He’d never cared much for the politics that came with his time in the bureau, which was only one of the reasons for leaving it. “I knew the lead agent. Tom Shepherd. He seemed grateful for the break.”
Joe tugged on his earlobe. “Grateful? Maybe. But the way I hear it, after the bad press from the trial, he got banished from his DC post and sent to Bismarck. His ‘gratitude’ is probably frozen solid by now. Along with everything else.”
Frowning slightly, Adam mentally sifted through the gossip for a germ of truth. Shepherd had been a good agent when he’d known him in DC. His rise in the ranks of the agency had been impressive. But the investigation of the first kidnapping of Ellie Mulder had been plagued by bad luck. The birthday party she’d been snatched from had been held at one of those playgrounds at a fast-food restaurant during the noon rush. Witness accounts had conflicted. And Cooper had shown rare shrewdness in choosing a child in a different state from his hometown. “Bismarck, huh? Maybe I’ll give him a call.” He just might think of someone or something associated with that first investigation that wasn’t in Adam’s own case file.
Pausing before a second set of automated doors, Landry asked, “Did you get anything useful out of Cooper? And if you did, what’s it going to cost me?”
“He seems disenchanted with his cell mate.”
The man nodded. “There was physical evidence supporting his claims of sexual assaults. Just nothing that points to the perpetrator. We’ve got him under a watch, but a place like this . . .” His mouth formed a thin hard line. “As fast as we put out fires, there’s something else flaring up.”
“I’ll let you know if his information pans out. He gave up some names he’d neglected to mention during the course of his arrest, people he swapped pictures of the Mulder girl with. Hard to tell if it will lead anywhere.”
Landry’s craggy face looked dubious. “These guys trade pics like baseball cards. It’s a needle in a haystack. But you’re going to shake that haystack, aren’t you?”
The doors opened as Adam gave him a quick feral smile. “I’m going to dismantle it, straw by straw.”
“Any results on the stains found in Hubbard’s bathroom yet?”
Whitman looked irritated at Kell’s question. His brown suit was either the same he’d worn yesterday, or its twin. It looked equally rumpled, its creases matching those in his face. “This isn’t Hollywood, Burke. In real life, lab results actually take time.”
Kell looked unruffled at the man’s withering tone. “I guess we have different definitions of expedited.” The man had claimed the priority of the case would ensure faster results from the state lab just yesterday. “If you’d agreed to a mobile lab, we’d already have the results. I’ll bet your lab hasn’t even started running the tests yet.”
Ignoring him, Whitman focused on CBI Agent Travis. “So who did you interview today?”
“Hubbard’s ex-wife and three of his former coworkers at the prison. The warden. Some friends the ex said he spent time with when he lived there. All speak highly of him. Claim he’s an up-front sort.”
Giving a grunt, Whitman said, “We probably need to focus on people he associated with since his move to Denver. You’ll find the list of phone numbers and their owners in the updated case file.” He skidded a green expandable folder across to each of them. “Type up the day’s notes and send them as an attachment to the secretary. Her e-mail is at the top of the folder.”
Macy observed the crestfallen expression on the agent’s face and recalled his dislike for typing.
“What about Hubbard’s bank records? Have you gotten the warrant for them yet?”
“Everything we know is in the file, Burke.” The assistant director was as snappish as she’d seen him. “Familiarize yourself with it and we’ll talk about assignments tomorrow. Now get out of here. Not all of our
Joe tugged on his earlobe. “Grateful? Maybe. But the way I hear it, after the bad press from the trial, he got banished from his DC post and sent to Bismarck. His ‘gratitude’ is probably frozen solid by now. Along with everything else.”
Frowning slightly, Adam mentally sifted through the gossip for a germ of truth. Shepherd had been a good agent when he’d known him in DC. His rise in the ranks of the agency had been impressive. But the investigation of the first kidnapping of Ellie Mulder had been plagued by bad luck. The birthday party she’d been snatched from had been held at one of those playgrounds at a fast-food restaurant during the noon rush. Witness accounts had conflicted. And Cooper had shown rare shrewdness in choosing a child in a different state from his hometown. “Bismarck, huh? Maybe I’ll give him a call.” He just might think of someone or something associated with that first investigation that wasn’t in Adam’s own case file.
Pausing before a second set of automated doors, Landry asked, “Did you get anything useful out of Cooper? And if you did, what’s it going to cost me?”
“He seems disenchanted with his cell mate.”
The man nodded. “There was physical evidence supporting his claims of sexual assaults. Just nothing that points to the perpetrator. We’ve got him under a watch, but a place like this . . .” His mouth formed a thin hard line. “As fast as we put out fires, there’s something else flaring up.”
“I’ll let you know if his information pans out. He gave up some names he’d neglected to mention during the course of his arrest, people he swapped pictures of the Mulder girl with. Hard to tell if it will lead anywhere.”
Landry’s craggy face looked dubious. “These guys trade pics like baseball cards. It’s a needle in a haystack. But you’re going to shake that haystack, aren’t you?”
The doors opened as Adam gave him a quick feral smile. “I’m going to dismantle it, straw by straw.”
“Any results on the stains found in Hubbard’s bathroom yet?”
Whitman looked irritated at Kell’s question. His brown suit was either the same he’d worn yesterday, or its twin. It looked equally rumpled, its creases matching those in his face. “This isn’t Hollywood, Burke. In real life, lab results actually take time.”
Kell looked unruffled at the man’s withering tone. “I guess we have different definitions of expedited.” The man had claimed the priority of the case would ensure faster results from the state lab just yesterday. “If you’d agreed to a mobile lab, we’d already have the results. I’ll bet your lab hasn’t even started running the tests yet.”
Ignoring him, Whitman focused on CBI Agent Travis. “So who did you interview today?”
“Hubbard’s ex-wife and three of his former coworkers at the prison. The warden. Some friends the ex said he spent time with when he lived there. All speak highly of him. Claim he’s an up-front sort.”
Giving a grunt, Whitman said, “We probably need to focus on people he associated with since his move to Denver. You’ll find the list of phone numbers and their owners in the updated case file.” He skidded a green expandable folder across to each of them. “Type up the day’s notes and send them as an attachment to the secretary. Her e-mail is at the top of the folder.”
Macy observed the crestfallen expression on the agent’s face and recalled his dislike for typing.
“What about Hubbard’s bank records? Have you gotten the warrant for them yet?”
“Everything we know is in the file, Burke.” The assistant director was as snappish as she’d seen him. “Familiarize yourself with it and we’ll talk about assignments tomorrow. Now get out of here. Not all of our
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