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Dane said, “He killed two more people in the show than he did in San Francisco.”
“Yes. And maybe that means then that your brother didn’t stick to the script and that’s why the guy shot him after the two murders. Remember, your brother told Father Bi
“Yes,” Dane said. “Michael told the killer that he was going to tell the police about what this man had done.”
Nick said, “And the guy had no choice but to shoot him. Father Michael Joseph wrecked the guy’s script. He stopped him.”
“Your brother must have told him what he was pla
“The guy kept saying that this Father Paul had lost another soul from his parish,” Dane said. “Do we know if the two victims in San Francisco attended Saint Bartholomew’s?”
“They’re not on the membership list,” Delion said. “But if the guy was following the script, the chances are good that they did attend mass occasionally. That would tie it all up with a pretty bow, wouldn’t it?”
“Yes,” Dane said, “it would. Not that it’s any help.”
Delion just shook his head. “I don’t believe this. A damned script. The guy’s copycatting a damned TV script.”
“Not copycatting,” Dane said. “Don’t forget, the murders took place before the show aired. Look, at least we know for sure the guy has to be here, has to be somehow involved with the show. No outsider would know the scripts that well.”
Savich typed on MAX’s screen: Episode One of The Consultant-set in Boston, three murders: a secretary, a bookie, and an insurance salesman, about two to three weeks ago. “Dane, I’ll check-Hey, wait a second. Ah, Sherlock, who was reading over my shoulder, just said these murders were not in Boston, but actually happened two and a half weeks ago, in Pasadena, California.”
“Bingo,” Dane said. “I’ll tell Delion and he can call the cops in Pasadena. Nice and close to Los Angeles.”
“Dane, the guy’s officially taken this show on the road. You’re now formally FBI, working this case. If you want to use the San Francisco field office, call Bert Cartwright, coordinate with him. You will remain in charge of the Federal part of the investigation, all right?”
“Yes, all right, but the thing is, Savich, the killer has to be here in Los Angeles, someone working for the studio, someone working on this specific show, or with access to it.”
“Yes, of course, you’re right. I’ll let Gil Rainy know-he’s the SAC down in LA-that you’ll be coordinating with him. But you’ll be calling the shots. I’ll make sure everyone’s clear on that.”
“Thanks, Savich.”
There was a brief silence, then a chuckle. “And that means you’ve got MAX at your disposal.”
There was incredulity in Dane’s voice. “You mean you’re going to send MAX out for me?”
“Get a grip here, Dane. Deep-six that fantasy. No, let me know what you need and I will-personally-set MAX to work.”
“Oh, so I didn’t catch you in a weak moment.”
“Never that weak.” A pause, then, “How are you holding up, Dane?”
“Michael’s funeral is on Friday afternoon.”
The words were spoken with finality, cold and frozen over.
Savich said, after a pause, “Just call when you need something.”
“Thanks, Savich.” Dane closed his cell phone and walked into the West LA Division on Butler Avenue. It was a big blocky concrete box with an in-your-eye bright orange tile entrance, evidently someone’s idea of cheering up the place. Truth be told, the building was old and ugly, but humongous, nearly a full city block, with a parking lot beside it for the black-and-whites. Across the street was another lot and a maintenance station. It was in an old part of town, with lots of weeds, old houses, and little greenery anywhere.
Dane flipped open his shield for the officers standing at the front desk, got a nod from one of them, and walked to the stairs. He heard a loud mix of voices before he even saw the signs. He met Patty, a nice older lady who was a volunteer receptionist, kept chocolate chip cookies on a big plate on her desk, and tracked all the detectives. She told him they had three homicide detectives and Detective Fly
He walked into the large room, much bigger than the homicide room in San Francisco. All the detectives here were stationed in this room filled with gnarly workstations and funky orange lockers against the rear wall.
Patty had told him Detective Fly
Dane walked up to Delion and told him, “The murders from the first episode of The Consultant, they were in Pasadena. Two, two and a half weeks ago.”
Detective Mark Fly
Ten minutes later, he hung up. He was about fifty, black, and looked like he’d been a pro basketball player until just last week. He said, “You must be Agent Carver.” The men shook hands.
Fly
“That would mean, then,” Delion said, “that our guy went back and forth to San Francisco, maybe he even flew back and forth a couple of times. Or drove, what with the waits at the airports. We’ll have to match the exact times of the murders in both cities.”
“And then we check the airlines,” Fly
“They have assured us of their complete cooperation,” Delion said.
Fly
“Nah, never.”
“That’s good, because I bite back,” Fly
Dane said, “I’ll be heading up our involvement with the local agents. Ms. Jones is a possible witness and that’s why she’s here with us. We want her to look at everyone who had anything to do with this show. Just maybe we’ll get lucky.”
“I say it’s the writer,” Delion said. “He dreamed it all up. Who else could it be?”
Detective Fly
“Which shows?” Nick asked.
“He was on Friends and Just Shoot Me.”