was Charmane, and yes, I do think Dittos is involved. Somehow.” She realized she was frowning, which would piss him off. Not a smart thing to do when requesting his help. Especially since he was always sucking up to the brass, bragging on how happy the members of his team were.
“You think he’s a killer?” Redwing said with a trace of annoyance.
“I’m not saying he’s involved directly. What I’m saying is that particular Suburban is registered to DFH Inc. It was documented to be in the immediate area about the time she went missing. And a couple of my girls noticed it cruising her territory earlier that afternoon.”
Charmane’s territory. As if Lupita were a company sales rep or something. An adult bookstore and a couple cheap motels occupied the block she worked, so it wasn’t like Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood .
“That’s pretty slim evidence to go on,” Redwing said.
“Maybe, but Ditto started acting guilty as sin as soon as I started asking him questions.”
Redwing picked at a wart on the back of his index finger. “In what way?”
“In every way. You name it.” She threw her arms up. “Eye aversion, hemming and hawing. Exactly what you’d expect from someone who’s got something to hide.”
“We both know you don’t have enough here,” he said, shaking his head. “You need way more than a gut feeling toget a court order. As long as he claims the vehicle wasn’t out of the barn that night, there’s not a damn thing we can do about it. You want to have it looked over, hand me something solid. I refuse to deal with bullshit supposition.”
Frustrated, Wendy pressed her temples and wondered if this discussion would trigger another migraine. “You telling me an officer running the license plate is nothing more than bullshit supposition?”
“No, that’s factual. What I’m saying is your impression that Ditto is lying is nothing more than an impression. Impressions aren’t solid, and they sure as hell aren’t evidence. There is nothing to say his vehicle had a damn thing to do with that girl’s disappearance. Or have I missed something? Something you didn’t tell me?”
“I’m telling you,” she said, emphasizing every word. “I know when someone’s lying. He was flat-out lying through his teeth. There has to be a reason. And I want to know what it is.”
Redwing bit at his finger and spit a speck of skin at the wastebasket. “Give me a break. The man could have ten thousand reasons he doesn’t want you knowing what he was doing at the time, none of which are likely to be remotely connected with the missing girl.”
“Like?”
“Aw, hell, use your imagination. How about he’s married and sees a hooker who works that block? Give me a minute, and I’ll come up with at least another ten bulletproof reasons.”
Wendy leaned over, hands flat on the desk, and locked eyes with his. “The man is lying. The vehicle was there. That right there makes me interested.” She didn’t bring up her suspicions about the other missing girls and Ditto’s business. “What’s not to see?”
Redwing wasn’t buying it, so she added, “Fine. If you say he’s not involved, what about the possibility someone used the van without him knowing? First he tells me that’s possible and when I pressed him, he tells me there was absolutely no pick up that night.”
“Well, then?”
What did it take to convince him? And why wasn’t he listening to her? She wanted to scream. “He’s lying . He doesn’t know for sure whether the vehicle was used or not. He based his answer on a sign-out sheet.”
“You know that for a fact?”
“Yes. He looked it up on his computer. Haven’t you been listening to my report?”
“I have. But have you been listening to me ? You don’t have enough for probable cause. Besides, why are you burning so much time on this particular case? If you don’t have enough work to do, let me know. We have a backlog as long as your legs.”
Wendy shot him a
“You think he’s a killer?” Redwing said with a trace of annoyance.
“I’m not saying he’s involved directly. What I’m saying is that particular Suburban is registered to DFH Inc. It was documented to be in the immediate area about the time she went missing. And a couple of my girls noticed it cruising her territory earlier that afternoon.”
Charmane’s territory. As if Lupita were a company sales rep or something. An adult bookstore and a couple cheap motels occupied the block she worked, so it wasn’t like Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood .
“That’s pretty slim evidence to go on,” Redwing said.
“Maybe, but Ditto started acting guilty as sin as soon as I started asking him questions.”
Redwing picked at a wart on the back of his index finger. “In what way?”
“In every way. You name it.” She threw her arms up. “Eye aversion, hemming and hawing. Exactly what you’d expect from someone who’s got something to hide.”
“We both know you don’t have enough here,” he said, shaking his head. “You need way more than a gut feeling toget a court order. As long as he claims the vehicle wasn’t out of the barn that night, there’s not a damn thing we can do about it. You want to have it looked over, hand me something solid. I refuse to deal with bullshit supposition.”
Frustrated, Wendy pressed her temples and wondered if this discussion would trigger another migraine. “You telling me an officer running the license plate is nothing more than bullshit supposition?”
“No, that’s factual. What I’m saying is your impression that Ditto is lying is nothing more than an impression. Impressions aren’t solid, and they sure as hell aren’t evidence. There is nothing to say his vehicle had a damn thing to do with that girl’s disappearance. Or have I missed something? Something you didn’t tell me?”
“I’m telling you,” she said, emphasizing every word. “I know when someone’s lying. He was flat-out lying through his teeth. There has to be a reason. And I want to know what it is.”
Redwing bit at his finger and spit a speck of skin at the wastebasket. “Give me a break. The man could have ten thousand reasons he doesn’t want you knowing what he was doing at the time, none of which are likely to be remotely connected with the missing girl.”
“Like?”
“Aw, hell, use your imagination. How about he’s married and sees a hooker who works that block? Give me a minute, and I’ll come up with at least another ten bulletproof reasons.”
Wendy leaned over, hands flat on the desk, and locked eyes with his. “The man is lying. The vehicle was there. That right there makes me interested.” She didn’t bring up her suspicions about the other missing girls and Ditto’s business. “What’s not to see?”
Redwing wasn’t buying it, so she added, “Fine. If you say he’s not involved, what about the possibility someone used the van without him knowing? First he tells me that’s possible and when I pressed him, he tells me there was absolutely no pick up that night.”
“Well, then?”
What did it take to convince him? And why wasn’t he listening to her? She wanted to scream. “He’s lying . He doesn’t know for sure whether the vehicle was used or not. He based his answer on a sign-out sheet.”
“You know that for a fact?”
“Yes. He looked it up on his computer. Haven’t you been listening to my report?”
“I have. But have you been listening to me ? You don’t have enough for probable cause. Besides, why are you burning so much time on this particular case? If you don’t have enough work to do, let me know. We have a backlog as long as your legs.”
Wendy shot him a
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