Gone Too Far (Devlin & Falco #2) - Debra Webb Page 0,17
lit a fuse under his personal mission. But that wasn’t the norm. When someone went about an undertaking like this in such a secretive and aggressive manner, there was typically a very personal motive.
She and Falco had only to find it.
They hadn’t interviewed the DA yet. Lockett was in a meeting. Allen would see to it that they got a moment of his time as soon as he was available.
She scanned the notes written on Walsh’s blotting pad once more. The few scattered words didn’t provide anything useful. There was a phone number jotted in one corner, but it was his dry cleaner’s. The in- and out-boxes stationed at the front of his desk were empty. Allen said he stayed on top of the paperwork.
The one framed photo on the desk was of him and some of his law school buddies—this, too, was according to Allen. There was no photo of his parents. He had no siblings. Allen was developing a list of friends and colleagues with whom he associated frequently and any particularly troubling cases he had worked since his arrival in Birmingham. Kerri wasn’t expecting anything useful since the woman had already stated that she couldn’t think of any such cases off the top of her head.
The door swung open, and DA Luther Lockett entered. Kerri straightened and rose to her feet. Lockett was a large man, tall and broad shouldered. Back in the day, he had been a quarterback for the University of Auburn’s Tigers. In Alabama, besides politics the one thing folks got extra hot and bothered about was the rivalry between the Auburn Tigers and the University of Alabama’s Crimson Tide. Football was practically a religion around here.
Lockett swung the door shut and glanced at Falco before resting his full attention on Kerri. “Detectives.” He thrust his hand across the desk and gave hers a shake. Then he did the same with Falco. “I’d like an update on what you have so far.”
He settled into a seat in front of the desk and waited expectantly.
“At this time, sir, we don’t have much. We’ve asked Mrs. Allen to prepare a list of DDA Walsh’s cases as well as his friends and colleagues. We’ve also requested his phone records, and we’re currently looking for any notes he may have left related to anyone he intended or expected to see last night. There was nothing about the meeting with Mr. Kurtz on his calendar. No phone calls or texts between him and the other victim. Our first goal is to establish a connection between the two victims.”
Lockett gave her a nod as if he approved. “You may or may not be aware that Asher made his thoughts regarding gun control public in a recent interview. His feelings on the matter are not popular here in the South. You will certainly want to add that possibility to your list of potential motives.”
“In another recent interview,” Falco said as he approached the desk, a book in his hand, “Walsh mentioned that he wanted to do all in his power to stop the flow of drugs into the country. He seemed very determined on the subject.”
“And human trafficking,” Kerri added. “Putting an end to the sale of humans was another of his goals.”
They’d watched all five of the interviews Walsh had done with local news channels since settling into the DA’s office.
Lockett nodded. “We all come into this world of law enforcement and prosecution with big ideas about change. But we can’t always attain the first goal we set. Sometimes not even the second or the tenth. But we can do our very best. I had high hopes for Asher. He was a brilliant young man.” He seemed to reflect for a moment. “As you can imagine, when my DDAs are working on cases, I’m not always aware of blow-by-blow events. I trust my people to do their jobs and to keep me informed. I have no doubt you will discover whatever Asher was working on with Mr. Kurtz relates to his duties here. He was not the sort to go off half-cocked.”
“I’m certain you’re correct,” Kerri agreed.
When the silence grew awkward, she went on to assure him, “We’ll do everything we can to find the shooter as quickly as possible.”
“Well, then”—Lockett pushed to his feet—“I’ll leave you to it.” He hesitated at the door. “I’m confident you’re aware of Mayor Warren’s desire to take this investigation to the next level. Whatever comes of her suggestion, I want the two of