“Figures,” Lafferty said. “Happens here, and they investigate from over there. No wonder shit never gets solved.”
“Not my call,” Stilwell said. “Anyway, let me know if you need me.” He said it looking at Tash.
“Will do,” Lafferty said.
“Dennis, I’m going to hit the restroom,” Tash said.
“Go with God,” Lafferty said.
On the stairs down to the lower level, where the restrooms and Lafferty’s office were located, Tash squeezed Stilwell’s arm and whispered, “Welcome back. How did it go over there?”
“Not bad. Got some stuff done. How’s everything here?”
“Same old, same old. Waiting for the weekend crush.”
When they got to the exit, she gripped his arm tighter and then swiveled him into a hard kiss. Stilwell went with it.
When she broke it off, she said, “Just remember, you belong out here.”
“I know,” he said. “Your place or mine tonight?”
“Yours. I’ll be by.”
“Okay, bring more of that.”
She smiled and he smiled back as he pushed open the door. He watched her duck into the restroom, and then, a grin still on his face, he turned to find Lionel McKey waiting for him.
“No comment,” he said before the reporter could speak.
“No comment on what?” McKey asked.
“Whatever you’re about to ask me.”
He started walking down the pier. McKey followed.
“You don’t even know what I’m going to ask you.”
“Okay, go ahead.”
“Anything new on the body in the water?”
“Before I answer that, how did you know I was here?”
“I was just hanging out and I saw you go in.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, really. So... the body in the water?”
“No comment. Not my investigation.”
“That’s not true from what I hear.”
“Yeah, what do you hear?”
“That you went through all the harbor videos the other day. Probably why you were in there just now.”
The question told Stilwell that McKey had a source. Only Dennis Lafferty, Heidi Allen, and Tash Dano knew about him going through the cams, and Stilwell didn’t think Tash was the leak.
“I was just getting a rundown on moorings for this weekend,” Stilwell said. “But I do have a question for you, Lionel.”
“Okay, ask me,” McKey said.
“How’d the mayor take the front page Saturday?”
“Ugh. Back at you with the ‘No comment.’”
“Now you see how it works.”
“But, speaking of the mayor, are you looking into the Big Wheel proposal?”
That came from left field. Stilwell was intrigued but didn’t want to show it.
“Should I be looking into it?”
“Well... seems like there’s some cozy cousins involved in that deal.”
“What does ‘cozy cousins’ mean?”
“Just a newspaper term, I guess. But I’ve been doing some digging into who exactly is behind the Big Wheel and there’s some smoke there.”
“And you’re hoping that I take the bait and look into whether there’s any fire? Then you get the headline without actually doing the work.”
“Well, there are some firewalls I can’t get through but somebody with a badge can. You could always feed me off the record, you know.”
Stilwell stopped and turned so he was face-to-face with McKey.
“I want to make something clear to you so it doesn’t end up in the paper,” he said. “I am not looking into the Big Wheel project. If you print that I am, then we’re going to have a major problem. Understand?”
“I understand,” McKey said. “I’m not trying to bait you. I’m just saying that... there’s some smoke there, that’s all. And maybe law enforcement on the island should take notice.”
“But last I checked, being cozy cousins wasn’t a crime. So you go about your business and I’ll go about mine.”
“Okay, okay. I was just making conversation.”
They were near the entrance to the pier. Stilwell saw Lampley and Ramirez on the four-seat UTV driving on Crescent toward the sub. A man he assumed was Duncan Forbes was in the second row, his hands cuffed to the bar that ran behind the front seats.
“I gotta go now, Lionel,” he said.
“Sure,” McKey said. “But one last thing. Anything new on the mutilation case? I heard you went across last night. Was wondering if that had anything to do with—”
“No, it had nothing to do with anything. It was a personal matter that I had to take care of and I was back here on the first boat this morning. I have nothing new for you on the mutilation case. Still working it but no comment at this time. I’ll talk to you later.”
He left McKey there and headed to the sub to interrogate Duncan Forbes.
20
Forbes was already in the interview room when Stilwell got to the bullpen at the sub. Lampley had turned on the room’s camera and was looking at Forbes on the computer screen at his desk.
“Are you recording?” Stilwell asked.
“Not yet,” Lampley said. “Now?”
“Yeah, now. Where’s Ramirez?”
“She went back out. Mercy had a call for her.”
“What call?”
“Somebody ran out on their tab at the Bluewater and she went to take a report, maybe go catch the guy before he gets on the ferry.”
“Then she might need backup.”
“I doubt it. Anyway, I want to watch the master do the interrogation.”
“Just be ready. If she needs you, I want you there.”
“Copy.”
Stilwell looked at Lampley’s screen. Forbes was sitting at the table but his back was to the camera.
“You put him in the wrong seat. The camera should be on his face, not mine. And he shouldn’t be by the door. He should have to go past me to get to the door.”
“Oh, shit, you’re right. I wasn’t sure where the camera was in there — we haven’t used this room since I’ve been here. I’ll go back in and—”
“No, I’ll handle it. You make sure Ilsa doesn’t need you. You can watch the video of this later. It’s recorded.”
“Copy that.”
Stilwell went into his office, locked his sidearm in a drawer, and grabbed his laptop. He then went to the interview room, where he was greeted by a sign on the door that said NO FOOD STORAGE. He wished he had taken that off when he cleared out the room.
He entered, startling Forbes, who now had his head down on the table.
“About time,” Forbes said. “I’m falling asleep in here.”
“Sorry about the wait,” Stilwell said. “Stand up for me, Duncan.”
“Where are we going?”
“Just the other side of the table. Stand up.”
Forbes slowly rose from his seat, confused by the need to switch. Stilwell saw that he was not a big man. Five eight, at most, with a lean build, long curly brown hair, and a dark complexion.
His hands were cuffed in front, which was another fuckup on Lampley’s part. But Stilwell was not concerned. He had sized Forbes up and knew he would be able to handle any confrontation. He had at least four inches and twenty-five pounds on the younger man. He had also been through the department’s physical-combat training.
Forbes moved around to the other side of the table and sat down.
“This is bullshit, man,” he said. “There’s no warrant on me. That’s old shit.”
Stilwell took the seat across from him.
“Actually, the warrant is still good,” he said.
“No way. Pot is legal now, in case you haven’t heard.”
“You’re right about that. But you jumped probation before that happened. The warrant isn’t for the pot charge. It’s for the probation violation. You understand? The warrant’s still good and that’s why you’re sitting here.”
“I understand that it’s complete bullshit.”