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“I’ll be happy.”
“How much trouble will it be to take it out of the plans?”
He shrugged. “Not much. The train shelf was a late-breaking brilliant idea I added in just a few days ago or so. All I have to do is take it back out. I’m guessing Quentin will be ecstatic to avoid all that extra electrical work. So there you are. Two to one – I lose.”
“It’s going to be okay, then? You’re not mad?”
“Not terminally mad, but you can buy lunch,” he said. “By the time you pay up, chances are I’ll be almost over it.”
Out at the cash register, Junior took Joa
“Daisy’s a very good teacher.”
“Yes,” Junior agreed, nodding vehemently. “Very good!”
By then Butch, with blueprints in one hand and motorcycle helmet in the other, had followed Joa
“Amazing,” he exclaimed. “When we first met Junior, I never would have dreamed he’d be capable of making change.”
“Kindness and patience go a very long way,” Joa
He gave her a halfhearted smooch and opened her car door.
“Can’t you do better than that?” she demanded.
“Not in public,” he said.
He gri
Whoever would have thought we’d end up fighting over model trains? she wondered. Compared to that, everything else has been a picnic.
WASHINGTON STATE ATTORNEY GENERAL Ross Alan Co
“Damn!” Co
“No mistake, I’m sorry to say,” O.H. returned. “What do we do now?”
Co
“One of the special investigators?” O.H. Todd suggested.
Co
“Which one?”
“What about that new hire?” Co
“You mean J.P. Beaumont?”
“Right,” Co
O.H. Todd stood up and made for the door. “Right,” he said. “Will do.”
Five
JOANNA AND FRANK MONTOYA FINALLY HAD their much-delayed morning briefing right after lunch. Late in the afternoon Joa
“How’s it going?” Joa
Jaime shook his head and sank into a chair. “I just finished preliminary interviews with Dee Canfield and Bobo Jenkins. Bobo stopped by so Casey could print him. I caught up with him while he was here.”
“What do you think?” Joa
“Gut instinct?”
Joa
“You may be convinced he’s in the clear on this, but I’m not sure I agree.”
“Fair enough,” Joa
“No. I canvassed the entire neighborhood. No one saw or heard anything out of line until the EMTs showed up and started breaking down the door. What about you?”
She told him everything she had learned earlier from both Bobo Jenkins and Dee Canfield.
“Since she’s going ahead with the show,” Jaime said, “I guess I should be there. One of the guests may be able to fill in some of our blanks on the victim.”
“Speaking of blanks,” Joa
“O.H. Todd?” Jaime replied. “I’ve tried. I’ve called his number three different times. All I get is voice mail. So far he hasn’t bothered to call me back.”
“The man must have a boss,” Joa
“I don’t know.”
“Find out, Jaime, and get me his number,” Joa
Jaime Carbajal gri
“Good luck,” he said, handing it over.
Joa
“Try anyway,” Jaime said.
Picking up her phone, Joa
“I’d like to speak to Mr. Ross Alan Co
“May I say what this is concerning?”
“Latisha Wall.”
There was a noticeable pause. “One moment, please.”
As soon as the operator went away, ca
Five minutes later a live voice finally returned to the line. “I’m sorry. Mr. Co
“Any idea what time he’ll be through with it?”
“None at all. Sorry.”
Like hell you’re sorry, Joa
“He’s also in a meeting.”
The same one, no doubt.
“Would you like to be co
“No, thank you,” Joa
“You got the same treatment I did,” he said. “Don’t hold your breath waiting for a callback.”
HARRY IGNATIUS BALL HAD TURNED off the light in his office and was about to close the door and head home when his phone rang. Muttering irritably under his breath, he returned to his desk and grabbed up the receiver.
“Special Unit B,” he said. “Ball speaking.”
“Harry, glad I caught you,” O.H. Todd said, sounding relieved. “I just got cut loose from a meeting that lasted all afternoon.”
Harry rattled his car keys, hoping O.H. would get the message. “What’s up?” he asked.
“How’s Beaumont doing?”
“What do you mean, how’s he doing?”
“Is he up to speed?” O.H. asked. “Ready to send out on a case?”
Harry snorted. “He was ready for that the day he got here. Why?”
“We’ve developed a problem down in Arizona. A place called Bisbee. Ross may need to ship someone down to check it out.” Todd paused. “What can you tell me about Beaumont?” he added. “About him personally, I mean. What kind of guy is he?”
“From what I’ve seen so far,” Harry replied, “he isn’t exactly a team player.”
“Maybe that’s okay,” O.H. Todd said thoughtfully. “In fact, for this case, that may be just what the doctor ordered.”
IT WAS ALMOST SEVEN when Joa