know where he is?” I asked. “Has he come forward and—”
“No,” Crow said, cutting me off. “I don’t know where he is, but I suspect he’s in some real trouble.”
“Why do you suspect that, Chief Crow?”
He shrugged. “Because you’re here. If he was out sowing some wild oats or getting hammered down at the Scarecrow Lounge, his handler would be on it. Or at most he’d get a couple of kids right out of Quantico to help with the scut work. Instead they send you three.”
“We are the team sent to locate our witness.”
“Ri-i-i-ght,” he said again, stretching out the “I.”
“Would you like to see our credentials again?” This guy was beginning to irritate the crap out of me.
“Look,” said Crow, leaning a few inches forward on his forearms. I could see the network of scars on his face. “You’re about as close to a standard paper-pushing FBI agent as I am to Megan Fox. You’re a hunter, and so are your pals. I don’t care what the IDs say, because you’re probably NSA at the least, in which case the IDs are as real as you need them to be and I’m Joe Nobody from Nowhere, Pennsylvania. But here’s a news flash. Just about nothing happens in a small town without everybody hearing something. Our gossip-train is faster than a speeding bullet. If you want to find your missing witness, then you can do it the easy way, which is with my help; or the hard way, which is without my help.”
I had to fight to keep a smile off my face. Guy had balls, I’ll give him that much. The big red-haired kid was hovering a few feet behind him, looking borderline spooky with his fake blue eyes and unsmiling face.
“What do you suggest, Chief?”
Crow nodded. “Cut me in on the hunt. Give me some details, and I’ll see what I can find.”
I considered it. Thunder rumbled again, and the sky outside was turning gray. My instincts were telling me one thing and DMS protocol was telling me something else. In the end, I said, “Thanks anyway, Chief. If it’s all the same to you, we’ll poke around on our own. I doubt the witness is in any real trouble. Not in a little town like this.”
I meant it as a kick in the shins, but he merely shook his head. “You read up on Pine Deep before you came here, Agent Duke? I mean…Agent Morrison.”
Touché, you little jerk, I thought.
“Some,” I said.
“About the troubles we had a few years back?”
“Everyone knows about them?”
“Well,” he said, shifting a little. He glanced back at the redheaded kid and then at me. “Those problems were here long before we had our ‘troubles.’ I guess you could say that in one way or another we’ve always had troubles here in Pine Deep. Lots of people run into real problems here.”
I smiled now, and it probably wasn’t my nicest one. “Are…you trying to threaten me, Chief Crow?”
He laughed.
Behind him the redhead kid, Sweeney, spoke for the first time. “Just a fair warning, mister,” he said. His voice was low and raspy. “It ain’t the people you have to worry about around here. The town will help you or it won’t.”
Then he smiled and it was one of the coldest, least human smiles I think I’ve ever seen. It was like an animal, a wolf or something equally predatory, trying to imitate a human smile.
Then Officer Sweeney turned away and sat back down at his desk.
Chief Crow winked at us. “Happy trails, boys.”
I stared at him for a few moments as thunder rattled the windows in the tiny office. Then I nodded and turned to go. Just as Bunny opened the door for me, Crow said, “Welcome to Pine Deep.”
I turned and met his eyes for a few long seconds. He neither blinked nor looked away. For reasons I can’t adequately explain, we nodded to one another, and then I followed Top and Bunny out of the office. As we walked to the car, I could feel eyes watching me.
Chap. 5
The Safe House
August 16; 6:28 p.m.
We got back in the car.
“Okay,” said Bunny, “that was
“No,” Crow said, cutting me off. “I don’t know where he is, but I suspect he’s in some real trouble.”
“Why do you suspect that, Chief Crow?”
He shrugged. “Because you’re here. If he was out sowing some wild oats or getting hammered down at the Scarecrow Lounge, his handler would be on it. Or at most he’d get a couple of kids right out of Quantico to help with the scut work. Instead they send you three.”
“We are the team sent to locate our witness.”
“Ri-i-i-ght,” he said again, stretching out the “I.”
“Would you like to see our credentials again?” This guy was beginning to irritate the crap out of me.
“Look,” said Crow, leaning a few inches forward on his forearms. I could see the network of scars on his face. “You’re about as close to a standard paper-pushing FBI agent as I am to Megan Fox. You’re a hunter, and so are your pals. I don’t care what the IDs say, because you’re probably NSA at the least, in which case the IDs are as real as you need them to be and I’m Joe Nobody from Nowhere, Pennsylvania. But here’s a news flash. Just about nothing happens in a small town without everybody hearing something. Our gossip-train is faster than a speeding bullet. If you want to find your missing witness, then you can do it the easy way, which is with my help; or the hard way, which is without my help.”
I had to fight to keep a smile off my face. Guy had balls, I’ll give him that much. The big red-haired kid was hovering a few feet behind him, looking borderline spooky with his fake blue eyes and unsmiling face.
“What do you suggest, Chief?”
Crow nodded. “Cut me in on the hunt. Give me some details, and I’ll see what I can find.”
I considered it. Thunder rumbled again, and the sky outside was turning gray. My instincts were telling me one thing and DMS protocol was telling me something else. In the end, I said, “Thanks anyway, Chief. If it’s all the same to you, we’ll poke around on our own. I doubt the witness is in any real trouble. Not in a little town like this.”
I meant it as a kick in the shins, but he merely shook his head. “You read up on Pine Deep before you came here, Agent Duke? I mean…Agent Morrison.”
Touché, you little jerk, I thought.
“Some,” I said.
“About the troubles we had a few years back?”
“Everyone knows about them?”
“Well,” he said, shifting a little. He glanced back at the redheaded kid and then at me. “Those problems were here long before we had our ‘troubles.’ I guess you could say that in one way or another we’ve always had troubles here in Pine Deep. Lots of people run into real problems here.”
I smiled now, and it probably wasn’t my nicest one. “Are…you trying to threaten me, Chief Crow?”
He laughed.
Behind him the redhead kid, Sweeney, spoke for the first time. “Just a fair warning, mister,” he said. His voice was low and raspy. “It ain’t the people you have to worry about around here. The town will help you or it won’t.”
Then he smiled and it was one of the coldest, least human smiles I think I’ve ever seen. It was like an animal, a wolf or something equally predatory, trying to imitate a human smile.
Then Officer Sweeney turned away and sat back down at his desk.
Chief Crow winked at us. “Happy trails, boys.”
I stared at him for a few moments as thunder rattled the windows in the tiny office. Then I nodded and turned to go. Just as Bunny opened the door for me, Crow said, “Welcome to Pine Deep.”
I turned and met his eyes for a few long seconds. He neither blinked nor looked away. For reasons I can’t adequately explain, we nodded to one another, and then I followed Top and Bunny out of the office. As we walked to the car, I could feel eyes watching me.
Chap. 5
The Safe House
August 16; 6:28 p.m.
We got back in the car.
“Okay,” said Bunny, “that was
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