“And you told him …?”
“I said of course I would. For as long as Mr. Adams wants me to stay.”
“Aren’t you a little nervous about that decision? After all, the bank hasn’t even officially opened and already there’s been a murder.”
Nancy nodded and, without looking up to meet Tully’s eyes, said, “We all knew this was a dangerous section of the city. That Al’s death belabors the fact doesn’t change things. I volunteered for this assignment and I’m as ready now as I was before.
“Besides” — she raised her head-“Mr. Adams said he would provide security guards-at least until the neighborhood gets used to us. And maybe longer, if that’s what it takes. I don’t think anyone-even Mr. Adams- knows what the future holds now.”
“You seem to have an awful lot of faith in Adams.”
“You don’t know the man.” Her tone made it a question.
Zoo shook his head. “I know who he is. But not that much about him.”
“A wonderful man,” Nancy attested. “Wonderful man. You know, I was talking with Al just last night-” She halted, noting confusion on the lieutenant’s face. “I’m sorry: Al is the man who … the man who was shot.” She dabbed at her eyes again with her handkerchief. “He was so enthused about opening this branch. It
“Anyway, while we were talking, Al said that even as late as yesterday, Mr. Adams was trying to help Al and his wife with their marriage … get them to a marriage counselor.”
“Oh?”
Nancy Groggins instantly realized that Lieutenant Tully’s one-word question was not an idle one; the information she had just given Tully-that the Ulrichs had marital trouble-could be considered a motive for murder. Her eyes widened. “I didn’t mean … it’s not that …” She halted, in some confusion.
“Yes?” Lieutenant Tully prodded gently.
“Well, what I meant was, that just shows how concerned and involved Mr. Adams was with his employees. Even with an opening as important as this, he had time to try to help his people personally,” she concluded lamely, but loyally.
Lieutenant Tully gave no indication that he had already made a mental note to check out the widow as a possible suspect in this death. He merely asked, “So, what happens now?”
“There’s been a press conference called at the bank’s headquarters later this afternoon. My appointment will be announced. Mr. Adams will handle that, of course.
“Pretty much the rest of today we’ll try to adjust to what’s happened. We have counselors coming in to talk with our people. Mr. Adams’s idea, as usual.
“Then, tomorrow and Sunday, we’ll come together, get acclimated, map our strategy, and get ready to open on Monday.
“The mayor was supposed to be here Monday for the official grand opening. We’ll just combine what should have happened today along with what was planned for Monday. That’s about it.”
“Okay,” Tully said. “Thank you very much, Mrs. Groggins. And,” he added, “lots of luck.”
As the lieutenant turned, he motioned with his head for his brother to follow him. Almost out of the side of his mouth, Zoo said, “Zachary, stay close to me. We can’t have you wandering about in a crime scene. And don’t volunteer any questions or opinions.
“Gotcha.” Father Tully fell into step behind his brother. Like a faithful, humble wife, he thought.
The lieutenant crossed the floor to greet the FBI agent.
Rughurst’s grin was sardonic. “Is the Detroit Police Department supplying priests for criminal investigations? So now you’ll have a prayer?”
Tully smiled. “Special Agent Harold Rughurst, meet Father Zachary Tully.”
“Tully?”
“My brother.”
“This is a long way from Halloween.”
“My long-lost brother.”
“How come we’ve never heard of you, Father? Where’ve you been hiding?”
Responding to a question directed to him personally couldn’t violate his brother’s admonition of noninvolvement, thought Father Tully. “I’m a Josephite priest. Currently, I’m stationed at a small parish in Dallas. We-the lieutenant and I-just discovered each other a short time ago. Because I’ll be here in Detroit only a little while, I’m trying to get as much of my brother as I can. That’s why I’m here with him now.”
“Well,” Rughurst said. “Welcome to Detroit, Father. I guess this pretty much convinces you that Detroit comes to its reputation honestly as the country’s murder capital.”
“Coming from Dallas, actually, I don’t find this so extraordinarily different.”
The agent returned his attention to Lieutenant Tully. “Nice work on that freeway shooting.”
“Thanks.”
“How’s the officer … Marcantonio … how’s he doing?”
“Pretty good. He’s a lucky guy. If it hadn’t been for that Bible in his pocket …”
“Yeah, I read about that.” Rughurst glanced at the priest. “Maybe prayer is helping after all.”
“It couldn’t hurt.” Zoo was eager to get back to this case. “You here from the beginning of this one, Rug?”
“Practically. I got here while the techs were working. Your guys have the tapes-at least up to where the perp cut the power. They don’t look like they’ll be much help. But you never know what the experts can squeeze out of them.”
“How’s it look to you, Rug?”
“It looks like the price you pay for opening a bank in this god forsaken neighborhood. Like opening a candy shop in a building filled with chocoholics.”
“The mayor liked it.”
“Sure, it looks good for the city. Return, renaissance, whatever the hell. But this is still a trouble spot. How come there wasn’t any police presence?”
Tully shrugged. “They didn’t want it. Adams’s idea. Thought it would create the impression that the bank people were afraid … like they expected trouble.”
“They’d have to be nuts if they didn’t expect trouble.”
Quixotic is the word they’re looking for, thought Father Tully. But I’m not going to give it to them.
“You saw the tapes, Rug: whaddya think? The perp look like a local?”
Rughurst massaged his chin, which was cleanly shaven. “Yes. Looked like he was wearing an old sweater and maybe jeans. Couldn’t see much of him from the waist down. And a cap covering his ears and pulled down low over his eyes. What I can’t figure is why Ulrich opened the door for him.”
“Maybe he had his piece out and Ulrich decided he’d stand a better chance with the perp inside where he might be able to wrestle the piece away. I mean, if the guy’s holding a gun on you and all that’s between you is plate glass, you can be pretty sure if you don’t open the door he can waste you from outside.”
“Yeah, could be, I guess. In fact,” Rughurst added, “the tape does show Ulrich making a move on the perp. That’s when he bought it.”
“It makes sense all right,” the lieutenant agreed. “But the way this scenario is playing out, Ulrich could’ve opened the door because he didn’t want to be inhospitable to one of the neighbors.”
Rughurst burst out laughing, but stopped quickly when a few of the grief-stricken employees looked at him sharply. “If it was a neighbor, his feet weren’t touching the floor.”
“Spaced out, you think?”
The agent nodded definitively. “Whoever heard of taking a bank vault with a hammer?”
“That what he used?”
“That’s what it looks like. He must’ve had a sawed-off sledge. He bashed the vault pretty good. But all he did was make dents. He must’ve been pretty high. Probably still is.”
I
