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“Killers sometime overthink things, Decker. They make simple complicated. They get too cute.”
“Yes, they do. But Baron does not strike me as that kind of a man. What this looks like to me is someone trying to frame the guy and doinga crappy job of it.”
“Well, I’ve arrested people on a lot less, and proved my case.”
“And Babbot?”
“He might have found something up on the Baron estate that made Baron nervous. And I think I might know what that is. And you should too since you found the connection before we did.”
“What?” asked Decker.
“Swanson was a drug dealer. What if he andBaron were in it together? Baron desperately needed money, and I doubt he would care where it came from. But then Swanson wants a bigger cut or maybe gets cold feet and is going to rat Baron out. So Swanson has to die, and so does Babbot if he knew about it. In fact, Babbot might have been buying drugs from them.”
“That’s all speculation,” observed Decker.
“Which is why we’regoing to search the property,” said Lassiter. “To get the evidence to prove the speculation is actually true. You in or out?”
“We’re in,” replied Decker, while Jamison looked on worriedly.
***
Decker and Jamison followed Lassiter and two police vans up the hill to Baron’s property. It was only seven o’clock in the morning and it was clearthat Lassiter wanted to take Baron by surprise.
Decker said, “Baron lied to me. Again. He flat-out told me he didn’t know Costa.”
“Well, maybe they never met. It could have all been through letters or emails.”
“That doesn’t matter. The guy was going to foreclose. That’s a motive for murder and you know it. And he kept that from me.”
“Do you really thinkBaron was selling drugs with Swanson?”
“I don’t know. A guy lies to me, that taints everything.”
“But you don’t think he really is the killer?”
“I don’t know that he isn’t.”
“But he just seems too…”
“Too what? Nice? Eccentric? Good with magic tricks? That doesn’t cut it, Alex, and you know it.”
Jamison sighed resignedly. “Lassiter lookedreally happy.”
“Considering her father died in prison because of what she believes the Baron family did to him, she would be.”
“So, nailing the last surviving Baron would be quite the prize for her?”
“That’s what I’m afraid of,” said Decker.
