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“If it snaps on somebody... we don’t have to say anything about it. We’ll just know.”
“Hope it’s Russo,” Virgil said.
“Because he hurt your feelings with that hayseeds, yokels, and retards bullshit?”
“No, because Durey’s a friend. Even if he’s a little pissed off at me now.”
They finished a half hour later. Virgil checked the time and said, “I’m going home. I’ll be back tomorrow at ten o’clock.”
“You could always bag out at my place...”
“Finding a place to bag out isn’t a problem,” Virgil said. “Dealing with Frankie is a problem. I’ll spend the night there, get refreshed, be back at ten.”
—
Ann Melton wasnearly asleep when Maggie Cooper came into the bedroom, grabbed one foot and shook it. “Lucas and Virgil filed a report. It’s online. It’s freaking me out.”
“I’m coming,” Melton said, struggling to get out of a tangle of sheets.
Out at the kitchen counter, Melton started reading the report, and after a couple of minutes, muttered, “My God, my God.” And, “These guys are out of control.” And, “Beat her to death with a hammer? Who is Subject A?”
“When you read the whole report... I mean, you wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”
Melton looked up: “You know?”
“I suspect. I’ve been talking to George Whitman and he thinksLucas and Virgil are investigating Heart/Twin Cities and Home Streets. Two Heart employees are either dead or missing. Subject A has got to be Noah Heath.”
“Noah? I know Noah, he’s a big chicken,” Melton said. “I can’t see him beating somebody’s brains out. The report says it looks like it was done with a hammer or something similar. That isnotNoah Heath.”
“Think about it overnight,” Cooper said. “You’ll see.”
Melton said, “I’m thinking about it now.” She thought about it, pressing an index finger to a lower lip. “Okay, wait. Noah’s always creeped me out a little. There’s something about him.” She peered at Cooper. “Do you think he’s insane?”
“If what Lucas and Virgil are saying is accurate, he’s set up five or six charities specifically to rip them off, to embezzle money,” Cooper said. “He’s stealing money from kids with harelips, for Christ’s sakes.”
“Cleft palates,” Melton said. “That’s bad. That’s bad enough to kill Alex, but why would he?”
“Well, he didn’t,” Cooper said. “He was having dinner with the mayor and some other people when Alex and the boys were murdered. That’s in there, too.”
“I’m going to need some time to read the whole report.”
“Wait until you get to the end. There’s a punch line.”
“Let me read.”
Cooper let her read, stuck her head in the refrigerator, closed it, opened the freezer drawer, took out a raspberry popsicle, peeled the paper off, propped herself against the kitchen sink, and waited.
Melton got to the end and said, “What! The killer gets out of the missing guy’s van?”
“Told’ja,” Cooper said.
Melton paged through the report again, skimming backwards, and finally asked, “What doyouthink?”
“We’ve got to talk to Lucas and Virgil again. They’re the real deal. They got more in a week than the other guys got in a month.”
“If this report is correct, they might also have gotten two people killed.”
—
