Captain Brady coughed into his hand, a hacking low cough. “Sorry, I guess I’m getting run-down. My wife chewed me out good this morning.” He shrugged. “But what can we do? We’ve been putting in long hours since the guy killed the family three and a half days ago. He did it right at six o’clock, right at dinnertime, right at the same time he killed the other two families. Sorry, but you already know that. You got all the police reports I sent you yesterday?”
“Oh yes,” Savich said. “I was hoping you’d contact me.”
The captain nodded. “Bud Hollis also said you had a brain and weren’t a glory hound and did your investigating with a computer. I don’t understand that, but I’m willing to give it a try.
“I still wasn’t sure bringing you here was such a good idea until five minutes before I e-mailed you. Thank you for coming so quickly. I thought I should talk to both of you for a few minutes before I introduce you to the detectives on the case. They’re, ah, a bit unhappy that I called you in.”
“No problem,” Savich said and crossed his legs. “You’re right, Captain. Neither Sherlock nor I am into glory. We just want this guy off the streets.”
Actually, Lacey wanted him really badly. She wanted him dead.
“Unfortunately we don’t have anything more than we did when I e-mailed you this afternoon. The pressure from the mayor’s office is pretty intense; everyone’s hiding in the men’s room because the media’s been on a tear since the first night it happened. They haven’t let up. Do you know that one station got hold of the crime scene photos, and they splashed them all over the ten P.M. news? Bloody vultures. They know all about Des Moines and St. Louis and that the media there had called the guy the Toaster. Got everyone scared to death. The joke in the squad room is that everyone is throwing out their kitchen appliances. You’ve read all the files from all the murders, haven’t you?”
“Yes. Every one. They were very complete.”
“I guess it’s time to cut to the chase, Agent Savich. Can you help us?”
“Both Agent Sherlock and I have just a few questions. Perhaps we can meet with your people and get the answers. Yes, Captain, there’s not a doubt in my mind that we can help you.”
Captain Brady gave Savich a dubious smile, but there was a gleam of hope in his tired eyes. “Let’s get to it,” he said, grabbed a huge folder from his desk, and walked to the door of his office. He yelled out, “Dubrosky! Mason! Get in the conference room on the double!” He turned back to them and said, “I hate these modular things. They just put them in last year. You can’t see a soul, and chances are the guy you want is in the John.” He glanced at her. “Well, or the girl, er, female officer you want is in the women’s room.”
Evidently neither Dubrosky nor Mason had gone to the John. They were already in the conference room, standing stiff and hostile, waiting for the FBI agents. Captain Brady was right about one thing-they weren’t happy campers. This was their turf, and the last thing they wanted was to have the FBI stick their noses into their business. Savich was polite and matter-of-fact. They looked at Sherlock, and she could see that they weren’t holding out for much help from her. Dubrosky said, “You don’t expect us to be your Watsons, do you, Sherlock?”
“Not at all, Detective Dubrosky, unless either of you is a physician.”
That brought her a grudging smile.
She wanted to tell all of them, Savich included, that she now knew as much about this guy as they did, maybe even more than the Chicago cops, and she’d thought about him for as long as Savich had, but she kept her mouth closed. She wondered what Savich had up his sleeve. She’d only known him for seven hours, and she would have bet her last buck that he had a whole lot up that sleeve of his. It wouldn’t have surprised her if he had the guy’s name and address.