pry bar and nicked it.
"That's Ben's," she said.
"Wrong again." He knocked on the whale again. "Foundation property, no matter how Ben modified it."
Without warning, Frick slammed the crowbar into the side of the whale at the seam. He did it again, then began to pry. The wood shrieked as he tore into it like a man possessed.
Crew looked sick but said nothing.
"Seems hollow. Made to open," Frick said.
"It is nevertheless empty." Sam hoped that needling Frick might cause him to make a significant mistake.
"Maybe you'd like to dust this for prints and then use your latex to pull up on the bottom," Frick said to Crew, pointedly ignoring Sam.
Crew nodded and signaled to a tall fellow with a fingerprint kit, who came over to the whale. There were plenty of prints, probably all Ben's. When they were done, Frick probed the bottom of the compartment. In moments he had it open, exposing a deep belly cavity. Papers lay inside. The deputies picked them out with tweezers.
"What are these papers?" Frick asked.
"I'm assuming you can read," Haley said. "You tell us."
Frick thumbed through the pages. "Does he ever have these lab notes typed up?" He looked up at Haley. "Probably has Sarah type them, I expect," he answered his own question.
Crew was spreading the papers over the large desk so they could be seen. Haley came closer and moved them around with a pencil eraser. Sam knew it was strange of Frick to let them stand watching and concluded Frick was in a very big hurry and wanted instant reaction. The man's desire for information outweighed the normal concern an officer would have about keeping important information confidential so that it could be doled out in a useful manner.
"And where would the legible notes be?" Frick asked.
"I don't know," Haley said. "This is in Ben's shorthand."
"Sarah can read this, right?"
Haley set her jaw.
"Take her to the station," Frick said to Crew.
"I suppose that's obvious," Haley said at last.
"We'll need to take these notes for evidence," Frick said.
"Evidence of what?" Sam asked. "If you take that property you're looting, pure and simple. You need a warrant."
"Go to hell. This is a crime scene. That's evidence. Period. Now, what is this house drawing?"
"I have no idea," she said.
Sam suspected that Haley was sincere and wondered what the drawing might mean.
Crew tensed but kept silent when Frick gave him a cautionary stare.
"You'll need a warrant, anyway," Sam said, pushing Frick again.
The tension was palpable; Frick looked lethal even if under control.
"They stay here until we get the court order," Frick said. "You men don't let those papers leave this desk. And you two," he said to Haley and Sam, "touch nothing. I'll be right back." Then he walked out of the office.
Sam wondered what Frick was doing and figured they wouldn't like it. One of the papers that came out of the whale was stuck under another, and from the little that Sam could see, it appeared particularly interesting. Along its bottom edge was scrawled ARCLES.
"Next, I suppose, he'll be opening the wall safe," Sam said.
Crew looked around.
"Behind the picture over there," Sam explained.
Crew walked over to the picture to take a look, giving Sam the opportunity to snatch and secrete the ARCLES page.
Frick walked back in without warning. Dr. McStott, the man who had gotten Haley kicked out of Sanker, walked in with him and commenced looking at the papers for himself. Frick was folding up his cell phone. "I need some more information before we take you down to the station," he said to Haley. "Why don't you just run me through where you were today."
"Hold it," Sam said. "You've implied that she's a target of your investigation. You've imprisoned her without her consent and made her sign a phony confession. Now you're taking her into custody. You haven't even read her Miranda rights to her. She may want to exercise her right to remain silent."
"Get him out of here. He's under arrest for interfering with an
"That's Ben's," she said.
"Wrong again." He knocked on the whale again. "Foundation property, no matter how Ben modified it."
Without warning, Frick slammed the crowbar into the side of the whale at the seam. He did it again, then began to pry. The wood shrieked as he tore into it like a man possessed.
Crew looked sick but said nothing.
"Seems hollow. Made to open," Frick said.
"It is nevertheless empty." Sam hoped that needling Frick might cause him to make a significant mistake.
"Maybe you'd like to dust this for prints and then use your latex to pull up on the bottom," Frick said to Crew, pointedly ignoring Sam.
Crew nodded and signaled to a tall fellow with a fingerprint kit, who came over to the whale. There were plenty of prints, probably all Ben's. When they were done, Frick probed the bottom of the compartment. In moments he had it open, exposing a deep belly cavity. Papers lay inside. The deputies picked them out with tweezers.
"What are these papers?" Frick asked.
"I'm assuming you can read," Haley said. "You tell us."
Frick thumbed through the pages. "Does he ever have these lab notes typed up?" He looked up at Haley. "Probably has Sarah type them, I expect," he answered his own question.
Crew was spreading the papers over the large desk so they could be seen. Haley came closer and moved them around with a pencil eraser. Sam knew it was strange of Frick to let them stand watching and concluded Frick was in a very big hurry and wanted instant reaction. The man's desire for information outweighed the normal concern an officer would have about keeping important information confidential so that it could be doled out in a useful manner.
"And where would the legible notes be?" Frick asked.
"I don't know," Haley said. "This is in Ben's shorthand."
"Sarah can read this, right?"
Haley set her jaw.
"Take her to the station," Frick said to Crew.
"I suppose that's obvious," Haley said at last.
"We'll need to take these notes for evidence," Frick said.
"Evidence of what?" Sam asked. "If you take that property you're looting, pure and simple. You need a warrant."
"Go to hell. This is a crime scene. That's evidence. Period. Now, what is this house drawing?"
"I have no idea," she said.
Sam suspected that Haley was sincere and wondered what the drawing might mean.
Crew tensed but kept silent when Frick gave him a cautionary stare.
"You'll need a warrant, anyway," Sam said, pushing Frick again.
The tension was palpable; Frick looked lethal even if under control.
"They stay here until we get the court order," Frick said. "You men don't let those papers leave this desk. And you two," he said to Haley and Sam, "touch nothing. I'll be right back." Then he walked out of the office.
Sam wondered what Frick was doing and figured they wouldn't like it. One of the papers that came out of the whale was stuck under another, and from the little that Sam could see, it appeared particularly interesting. Along its bottom edge was scrawled ARCLES.
"Next, I suppose, he'll be opening the wall safe," Sam said.
Crew looked around.
"Behind the picture over there," Sam explained.
Crew walked over to the picture to take a look, giving Sam the opportunity to snatch and secrete the ARCLES page.
Frick walked back in without warning. Dr. McStott, the man who had gotten Haley kicked out of Sanker, walked in with him and commenced looking at the papers for himself. Frick was folding up his cell phone. "I need some more information before we take you down to the station," he said to Haley. "Why don't you just run me through where you were today."
"Hold it," Sam said. "You've implied that she's a target of your investigation. You've imprisoned her without her consent and made her sign a phony confession. Now you're taking her into custody. You haven't even read her Miranda rights to her. She may want to exercise her right to remain silent."
"Get him out of here. He's under arrest for interfering with an
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