Read Online Goodbye Sister Disco by James Patrick Hunt - Free Book Online Page B

you. But if they refuse to cooperate with us—directly or indirectly—because of you, then yes, sir, you will have to be replaced. If that happens it won’t be fair, but fairness to you is not what’s important here. Understand?”
    Hastings straightened. “I understand,” he said. “If that’s all…”
    â€œThat’s all. Go on.”
    Hastings walked out.

TWELVE
    They didn’t hesitate to bring up the fact that the television station had gotten a videotape of the victim before the police had. The agents wouldn’t try to bawl him out or anything else direct like that. Just, “So you saw it on television?” followed by pitiful shakes of the head.
    Hastings said, “We can’t control the movements of the kidnapper. Or kidnappers.”
    There were three agents in the conference room with Hastings and Fenton Murray. Murray had done Hastings the kindness of sitting on his side of the table. The feds were on the other side. Dressed in full suits, as opposed to the herringbone jacket Hastings wore with dark slacks. Two of the feds had American flag pins on their lapels.
    The ASAC wore a What Would Jesus Do bracelet. He was a tall, slender man in his fifties. He looked like a runner. His name was Jim Shellow.
    The two other agents were in their thirties. Early to midthirties, clean shaven, and well groomed. Their names were Craig Kubiak and Curtis Gabler.
    Hastings remembered watching a football game between Nebraska and Stanford University. A year when Stanford had a moderately competitive team. The contrast between the Stanford and Nebraska sidelines had been an added amusement to the game: on one side, clean-cut guys, blond with stylish haircuts, could have been models for GQ. On the other side, milling around Saint Tom Osborne, a bunch of mullet-haired two-by-fours in red jerseys who looked like they just got done changing a tractor tire … Stanford did well, but didn’t win the game.
    Hastings said, “My sergeant is arranging an interview with her right now.”
    Agent Shellow said, “Is that all?”
    Hastings’s voice was civil. He said, “What do you mean?”
    â€œWell,” Agent Shellow said, “it seems to me that we should be doing more than that, don’t you think?”
    â€œYou mean,” Hastings said, “threatening her with obstructing an investigation. Something like that?”
    Agent Shellow was a bit taken aback: the Metro lieutenant had already thought of it. “Yes,” Agent Shellow said, “that’s exactly what I mean.”
    â€œI’d thought of that,” Hastings said. “But that’s only a misdemeanor. And it presumes that our DA would want to file on it. And I doubt he would. But even if he would, I don’t think it’s a good idea.”
    â€œWhy not?” It was Agent Kubiak speaking now. His tone was not one of a man seeking input, but one of conducting an interrogation.
    â€œBecause we might need her,” Hastings said. “Maybe the kidnapper feels comfortable talking to her. We go to her threatening charges, the first thing she’ll do is refer us to the station’s attorney. And we’ll be stuck. And … we’ll have lost the opportunity to work with her.”
    There was a silence then. Agent Gabler was taking notes and he stopped to look briefly at the ASAC. The ASAC looked over to Assistant Chief Murray, who wasn’t going to give him any help on this one. Agent Kubiak continued to look at Hastings, appraising him. Hastings thought, He knows . He knows about Cahalin, but he’s not going to say anything about it now.
    â€œListen,” Hastings said, “for what it’s worth, I’m not very happy about it either. Either she’s pretty stupid or she just wanted to break a story and make a name for herself. Either way, she should have contacted the police first. And for whatever reason, she chose not