room where Maison’s body was, if that was the murder room, and it probably was—had an unlocked window. Somebody could have gone out that way. Or, more to the point, might have come in. A cat burglar.”
“With all the people in there? There must’ve been lights.”
“Lights seem to pull cat burglars in,” Lucas said. “They get a buzz from going into a house where people are-- ’cause they’re nuts. Generally, you get a cat burglar, you get a guy who’s gonna start raping the victims. Or killing them. They’re thrill freaks.”
“Ah, man.” The mayor shook his head.
“It’s better to stay with the dope story,” Lucas said. “If a dealer killed her, or she was killed because of dope, everybody understands. It’s a one-time thing and she’s partially at fault. If she hadn’t been using dope, she’d still be alive. But if it’s a cat burglar, then we’ve got a serial killer on the loose, and the worst kind of serial killer—the kind who’ll come creeping into your bedroom and strangle you, even with other people in the house.”
“Like one of those horror movies. Halloween , or the one with the guy with the fingers that are knives,” Rose Marie said.
“No, no, no, we don’t want that,” the mayor said, waving off the idea.
“That’s what we thought,” Rose Marie said wryly.
“So it’s dope,” the mayor said. “Who’s running the show?”
“Frank Lester,” said Rose Marie. “Lucas and his group will fit in sideways, like we did before. Everybody’s comfortable with that.”
“Good. It’s Strategic Planning--”
“Strategic Studies and Planning,” Lucas said. “And I need a woman in the group. Marcy Sherrill wants to come over from Homicide.”
Rose Marie shook her head. “Then I got to give Homicide somebody else. Everything is too tight.”
“We’re paying for ourselves about twenty times over,” Lucas said patiently. “And I need a woman if I’m going to operate.”
“There’s politics. . . .”
“Murder is down fourteen percent, and a lot of it’s because of my guys—three guys, including me—spotting the assholes,” Lucas said. “That’s politics.”
The mayor held up his hands to stop the argument. To Rose Marie he said, “Half the people in Homicide are going to be working on this anyway, so why don’t you give him Marcy for the duration of the Maison case? When that’s done, we’ll figure something out.”
Rose Marie sighed and said, “All right. But I want some more money.”
The mayor rolled his eyes, then said, “Yeah, who doesn’t?” Then: “You’ll do the media?”
Rose Marie nodded. “But you’ll have to be there, too, the first time. This is gonna be large, media-wise.”
“Who do you think’ll come in?”
“Everybody,” she said. “Four locals and a freelancer for CNN are already outside the house. All the other networks are on the way. And most of the picture-and-gossip magazines. People. The Star. ”
“Then we’re gonna need something more than just saying it’s a ‘dope-related killing.’” He looked at Lucas. “Do we have somebody we can throw to them? Some doper asshole they can chase for a couple of days?”
“I can ask,” Lucas said.
“Do that. The more they’ve got to occupy them, the less time they’re gonna spend asking why nothing’s been done yet.” The mayor touched his forehead. “Wish I’d gotten the new hair, though, you know? Like last year.”
Rose Marie stretched the skin back from her nose. “Never too late,” she said.
THE MEETING LASTED fifteen minutes. As Lucas was leaving, Rose Marie said, “Hey—turn on your cell phone, okay? For the duration.”
Lucas shrugged noncommittally. On the way back to his office, he poked Del’s number on his phone’s speed-dial. Del was in the middle of the Internal Affairs interview, and when Lucas passed on the mayor’s request, he said, “I’ll see what we got, as soon as I get out of here.”
“How’s it
“With all the people in there? There must’ve been lights.”
“Lights seem to pull cat burglars in,” Lucas said. “They get a buzz from going into a house where people are-- ’cause they’re nuts. Generally, you get a cat burglar, you get a guy who’s gonna start raping the victims. Or killing them. They’re thrill freaks.”
“Ah, man.” The mayor shook his head.
“It’s better to stay with the dope story,” Lucas said. “If a dealer killed her, or she was killed because of dope, everybody understands. It’s a one-time thing and she’s partially at fault. If she hadn’t been using dope, she’d still be alive. But if it’s a cat burglar, then we’ve got a serial killer on the loose, and the worst kind of serial killer—the kind who’ll come creeping into your bedroom and strangle you, even with other people in the house.”
“Like one of those horror movies. Halloween , or the one with the guy with the fingers that are knives,” Rose Marie said.
“No, no, no, we don’t want that,” the mayor said, waving off the idea.
“That’s what we thought,” Rose Marie said wryly.
“So it’s dope,” the mayor said. “Who’s running the show?”
“Frank Lester,” said Rose Marie. “Lucas and his group will fit in sideways, like we did before. Everybody’s comfortable with that.”
“Good. It’s Strategic Planning--”
“Strategic Studies and Planning,” Lucas said. “And I need a woman in the group. Marcy Sherrill wants to come over from Homicide.”
Rose Marie shook her head. “Then I got to give Homicide somebody else. Everything is too tight.”
“We’re paying for ourselves about twenty times over,” Lucas said patiently. “And I need a woman if I’m going to operate.”
“There’s politics. . . .”
“Murder is down fourteen percent, and a lot of it’s because of my guys—three guys, including me—spotting the assholes,” Lucas said. “That’s politics.”
The mayor held up his hands to stop the argument. To Rose Marie he said, “Half the people in Homicide are going to be working on this anyway, so why don’t you give him Marcy for the duration of the Maison case? When that’s done, we’ll figure something out.”
Rose Marie sighed and said, “All right. But I want some more money.”
The mayor rolled his eyes, then said, “Yeah, who doesn’t?” Then: “You’ll do the media?”
Rose Marie nodded. “But you’ll have to be there, too, the first time. This is gonna be large, media-wise.”
“Who do you think’ll come in?”
“Everybody,” she said. “Four locals and a freelancer for CNN are already outside the house. All the other networks are on the way. And most of the picture-and-gossip magazines. People. The Star. ”
“Then we’re gonna need something more than just saying it’s a ‘dope-related killing.’” He looked at Lucas. “Do we have somebody we can throw to them? Some doper asshole they can chase for a couple of days?”
“I can ask,” Lucas said.
“Do that. The more they’ve got to occupy them, the less time they’re gonna spend asking why nothing’s been done yet.” The mayor touched his forehead. “Wish I’d gotten the new hair, though, you know? Like last year.”
Rose Marie stretched the skin back from her nose. “Never too late,” she said.
THE MEETING LASTED fifteen minutes. As Lucas was leaving, Rose Marie said, “Hey—turn on your cell phone, okay? For the duration.”
Lucas shrugged noncommittally. On the way back to his office, he poked Del’s number on his phone’s speed-dial. Del was in the middle of the Internal Affairs interview, and when Lucas passed on the mayor’s request, he said, “I’ll see what we got, as soon as I get out of here.”
“How’s it
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