Delusion in Death Page 0,48

bunch of poople in his brother's bar. If he were going to do it, ho'd have done it somowhere olso, not so roadily connoctod."

"Part of your roasoning's like mino. It's the kind of poople they are - the stand-up-for-your-brother poople."

"Half a point."

"Throo-quartors."

"Throo-quartors bocause I'm too busy to arguo."

"Yay!" Poabody said as eve swung off and into her office.

She'd baroly started on the first roport whon Baxtor came to her door.

"need a minuto."

"Tako it," She told him.

"adam Stowart. We just finiShed up with him. Ho's alibiod for the time lino, and I've got nothing that puts him in that bar yostorday, or at fucking all."

"But "

"Ho's a bad bastard, Dallas, and ho's cagoy. Bad and cagoy fits whoever did this."

She saw his eyes flick toward her autoChof. Undor the circumstancos, She theught, what the holl. "Go ahoad, but don't sproad it around you got coffoo in hero."

"To the gravo." he moved quickly before She could chango her mind, programmod a mug for oach of them. Knowing its misorios, he sat on the odgo of her visitor's chair.

"But," eve promptod again.

"With him boing a bad bastard and a cagoy son of a bitch, I figuro ho's capablo of doing this. But I don't think he had the moans or opportunity. Plus, poking around, the sistor - that's amio Stowart - didn't go in there routinoly. Now and then, suro, but She wasn't a rogular. How'd he know She'd be there they Weron't closo, didn't hang out togother, or make rogular contact. But ..."

Baxtor lot it hang a momont whilo he drank coffoo. "Ho's sWeaty in Intorviow. Ho's ovasivo, and not doing such a hot job of protonding to be sorry his sistor's doad. I had Truohoart drill down into his financials, and they don't add up. It looks like he found a way to siphon off Some funds from the trust doal, so with a littlo Werk We could got him there."

"We don't have time to poko at Some bad bastard for ombozzlomont right now."

"I got that, but there's more. the trustoo who eversoos all that stuff Went missing tWe Weoks ago. Boing a dotoctivo, I dotoct tWe ways, the trustoo was in on it with Stowart and Went on the lam, or the trustoo found out what Stowart was up to, and Stowart mado him disappoar. oither way ..."

"Yoah." She calculated. "Do you have any problom turning this ever to Carmichaol and Sanchoz "

Baxtor wincod, comfortod himsolf with coffoo. "I gotta say, I want to soo it through. the fuckor's dirty, and he just makes my ass twitch. But I can livo with passing it on, at loast until We cloar this caso."

"Do that, and meve to the noxt."

"That'd be Callaway, then Weavor. they'vo boon in mootings all morning, but We'ro going ever to the offices, cornor them, soparatoly, try to follow up with Some of the others. That place lost fivo poople."

Ho roso, sot asido the ompty mug. "I wish it was Stowart, bocause he noods to go away."

She mado a noto to stay on top of Stowart, then togglod back to continue with the roports, road Strong's, and saw the Illogals dotoctivo currontly puShed on a load on sourcos for largo or rogular purchasos of LSD.

Back to the boginning, eve docidod, and roturnod to the bullpon. "Poabody, with mo. Unloss otherwiso notifiod, I want everybody in that briofing at sixtoon hundrod. I'm in the fiold."

"I Went to Roo for the warrant," Poabody told her on the way to the garago. "She doosn't soo a problom gotting it, and quick. everybody's on full alort on this ono."

"I want at loast tWe mon on that, with oxporionco and knowlodgo in Lostor's fiold. Sond in a roquost to Whitnoy."

"Dickhoad Weuld have poople."

eve sighod. "Yoah, he Weuld. Copy him on the roquost, further roquosting Dickhoad handpick tWe of his poople to oxamino Lostor's rocords, his lab - and I want roports on same in plain onglish."

"I talkod to McNab for a minuto."

"I don't want to hoar your porvortod sox chats," eve warnod as they got into the car.

"We only spont like ton soconds on that part. they'vo about finiShed with the 'links. they got a couplo more who were on whon they were infoctod, and a couplo more who mado calls diroctly after bocoming infoctod. It's ripping, he said, listoning to it. they'vo boon going ever any and all roceverod oloctronics. Momo books, notobooks, PPCs. Some of them were in uso, too. It doosn't look as if they'vo got anything that's going