The North Face of the Heart - Dolores Redondo Page 0,33
clear out and leave business to the competition just because of a hurricane? If you plan to go out in those neighborhoods to knock on doors and flash your FBI badges, it’ll be on our terms or not at all.”
Dupree ended the debate. “Agreed! Officer Charbou, Officer Bull, I’m sure we’ll all get along just fine.” He offered them his hand.
Jason Bull gave Dupree’s hand a quick, firm shake and accompanied it with that knowing expression of complicity Amaia had noticed earlier. She read it as an unmistakable confirmation of an alliance between them. Jason Bull and Dupree knew each other. She wondered why they’d made such a show during the introduction.
Bill Charbou’s dissatisfaction was evident, but he took Dupree’s hand anyway. “Bill and Bull. Forget the ‘officer this’ and ‘mister that.’” He was in a sour mood. “That’s what they call us here, and that’s how they know us out there in the streets.”
Amaia again saw Jason Bull give Dupree an apologetic look. He knew this was coming, she thought.
“As you like,” Dupree agreed. “Bill and Bull.”
Pleased by that, the detectives went back to the map.
“Bill and I were discussing the best place to sit out the storm. Probably the fire station near Lake Pontchartrain. Emergency services are headquartered upstairs. Since we need to be on top of any reports of gunshots, that’s the place to be. We discussed it with the fire chief and the ops center supervisor there. We’ve got a top-of-the-line SUV, and the harbor rescue service has reserved a Zodiac for us. If things get complicated—and they will—they have trucks and special vehicles, even their own helicopter. Most of the station’s squad cars are out on the streets right now. They’ll be able to give us a fairly clear idea of which areas are still populated.”
Dupree scanned an incoming text message and interrupted the discussion. “Quantico’s going to send us a list of the cases that fit the criteria Salazar suggested—assaults against families like those our man is targeting. Maybe we can identify some failed attempts. Johnson, Captain Forneret will get you an office where you can print it all out. Six cases, lots of documentation and plenty of photos. We’ll need high-resolution prints. When you’re done with that, Bill and Bull will take you to our hotel. Get to work on those cases. I’ll meet you there later.” He turned to the New Orleans policemen. “Gentlemen, don’t let these two out of your sight when you’re on the streets.”
Dupree left the office and the police commander trailed him down the hall. When he was sure no one else could hear, Forneret stepped around so he could look Dupree in the eye. “Let’s get serious, old friend. What the hell are you doing here?”
“I told you when I called. We’re tracking down a killer who targets families. He’s struck several times, in widely dispersed locations, but he seems to have a weird attraction to natural disasters.”
“And this has nothing to do with Katrina?”
“You don’t get it. It has everything to do with the hurricane.”
“Look, Dupree, let me be straight with you. When the boss called to tell me y’all were coming, I wasn’t pleased. In one room, I have fellas from FEMA planning to send half my officers to close down roads and holding on to the rest to respond to emergencies; in another, the Red Cross is working to set up shelters. And we have to coordinate the whole mess. In the middle of all this, you land with practically no warning. Don’t forget that after everything that happened, you’re not exactly in my good graces. We’re going to have two or three very bad days after the hurricane. Everyone’s on edge. The last thing I need is for the shit to hit the fan again. So if you’re thinking about digging up old ghosts . . .”
“That was a decade ago,” Dupree murmured dryly.
“Ten full years ago, but not a single one of us has forgotten.”
“There’s no connection. None. I’m not going to go over it again,” Dupree said flatly. “My orders come directly from Washington.”
The commander put his fists on his hips and studied the floor. He sighed. “Okay. I want to trust you. I want to believe it’s got nothing to do with Samedi. You’re going to have to stay away from Terrebonne Parish. I want your word on that.”
Dupree tightened his lips and said nothing. He gripped the commander’s hand and clasped the man’s upper arm for a moment, signaling,