Part 34 (2/2)
”Not yet, no.”
”Does this have something to do with the bad stuff you said he might be into?”
”I think so.”
”Oh, my G.o.d!”
”Yeah.”
”I never knew anybody who got shot before.”
”Are you okay?”
”A little shaky, but yeah. I'm all right.”
”Have the police talked to you yet?”
”No.”
”They're going to be talking to people who knew him, and you'll be near the top of the list.”
”Okay.”
”I'm with Captain Parisi of the state police right now.”
”The one that answered the phone when I called the house?”
”That's right. He wants to know how I learned the pa.s.sword to Dr. Wayne's computer, but I didn't want to involve you without your permission. Do you think you could tell him about it?”
”Will it get me in trouble?”
”No, I don't think so.”
”Okay, then,” she said, so I handed Parisi the phone. He listened for a few moments, asked a couple of questions, and then clicked off.
”We square now?” I asked.
”Not quite.”
”How come?”
”She said you told her Wayne might have been involved in some bad stuff.”
”I did.”
”So where did you hear that?”
”Can't tell you.”
”Another confidential source?”
”Yeah.”
I held his stare for about ten seconds, then picked up the phone, called McCracken's cell, and listened to it ring five times before going to voice mail.
”He's not answering,” I said. ”I'll try again tomorrow, see if he's willing to talk to you.”
”Think he will be?”
”I think so, yeah.”
We leaned back in our chairs and finished our drinks.
”Another, Captain?”
”Better not. I've got to drive back to headquarters.”
He dropped a twenty on the table and was about to get to his feet when his cell buzzed again.
”Parisi.... That right? How many?... Anything else?... Well, keep looking,” he said, and clicked off.
”Developments?” I asked.
”You could say that. The techs found over two hundred child p.o.r.n videos on Wayne's computer.”
”Any of them snuff films?”
”Don't know yet. The techs are still looking at them, the poor b.a.s.t.a.r.ds.”
We fell silent and stared into our empty gla.s.ses.
”Captain?”
”What?”
”Got somebody you can talk to about all this?”
”Been talkin' to you, haven't I?”
”Not really, no.”
His shoulders slumped. Suddenly, he looked smaller.
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