AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Rae said, “There’s probably another door on the other side of the driveway gate…Maybe the lock’s not so solid on that one.”
They went back to the driveway as a man was passing with a German shepherd on a leash. He stopped and called, “Looking for Clarice?”
Lucas: “Yes. We need to talk to her. Have you seen her?”
“No, I’m wondering if she’s out of town. I walk Nugget here twice a day and her car’s been gone for at least a couple of weeks. She usually tells us before she goes so we can keep an eye on the house. If there’s anything I can do for you?”
His attitude, when he made the offer, suggested that if they said they didn’t need his help, he might be calling the cops when he got out of sight. Lucas stepped closer and took his ID out of his pocket and showed it to the man and said, “U.S. Marshal. We’re hoping she can give us some information about friends of hers up in Los Alamos.”
The man seemed to take a mental step back, but then said, “Clarice knows everybody, so it’s not surprising that she knows people in Los Alamos. She even mentioned playing golf up there.”
Lucas nodded. “We’re a little worried. I’m gonna jump that gate, see what’s on the other side.”
The man went on his way, down the hill with Nugget, and Lucas jumped the gate. As a marshal, he knew the gate should have a release pin that would allow it to be opened even when electronically closed: he found the pin, pulled it, and Rae pushed the gate open.
There was another door behind the gate, but it had the same locks as the front door. A short exterior stone stairs went down to thebackyard, and around to a lower level where heavy twin doors looked in on a library. More good locks. Rae made a cup with her hands and looked through a window.
She said, “Wow. Wouldn’t you know?”
“What?” Lucas walked over to her.
“Right there by the fireplace doohickey, the black poker thing.”
Lucas and Letty went to another window, cupped their hands around their eyes, and looked in.
Letty said, “A shell. Looks like…what? A .223?”
Rae: “Yup. There’s another one by the low bookshelf.”
“Look at the fringe on the rug, right in front of the fireplace,” Lucas said. “See that?” A wide oriental carpet with a white fringe occupied the middle of the floor, with a bowl-shaped stain on the fringe.
“I can see the stain,” Letty said. “I’m not sure it’s blood…it could be spilled wine.”
“Yeah,” Lucas said. “Maybe somebody got a red wine glass shot out of her hand.”
—
A new voicecalled, “Hey!”
They looked and saw two uniformed cops coming down the exterior stairs. Lucas and Rae went for their IDs, and Lucas said, “U.S. marshals. I believe we have a crime scene here, a federal crime scene. I’m declaring this off-limits to everybody.”
“Yeah?” The lead cop, and the younger of the two, dropped a hand to his service pistol.
Lucas said, not being funny: “Don’t pull that gun.”
“Yeah? If I do?”
“Then you’ll experience a critical medical emergency,” Lucas said.
The older cop said, “Back off, Kenny.” And to Lucas: “We’ll stay while we check your ID.”
Letty: “Call the Department of Homeland Security and ask for Deputy Undersecretary Billy Greet. Tell the operator that you’re calling about the Los Alamos investigation.”
“Do it from the street,” Lucas said. “This is a security situation and I can tell you right now, you don’t want to know about it.”
The younger guy said, “Is this about space aliens or something?”
The older cop got in again: “Let it go, Kenny. We’ll have somebody from downtown make the call.” He looked at Letty: “Billy Greet. Homeland Security. The Los Alamos investigation.”
