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When Drex had awakened her and told her about his breakthrough, he’d been humming like an overloaded electrical circuit. The call to the deputy in Florida had dimmed the wattage. But this call to Mike had taken all the sizzle out of him.
“In terms of helping, Gif was lost to me as of last night. Now Mike’s been hamstrung. If I didn’t know better, I’d think Fate was working against us. Dammit!” He picked up his coffee cup and hefted it like a baseball pitcher on the mound. He even looked at the far wall as though gauging the distance.
Before he could pitch it, she walked over, took the cup from him, and set it back down on the bar. “What’s happened with Mike?”
He gave her a run-down, after which she asked, “Was the car stolen?”
“Probably.”
“Did Mike know?”
“He didn’t ask. Sammy won’t incriminate him because he’ll want him as a future ally, which it appears he’ll need. But the point is, Mike is mired in this now and unavailable to me.”
“What can I do?”
He was about to reply when one of his cell phones rang. He looked at the readout. “Locke.” He answered and put it on speaker so she could listen in. “Morning.”
Locke said, “You’re still answering this number.”
“For the time being. Did you hear about Mike?”
“No. What about him?”
“Long story, and it will keep. What’s up?”
“Remember me telling you that one of the people we talked to last night noticed a man walking away from where Lewis fell?”
“Witness said he seemed to be in a hurry.”
“We’ve isolated him on two security cameras.”
Drex glanced over at Talia. “Jasper?”
“Since we never met him, and you say he’ll have altered his appearance, we don’t know. We need you to take a look.”
“Absolutely. I’ve got a breakthrough for you, too.”
“What?”
“I want to confirm it first. Soon. Now.”
“Is Mrs. Ford still with you?”
“Hello, detective,” she said. “I’m here.”
“Good morning, Mrs. Ford. Are you all right?”
Drex said, “You know, every time you talk to her when she’s in my company, the first thing you ask is if she’s all right. It’s beginning to hurt my feelings, in addition to pissing me off.”
“Well, is she?”
“I’m fine,” she said. “Where should we meet you?”
“Not here at the department.”
“Rudkowski is still in residence?” Drex asked.
“We suggested he relocate to the FBI office. He says his business is with us.”
