Part 39 (1/2)
Payne and Harris exchanged glances, then looked back to the main monitor. The fat baby face of Reginald Jones was looking down on them.
Radcliffe looked up from his laptop and saw Rapier's custom-made .45 pointer on-screen.
He snorted. ”That's some sweet cursor, Kerry.”
”Watch this,” Rapier said. He typed a command on his keyboard, then put the cursor over REGINALD ”REGGIE” JONES Case No.: 2010-81-039 613-Pop-n-Drop Case No.: 2010-81-039 613-Pop-n-Drop and clicked. and clicked.
The overhead speakers then filled with the report of a gunshot, and a puff of smoke blew from the muzzle of the pistol pointer.
”Now, that,” Radcliffe said, shaking his head, ”might be a bit too much.”
”Finally!” Payne said. ”A clear voice of reason is heard on the task force.”
Harris snorted.
Radcliffe looked at him as if wondering if he was being mocked, then judging by Payne's expression realized that wasn't the case. He returned his attention to his laptop, fingers tapping the keyboard as he stared thoughtfully at the screen.
Rapier did something at the control panel, and when he went to the Notes section of Reggie Jones's case file and clicked on FINGERPRINTS, the gunfire and smoke effects were gone.
He turned it off again, Payne thought. Payne thought. But he doesn't look like he's p.i.s.sed or anything. But he doesn't look like he's p.i.s.sed or anything.
”Here's this new guy James, Matt,” Rapier said as two boxes popped up with digitized images of fingerprints. One was headlined ”Suspect Name Unknown #2010-56-9327.” The second had the new live link: MARC JAMES Case No.: 2002-41-093631 Case No.: 2002-41-093631.
Harris said, ”The prints on the still-unknown doer are being run again. Forensics got a hit with James's only because they reran his, too. They said they didn't find a match the first time because his prints on record from a previous arrest didn't have sufficient ridge detail for comparison. But the second go-round, they lit up just enough.”
Payne looked at Rapier. ”Punch up James, Kerry.”
Reggie Jones's fat baby face was now replaced with that of a s.h.i.+ny-skinned black male with a round face and male-pattern baldness.
Toilet seat hair, Payne remembered hearing someone describe it. Its shape was similar to those seats found on public commodes. Payne remembered hearing someone describe it. Its shape was similar to those seats found on public commodes.
And the upper part of his garment looks like a hospital gown-or Roman-like robe.
”Who does this Cicero guy think he is?” Payne said. ”Looks like he's in a toga, too.”
”All kinds of crackpots in this city try to stand out from the crowd,” Andy Radcliffe said.
”There's that voice of reason again,” Payne said.
This time Radcliffe didn't at all feel like he was bring mocked.
Payne read off the screen: ”'Marc James aka Marcus Cicero, age twenty-eight. ' Looks like a nice guy, if you can just overlook all those unfortunate priors for running meth and roofies. And, for good measure, he racked up a conviction on involuntary deviant s.e.xual intercourse. Guess he wanted to test his product.”
Harris snorted. ”Yeah. Really nice guy.”
”Who's sitting on him now?”
”Charley Bell, in that old PECO van.”
Payne nodded. The Philadelphia Electric Company van was always a good choice, its paint shot but the faded PECO logotype on it easily recognizable.
”Okay,” Payne then said, ”it's no doubt way too soon to have much on this new one that's got Hizzonor spitting mad. But punch up number twelve on the main bank, please.”
Rapier worked the keyboard and the case sheet for Jossiah Miffin appeared. It showed both his mug shot, in which he had close-cropped hair, and his Medical Examiner's Office photo, where he had long black hair. Both showed the nasty J-shaped scar on his left cheek.
Name: Jossiah A. MIFFIN Jossiah A. MIFFINDescription: Black Male, age 30, 5'7”, 180 lbs. Black Male, age 30, 5'7”, 180 lbs.L.K.A.: 1822 1822 W. Ontario St, W. Ontario St, Phila. Phila.Prior Arrests: 8 total: possession of 8 total: possession of marijuana marijuana (6); possession of (6); possession of Methamphetamine Methamphetamine (1); convicted of (1); convicted of Indecent a.s.sault & corruption of a minor Indecent a.s.sault & corruption of a minor (1) and sentenced to probation of intense s.e.x offender treatments & no unsupervised contact with minors. (1) and sentenced to probation of intense s.e.x offender treatments & no unsupervised contact with minors.
Call Received: 02 Nov, 0730 hours. 02 Nov, 0730 hours.Cause of Death: Gunshots (2) to head (99 percent probability). Gunshots (2) to head (99 percent probability).Case No.: 2010-81-039617- 2010-81-039617-POP-N-DROPNotes: Fugitive Fugitive. Warrants issued for multiple probation violations. Has prominent J-shape scar on left cheek. Takeeta Smith Takeeta Smith, 14-year-old female witness who claims to be niece of deceased, stated in interview interview that she saw him killed 01 Nov 2130 hrs by SNU in street at L.K.A. & described SNU as a skinny white male approximately 40 years of age wearing delivery uniform. a.s.sailant left that she saw him killed 01 Nov 2130 hrs by SNU in street at L.K.A. & described SNU as a skinny white male approximately 40 years of age wearing delivery uniform. a.s.sailant left Wanted sheet Wanted sheet at scene in at scene in FedEx envelope FedEx envelope that was discarded. Body transported to that was discarded. Body transported to Lex Talionis Lex Talionis, Old City.
”Check out the Notes, Matt,” Harris was saying, looking at the main monitor.
Payne looked up at the main monitor and read it.
”A FedEx delivery there at nine-thirty on a Sunday night?”
Then he turned to Rapier: ”Punch up that interview with the girl, the animal's so-called niece.”
The main bank of screens then showed Homicide Detective Jeff Kauffman-a tall, dark-haired thirty-four-year-old who had a quick laugh when he wasn't interviewing murder suspects-in Homicide Interview Room II with Takeeta Smith. She was sipping from a plastic bottle of grape-flavored soda. The empty wrapper of a Tastykake lay on the metal table.
They were almost exactly halfway through the interview when Takeeta's scratchy voice coming through the speakers in the ECC ceiling said: ”It be a FedEx envelope. And dude had a FedEx uniform.”
”You're positive?”
She looked at Kauffman like he was from another planet, then said: ”Yeah, fool. I be positive. I mean, he be standing in the headlight, clear as d.a.m.n day. Can't miss no FedEx sign. It be on every box my cousin's black tar s.h.i.+t come in from Texas.”
Harris chuckled, then said, ”Look at her Oh s.h.i.+t, what'd I just say? Oh s.h.i.+t, what'd I just say? expression. Now who's the fool, Takeeta?” expression. Now who's the fool, Takeeta?”
”What a brain trust,” Payne said. ”They just don't know better. Reminds me of that arrogant Hank Whats.h.i.+sname, the U.S. congressman from somewhere near Atlanta, who was grilling an admiral on Capitol Hill about the Navy's plans to station some eight thousand sailors and their families on Guam. He lectured the admiral that the island was only twenty-four miles long, seven 'at its least widest'-that's what he said, 'least widest, sh.o.r.e to sh.o.r.e'-and that he was afraid that with all those extra people, the island would tip over and capsize.”
Harris laughed. ”You're kidding.”
Payne shook his head. ”I s.h.i.+t you not, my friend. That's the kind of brilliant example of the 'geniuses' in our government that kids like her get to look up to as role models.”
He looked over at Radcliffe. ”Andy, who've been your role models in life?”
”Well, my momma, of course,” he said immediately, clearly without thought. ”She taught me hard work, discipline, never to give up. And there's Will Parkman, that really good cop who was a Marine and helps me go to school so I can eventually get a job here.” He paused and thought, then added, ”And you, Marshal.”
Payne looked at Radcliffe, thinking that he now was being mocked. But when Matt saw Andy's face, he knew Andy was sincere.
Payne said, ”I'd be d.a.m.ned careful about that last guy. He'll only lead you to trouble.” He sighed. ”And d.a.m.n sure not to catch any bad guys.”
”What's up with the bad-guy pop-and-drops having histories of s.e.x crimes,” Radcliffe said, ”and STDs?” STDs?”
”Where'd you get that?” Payne said, impressed.
He pointed at his laptop screen. ”From the master file case notes.”
”You've gone all the way back to the beginning?”
”Sure. Isn't that what you're supposed to do when trying to turn over a rock under a rock?”