you think someone would notice?”
“We’ll see.” Oz was in another great mood.
Micki realized how much he loved his job. When he was in the big middle of a case he was almost as turned on as when they were making love. Almost.
“What are you grinning at?” he asked.
“You,” she said. “By the way, Aida said the sniper fired at me from one or the other of the Jobe Towers.” She pointed them out. “She said something about the angle...”
“Of trajectory,” he finished. He looked through the scope at each of the towers, in turn. “We need to check out how accessible those rooftops are.”
“But, anyone could have gone up there.” she protested.
“Doubtful. I don’t think just anyone could walk through the security guards with a high-powered rifle and gain access to the penthouse.”
“So you think Aida’s wrong?”
“Aida’s never wrong,” he said. “I need to figure out how someone got up there and why.”
“How’s it goin’, Mick?” Vinnie greeted her as he neared. “The Lieutenant wants to talk to you, Oz.”
Oz loped back down to the dock as the body was being loaded into the back of the Coroner’s van. Both Micki and Vinnie watched Oz’s retreat with interest.
“Oz says I owe you an apology for smartin’ off to you the other day.” Vinnie sat down in the place Oz had just vacated. He examined his hands and gnawed a hangnail with due reverence.
“No need,” Micki said.
“I didn’t think so either, but you know Oz. Nobody can touch his little China doll. God forbid I should speak to you inappropriately.” He gnawed another nail.
Micki considered his words. Yes, that’s what it was like. Oz would never understand why she felt so stifled by the way he loved her. He had her on a pedestal, in a glass case where he could take her out and play with her, but she wasn’t supposed to breathe without him. How could he not know how stifling it was?
“Anyways, I was just sayin’, it would be a shame for Oz to get his heart broke again if you’re just playin’ with him. That’s all I was sayin’, y’know?” He turned and searched her face for some sign of understanding.
“Yeah, Vinnie,” she said. “I know exactly what you mean.”
#
Later that afternoon, Oz and Vinnie returned to the crime lab, with Micki in tow.
Aida hailed her with a nod. “Getting to be a regular around here, aren’t you? You should watch who you hang out with.”
Micki grinned at her. “It’s due to my bad upbringing. We’re all from the same neighborhood.”
“Bad element, huh?” Aida looked at Oz and laughed. She tapped the keys on her keyboard and one of Micki’s photos appeared on the screen. It showed a dark haired man staring directly into her lens. “This is the guy who later met with Polanski. He’s named Israel Soto. He’s got a juvenile record with some gang activity, but nothing recent. He may have been meeting with Polanski to set up some kind of deal or they might have been two old friends having dinner, but whatever their agenda, you spoiled the party.”
“Right place, right time.” Oz smiled. “And I seriously doubt those two are old friends.”
Aida’s stubby fingers flew over her keyboard and new photos appeared on screen. “I positively matched your newspaper clipping with the lady in the park. The facial recognition software matched her on all planes. Laurel Jobe, high society lady.”
Jobe. Micki flinched when she heard the name.
“A blue blood, huh?” Vinnie looked at the two photographs side by side up on Aida’s screen.
“Not exactly,” Aida said. “Laurel was a beauty queen at eighteen. She was Miss Rhode Island or something like that. She caught the eye of Hobart Jobe when he was in his mid-fifties. Laurel is his third wife, but most significantly, she produced the all important male heir to carry on the Jobe name. He has daughters from his previous marriages, but little Hobart Jobe, III, is the apple of his doting daddy’s eye.”
“How
“We’ll see.” Oz was in another great mood.
Micki realized how much he loved his job. When he was in the big middle of a case he was almost as turned on as when they were making love. Almost.
“What are you grinning at?” he asked.
“You,” she said. “By the way, Aida said the sniper fired at me from one or the other of the Jobe Towers.” She pointed them out. “She said something about the angle...”
“Of trajectory,” he finished. He looked through the scope at each of the towers, in turn. “We need to check out how accessible those rooftops are.”
“But, anyone could have gone up there.” she protested.
“Doubtful. I don’t think just anyone could walk through the security guards with a high-powered rifle and gain access to the penthouse.”
“So you think Aida’s wrong?”
“Aida’s never wrong,” he said. “I need to figure out how someone got up there and why.”
“How’s it goin’, Mick?” Vinnie greeted her as he neared. “The Lieutenant wants to talk to you, Oz.”
Oz loped back down to the dock as the body was being loaded into the back of the Coroner’s van. Both Micki and Vinnie watched Oz’s retreat with interest.
“Oz says I owe you an apology for smartin’ off to you the other day.” Vinnie sat down in the place Oz had just vacated. He examined his hands and gnawed a hangnail with due reverence.
“No need,” Micki said.
“I didn’t think so either, but you know Oz. Nobody can touch his little China doll. God forbid I should speak to you inappropriately.” He gnawed another nail.
Micki considered his words. Yes, that’s what it was like. Oz would never understand why she felt so stifled by the way he loved her. He had her on a pedestal, in a glass case where he could take her out and play with her, but she wasn’t supposed to breathe without him. How could he not know how stifling it was?
“Anyways, I was just sayin’, it would be a shame for Oz to get his heart broke again if you’re just playin’ with him. That’s all I was sayin’, y’know?” He turned and searched her face for some sign of understanding.
“Yeah, Vinnie,” she said. “I know exactly what you mean.”
#
Later that afternoon, Oz and Vinnie returned to the crime lab, with Micki in tow.
Aida hailed her with a nod. “Getting to be a regular around here, aren’t you? You should watch who you hang out with.”
Micki grinned at her. “It’s due to my bad upbringing. We’re all from the same neighborhood.”
“Bad element, huh?” Aida looked at Oz and laughed. She tapped the keys on her keyboard and one of Micki’s photos appeared on the screen. It showed a dark haired man staring directly into her lens. “This is the guy who later met with Polanski. He’s named Israel Soto. He’s got a juvenile record with some gang activity, but nothing recent. He may have been meeting with Polanski to set up some kind of deal or they might have been two old friends having dinner, but whatever their agenda, you spoiled the party.”
“Right place, right time.” Oz smiled. “And I seriously doubt those two are old friends.”
Aida’s stubby fingers flew over her keyboard and new photos appeared on screen. “I positively matched your newspaper clipping with the lady in the park. The facial recognition software matched her on all planes. Laurel Jobe, high society lady.”
Jobe. Micki flinched when she heard the name.
“A blue blood, huh?” Vinnie looked at the two photographs side by side up on Aida’s screen.
“Not exactly,” Aida said. “Laurel was a beauty queen at eighteen. She was Miss Rhode Island or something like that. She caught the eye of Hobart Jobe when he was in his mid-fifties. Laurel is his third wife, but most significantly, she produced the all important male heir to carry on the Jobe name. He has daughters from his previous marriages, but little Hobart Jobe, III, is the apple of his doting daddy’s eye.”
“How
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