Alex Kava Bundle - Alex Kava [45]
“Actually, Christine, I think Sheriff Morrelli has changed his mind,” O’Dell said, watching Nick, whose smile transformed into a grimace.
He pushed his hair from his forehead. O’Dell folded her arms over her chest and waited. Christine looked from one to the other. The tension filled the corner, and she found herself taking a step backward.
Finally, Nick cleared his throat as though his discomfort was lodged somewhere between his larynx and tongue. “There’ll be a press conference in the courthouse lobby tomorrow morning at eight-thirty.”
“Can I print that in tonight’s article?” She looked from Nick to O’Dell and back to Nick.
“Sure,” he grudgingly answered.
“Anything else I can use in tonight’s article?”
“No.”
“Sheriff Morrelli, didn’t you say you already have copies of the boy’s photo?” Again, O’Dell said this very matter-of-factly, no underlying edge. “It may jog some memories if Christine included one with her piece.”
He shoved his hands into his pockets, and Christine wondered whether it was so he wouldn’t strangle both her and O’Dell.
“Stop by the courthouse and pick one up. I’ll instruct Lucy to leave it at the front desk. The front desk, Christine. I don’t want you in my office snooping around.”
“Relax, Nicky. I keep telling you I’m not the enemy.” She started to leave, but turned back at the door. “You’re still coming over for dinner tonight, aren’t you?”
“I may be too busy.”
“Agent O’Dell, would you like to join us? Nothing fancy. I’m fixing spaghetti. There’ll be plenty of Chianti.”
“Thanks, that sounds nice.”
Christine almost burst out laughing at the surprise on Nick’s face.
“I’ll see the two of you about seven. Nicky knows the address.”
CHAPTER 22
The sheriff’s department bristled with nervous energy. Nick could feel it as soon as he and O’Dell walked in the door. Here he was, worried about a frenzy taking over the community, and he had one in his own department.
Phones rang incessantly. Machines beeped. Keyboards clicked. Faxes hummed. Radios squawked. Voices yelled out to each other from room to room. Bodies dashed and scurried, amazingly not bumping into one another.
Again, there were police officers he didn’t recognize and equipment he couldn’t identify. He was depending on people he barely knew to handle things he hardly understood. It made him as uncomfortable as hell.
Lucy looked relieved to see him. She smiled and waved from across the room. There was a quick glance of contempt in O’Dell’s direction. O’Dell didn’t seem to notice.
“Nick, we’ve checked every inch of this city,” Lloyd Benjamin’s voice rasped with exhaustion. He removed his glasses and wiped his eyes. The deep worry lines in his forehead were pronounced, like permanent indents. The oldest member of Nick’s team, Lloyd was also the most reliable next to Hal. “Richfield’s men are still checking the river where we found the Alverez kid. I’ve got Staton’s men on the north side of town. They’re going to check that gravel pit and Northton Lake.”
“Good. That’s good, Lloyd.” Nick patted him on the back. There was something else. Lloyd rubbed his jaw, glanced at O’Dell.
“Some of us were talking,” Lloyd continued in a low voice, almost a whisper. “Stan Lubrick thought he remembered Jeffreys having a partner…you know…sort of a…well, a lover, at the time he was arrested. I do kind of remember us bringing a guy in for questioning, but I don’t think he ever testified. A Mark Rydell,” he said, scanning a notepad with illegible scratches. “We were wondering if we should try and check the guy out. See if he’s anywhere around.”
They both looked at O’Dell, who was distracted by the chaos. Nick wasn’t even sure she had heard Lloyd. Her hands were shoved deep into her jacket pockets. Her eyes darted back and forth, watching the commotion. Then suddenly, she seemed flustered when she realized they were waiting for her to answer.
“I didn’t realize Jeffreys was gay. How do know this guy was his lover?” Again, her tone was matter-of-fact. No hint of condescension, though Nick knew she was capable of turning