again.
“For what it’s worth, I got the idea from Jack that this agent, whoever she was, sort of came up with this thing on her own. It was her own little program she was running. Almost like a hobby. Not on the official computer.”
“Okay. Do you remember if you ever got any other hits on the numbers? Before this one?”
“There was one but it didn’t go anywhere. It came up pretty soon, in fact.”
“What was that?”
“It came up in a bank deposit. I think it was Phoenix. My memory’s like Swiss cheese. A lot of holes.”
“You remember anything about that one at all?”
“Just that it was a deposit from a cash business. Like a restaurant. Something we weren’t going to be able to trace any further back.”
“But it was pretty soon after the heist?”
“Yeah, I remember we jumped on it. Jack went out there. But it was a dead end.”
“How soon after the heist, can you remember?”
“Maybe a few weeks. I don’t know for sure.”
I nodded. His memory was coming back but it still wasn’t reliable. It served to remind me that without the murder book—the case documentation—I was severely handicapped.
“Okay, Law, thanks. If you remember or think of anything else, have Danny call me. And whether that happens or not I’ll be back to see you.”
“And you’ll bring the . . .”
He didn’t finish and didn’t need to.
“Yeah, I’ll bring it. You sure you don’t want me to bring somebody else? Maybe a lawyer that could talk to you about —”
“No, Harry, no lawyers, not yet.”
“You want me to talk to Danny?”
“No, Harry, don’t talk to her.”
“You sure?”
“I’m sure.”
I nodded my good-bye and left the room. I wanted to get to my car so I could quickly write some notes about the call Jack Dorsey had gotten from the bureau agent. But when I came from the hallway into the living room Danielle Cross was sitting there waiting for me. She was on the couch and looked at me with accusing eyes. I threw the look right back at her.
“I think it’s almost time for a show he wants to watch on Court TV.”
“I’ll take care of it.”
“Okay. I’m leaving now.”
“I wish you would not come back.”
“Well, I may have to.”
“The man is on a delicate balance—mentally and physically. The alcohol upsets it. It takes days for him to recover.”
“Looked to me like it improved things for him.”
“Then come back tomorrow and have another look.”
I nodded. She was right. I spent a half hour with the man, not my life. I waited. I could tell she was working up toward something.
“I assume he told you that he wants to die and that I’m the one keeping him alive. For the money.”
I hesitated but then nodded.
“He said I mistreat him.”
I nodded again.
“He tells that to everybody that comes visit. All the cops.”
“Is it true?”
“The part about wanting to die? Some days. Some days it’s not.”
“What about the part about being mistreated.”
She looked away from me.
“It’s frustrating, dealing with him. He’s not happy. He takes it out on me. One time I took it out on him. I turned off the television. He started crying like a baby.”
She looked up at me.
“That’s all I’ve ever done but it was enough. I hate what I did, what I became in the moment. Everything got the better of me.”
I tried to read her eyes, the set of her jaw and mouth. She had her hands together in front of her, the fingers of one hand working the rings on the other set. A nervous gesture. I watched her chin start to quiver and then the tears started to come.
“What am I supposed to do?”
I shook my head. I didn’t know. The only thing I knew was that I had to get out of there.
“I don’t know, Danny. I don’t know what any of us are supposed to do.”
It was all I could think of to say. I walked quickly to the front door and left. I felt like a coward walking away and leaving them alone together in that house.
7
L oose lips sink ships.
“For what it’s worth, I got the idea from Jack that this agent, whoever she was, sort of came up with this thing on her own. It was her own little program she was running. Almost like a hobby. Not on the official computer.”
“Okay. Do you remember if you ever got any other hits on the numbers? Before this one?”
“There was one but it didn’t go anywhere. It came up pretty soon, in fact.”
“What was that?”
“It came up in a bank deposit. I think it was Phoenix. My memory’s like Swiss cheese. A lot of holes.”
“You remember anything about that one at all?”
“Just that it was a deposit from a cash business. Like a restaurant. Something we weren’t going to be able to trace any further back.”
“But it was pretty soon after the heist?”
“Yeah, I remember we jumped on it. Jack went out there. But it was a dead end.”
“How soon after the heist, can you remember?”
“Maybe a few weeks. I don’t know for sure.”
I nodded. His memory was coming back but it still wasn’t reliable. It served to remind me that without the murder book—the case documentation—I was severely handicapped.
“Okay, Law, thanks. If you remember or think of anything else, have Danny call me. And whether that happens or not I’ll be back to see you.”
“And you’ll bring the . . .”
He didn’t finish and didn’t need to.
“Yeah, I’ll bring it. You sure you don’t want me to bring somebody else? Maybe a lawyer that could talk to you about —”
“No, Harry, no lawyers, not yet.”
“You want me to talk to Danny?”
“No, Harry, don’t talk to her.”
“You sure?”
“I’m sure.”
I nodded my good-bye and left the room. I wanted to get to my car so I could quickly write some notes about the call Jack Dorsey had gotten from the bureau agent. But when I came from the hallway into the living room Danielle Cross was sitting there waiting for me. She was on the couch and looked at me with accusing eyes. I threw the look right back at her.
“I think it’s almost time for a show he wants to watch on Court TV.”
“I’ll take care of it.”
“Okay. I’m leaving now.”
“I wish you would not come back.”
“Well, I may have to.”
“The man is on a delicate balance—mentally and physically. The alcohol upsets it. It takes days for him to recover.”
“Looked to me like it improved things for him.”
“Then come back tomorrow and have another look.”
I nodded. She was right. I spent a half hour with the man, not my life. I waited. I could tell she was working up toward something.
“I assume he told you that he wants to die and that I’m the one keeping him alive. For the money.”
I hesitated but then nodded.
“He said I mistreat him.”
I nodded again.
“He tells that to everybody that comes visit. All the cops.”
“Is it true?”
“The part about wanting to die? Some days. Some days it’s not.”
“What about the part about being mistreated.”
She looked away from me.
“It’s frustrating, dealing with him. He’s not happy. He takes it out on me. One time I took it out on him. I turned off the television. He started crying like a baby.”
She looked up at me.
“That’s all I’ve ever done but it was enough. I hate what I did, what I became in the moment. Everything got the better of me.”
I tried to read her eyes, the set of her jaw and mouth. She had her hands together in front of her, the fingers of one hand working the rings on the other set. A nervous gesture. I watched her chin start to quiver and then the tears started to come.
“What am I supposed to do?”
I shook my head. I didn’t know. The only thing I knew was that I had to get out of there.
“I don’t know, Danny. I don’t know what any of us are supposed to do.”
It was all I could think of to say. I walked quickly to the front door and left. I felt like a coward walking away and leaving them alone together in that house.
7
L oose lips sink ships.
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