KinderWatch. Ask Colonel Vitek. He’ll tell you. He’s the founder of the group. I’m his best volunteer.”
“You’ve said that,” Calvano said with disgust. “Several times.” He sat back in his chair and crossed his arms. “You like watching the little kids every day?”
“Come on,” Maggie said to Gonzales. “This is unproductive and beneath us. And there’s a lawyer downstairs coming up to represent Martin any minute. Let me talk to him and see what I can get before he shuts down. Maybe he saw something in the park that would help.” I felt a spark from her as she made one of the connections only Maggie can make. Her voice grew more excited. “Sir, let me ask him who was in the park yesterday . He may have seen whoever killed Fiona Harker.”
Gonzales turned to her, interested, but a knock interrupted their exchange. I was sure it was Martin’s lawyer, there to call off the dogs, but it was Peggy Calhoun from the lab. She held up a small, clear evidence bag holding a plastic dinosaur. “We got something from the park. Not much, but something.”
Gonzales and Maggie eyed the small green toy. “Are we sure it’s the boy’s?”
Peggy shrugged. “The officers that brought it in say some other kids at the playground identified it as belonging to Tyler Matthews. Its name is Rocky.”
“The dinosaur’s name is Rocky?” Gonzales asked dubiously.
“That’s what the other kids say he called it,” Peggy explained.
“Can you get anything off Rocky?” Gonzales said drily.
“Maybe a print. And if we’re lucky, not the kid’s.” Peggy didn’t sound too sure.
“See what you can do,” Gonzales told her absently. Calvano’s voice had risen to a roar and we were all distracted by his histrionics.
Peggy looked appalled at the scene unfolding behind the one-way mirror. “Sir,” she said firmly, staring at Calvano.
“What is it?” he asked, annoyed that she hadn’t left.
“There’s a rookie patrolman outside who wants to speak to you. I really think you’d better talk to him.”
“Go talk to him,” Gonzales ordered Maggie, not paying much attention. He was watching Calvano as one might watch a lab specimen, studying his behavior and trying to figure out the cause, cataloging Calvano’s triggers so that he might use that behavior for his own purposes one day. To my real dying day, and that could be a long time coming, I would never quite get Gonzales.
Maggie left to speak to the rookie patrolman and I, naturally, followed. It was Denny, the cop who had disturbed the crime scene a few hours before. He turned purple when he saw Maggie coming at him.
“Ma’am, I would just like to say again how sorry I am that—”
“What is it?” Maggie interrupted. She didn’t like groveling, but she didn’t like incompetence, either, so he was not getting off the hook entirely.
The poor kid was so nervous that he almost stuttered. Maggie took pity on him. “Take a deep breath,” she told him. “Now order your thoughts like you’re writing an essay. Get you facts in order. One, two, three . . . ready?”
He nodded.
“Now tell me,” Maggie said calmly.
“I talked to an old lady who is a neighbor of the man being questioned. She was there when we searched his house. A friend of his mother’s, I believe she said.”
“Very good,” Maggie told him. “Keep going.”
“She says Martin came to get her this morning, very excited about a man in the park who was watching the children. He was quite concerned the man might do something.”
“And this was before we found the nurse or the kid was taken?”
“Yes, definitely before.” Denny looked at Maggie. “That’s important, right? It means he didn’t just make it up after he was a suspect.”
“Yes,” Maggie said. “It’s important. Was the neighbor telling you the truth?”
“The old lady?” Denny looked startled. “Ma’am, I don’t think she’s capable of not telling the truth.”
Maggie smiled. “I’ve known
“You’ve said that,” Calvano said with disgust. “Several times.” He sat back in his chair and crossed his arms. “You like watching the little kids every day?”
“Come on,” Maggie said to Gonzales. “This is unproductive and beneath us. And there’s a lawyer downstairs coming up to represent Martin any minute. Let me talk to him and see what I can get before he shuts down. Maybe he saw something in the park that would help.” I felt a spark from her as she made one of the connections only Maggie can make. Her voice grew more excited. “Sir, let me ask him who was in the park yesterday . He may have seen whoever killed Fiona Harker.”
Gonzales turned to her, interested, but a knock interrupted their exchange. I was sure it was Martin’s lawyer, there to call off the dogs, but it was Peggy Calhoun from the lab. She held up a small, clear evidence bag holding a plastic dinosaur. “We got something from the park. Not much, but something.”
Gonzales and Maggie eyed the small green toy. “Are we sure it’s the boy’s?”
Peggy shrugged. “The officers that brought it in say some other kids at the playground identified it as belonging to Tyler Matthews. Its name is Rocky.”
“The dinosaur’s name is Rocky?” Gonzales asked dubiously.
“That’s what the other kids say he called it,” Peggy explained.
“Can you get anything off Rocky?” Gonzales said drily.
“Maybe a print. And if we’re lucky, not the kid’s.” Peggy didn’t sound too sure.
“See what you can do,” Gonzales told her absently. Calvano’s voice had risen to a roar and we were all distracted by his histrionics.
Peggy looked appalled at the scene unfolding behind the one-way mirror. “Sir,” she said firmly, staring at Calvano.
“What is it?” he asked, annoyed that she hadn’t left.
“There’s a rookie patrolman outside who wants to speak to you. I really think you’d better talk to him.”
“Go talk to him,” Gonzales ordered Maggie, not paying much attention. He was watching Calvano as one might watch a lab specimen, studying his behavior and trying to figure out the cause, cataloging Calvano’s triggers so that he might use that behavior for his own purposes one day. To my real dying day, and that could be a long time coming, I would never quite get Gonzales.
Maggie left to speak to the rookie patrolman and I, naturally, followed. It was Denny, the cop who had disturbed the crime scene a few hours before. He turned purple when he saw Maggie coming at him.
“Ma’am, I would just like to say again how sorry I am that—”
“What is it?” Maggie interrupted. She didn’t like groveling, but she didn’t like incompetence, either, so he was not getting off the hook entirely.
The poor kid was so nervous that he almost stuttered. Maggie took pity on him. “Take a deep breath,” she told him. “Now order your thoughts like you’re writing an essay. Get you facts in order. One, two, three . . . ready?”
He nodded.
“Now tell me,” Maggie said calmly.
“I talked to an old lady who is a neighbor of the man being questioned. She was there when we searched his house. A friend of his mother’s, I believe she said.”
“Very good,” Maggie told him. “Keep going.”
“She says Martin came to get her this morning, very excited about a man in the park who was watching the children. He was quite concerned the man might do something.”
“And this was before we found the nurse or the kid was taken?”
“Yes, definitely before.” Denny looked at Maggie. “That’s important, right? It means he didn’t just make it up after he was a suspect.”
“Yes,” Maggie said. “It’s important. Was the neighbor telling you the truth?”
“The old lady?” Denny looked startled. “Ma’am, I don’t think she’s capable of not telling the truth.”
Maggie smiled. “I’ve known
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