Part 19 (2/2)

Anna held back her irritation. It wasnat in her nature to be secondary to anyone, and she was so ready to sink her teeth into Crey Robinson.

She hated that it had to be like this. d.a.m.n Pohanski.

aI know,a she said.

Finally, a tall, very handsome man with s.h.a.ggy dark hair and black gla.s.ses sauntered down the hall toward them. With his striking good looks and air of supreme confidence, Anna was surprised women werenat swooning as he walked by.

She knew the type. He presented an air of I-am-a-G.o.d-and-you-should-wors.h.i.+p-me. Shead seen it before in doctors she had to question in cases.

This should be fun.

He came to a halt in front of them. aIam Dr. Creighton Robinson, chief resident of neurosurgery. You wanted to see me?a Anna started forward, but Dante flipped his badge. aSpecial Agent Dante Renaldi of the FBI. This is my colleague from the St. Louis Police Department, Anna Pallino. Is there someplace we can talk?a He frowned. aWhatas this about?a aSomeplace we can talk?a he asked again.

Since Dante wasnat swooning over him, and neither was she, the poor doctor didnat know how to react.

aUh, yes, sure. Follow me.a Dr. Robinson led them into a conference room and shut the door, then stared at the clock. aI have a meeting in about ten minutes.a aHave a seat, Dr. Robinson,a Dante said. aWeall try to be brief.a Obviously not used to being ordered around on his own turf, he said, aIall stand.a aFine. Weare here to talk about Tony Maclin.a He paused for a second, then asked, aWho?a aTony Maclin. He went to the same high school as you did, but he was a few years behind you.a Robinson crossed his arms. aThen I wouldnat have known him.a aHe was murdered in an alley off Lindell twelve years ago,a Dante said. aBeaten to death.a aReally? Huh. I grew up in Kirkwood and I never heard about that murder. But since I donat know the guy, I wouldnat have known. I still have no idea why youare here.a aHe was in the alley to either buy or sell drugs.a He gave them a blank look again. aStill no clue why youare asking me these questions.a aWere you ever involved in dealing drugs while you were in college?a He laughed. A forced laugh. aNo.a aWhere were you on the nights of June twenty-third, June twenty-seventh and July tenth this year?a Anna asked.

He threw up his hands. aHow the h.e.l.l should I know?a Defensive. Was that his normal demeanor, or did he have something to hide?

aCould you check?a Dante asked.

aNow?a aThat would be good.a He dragged out his phone and opened his calendar, scrolling through it. aJunea What was the first date?a Dante gave him the dates again.

He scrolled through his phone. aWorking. All those dates. I was working. Here at the hospital. You can verify it with them.a aWe will,a Dante said.

Now the doctor was starting to look worried. aDo I need a lawyer?a aI donat know, Dr. Robinson,a Dante said. aDo you?a aThis is bulls.h.i.+t. I donat have anything else to say to you. Iam out of here.a He opened the door and left.

Anna and Dante followed him and watched his long-legged stride eat up the hallway. He didnat once turn around to see if they followed or if theyad object to his departure.

They left the hospital and, as Dante pulled out of the parking lot, Anna said, aThat was interesting.a aUnderstatement. Heas hiding something.a She nodded. aI think so, too. For someone so cool when we first met him, his feathers were sure ruffled by the end of the interview.a aAnd it didnat take much to ruffle them. I think he knows something.a aWe need to confirm if he was working the nights of all the murders. Let me calla”s.h.i.+t.a Dante glanced over at her. aWhat?a aIam not supposed to be working. I canat call anyone. This sucks.a She folded her arms.

aIall make the calls. You can go into the precinct with me and work the other cases.a Dante knew Anna wasnat happy. But he only had so much power and influence, and in her precinct he had none.

Losing her father had taken its toll on her. Head watched her cry, mope and lose the spark that made her who she was. The one thing he agreed witha”she needed to get back to work, and head slide around Pohanskias edict to help her.

Shead gone into Pohanskias office when theyad returned to the precinct, had come out with a look on her face like shead eaten something really bad.

He was at the desk next to hers.

aThat bad?a aHe gave me bulls.h.i.+t cases, some open homicides to follow up on. Nothing new.a He slid his chair over. aIsnat that a good thing?a She curled her lip. aIn what way?a aItall give you some free time to work this one with me.a She shrugged. aI guess.a aShake it off, Pallino. Youare stuck with this until your captain decides otherwise.a aDoesnat mean I have to like it.a aYou can anot like ita while weare talking about Robinson.a aFine.a Dante swiveled in his chair and looked toward Pohanskias office. Door was closed and so were his blinds. Great. He turned back to Anna.

aRobinson had definite fear or something to hide.a She leaned forward, shaking off her irritation. aI agree. My take on this is he was probably involved with selling drugs to Maclin, or getting Maclin to be part of his drug-selling network.a aAnd a prominent surgeon who once sold drugs? Thatall ruin him.a Anna nodded. aWhich means if he thinks we could possibly backtrack the Maclin case to him, or if he suspects any of us saw him with Maclin in the alley that night, head have a good reason for wanting to get rid of all of us.a Dante loved seeing the sparkle in Annaas eyes, the first light head seen in them since her dad was killed.

If Robinson was the killer, it would be hard for Dante to keep his hands off the b.a.s.t.a.r.d. But he also believed in justice and the law, something he hadnat believed in as a kid, which was why Maclin died in the alley that night.

He wouldnat make the same mistake twice. This time head let the law take care of him.

Danteas phone rang. He took the call, asked a few questions and wrote down the information, then hung up.

aWell, s.h.i.+t.a aWhat?a Anna asked.

aHospital administrator confirms that Robinson was working on the nights the murders were committed.a aThatas disappointing.a Dante shrugged. aSo he has an alibi. Doesnat mean he didnat commit the murders.a She leaned back in her chair. aYou think he hired them out?a aIt wouldnat surprise me. Pretty boy like that with his magic surgery hands. Wouldnat want to mess them up beating the h.e.l.l out of someone.a She nodded. aYouare right. He could have contracted someone to do the killings. Itas a long shot, but weall keep him on the list for now.a aKeep who on the list for now?a Roman asked as he walked in. aAnd nice to see you back at work, Anna.a aThanks. It feels good to be back.a She filled Roman in on their interview with Crey Robinson and what they found out.

Roman slid into his chair and leaned back. aThatas an interesting theory. Good one, though. There are a lot of cons out there who would do just about anything for money.a aBut our killer is neat and tidy,a Anna reminded them. aCleans up the crime scene, leaves no evidence of himself and has access to drugs to disable the victims so he can take them to the alley.a aWhich means he isnat your typical off-the-street thug,a Dante said. aI guess that would make sense, though. Robinson doesnat strike me as the type who would know your average street punk.a aThat could work to our advantage,a Anna said. aSomeone more sophisticated than your average batterer is our target. That should narrow our search.a Anna swiveled in her chair to face Roman. aWhat did you find out about the morphine angle?a aSeveral dealers have been busted recently for selling it. None of them are talking about who they sold to. You start giving up your clients, you lose business when you get back out on the street. Iave got some leads on some dealers on the street Iam going to talk to next.a aGot names on the recent busts? Maybe I can get somewhere with them.a He punched up a list in his computer and hit the print b.u.t.ton. aYouare welcome to give it a try. I got nowhere with them.a aShe thinks if she flirts with them sheall get somewhere,a Dante said.

Roman laughed. aGive it your best shot, honey.a Anna grabbed the list off the printer and her keys. aWatch me work my magic. Itas amazing how distracting b.r.e.a.s.t.s can be during an interview.a aSo youare intending to flash them?a Dante asked.

aIf you are, Iam coming along to watch,a Roman added.

Anna shook her head as she came back to her desk to make a call. aYouare both morons. No testosterone invited.a aIn that case, Iam going to talk to Gabe,a Dante said. He stood and grabbed his keys.

She lifted her head. aAbout what?a aI want to know more about Robinson and the drug trade. I think Gabe can give me some insight.a aOkay.a He brushed her fingers with his. aYou be careful and keep your s.h.i.+rt b.u.t.toned.a She laughed. aWill do my best.a

Twenty-One.

aI want you to tell me about the mob and the drug network you have going.a Gabe paused with the bottle of beer halfway lifted to his lips. He put it down on his kitchen counter. aYou donat waste time, do you?a Dante shrugged. aNo time to waste, man. You know what weare up against. This is all connected somehow.a Gabe finally took a long swallow. aYeah? How?a aWe interviewed Dr. Crey Robinson and think he was dealing drugs to Tony Maclin when Maclin was in high school and Robinson was a medical student.a Gabe hated this s.h.i.+t, hated that it involved kids. But thatas where the money was, wasnat it? And you followed the money trail if you wanted to be in big business like Bertucci. aWhat do you want to know?a aHow big is this network? Whatas the organization?a aThe mob provides the product and recruits the sellers. The sellers go out and find the buyers, who in turn provide the money by buying the product.a aAnd who are the buyers?a Gabe shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant, as though he didnat give a s.h.i.+t. aAnyone and everyone. You know how it is. Rich people, poor people, young and old.a Dante nodded, his expression benign. He wasnat making judgments. aLetas keep it with the young for now. Whoas tracking the high schoolers? You have a network of sellers in charge of getting the product to these kids?a aYes. Thereas a hierarchy. Bertuccias family took over that market about forty years ago. They have a stranglehold in the city and county. No one steps on his territory and gets away with it.a Dante took a drink and nodded. aI can imagine. The familyas pretty powerful.a aThey are.a aAnd how did you get wrapped up in all this?a Now it was Gabeas turn to take a long pull of his beer, give himself time to come up with a suitable answer. aJust lucky, I guess.a aIs this really what you want to be doing with your life, Gabe?a The truth this time. aI told you, Iam doing exactly what I always wanted to do.a Dante sighed, and Gabe felt his disappointment. He wished he could tell him the truth about what he was really doing, but he couldnat. Thatas how the game was played, and how he lived his life. Someday maybe head be able to tell his friends he was one of the good guys.

Then again, maybe not. And sometimes the people you cared the most about had to believe you were the sc.u.m of the earth. If thatas how his job got done, thatas what head live with.

aSo a kid like Maclin back thena If he was buying drugs from Robinson, a college studentaa aRobinson would have worked for one of Bertuccias guys, a top-tier distributor who kept an eye on all the sellers. The distributors are given product and funnel it down, and the sellers get out there and push it to the kids. Then when theyare out of product, which is usually in a hurry because these kids are greedy, they turn in their money, get their cut and get more product.a aLucrative business?a Sadly, yes. aLike you wouldnat believe. People like their drugs.a Dante slid him a sidelong glance. aHow about you?a aMe?a Gabe laughed. aI donat touch the s.h.i.+t. Itas for business only, not pleasure. Iave seen how whacked out people get on that stuff.a aYeah. Iave seen plenty of it, too. At least I donat have to worry about you ODaing on me.a aNo, you donat have to worry about that.a aI do worry about you staying alive, though.a Gabe took a swallow of beer. aYou know what, Dante? I worry about that, too. Every G.o.dd.a.m.n day.a They both went silent then, and Gabe was glad for that. He needed to think about what head said, if there was anything head given away. He already gave away too much to his friends, and it threatened his job. But what could he do about that? Walk away from Anna? From Dante? No matter what his job, he still had his friends, and there were some people head never turn his back on.

He walked a f.u.c.king tightrope every day. And it was getting harder to remember what side he was on.

aIs there any way you could find out if Robinson was part of the network?a Gabe figured that question was coming and shrugged. aI could try. It was a while back, though. There might not be a record of him, but Iall ask around. Sometimes they like to keep track of their old dealers, just in case they need favors.a aI guess that could come in handy.a aYou never know. Drug dealer one day, politician the next. Blackmail is a handy thing in this business. And with Robinson having been a medical studenta? They might have wanted to keep tabs on him in case they needed him later on.a aFor impromptu bullet removal?a Gabe quirked a half smile. aSomething like that.a aI guess your job is never boring, is it, Gabe?a He lifted his bottle to his lips. aNope.a Dante called Anna after he left Gabeas condo late that night, figuring shead still be working. Surprisingly, she said she was at home.

Maybe that was Rustyas influence. She couldnat abandon the dog all day long. Having someone other than herself to take care of might mean she had to take care of herself, too.

He walked in the front door and found hera”and Rustya”curled up on the sofa watching a movie. Her hair was in a ponytail and she wore a tank top and very short cotton shorts. He tightened as he remembered the lack of intimacy between them the past couple weeks. The smile she gave him was encouraging.

He grabbed a soda, kicked off his shoes and climbed in next to her and Rusty.

aI made popcorn,a she said, handing him the bowl.

He took a handful and focused his attention on the TV. aWhat are you watching?a aDie Hard.a He turned to face her. aAnd here I expected to find you weeping over some chick flick, your tear-filled face buried in Rustyas fur.a She gave him a horrified look. aDo you not know me at all?a He laughed and kissed the tip of her nose, then shoveled more popcorn into his mouth. aThis is why youare perfect for me.a aHmm,a she said, then laid her head on his shoulder. aMaybe you want to watch a chick movie. Something weepy with a tragic ending, maybe?a aGag. I can go back to my own place, you know.a She moved the bowl to the table and climbed onto his lap, facing him. Rusty jumped to the floor, clearly annoyed by the two of them moving around on the sofa. aNo, you canat go back to your own place.a He placed his hands on her hips, definitely more interested in her sitting on him than in any movie. aIad rather be right here with you.a aYouare just saying that because we havenat had s.e.x in a while.a aYou noticed. Finally.a He lifted her tank top and slid his hands under. The softness of her skin and the heat of her turned his d.i.c.k from semi to rock hard in the span of two-point-two seconds.

aNow you sound like a man whoas been married for a long time.a He laughed and lifted her top off, sweeping his hands over the swell of her b.r.e.a.s.t.s. aAnd now you sound b.i.t.c.hy and wifey.a She arched a brow and pulled his s.h.i.+rt off, then raked her nails down his chest. aYouare an a.s.shole.a He unhooked her bra and removed it, tossing it to the floor. aI love when you whisper sweet words to me. Gets me all hot and hard.a She rocked against him, making him hiss.

aWhy, yesayes, it does.a She slid back on his legs and palmed his erection. aWhat are you going to do about that, Dante?a He wrapped his hands around her b.u.t.t and stood, marched them into the bedroom and threw her on the bed, being none too gentle about it.

Shead riled him up and he was long on pa.s.sion and short on patience now.

He pulled her shorts down, then her panties, stood over her while he shed his clothes, anxious to remove any barriers between them. He was in a hurry, but not so much of one that he couldnat take a few seconds to stare down at her as she sprawled on top of the covers. Her body was beautiful, curved and lush, and he spotted several areas he wanted to take a long, slow journey across with his tongue.

G.o.d, the things her naked body did to his nervous system. She made him breathe faster, made his heart pound. Head already started to sweat. And he was hard, tight and straining.

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