She put the ballistics report back into the envelope then smiled and said, 'Nice save.'
Chapter 30
I arrived at Parker Center for the 8 A. M. Fingertip task force meeting. I decided there was little point in getting into it with Underwood over leaking Andrazack's identity. He'd just deny it anyway. Besides, if Tony approved my transfer, this would be my last day in Underland.
'I have good news to report,' Underwood called out, bringing the morning coffee din under control. 'I put the hat on John Doe Number One.' Making it sound as if he had gone out and beat the pavement for the ID himself. Then he turned, and under a picture of John Doe Number One taped up on the rolling blackboard, he wrote in magic marker:
VAUGHN ROLAINE
Something about the name sounded familiar, but I couldn't pin it down. 'This identification was a direct result of canvassing the VAs,' Underwood said. 'Vaughn Rolaine was not a medic, but was in Nam. He held a panhandling sign near the 101 freeway claiming to be a vet. This vic is a fixture in that neighborhood. He's been living for years in Sherman Oaks Park. Starting this morning, we're gonna be out there talking to everybody. Maybe someone saw the unsub target this man.'
As Underwood droned on, my mind flashed back to the night Zack and I caught the first Fingertip murder, now identified as Vaughn Rolaine. We were next up on the call-out board at Homicide Special, so we went home early. It was a Friday night and we were pretty sure we'd get some action. Fridays, Saturdays, and Wednesdays were big homicide nights in L. A.
We got the squeal at midnight. Zack beat me to the address. The body was in the river at Woodman Avenue near Valleyheart Drive. The L. A. River and the 101 freeway ran next to each other in that part of town, but the body had been dumped about a half a mile beyond where the freeway and the riverbank separated, probably so the unsub wouldn't be seen from the 101. That meant that if Vaughn Rolaine lived in Sherman Oaks Park, he was moved almost two miles. We were called because the patrolmen who were first on the scene told dispatch that all the victim's fingertips were cut off. Any mutilation of that nature was deemed outside the norm, and caused the case to be kicked over to Homicide Special. That was seven and a half weeks ago, but it seemed more like a year.
I kept circling my memories of that night. Zack was sitting in a brown Crown Victoria from the Flower Street motor pool, having left his windowless white Econoline van at home. I stood on the curb waiting for the MEs to arrive. I remember looking into Zack's car and noticing that he was crying. Later that night, after we left the crime scene, he broke down and told me that Fran had thrown him out the day before and was demanding a divorce. After that, Zack deteriorated rapidly. His drinking got worse. He seemed to stop caring.
The name Vaughn Rolaine again flickered like a faltering light bulb in my brain. I almost had it, but just as I came close, the thought went dark again. When I tried to coax the memory back, it was gone.
'Everybody break up into your teams,' Underwood shrilled, jolting me into the present. 'Scully, you're in my office.'
Damn, I thought. How do I get off this guy's shit list?
I pushed my broken chair out of the coffee room, and after parking it at my dented desk and checking good old extension 86 for messages, I headed into his office.
As soon as I entered he said, 'So far, my friend, you have been a colossal waste of time, money, and energy. We wasted a full fucking day and three grand on that dumb funeral idea of yours, and what does it come to? Nothing! I want you to call Forest Lawn back and knock down their expenses. Get it under a grand. I'm not approving these numbers.' He held up the invoice. 'The Andrazack murder isn't even part of this Fingertip case anymore. I'm not approving money spent on a crime I'm not even assigned to.'
'It's too late,' I said. 'You already approved it. Besides, how can it not be part of the case? The body had the secret medic's symbol carved on his chest.' Since I knew he was ratting us out to R. A. Virtue, I was just pushing him to see what would happen.
'I have been told by the special agent in charge of the FBI office downtown, that this murder is no longer any of our concern,' he snapped.
'But how do you explain that carved symbol?' I persisted, and watched him fidget.
'You don't listen very well, do you?' he said.
'I listen fine. I just don't get this. Either this building is leaking info and we have a huge security problem, or Andrazack was killed by our Fingertip unsub and should still be part of this case.'
'The case has been transferred. Get over it.' He had raised the volume, so the good news was, at least I was getting to him.
'I know you want off this task force,' he continued. 'Worse than that, you're a vindictive son of a bitch who's looking to screw me up any way possible. But I have a way to fix that.' He smiled coldly. 'Who was it that said, 'Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer'?'
'Daffy Duck. No, wait, don't tell me Donald.'
'You're a funny flicking guy. But the fact is, you're gonna be stuck right here, close to me. You're our new inside man. You sit at your desk where I can watch you right though that window.' He pointed at the plate glass that faced the squad room. 'You'll coordinate paperwork and answer calls.'
'Evidence clerk and switchboard operator?'
'I'll have somebody brief you on exactly how I want it done. There's going to be protocol right down to the phrase we use to announce this task force when we answer phones.'
'Right. A good phrase is always helpful.' I turned and started for the door.
'And Scully. .'
I turned back.
'I've read your Professional Standards Bureau folder. It's a train wreck.'
That file was supposed to be secure, but everybody in law enforcement seemed to have a copy. When this case was over, instead of trying to write a best-selling Fingertip book, maybe I should just go with all this overwhelming interest and publish my 181 file.
He continued. 'I don't like what I see in there. You seem to do things any old damn way you please. Reading between the lines, and judging from what you just said, it would be just like you to try and go around this direct order from California Homeland, and work on Davide Andrazack's murder without jurisdiction.'
'Why would I do that?'
'Because you have authority issues.'
'Right.'
'You're down to your last straw with me, mister. Make one more mistake around here and you'll be hammered dog shit.'
I turned and walked out of the office. Jesus H. McGillicutty. How do I keep stepping into it with guys like this?
I walked through the squad room and decided to get into the elevator, go down to the lobby and step outside for some air. But instead of pushing L, for some reason I pushed 4.
A few minutes later I was in the small cubicle office of Roger Broadway and Emdee Perry. They both looked beat up and subdued. I figured Lieutenant Cubio had rained all over them like Underwood had just done with me.
'There's a life lesson here,' Perry drawled. 'It ain't never smart to dig up more snakes than you can kill.'
With that sentiment hanging in the air, I told them both about Martin Kobb.
Chapter 31
At three o'clock that afternoon I was summoned to the chief's office. Alexa met me in the hallway as I came
