You Have the Right to Remain Silent by Barbara Paul Page A

“He says the abrasions on the wrists were made before death—all four men were handcuffed while they were still alive. Death in each case was caused by a thirty-eight-caliber bullet through the right eye. Lividity indicates the bodies were moved after death.”
    â€œHell, I knew that too.”
    â€œBetween six and nine,” Marian mused. “Did they stay in O’Neill’s apartment all that time? From one-thirty or two on?”
    â€œThey must have. Maybe they were waiting for the killer—not knowing he was a killer. Then when he got there, he and the van driver handcuffed them together … why? Just to get ’em in the van?”
    â€œWouldn’t that be rather noticeable? It’s still light at six o’clock.”
    â€œSo he just killed them there? And then waited until dark to move them? Then why the handcuffs?”
    Marian licked her lips. “I don’t think they were killed in O’Neill’s apartment. I think they went out somewhere together, to do something.”
    â€œAnd got caught by the killer?”
    She shrugged.
    DiFalco tapped a forefinger against his chin. “It’s possible, I guess. Did you talk to the Crime Scene Unit?”
    â€œJust a few minutes ago. They know to look for evidence about the meeting as well as the murders.”
    The captain nodded. “What’s your next move?”
    Marian explained what she had Foley and the others working on. “If we can’t trace their steps after they left O’Neill’s apartment, we’re going to have to abandon that line of inquiry and go at it from another direction. We’ll have to try to pin down the motive.”
    DiFalco made a rude noise. “Needle in a haystack.”
    â€œNot really. We know the reason’s connected with Universal Laser Technologies and Washington.”
    â€œTwo pretty big haystacks, if you ask me. Speaking of Washington, where are the two feds?”
    Marian told him about the message from Trevor Page. “They’re cutting us out already, Captain. I don’t know what Holland’s working on in New York and I don’t know why Page went to Washington.”
    DiFalco swore. “Larch, sometime today I want you to get hold of the one who stayed here—Holland, that the one? Get him to meet you, make up some excuse. Don’t let those sonsa-bitches forget that this is a joint investigation! Goddammit, we open our files to them and the first thing they do is pull a vanishing act! Well, I won’t have it! Do you hear what I’m saying? Do you hear ?”
    She was sitting four feet away. “Yes, sir. I hear.”
    â€œYou get hold of this Holland and you—which one is he, by the way?”
    â€œThe cynical one.”
    â€œOh, him. Go call him now.”
    â€œExcuse me, Captain,” Marian said, “but I think I should go to Universal Laser first. This is their first workday since those four men were killed, and it might be a good chance to pick up something.”
    He thought that over. “Yah, you’re right—it might be at that. Well, what are you sitting there for? Get a move on!”
    â€œOn my way,” Marian said.

9
    Universal Laser Technologies had factories in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, but its corporate headquarters were in the West Fifties near Fifth, about as high-rent as the local real estate could get. Marian was most curious to see this paradigm of American industry, where office politics were not tolerated and no one had ever made any enemies. Even if Edgar Quinn had not said that , she would have suspected him of having a fondness for hyperbole, simply from his reaction to the news about Conrad Webb’s death. Webb had been like a second father, Quinn had said. The latter had had a few bad moments, but then he’d recovered quickly enough to answer Marian’s questions lucidly and articulately. Quinn had obviously been fond of the old man and his