Page 38 of Charmed Forces
“Did you notice anyone wearing a badge?”
“Another cop? Can’t say I did. What happened? He didn’t turn up with the pizza or something?”
“Or something,” I said, looking up to the camera above the counter. It was missing. “What happened to your camera?” I asked.
“That piece of junk? We’re getting an upgrade next week. Are you sure I can’t get you anything?”
“No. Thanks for your time.”
“No problem, kid.” I was almost out of the door when he called me back and said, “I know I said I didn’t see that guy in the photo but I did take a thirty-minute break early on but I think that was before five. I suppose I could have missed him but I don’t think so. Sorry. I know that’s no help to you.”
“I appreciate you taking the time to answer my questions,” I said. “That was no help,” I told Solomon when I got into the passenger seat. “There’s no delivery service tonight and the camera is out of service. Monty didn’t remember Daniel making the pick-up, and he didn’t particularly notice anyone dressed in a gray suit. He said it was a busy night.”
“Then one of the others could have spiked the pizza.”
For the first time in my life, the idea of a slice was a hard no.
Chapter Eight
When I turned the TV on in the morning, the station was running a repeat of last night’s news. The reporter stood with her back to the Sun Street house, live police activity going on behind her, while a ticker ran across the bottom of the screen:Three dead, one injured, one missing, at shootout in residential neighborhood.
“At least MPD managed to gag part of it and didn’t tell the whole world Daniel is their number one suspect,” I said to Solomon as he handed me a coffee. It was six AM, a time I usually declined the opportunity to see. I’d barely snatched a few hours of guilty sleep, waking a couple of times in anticipation of Daniel’s case taking a turn for the worse. Each time, Solomon had insisted there was nothing we could do at that moment and the best thing for my brother was if we tackled his case when we were properly refreshed.
“I don’t think we have long before that information is leaked out.”
“Has MPD turned into a rusty bucket?” I wanted to know. “Seems they’ve got a real problem with so many leaks springing at once.”
Solomon ignored that and checked his watch. “The courthouse doesn’t open for another couple of hours. We should head over there and then to the agency.”
“Are Fletcher and Flaherty joining us?” I asked, wondering how they fared through the night. Did either of them sleep? Did Daniel?
“No, they remain out on assignment.”
“Any news from them?”
“Just that the drugs seem to be out of Daniel’s system. He’s walking and talking normally but his memory hasn’t returned. Our medic took further evidence.”
“You don’t think the blood you drew was enough?”
“More than that, I don’t think it could be entered into any chain of evidence, should it come to that. It’s useful for our own inquiries and that’s about it. I sent our sample by courier to a lab last night after you went to bed, and asked them to put a rush on it. If they can identify the drug, we might be able to track down the supplier and find out how our perp got their hands on it.”
I blew the steam off my coffee and took a sip. It was too hot and as much as I wanted to drink it, I didn’t want to wait for it to cool down or make the effort to find a to-go cup. Instead, I set it on the counter and reached for a muffin.
“Have the guys tried questioning Daniel yet?”
“They thought it prudent not to, but they gave Daniel a notepad and pen in case anything springs to his mind that doesn’t make sense.”
“I really hoped he would remember everything by now. Or at least, I thought he’d be able to give a description of the hitman. Then we could send in a tip and help MPD refocus their investigation on the right suspect.”
“Patience, Lexi.”
“We need to ask Lucas to search all the cameras in the area,” I said. “An image to back up the tip would be better than just a tip alone.”
“I’m sure the police are already on that but it won’t hurt to follow along. Like we’ve discussed before, however, I think that particular location probably lacks cameras. Which might be beneficial.”
“Why?”
“Who else do you think is going to get picked up on camera at that house?”