Sawyer finally looked over at him. For an instant a smile appeared on
his lips and then was gone. “Springing for a meal, huh? You think I’m
seriously screwed up over this case, don’t you, Raymond?”
“I just don’t want you to get too skinny,” said Jackson.
Sawyer laughed and put the car in gear.
Jackson attacked his meal with vigor while Sawyer merely played with a
mug of coffee. The diner was in close proximity to the headquarters
building and was thus a popular one for FBI personnel. The pair greeted
a number of colleagues either grabbing a bite before heading home or
fortifying themselves before going on duty.
at the lab. But you could’ve cut Liz some slack. She was just doing
her job.”
Sawyer’s eyes suddenly burned into his partner. “You cut some slack
when your kid misses curfew or puts a ding in your car. If somebody
wants slack, then I would strongly suggest they don’t seek employment
with the FBI.”
“You know what I mean. Liz is damned good at her job.”
Sawyer’s face softened. “I know, Ray. I’ll send her some flowers.
Okay?” Sawyer looked away again.
Between bites Jackson said, “So what’s our next move?”
Sawyer looked over at him. “I’m not really sure. I’ve had cases change
on me in midstream before, but not quite to this degree.”
“You don’t believe Sidney Archer killed those guys, do you?”
“Aside from the fact that the physical evidence says she couldn’t have,
no, I don’t believe she did.”
“But she did lie to us, Lee. The tape? She was helping her husband.
You can’t get around that.”
Sawyer felt the guilt seep in again. He had never withheld information
from a partner before. He looked over at Jackson and then decided to
tell him what Sidney had revealed. Five minutes later, Jackson sat back
stunned. Sawyer glanced at him anxiously. “She was scared. Didn’t know
what to do. I’m sure she wanted to tell us from the get-go. Damn, if
we only knew where she was. She could be in real danger, Ray.” Sawyer
smacked a fist into his palm. “If she would only come to us. Work
together. We could bust this whole case, I know it.”
Jackson leaned forward, a determined expression on his face.
“Look, Lee, we’ve done a lot of cases together. But, despite it all,
you kept your distance. You saw things for what they were.”
“And you think this case is different?” Sawyer’s tone was steady.
“I know it’s different. You’ve been sticking up for this lady almost
from the start. And you’ve damn sure been treating her differently than
you ordinarily would a major suspect in a case like this. Now you tell
me she spilled to you about the tape and her talking to her husband. And
you kept that info to yourself. Jesus Christ, Lee, that’s grounds to
get your butt kicked right out of the bureau.”
“If you feel you need to report it, Ray, I’m not stopping you.”
Jackson grunted and shook his head. “I’m not pissing away your career.
You’re doing a good enough job of that.”
“This case isn’t any different.”
“Bullshit!” Jackson hunched forward even more. “You know it is and it’s
messing you up. All the evidence points, at minimum, to Sidney Archer
being involved in some serious crimes, and yet you go out of your way at
every opportunity to put a positive spin on it. You did it with Frank
Hardy, with Liz, and now you’re trying to do it with me. You’re not a
politician, Lee, you’re a law enforcement officer.
She may not be in on everything, but she’s no angel either.
That’s for damned certain.”
“You disagree with my conclusions on the triple homicide?”
Sawyer shot back.
Jackson shook his head. “No. I think you’re probably right. But if
you expect me to believe that Archer is just an innocent babe caught up
in some Kafkaesque nightmare, then you’re talking to the wrong FBI
agent. Remember what you said about slack? Well, I’d have to cut you a
ton of it to even begin to believe that Sidney Archer, beautiful and
intelligent as she might be, shouldn’t spend a considerable part of her