"Knock yourself out," replied Jord, stepping aside to let Maddox pass.
"Can we?" I asked.
Jord tilted his head. "No!"
"You let Maddox!"
"He's an FBI agent! He asked as a courtesy. Saying no wouldn't mean a thing."
I turned to my oldest brother, and the most senior officer on scene. "Garrett?"
"No. Poke around later behind my back like you usually do," said Garrett.
"I have never!" I protested.
"Did you find a weapon?" Solomon interrupted before anyone could call me a liar.
"We did not," said Jord. "But my best guess is it came from a nine millimeter at close range. No defensive wounds."
"So Mackleton knew his killer and possibly let them in," said Solomon, nodding. "This is looking like a clean-up op. What are your thoughts, Delgado?"
"Eradicate the weak link," said Delgado. "Sensible. He didn't get rid of the van. We found him. The police found him. Someone made sure he couldn't talk."
"What kind of psycho is running this crew?" I asked.
"A pretty efficient one," said Solomon. "That's also worrying."
Maddox walked back to us. "I couldn't see anything that stood out as Mackleton being a part of the robbery other than the van," he said. "No signs of anyone else living there so I won't be surprised to hear his fingerprints were found on the van."
"What about the stolen property from the bank?" I asked.
"The place is a dump. I wouldn't exclude Mackleton from having a hiding place but I doubt very much that any valuables, whatever they might be, would be left with him," said Jord. "I'm not even convinced they stole anything at present. The bank manager couldn't confirm it either."
Solomon and I exchanged a look. I wondered if he also thought Charlie Sampson wasn't telling the police the truth. "What happens now?" I asked.
"Jord and I will team up," said Garrett. "Jord will keep investigating the heist and find out what they stole, if anything. I can't see a crew that organized leaving empty-handed. I'm going to personally take on Mackleton's murder and we'll share our findings. Sound good to you, Detective?"
"Yes, Lieutenant," said Jord. "I appreciate the assistance."
"The FBI has no current interest in this," said Maddox, "But I'd be grateful if you kept me in the loop out of curiosity's sake. I had an idea this might be linked to something bigger but now I'm not so sure. Mackleton has never been on my radar and I'd like to know whom he associates with."
"We'll keep you informed." Garrett looked from Solomon to me, then Delgado. "I'm not going to tell you to keep out of it since I know you'll ignore me anyway, but I will ask you to keep us in the loop too. Let's set up a meeting in a day or two and see where we are. Sound good, everyone?"
We all nodded with murmurs of cooperation, then Delgado said, "So, about those burgers?"
"Let's go," said Solomon.
~
Solomon, Maddox, Delgado and I stopped at the drive-through and placed an order for enough food to feed a small army while we mused the merits of the case. After eating, we returned to Mackleton's neighborhood and dropped Maddox off at his car. Solomon handed me a sack of food to take to my brothers who were still working the crime scene before we returned Delgado to his vehicle. He was eager to head home and hose off the scent of alley garbage before Serena had a conniption fit.
We ate our food in the car while watching the officers move from house to house, interviewing people on their stoops. Solomon kissed my salty fingers and insisted it was late and time to go home. Since I'd eaten, and my mind was buzzing with possibilities, I was happy to acquiesce. I fell asleep not long after we climbed into bed.
When I awoke the next morning, Solomon was lying on his stomach, his head turned towards me, his face soft with sleep. I snuggled close to him and allowed myself some extra snooze time. The sound of my phone trilling barely roused me. When it rang a second time, I picked it up.
"This is so exciting," cooed Lily. "Jord told me all about it!"
"Huh?"
"The big case and the murder of the getaway driver and I think I can help."
"Huh?"
"Are you awake?"
"Not really."
"Call me back when you're fully awake."
"Okay."
"Don’t forget!" said Lily before she hung up.
I sighed and got out of bed. By the time I brushed my teeth and showered, Solomon was moving around, his clothes laid out on the bed.