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30
GAFFER'S RIDGE
RAFER BODINE'S HOUSE
THURSDAY, NOON
Sherlock awoke as Dillon entered Gaffer’s Ridge, assured him she felt fine, which was mostly true. She looked around at the lovely little town with its hills and dips as Savich slowly drove the Porsche down Winchester Street toward Berger Lane, where the forensic team from the Richmond Field Office was processing Rafer Bodine’s house. Griffin and Dr. DeSilva would meet them there.
Savich pulled the Porsche behind the FBI forensic van in the driveway. Sherlock’s eyes were bright, and that was good. “Any headache, any nausea, anything wonky, you tell me, you promise?”
She smiled at him, a real smile, and nodded. “I promise.”
“Stay put.”
She waited until he opened the door for her, gave her his hand to help her out. She stood quietly a moment, taking everything in. “An old house, more a cottage,” she said, looking around, “but there’s charm here, or there could be, if someone did something with the yard, planted some colorful flowers. I guess Mr. Bodine isn’t much for regular yard maintenance.” She didn’t realize she was studying the scene like a trained investigator, but Savich did. They turned to a black Range Rover pulling in behind the Porsche. Sherlock said, “Is that Griffin Hammersmith? And the woman?”
“Yes, that’s Griffin. I would assume the woman with him is Dr. DeSilva.”
The two of them got out of the car and headed over. The man waved. Sherlock said, “Would you look at those two. I’ve gotta say, they’re close to being the most beautiful duo I’ve ever seen. They should be on a red carpet.”
Savich grinned. “Even women FBI agents stop and stare at Griffin in the Hoover Building. Worse, the word’s out he and his fiancée are no longer together, so he’s fair game. I heard he had half a dozen invitations to lunch last week. Not to mention to dinner, the movies, to see etchings, whatever.
“He and Ruth—Agent Ruth Noble—finished a hairy case in Arkansas a couple days ago so I gave them both time off. So that’s Dr. Carson DeSilva. You’re right, she’s a looker, too.”
She said suddenly, “Griffin has a cat named Exxie.” She blinked, turned to shake her head at him. “I remember his fricking cat’s name, go figure.”
“Alas, his ex-fiancée, Anna, is Exxie’s mother, so Exxie had no choice but to go with her. She and Exxie now live in Seattle. She’s DEA.”
Griffin stopped in front of Sherlock, smiled down at her, not all that far since she was tall. He saw no recognition in her eyes. He said, “I’m Griffin. You and I have been through some wars together. I imagine we’ll be in a lot more before we both hang it up in the misty future. I can’t imagine what you’re going through, Sherlock, but your eyes are clear, the flame’s still burning. Another couple of days and you’ll be line-dancing again, and keeping us all safe,” and he grinned at her.
Sherlock said, “I’ll certainly try. Have you been in the CAU long?”
“Eight months now. I first met you at the San Francisco Field Office. Savich convinced me to transfer to the Hoover. I’d like you guys to meet Dr. Carson DeSilva, a journalist from New York.”
Carson took Sherlock’s hand. “It’s amazing to meet you, Agent Sherlock. I wrote about you shortly after the JFK incident, along with most every other journalist in the U.S.”
Savich had told her strangers recognized her. She managed a smile, said, “Thank you.”
Griffin said, “I see Caleb’s already here with his forensic people. Bettina and her crew met with him at the sheriff’s station. She went back to Richmond last night. Slick and DeAndre are guarding Rafer Bodine, and on loan to me if I need them.” He turned to Sherlock. “I know Savich has already told you a dozen times, but really, if you need to kiss us off for a while and take a snooze, holler, okay?”
Again, she only smiled.
Savich had worked several times in the past year with forensic crime scene supervisor Caleb Minter. He was tall, in his late fifties, and he was whip thin, his salt-and-pepper hair sticking up in clumps on his head. He was hyper, always moving, even his leg bounced up and down when he sat. Savich wondered what Caleb’s wife thought of that constant bouncing leg. Caleb didn’t know Sherlock wouldn’t know him from Adam and he wasn’t going to call attention to it. Savich shook his hand. “Caleb, good to see you.”
Sherlock smiled at the man who could have been her father or an escaped prisoner, for all she knew.
“And you, Savich.” Caleb turned to study Sherlock’s face. “Heard you were in a wee bit of an accident Tuesday. It’s great to see you up and about. Now, down to business. Most of the crew is upstairs, and Lotus is out with Oscar in the backyard. First, we didn’t find any duct tape in the basement, or anywhere else in the house for that matter, which means someone removed it. In fact, the whole basement looked like somebody’s cleaned it up. Plus, we couldn’t find a computer or a router. And there’s no car. We think someone took those, too.”
Griffin said, “Makes sense. Rafer Bodine owns a black Chevy Uplander. A pity it was taken. There’d be proof Bodine transported Dr. DeSilva here. As for the missing computer, that’s not a surprise, either. Rafer’s going to claim self-defense in his own home, and without physical evidence, it’s going to be hard to hold him for long.”
Carson said, “As for the pipe, Sheriff Bodine took it, so maybe it’s in evidence.” She paused. “Or maybe he threw it away. Griffin, do you think the sheriff removed anything he believed could be proof against his nephew before Mr. Minter showed up?”
Griffin said, “Or Rafer’s family. Whatever, the sheriff was the one who made the calls and set it in motion.”
Minter said, “The sheriff? That’s a sorry thing to hear. Now, we did find a length of pipe suspended from the basement ceiling. I’m sure we can match it to that jagged piece of pipe you managed to break off, if it is in evidence. Dr. DeSilva, amazing job of getting yourself free of the duct tape and hitting him with that pipe. Can you come down to the basement with us, show us exactly where you were?”
Carson really didn’t want to go back down to that basement, but she saw Griffin looking at her, a question in his eyes. She straightened her shoulders and followed Minter down the stairs, Griffin and Savich behind her. When they stood in the middle of the basement, Carson looked around, seeing it with new eyes. “It seems so small now. I would have sworn it was larger.”
