The 7th Victim - Alan Jacobson [93]
“I meant in terms of helping us construct a time line for the senator’s movements tonight.”
“I can help with that,” Vail said. She glanced at Robby, then continued. “I came by earlier—”
“Detective!” Approaching on the run were Gifford, Del Monaco, and Police Chief Lee Thurston.
Bledsoe turned and opened a space in the huddle to accommodate the three men, who were dressed in nearly identical black wool overcoats.
“Agent Vail, what are you doing here?” Gifford asked. His eyes narrowed as his arms folded across his chest.
“I called her,” Bledsoe said. “Given the identity of our victim, I wanted my best people on it.”
Gifford looked at Vail. “Agent Vail is under orders not to partake in any Bureau business.”
“This isn’t Bureau business,” Bledsoe said. “It’s a multijurisdictional task force, which I’m heading—”
“But I gave you a direct order to remove her,” Thurston said to Bledsoe.
“With all due respect, sir, the idea is to catch this fucker. Karen Vail is a vital member of my team. The faster we catch him, the less people he’ll kill. And with the senator’s murder, the heat just got turned up. Media’s gonna be all over us.”
As if on cue, the downdraft of thumping helicopter rotor blades began whipping nearby treetops. The task force members craned their necks to the patch of illuminated sky . . . where a chopper emblazoned with the WSAW-TV logo—a bird with a magnifying glass—swung into view.
“Speak of the devil,” Robby said.
Bledsoe held out a hand, palm up, as if pleading his case. “Look, Vail’s the best. I need her help with this. Right now, I gotta catch a killer. I don’t care about politics.”
Thurston reached up and caught his fedora that had been lifted off his bald head by a gust of chilled wind. “Apparently, you don’t care about following orders, either.”
Gifford leaned in close and said something in Thurston’s ear. Thurston, a hand pressing down on his hat, bent his head forward, listening.
Bledsoe grabbed the radio from his pocket and yelled to the uniform on the other end to do whatever was necessary to get the chopper out of the area. As Bledsoe shoved the handset into his pocket, Thurston turned to him.
“Vail’s in, but we both have real problems with this. Next time you think you know better than me, you come to me first so I can knock some sense up your ass.”
“Yes, sir.”
Gifford pointed an index finger in Vail’s face. “I don’t want you showing up at any more Dead Eyes scenes.”
“Let’s hope this’ll be his last,” Vail said. Gifford threw an angry look at Bledsoe, then turned away. Vail had thoughts about telling them Linwood was her mother, but that would open a door to a room she didn’t want to enter, at least not yet. With the tightrope she had been walking lately, she knew it was best to be completely forthcoming, because in a very short time Hancock would come out of his funk and tell everyone who had ears that Vail had gotten into an argument with the senator. But if she spoke up now, they would never let her view the crime scene, as she would immediately become a suspect.
As Vail watched Gifford and Thurston walk off, Bledsoe rubbed his hands together. “Okay everyone, let’s go in and take a look around.”
Del Monaco moved beside Vail and matched her strides. “You’ve got a set of balls, showing up here.”
Vail brushed him aside with a forearm. “At least one of us does.”
Manette, bringing up the rear, started laughing. “Good one, Kari.”
Del Monaco, his fair skin reddened from the blistering cold, nevertheless displayed a blush of embarrassment. “Who the hell are you?”
“Mandisa Manette, a dick with Spotsylvania County SD. And I’ve got a set of balls, too.”
Del Monaco gave her an evil eye and moved into the house. Manette held up a hand and Vail palmed it. They shared a smile and entered the residence.
VAIL FELT A TIGHTENING in her chest as she walked down the hall. Only a few hours ago she had made her way down this very corridor, Linwood leading the way. Was it a coincidence, as Robby had noted, that a short time after their meeting Linwood became a Dead Eyes victim? Was the episode