Read Online Defiled: The Sequel to Nailed Featuring John Tall Wolf (A Ron Ketchum Mystery Book 2) by Joseph Flynn - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Joseph Flynn
Tags: Mysteries & Thrillers
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know.”
“But Ms. Powell will have no authority of her own to exert?”
“No. If she makes a suggestion, though, we’d all do well to value her judgment and experience.”
“Duly noted. What about Special Agent Tall Wolf?”
“What about him?”
“He accompanied you to the scene of the Tibbot murder. Where does he fit into the scheme of things?”
Ron wasn’t surprised that the sergeant knew about Tall Wolf’s presence at the Tibbot house. It was his job to know everything about the Goldstrike PD. That was how he kept things running smoothly. He wasn’t criticizing the presence of outsiders; he was thinking about how to integrate them into his organizational flow.
The first step would be to let the troops — the patrol officers — know how the new faces should be treated.
Ron said, “The special agent and I will be acting as buffers to the FBI. We think there’ll be no avoiding the feebs on this one. The hope is to keep them on the margins. Tall Wolf got high marks from a homicide detective he worked with in Austin, Texas.”
Sergeant Stanley began to feel more at ease.
“Anything else I can do for you, Chief?”
There was something else, but before he could bring it up he finally realized what had bothered him when he’d seen Hale Tibbot’s body at the crime scene. The man’s hair had been too damn neat. Not a lock was out of place.
It was one thing for a killer to figure out a way to stick a guy and avoid spilling blood on himself and everything else. But could even a criminal genius do that without so much as mussing his victim’s hair? The chief didn’t think so.
He sat up straighter as it came to him neatness wasn’t the only thing wrong with Tibbot’s hair. If he remembered right, having seen the man at a number of campaign speeches, it was parted on the wrong side.
Had the killer combed his victim’s hair, getting the part wrong?
What kind of freak was he dealing with?
“You okay, Chief?” Sergeant Stanley asked.
Ron looked up at Sergeant Stanley and said, “I’m okay, Sarge, and there is something you can do for me. Search the public records. Find me a dozen or so head-shots of Hale Tibbot. Before and after he came to town.”
“Photographs?”
“Yeah. Hero shots, glamour shots. The more definition the better.”
Sergeant Stanley felt he’d inspired the chief somehow, but he had no idea what the boss was thinking. The sergeant’s talent lay in administration not solving mysteries. But if the chief wanted pictures of the victim, he’d find them. In whatever number was required.
“I’m on it, Chief,” he said.
Ron smiled to himself. He wasn’t sure what he’d learn, but he felt he’d seized on something important. Instincts he’d taken for granted in L.A. hadn’t deserted him.
In fact, he had an insight how to impress Keely when she got to town.
He could have had the sarge reserve a hotel room for Keely’s arrival tomorrow.
Instead, he called Marjorie Fitzroy at the Renaissance.
Didn’t ask for the biggest suite in the hotel.
Told her he wanted the special one the public didn’t know about.
John Tall Wolf was pleased when Ron Ketchum called him and asked if he wanted to be in on the interview of the man and boy who discovered the bomb that morning.
“Very much,” Tall Wolf said. “You won’t mind if I do a little more talking this time?”
Ron gave it a beat before saying, “Sure. But let’s see if we can get our timing right.”
Meaning don’t interrupt, talk over each other.
“No problem,” Tall Wolf said.
“Meet you in front of your hotel in ten minutes.”
Tall Wolf hadn’t told the chief where he was staying, but wasn’t surprised he’d taken the time to find out.
“Sure, be right down.”
The special agent felt the chief was playing things straight with him, so far. He also knew that the man was under pressure. Had to deal with things he’d rather not discuss. Wasn’t hard to figure out what.
Tall Wolf wouldn’t
“But Ms. Powell will have no authority of her own to exert?”
“No. If she makes a suggestion, though, we’d all do well to value her judgment and experience.”
“Duly noted. What about Special Agent Tall Wolf?”
“What about him?”
“He accompanied you to the scene of the Tibbot murder. Where does he fit into the scheme of things?”
Ron wasn’t surprised that the sergeant knew about Tall Wolf’s presence at the Tibbot house. It was his job to know everything about the Goldstrike PD. That was how he kept things running smoothly. He wasn’t criticizing the presence of outsiders; he was thinking about how to integrate them into his organizational flow.
The first step would be to let the troops — the patrol officers — know how the new faces should be treated.
Ron said, “The special agent and I will be acting as buffers to the FBI. We think there’ll be no avoiding the feebs on this one. The hope is to keep them on the margins. Tall Wolf got high marks from a homicide detective he worked with in Austin, Texas.”
Sergeant Stanley began to feel more at ease.
“Anything else I can do for you, Chief?”
There was something else, but before he could bring it up he finally realized what had bothered him when he’d seen Hale Tibbot’s body at the crime scene. The man’s hair had been too damn neat. Not a lock was out of place.
It was one thing for a killer to figure out a way to stick a guy and avoid spilling blood on himself and everything else. But could even a criminal genius do that without so much as mussing his victim’s hair? The chief didn’t think so.
He sat up straighter as it came to him neatness wasn’t the only thing wrong with Tibbot’s hair. If he remembered right, having seen the man at a number of campaign speeches, it was parted on the wrong side.
Had the killer combed his victim’s hair, getting the part wrong?
What kind of freak was he dealing with?
“You okay, Chief?” Sergeant Stanley asked.
Ron looked up at Sergeant Stanley and said, “I’m okay, Sarge, and there is something you can do for me. Search the public records. Find me a dozen or so head-shots of Hale Tibbot. Before and after he came to town.”
“Photographs?”
“Yeah. Hero shots, glamour shots. The more definition the better.”
Sergeant Stanley felt he’d inspired the chief somehow, but he had no idea what the boss was thinking. The sergeant’s talent lay in administration not solving mysteries. But if the chief wanted pictures of the victim, he’d find them. In whatever number was required.
“I’m on it, Chief,” he said.
Ron smiled to himself. He wasn’t sure what he’d learn, but he felt he’d seized on something important. Instincts he’d taken for granted in L.A. hadn’t deserted him.
In fact, he had an insight how to impress Keely when she got to town.
He could have had the sarge reserve a hotel room for Keely’s arrival tomorrow.
Instead, he called Marjorie Fitzroy at the Renaissance.
Didn’t ask for the biggest suite in the hotel.
Told her he wanted the special one the public didn’t know about.
John Tall Wolf was pleased when Ron Ketchum called him and asked if he wanted to be in on the interview of the man and boy who discovered the bomb that morning.
“Very much,” Tall Wolf said. “You won’t mind if I do a little more talking this time?”
Ron gave it a beat before saying, “Sure. But let’s see if we can get our timing right.”
Meaning don’t interrupt, talk over each other.
“No problem,” Tall Wolf said.
“Meet you in front of your hotel in ten minutes.”
Tall Wolf hadn’t told the chief where he was staying, but wasn’t surprised he’d taken the time to find out.
“Sure, be right down.”
The special agent felt the chief was playing things straight with him, so far. He also knew that the man was under pressure. Had to deal with things he’d rather not discuss. Wasn’t hard to figure out what.
Tall Wolf wouldn’t
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