and let him use the phone."
Rie got IDs on the other two men, Donald Henrey and Anthony Carr, as Ware was taken into the front room. As he went, he said to Rie, "You're all going down for this. This is the end of your jobs. This is the end. . . ."
The computer specialist pulled a phone line out of the back of Ware's sleek Macintosh, and checked the power cords that went out to peripherals. "Looks okay," he said. "We're isolated, but I'd rather not work on it until I can get it back to the shop."
Lucas nodded. "Whatever's best. The way he was going for it when we came in . . . gotta be something there."
One uniformed cop from the blocking squad watched the two men on the couch, while Rie, Larsen, Del, Lucas, and the two entry-team uniforms began taking the back room apart--pulling out drawers, looking under pillows, shaking out boxes. They found not a single photograph. They did find two dozen Jaz disks for the Macintosh.
Nothing to look at.
Finally, Lucas asked Henrey, the man with the big camera, "What're we going to find on the disks?"
"I don't know," he said. He sounded depressed. "I'm just hired to shoot. Nothing illegal. I won't shoot anything illegal."
"Does anything illegal get shot in here?"
"I don't know," he said. He turned the big camera in his hands. "I was just hired for one shoot."
"When? Now? Earlier? Later?"
Henrey looked at his watch. "Half hour. We were just setting up lights."
Lucas turned to Rie. "Maybe we ought to get Ware back in here. You could sit out front and be a receptionist."
She ticked a finger at him. "Not bad."
WARE CAME BACK with his escort, looked at Lucas, and snapped, "What?"
"Sit on the couch," Lucas said.
"My attorney is on the way," Ware said.
"Good. I suggest that you not say anything until he gets here."
"I won't. Nobody else better say anything, either," he said, looking at the two other men. "I'll sue for slander and get every nickel you've got. You better believe it."
Lucas crooked a finger at the man with the camera, who followed him into the front room. Rie was moving a chair behind the metal desk, ready to receive visitors.
To Henrey, Lucas said, "If we find child porn on those disks--child stuff is Ware's big thing--then you could wind up in Stillwater for a few years. You know how it goes."
"Listen, man, honest to God, I was hired," Henrey said earnestly.
"We understand that, and we'll take into account any help you give us. Give me just one thing that'll help."
"I gotta talk to a lawyer."
"One thing, buddy," Lucas said. "Just give me one thing. We might not need you an hour from now."
The guy looked around and said, "You better not be lying. Give me a note or something."
"We don't really have a lot of time to fool around."
"I'm not a bad guy, I'm just trying to make a living taking a few pictures. I usually do wildlife and nature."
"Yeah, well, that's cool."
Henrey sat head-down for a moment, and Rie looked at Lucas and winked. Then Henrey said, "I don't know about the child-porn thing. I heard that he does it, but it'd be stupid. It's death. There're plenty of places outside the States where you can do it all you want, and nobody cares."
"Ware is sort of a hands-on kinda guy," Lucas said.
The photographer winced and said, "Just one thing?"
"Just one."
He nodded. "But you gotta help me. . . . The thing is, sometimes when I've been here shooting, the actors--"
From Rie: "Actors?"
"Models, whatever. They sort of like to get their noses into it, and Morrie usually has a little coke around. I've seen him get it a couple times . . . go for it. It's not like I could go over and see what he's doing, but I think one of the power outlets behind his desk is a fake. I think he keeps a little stash in there."
Lucas slapped him on the back. "See? That was no problem. And if you're like an up-and-up nature guy, like you say . . . maybe we can deal. Okay? Now, I'm gonna put you back on the couch with Ware. Don't say anything to him."
Lucas brought Del out
Rie got IDs on the other two men, Donald Henrey and Anthony Carr, as Ware was taken into the front room. As he went, he said to Rie, "You're all going down for this. This is the end of your jobs. This is the end. . . ."
The computer specialist pulled a phone line out of the back of Ware's sleek Macintosh, and checked the power cords that went out to peripherals. "Looks okay," he said. "We're isolated, but I'd rather not work on it until I can get it back to the shop."
Lucas nodded. "Whatever's best. The way he was going for it when we came in . . . gotta be something there."
One uniformed cop from the blocking squad watched the two men on the couch, while Rie, Larsen, Del, Lucas, and the two entry-team uniforms began taking the back room apart--pulling out drawers, looking under pillows, shaking out boxes. They found not a single photograph. They did find two dozen Jaz disks for the Macintosh.
Nothing to look at.
Finally, Lucas asked Henrey, the man with the big camera, "What're we going to find on the disks?"
"I don't know," he said. He sounded depressed. "I'm just hired to shoot. Nothing illegal. I won't shoot anything illegal."
"Does anything illegal get shot in here?"
"I don't know," he said. He turned the big camera in his hands. "I was just hired for one shoot."
"When? Now? Earlier? Later?"
Henrey looked at his watch. "Half hour. We were just setting up lights."
Lucas turned to Rie. "Maybe we ought to get Ware back in here. You could sit out front and be a receptionist."
She ticked a finger at him. "Not bad."
WARE CAME BACK with his escort, looked at Lucas, and snapped, "What?"
"Sit on the couch," Lucas said.
"My attorney is on the way," Ware said.
"Good. I suggest that you not say anything until he gets here."
"I won't. Nobody else better say anything, either," he said, looking at the two other men. "I'll sue for slander and get every nickel you've got. You better believe it."
Lucas crooked a finger at the man with the camera, who followed him into the front room. Rie was moving a chair behind the metal desk, ready to receive visitors.
To Henrey, Lucas said, "If we find child porn on those disks--child stuff is Ware's big thing--then you could wind up in Stillwater for a few years. You know how it goes."
"Listen, man, honest to God, I was hired," Henrey said earnestly.
"We understand that, and we'll take into account any help you give us. Give me just one thing that'll help."
"I gotta talk to a lawyer."
"One thing, buddy," Lucas said. "Just give me one thing. We might not need you an hour from now."
The guy looked around and said, "You better not be lying. Give me a note or something."
"We don't really have a lot of time to fool around."
"I'm not a bad guy, I'm just trying to make a living taking a few pictures. I usually do wildlife and nature."
"Yeah, well, that's cool."
Henrey sat head-down for a moment, and Rie looked at Lucas and winked. Then Henrey said, "I don't know about the child-porn thing. I heard that he does it, but it'd be stupid. It's death. There're plenty of places outside the States where you can do it all you want, and nobody cares."
"Ware is sort of a hands-on kinda guy," Lucas said.
The photographer winced and said, "Just one thing?"
"Just one."
He nodded. "But you gotta help me. . . . The thing is, sometimes when I've been here shooting, the actors--"
From Rie: "Actors?"
"Models, whatever. They sort of like to get their noses into it, and Morrie usually has a little coke around. I've seen him get it a couple times . . . go for it. It's not like I could go over and see what he's doing, but I think one of the power outlets behind his desk is a fake. I think he keeps a little stash in there."
Lucas slapped him on the back. "See? That was no problem. And if you're like an up-and-up nature guy, like you say . . . maybe we can deal. Okay? Now, I'm gonna put you back on the couch with Ware. Don't say anything to him."
Lucas brought Del out
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