Part 4 (1/2)
She laughed. ”Chicken?”
”Just try to keep it under seventy when you go through town. I hear the police in these little hamlets get a wee bit testy about-” He had barely gotten in and closed the door before she put the car in reverse. ”s.h.i.+t, Cahill . . .”
”Hey, I thought you liked a little speed.”
”I love speed. I love a fast car. When I'm behind the wheel.”
She smiled to herself. It still pleased her to get a rise out of him. She understood it was childish and accepted that.
”Do you know where you're going?” he asked, as he snapped on his seat belt.
”The directions to Archer's mother's place were in the packet Jared gave me. I'm a.s.suming you had the same info in yours.”
”I a.s.sumed we'd be leaving right away. Had I known you were going to take twenty minutes to carry your suitcase up to your room, I'd have read through it.”
She responded by pus.h.i.+ng a little harder on the gas pedal.
”Jesus, Cahill.” He blew out a long exasperated breath.
Miranda laughed and cut back on the gas just enough to let him know it had been deliberate.
”Three miles down Pine Top Road-which we are on-we will come to a fork. We will take the road on the left-that will be Edgemont Road-for another mile, until we come to the Pine Top Trailer Park. The Lowells' trailer is on Oak View Lane, number seventeen.” She recited without taking her eyes from the road. ”Also found in Jared's packet was Mrs. Lowell's work schedule for the next three weeks. She left the trailer at seven this morning, won't be back until five-thirty this afternoon. Gives us almost three hours with him.”
”How do you want to play it?”
”Chat him up a bit, make him wonder why the FBI is looking for him. He's young and he's very stupid, according to the file and Anne Marie's notes. I think I can make him nervous.”
”G.o.d knows you make me nervous,” Will said under his breath.
”What?” she asked.
”Nothing.”
”Anyway, I think we can play with him a bit, then we'll bring up Giordano.”
”Anyone ask Giordano about Lowell or Channing?”
”You're kidding, right?” She frowned. ”Of course he was asked. Read the d.a.m.ned file, Fletcher. He denied ever hearing their names before.”
”So we have denial all around.” He ignored her jab. She knew he wouldn't have had time to look through the file. She also knew that by the time he had, he'd be as familiar with the case as she now was.
”As deep as it gets.”
”If Lowell is as dumb as everyone thinks he is, maybe we can convince him that Giordano gave him up.”
”That's part of the plan, Stan.” Miranda pulled off the main road into the trailer park, and slowed when she saw the number of small children who were out playing on this late October afternoon.
She stopped in front of the last trailer on the left.
”This is it,” she announced as she turned off the engine.
The trailer was small but neat, with checked curtains hanging in all the windows and some seasonal decorations-a few hardy purple cabbages and a wooden barrel of purple pansies-near the painted door.
”Mrs. Lowell keeps a tidy house. At least on the outside,” Miranda observed.
”Let's see what's going on inside.” Will stepped forward and knocked on the door.
From inside, they could hear the jingle for an allergy medication commercial.
”Someone's catching a little daytime TV,” Miranda noted.
The door opened partway, and a sleepy-faced Archer Lowell looked down at Will.
”Whatcha want?” he mumbled.
”Just a word or two.” Will smiled and placed his hand on the door just as Archer's eyes s.h.i.+fted to Miranda, who was holding up her FBI credentials.
”Oh, no. Uh-uh.” He tried to shut the door, but his best efforts were no match for Will. ”I didn't do nothin'. I swear. I served my time. I'm done. You get off my property. I don't have nothin' to say to you.”
”Of course, you do, Archer.” Miranda smiled and stepped in front of Will to push her way into the trailer, Will following closely behind. With every step she took forward, Archer took one back. ”We have lots to talk about. We have so many acquaintances in common.”
”I don't know what you're talking about.” He stopped when he found himself backed into the counter that separated the kitchen from the living area.
”Why, sure you do. Now, I was just talking to Detective Crosby this morning-I know you remember Detective Crosby-and he was telling me how you were out and about. Well, here I was, so close by, I figured I should stop and say hi.” She never took her eyes from his face. As if fascinated by her, Archer could not look away.
”What do you want?” He forced himself to look elsewhere.
”Well, first I wanted you to meet my good buddy Agent Fletcher. Say h.e.l.lo to Agent Fletcher, Archer.”
”h.e.l.lo. Why are you here?”
”We just stopped by to check out something that Detective Crosby mentioned. About Vincent Giordano.”
”Who?”
”Oh, Archer, don't play that game with me. Please. We all know about the favors you and Vince and Curtis Channing agreed to do for one another.”
”I don't know what you're talking about. I don't know no one named Vince or Curtis.”
”That's funny. 'Cause Vince knows you.”
Archer shrugged. ”Can't place him.”
”You're better than I expected, Archer.” Will leaned back against the door frame. ”I'm impressed. I don't believe you, but I am impressed.”
”I don't give a s.h.i.+t what you are. You don't have no business with me, so you can both leave. I didn't do nothing, I barely left this trailer since I got out of prison. I don't have no car, no job, nothing. I don't go nowhere.” The look on his face was smug. ”So you just go on out of here. I don't know no one named Vince, no one named Curtis whatever you said his name was. I don't know what they done, and I don't want to know, but it has nothing to do with me.”