finding anything in the building, Joe and Anthony headed off to the basement while Cyn and Six started their search on the ground floor. Breaking up the pairing had been Cyn’s idea so that she and Joe could each finish updating Six and Anthony while simultaneously searching the building.
Fifteen minutes later, they thanked the pastor and exited the building. Pausing in front of Cyn’s Range Rover, Joe turned to Six and Cyn.
“What now?” he asked.
“Do we meet Nora and Devil? I know it’s logical, but it doesn’t feel right,” Six said.
“I agree, it doesn’t,” Cyn said, then stilled as her gaze came to rest on the street. Despite staring out onto the busy scene in front of the church, Joe was certain Cyn wasn’t noticing any of the activity as she sorted and shifted through their options in her mind.
“Tell me again about the ones that didn’t make the final list,” Anthony said, stepping into the silence.
Cyn did as requested, and when she was done, Anthony frowned, then suddenly drew back. “Wait, the one you said wasn’t the right shape. Is that the Jewish Center? The one near Coolidge Corner?”
It wasn’t just Joe’s head that snapped up at Anthony’s comment. Joe didn’t know what the man knew, but his tone suggested he knew something.
“That’s the one, yes,” Cyn said.
“It burned down about seven years ago, and they rebuilt it to the building it is today,” he said. “But before that, the original building was rectangular.”
“Did they demo everything before the rebuild?” Cyn asked, her voice all but vibrating with a mix of hope and determination.
Anthony shook his head. “No, that’s the interesting part. The fire only impacted the upper levels. When they did the demo, they only took it down to street level. The current, rounded structure is built around the old foundation and sits on top of the original basement.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
Cyn cast a look at Six,who nodded. The Jewish Center had to be the target. For three killers like Waters, Harrow, and Persons, what better way to make a statement about white superiority than to target a Jewish center hosting an interfaith celebration of Dr. King’s life.
“Do you know anyone there?” Cyn asked, walking toward the passenger door of her car.
Anthony shook his head. “Not me, but my cousin Caroline is a firefighter and worked the scene. She became friends with the rabbi.”
