Blood Passage by Michael J. McCann Read Free Book Online

Waverman said he was too busy to work the case full time he gave us an opening you could drive a truck through. We do all the heavy lifting, Waverman’s name stays on the front of the jacket and CCU takes the lead with the media if we’re able to close it. But we’re spending CCU’s money instead of our own.”
    “ Yes,” Martinez said, “remember to inform Detective Waverman when you’re going to incur expenses on this thing. An e-mail’s good enough.”
    Karen unclipped her shield from her belt, rubbed it vigorously on the sleeve of her blouse, and clipped it back on again. “I tell you what; I think this Duncan kid’s a couple cards short of a full deck.”
    “ The research might be genuine enough,” Hank said, “but somebody wants things to stay quiet. We need to talk to him more about it.”
    “ Yeah, well, whatever.” Karen rubbed her forehead. “I just wish I was finished with this other thing.”
    “ I thought your testimony wrapped up yesterday morning,” Martinez said.
    Karen sighed, the weight of the world on her shoulders. “Yeah, I got through the cross yesterday, but in the afternoon there were a couple of motions they had to dick around with. I haveta show up again before noon in case there’s a redirect. I didn’t hear anything, so I have to go on over and check. Goddamned lawyers, in a world of their own. It’d break their neck to text a cop, for chrissakes.”
    “ All right.” Martinez crossed her arms, looking at Hank. “You said you were going to move the kid downtown?”
    “ Into the Ramada, yeah.”
    “ So get that done. Captain Williams agreed to resubmit the drug packets and syringes from the crime scene to the lab for retesting, so stay on top of that. See what you can get out of the student about this research of his.”
    Hank nodded. “We’ll start working the victimology. Talk to family, friends.”
    Martinez spread her hands. “So go to it.”
    Hank watched her walk back to her office, then grabbed the telephone book from the bottom drawer of his desk. “I’m going to get the kid moved now. I’ll call you later.”
    Karen stood up and headed for the elevator. “Later, Lou.”
    He picked up the phone and reserved a room at the Ramada down the street, then looked up the number of Josh’s PDA in his notebook and called it. Josh told him he had just received his replacement traveler’s checks. He had also cancelled his credit cards and new ones were being arranged for him. Hank told him to check out and take a taxi down to the Ramada.
    “ I’ll meet you there.”
    “ All right, Lieutenant.”
    Hank spent some time chasing down names, addresses and telephone numbers from his notebook. Then he called Waverman.
    “ I’m moving the student downtown into the Ramada,” Hank said. “I’ll put in an expense claim for it and send you an e-mail. All right?”
    “ All right.”
    “ I’m going over there shortly to ask a few more questions. Want to come along?”
    “ I wish I could,” Waverman said. “We’re having a brainstorming session on another case. Everyone attends.”
    “ No problem. You told Barkley you haven’t had a chance yet to redo the victimology, so Detective Stainer and I will get started on that today.”
    “ Great. Take care of that, and I’ll check on you later.”
    Hank smiled to himself as he cradled the receiver. Waverman had suddenly gone from driver to passenger in the Liu cold case and Hank knew he was finding the change a little disconcerting. Of course, Hank mused, if Waverman treated Hank and Karen like hired help he could rationalize the situation much more easily in his own mind. It wasn’t every day a detective could dump work onto the desk of a lieutenant.
    Hank read through the documents in the binder, then went to the photocopier and copied a few selections, which he put in a manila file folder that would serve as his own show and tell file. The file folder went inside a manila envelope. Then he went back to his desk, sent