Read Online Spook Squad by Jordan Castillo Price - Free Book Online
Authors: Jordan Castillo Price
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don’t say anything at all…and if you’ve gotta lie, do it by omission. But thanks to the sí-no, he can’t even think a dissenting thought without Lisa knowing about it by asking herself a few quick questions. He walks on eggshells around her now. Not that it really helps. “It can wait,” he said. “We didn’t mean to…it can wait.”
Lisa looked us both over, then said, “I gotta go,” into the phone. A small pause, then, “ No, llegarás a mañana .” I knew mañana meant tomorrow, but had no context for the rest of the phrase. Probably something mundane, like “see ya.” I considered looking it up later in my Spanish-English dictionary, but knew my chances of remembering it more than thirty seconds without writing it down were slim. She disconnected, then said in a voice more exasperated than curious, “It’s no big deal. What?”
Jacob said, “When Roger Burke was shot in front of the prison, Vic says he saw Laura Kim—”
Lisa looked startled. “He did.”
“I already said that.” Why was this such a difficult concept for Jacob to grasp? I recognized Laura, and I’d seen her there. “Laura Kim was in a bus shelter across the street. She talked to me, told me I shouldn’t be there. I got away from her, and then I heard the shot. I wouldn’t have pegged her right away—I figured she was just a secretary, you know? And with all the skyscrapers, you couldn’t tell where the noise had come from, it was like an echo chamber. But once he was dead, Roger indicated she was the shooter.” I don’t use the word “indicate” in common conversation, but I was fresh from reading all those carefully worded reports. Indicating, noting. Careful words for when reality sounds completely whacked.
Lisa’s eyes tracked back and forth like she was watching a tennis game play on the front of my shirt. After the first second or two, I realized that she hadn’t said yes.
And she hadn’t said no, either.
I held my breath. Jacob held his. The distant sound of a motorcycle engine peaked and ebbed. The radiators hissed. The refrigerator motor kicked in and settled into a low hum. “Vic saw her,” Lisa repeated, puzzled. “But it won’t tell me if she shot him.”
“See?” I said. “She was there.”
Lisa looked troubled. “Actually…I don’t know about that. Only that you saw her.”
“Okay,” Jacob said, “that’s fine, that’s good—it’s something to work with.” He grabbed a pen off the coffee table and started pawing around for something to write on. “All we need to do is narrow down a better question.”
He was looking so hard for a piece of paper that he didn’t see the look on Lisa’s face, or the fact that she was shaking her head. But I did. “I’m not helping you investigate Laura Kim,” she said.
Jacob paused his search for paper. “Why not?”
“Don’t you know? She’s Constantine’s ex-wife.” Holy shit…Laura was way out of that weirdo’s league. “It wouldn’t make any sense for Laura to do it. Maybe they’re not married, but they’re still close—they trust each other with everything. If she was the shooter, either she went behind Con’s back and…” she shook her head. “No. Or Con knew and…no, he didn’t know.”
Jacob said, “That’s good, it means he didn’t put me on the case just to keep me busy.”
“No…and that’s it, I’m done. That’s all I’m going to look at. We’ve been through it back and forth, up and down.”
Jacob said, “But not with Laura—”
“It’s like one of those Magic Eye pictures where you’re supposed to see something else in the pattern. If I don’t see it, and I try to force myself, it’s not going to come. Especially not if I’m upset about it. The sí-no won’t show me the main thing you want to know, and the harder I try to see it, the more you grill me about it, the muddier it gets.”
Jacob looked startled. “Why are you upset? I’m not grilling you.”
“What does it
Lisa looked us both over, then said, “I gotta go,” into the phone. A small pause, then, “ No, llegarás a mañana .” I knew mañana meant tomorrow, but had no context for the rest of the phrase. Probably something mundane, like “see ya.” I considered looking it up later in my Spanish-English dictionary, but knew my chances of remembering it more than thirty seconds without writing it down were slim. She disconnected, then said in a voice more exasperated than curious, “It’s no big deal. What?”
Jacob said, “When Roger Burke was shot in front of the prison, Vic says he saw Laura Kim—”
Lisa looked startled. “He did.”
“I already said that.” Why was this such a difficult concept for Jacob to grasp? I recognized Laura, and I’d seen her there. “Laura Kim was in a bus shelter across the street. She talked to me, told me I shouldn’t be there. I got away from her, and then I heard the shot. I wouldn’t have pegged her right away—I figured she was just a secretary, you know? And with all the skyscrapers, you couldn’t tell where the noise had come from, it was like an echo chamber. But once he was dead, Roger indicated she was the shooter.” I don’t use the word “indicate” in common conversation, but I was fresh from reading all those carefully worded reports. Indicating, noting. Careful words for when reality sounds completely whacked.
Lisa’s eyes tracked back and forth like she was watching a tennis game play on the front of my shirt. After the first second or two, I realized that she hadn’t said yes.
And she hadn’t said no, either.
I held my breath. Jacob held his. The distant sound of a motorcycle engine peaked and ebbed. The radiators hissed. The refrigerator motor kicked in and settled into a low hum. “Vic saw her,” Lisa repeated, puzzled. “But it won’t tell me if she shot him.”
“See?” I said. “She was there.”
Lisa looked troubled. “Actually…I don’t know about that. Only that you saw her.”
“Okay,” Jacob said, “that’s fine, that’s good—it’s something to work with.” He grabbed a pen off the coffee table and started pawing around for something to write on. “All we need to do is narrow down a better question.”
He was looking so hard for a piece of paper that he didn’t see the look on Lisa’s face, or the fact that she was shaking her head. But I did. “I’m not helping you investigate Laura Kim,” she said.
Jacob paused his search for paper. “Why not?”
“Don’t you know? She’s Constantine’s ex-wife.” Holy shit…Laura was way out of that weirdo’s league. “It wouldn’t make any sense for Laura to do it. Maybe they’re not married, but they’re still close—they trust each other with everything. If she was the shooter, either she went behind Con’s back and…” she shook her head. “No. Or Con knew and…no, he didn’t know.”
Jacob said, “That’s good, it means he didn’t put me on the case just to keep me busy.”
“No…and that’s it, I’m done. That’s all I’m going to look at. We’ve been through it back and forth, up and down.”
Jacob said, “But not with Laura—”
“It’s like one of those Magic Eye pictures where you’re supposed to see something else in the pattern. If I don’t see it, and I try to force myself, it’s not going to come. Especially not if I’m upset about it. The sí-no won’t show me the main thing you want to know, and the harder I try to see it, the more you grill me about it, the muddier it gets.”
Jacob looked startled. “Why are you upset? I’m not grilling you.”
“What does it
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