Rivers said. “What else you got?”
Garrett wondered again how much they knew and wanted him to tell them. “Nothing.” He waited to see their reaction. “Seriously nothing.”
Rivers handed Pel a small laptop. “How ’bout we both take a look at what’s on the tape?”
Pel looked at Garrett for guidance and the senior agent nodded affirmative.
“Wow. This is a great little piece of hardware,” Pel said as she attached the drive to the USB port. “Hendica? They’re not even distributing in America yet. Nice.”
Everyone in the car tried to shift to get a view of the screen. The men in the front leaned over the seats, hanging halfway into the back. Pel tried to turn the laptop around and work the video controls from behind until she discovered the screen itself swiveled, enabling her to work the keys while the others got a decent view of the screen. It would’ve been comical, if not for the fact they were at a crime scene.
They all watched exactly what Pel had described to Garrett earlier, culminating with the woman walking off into the alley next to the large black man.
“Can you freeze it on a good view of the woman?” Rice asked.
Pel paused the video, and then toggled it backward a bit until she settled on a relatively clear view of the side of the face. She zoomed in a little and copied a grainy close-up of the woman’s face and left it up in the corner of the larger picture. “Best I can do. Dark alley, poor quality video. Give me some time back in the lab and I can do much better.”
The men looked at each other and then back at Garrett and Pel. “OK. Thanks.” They both turned and faced forward, Rice’s hands moved to the steering wheel. They all sat in silence for a moment and Garrett couldn’t believe that was the end of the conversation.
Rice revved the engine.
“All right. What the hell?” Garrett asked. “You pump us for information then you don’t reciprocate? Not going to happen. Let’s go, make with the story.”
“Yeah,” Pel said. “Squid pro quo.”
Garrett never knew when Pel was being purposely funny or blissfully ignorant. He wasn’t going to ask.
“Guys, I’m sorry. This isn’t something you need to know. We’ve told you what’s pertinent.” Rivers threw his hands up. “You have the victim’s name, a good motive. I’d say we’ve been more than helpful.”
Garrett leaned forward. “How about a little more on the motive? Who was he going to testify against? Why weren’t your people protecting him if he was such an important witness?”
“He wasn’t scheduled to testify against anyone, therefore, he wasn’t under anyone’s protection. It was who he could’ve testified against.” To Garrett, Rice didn’t seem all that focused on the story.
“Who are we talking about?” Garrett asked.
Rivers and Rice looked at each other again and their expressions didn’t change. “We need some good people on our team for this investigation, maybe even on a permanent basis,” Rice said. “You’ve got as much info as anyone. Maybe we could ask you to be assigned to a detail with us.”
Garrett was astounded. They dragged him into a car, gave him bullshit info and now wanted to offer him a job.
“What exactly are you looking for?”
Rivers continued: “Specifically a new field tech person and a lead investigator who can follow instructions and get results for us.”
Garrett turned to Pel and saw the woman looked as incredulous as he felt. “Are you guys seriously offering us jobs? Here?”
No one answered him.
“Tell you what,” Garrett started fumbling through his pockets. He had a crime scene to get back to that wasn’t getting any fresher. He’d wasted his time just long enough with these clowns to ensure everyone at the scene had tromped over evidence and then promptly put their thumbs up their asses. “I’ll give you my card, when you’re ready to talk about this thing seriously, give me a…”
He was interrupted as Rivers leaned
Garrett wondered again how much they knew and wanted him to tell them. “Nothing.” He waited to see their reaction. “Seriously nothing.”
Rivers handed Pel a small laptop. “How ’bout we both take a look at what’s on the tape?”
Pel looked at Garrett for guidance and the senior agent nodded affirmative.
“Wow. This is a great little piece of hardware,” Pel said as she attached the drive to the USB port. “Hendica? They’re not even distributing in America yet. Nice.”
Everyone in the car tried to shift to get a view of the screen. The men in the front leaned over the seats, hanging halfway into the back. Pel tried to turn the laptop around and work the video controls from behind until she discovered the screen itself swiveled, enabling her to work the keys while the others got a decent view of the screen. It would’ve been comical, if not for the fact they were at a crime scene.
They all watched exactly what Pel had described to Garrett earlier, culminating with the woman walking off into the alley next to the large black man.
“Can you freeze it on a good view of the woman?” Rice asked.
Pel paused the video, and then toggled it backward a bit until she settled on a relatively clear view of the side of the face. She zoomed in a little and copied a grainy close-up of the woman’s face and left it up in the corner of the larger picture. “Best I can do. Dark alley, poor quality video. Give me some time back in the lab and I can do much better.”
The men looked at each other and then back at Garrett and Pel. “OK. Thanks.” They both turned and faced forward, Rice’s hands moved to the steering wheel. They all sat in silence for a moment and Garrett couldn’t believe that was the end of the conversation.
Rice revved the engine.
“All right. What the hell?” Garrett asked. “You pump us for information then you don’t reciprocate? Not going to happen. Let’s go, make with the story.”
“Yeah,” Pel said. “Squid pro quo.”
Garrett never knew when Pel was being purposely funny or blissfully ignorant. He wasn’t going to ask.
“Guys, I’m sorry. This isn’t something you need to know. We’ve told you what’s pertinent.” Rivers threw his hands up. “You have the victim’s name, a good motive. I’d say we’ve been more than helpful.”
Garrett leaned forward. “How about a little more on the motive? Who was he going to testify against? Why weren’t your people protecting him if he was such an important witness?”
“He wasn’t scheduled to testify against anyone, therefore, he wasn’t under anyone’s protection. It was who he could’ve testified against.” To Garrett, Rice didn’t seem all that focused on the story.
“Who are we talking about?” Garrett asked.
Rivers and Rice looked at each other again and their expressions didn’t change. “We need some good people on our team for this investigation, maybe even on a permanent basis,” Rice said. “You’ve got as much info as anyone. Maybe we could ask you to be assigned to a detail with us.”
Garrett was astounded. They dragged him into a car, gave him bullshit info and now wanted to offer him a job.
“What exactly are you looking for?”
Rivers continued: “Specifically a new field tech person and a lead investigator who can follow instructions and get results for us.”
Garrett turned to Pel and saw the woman looked as incredulous as he felt. “Are you guys seriously offering us jobs? Here?”
No one answered him.
“Tell you what,” Garrett started fumbling through his pockets. He had a crime scene to get back to that wasn’t getting any fresher. He’d wasted his time just long enough with these clowns to ensure everyone at the scene had tromped over evidence and then promptly put their thumbs up their asses. “I’ll give you my card, when you’re ready to talk about this thing seriously, give me a…”
He was interrupted as Rivers leaned
Similar Books
