He didn’t comment right away. Then he spoke very seriously, “He’s a friggin’ addict, Doc. Once he starts, he can’t stop.”
“You’re saying the publicity has nothing to do with his pattern?”
“No,” he replied, “I’m not saying that. His pattern’s to lay low and keep his mouth shut, and maybe he wouldn’t be so cool if the reporters wasn’t making it so damn easy for him. The sensational stories are a gift. He don’t have to do any work. The reporters are rewarding him, giving it to him free. Now if nobody was writing up nothing, he’d get frustrated, more reckless maybe. After a while, maybe he’d start sending notes, making phone calls, doing something to get the reporters going. He might screw up.”
We were quiet awhile.
Then Marino caught me off guard.
“Sounds like you been talking to Fortosis.”
“Why?”
“The stuff about it escalating and the news stories stressing him, making his urge peak quicker.”
“Is this what he’s told you?”
He casually slipped off his sunglasses and set them on the dash. When he looked at me his eyes were faintly glinting with anger. “Nope. But he’s told a couple people near and dear to my heart. Boltz, for one. Tanner, for another.”
“How do you know that?”
“Because I got as many snitches inside the department as I got on the street. I know exactly what’s going down and where it’s going to end – maybe.”
We sat in silence. The sun had dipped below rooftops and long shadows were creeping over the lawns and street. In a way, Marino had just cracked the door that would take us into each other’s confidence. He knew. He was telling me he knew. I wondered if I dared push the door open wider.
“Boltz, Tanner, the powers-that-be are very upset by the leaks to the press,” I said cautiously.
“May as well have a nervous breakdown over the rain. It happens. ‘Specially when you got ‘Dear Abby’ living in the same city.”
I smiled ruefully. How appropriate. Spill your secrets to “Dear Abby” Turnbull and she prints every one of them in the paper.
“She’s a big problem,” he went on. “Has the inside track, a line hooked straight into the heart of the department. I don’t think the chief takes a whiz without her knowing it.”
“Who’s telling her?”
“Let’s just say I got my suspicions but I haven’t got the goods yet to go nowhere with them, okay?”
“You know someone’s been getting into my office computer,” I said as if it were common knowledge.
He glanced sharply at me. “Since when?”
“I don’t know. Several days ago someone got in and tried to pull up Lori Petersen’s case. It was luck we discovered it – a onetime oversight made by my computer analyst resulted in the perpetrator’s commands appearing on the screen.”
“You’re saying someone could’ve been getting in for months and you wouldn’t know?”
“That’s what I’m saying.”
He got quiet, his face hard.
I pressed him. “Changes your suspicions?”
“Huh,” he said shortly.
“That’s it?”
I asked in exasperation. “You don’t have anything to say?”
“Nope. Except your ass must be getting close to the fire these days. Amburgey know?”
“He knows.”
“Tanner, too, I guess.”
“Yes.”
“Huh,” he said again. “Guess that explains a couple things.”
“Like what?”
My paranoia was smoldering and I knew Marino could see I was squirming. “What things?”
He didn’t reply.
“What things?”
I demanded.
He slowly looked over at me. “You really want to know?”
“I think I’d better.”
My steady voice belied my fear, which was quickly mounting into panic.
“Well, I’ll put it to you like this. If Tanner knew you and me was riding around together this afternoon, he’d probably jerk my badge.”
I stared at him in open bewilderment. “What are you saying?”
“See, I ran into him at HQ this morning. He called me aside for a little chat, said he and some of the brass are clamping down on the leaks. Tanner told me to be real tight-lipped about the investigation. As if I needed to be told that. Hell. But he said something else that didn’t make a whole lot of sense at the time. Point is, I’m not supposed to be telling anyone at your office meaning you – shit about what’s going on anymore.”