'Yet in half an hour's time she had poured out her heart to you. How did you gain her confidence that quickly?'
Softly Caroline said, 'That's his speciality.'
CHAPTER 7
THE TASK FORCE WAS A DUD.
At least in Dodge's opinion it was. Serving on it wasn't nearly as challenging as he'd been led to expect, nor as exciting as his fantasies had spun. He was glad to be out of uniform and off the night shift, but so far his task force duties had amounted largely to attending mandatory meetings conducted by egotistical windbags with nothing constructive or informative to say.
The group of elite police officers and FBI agents convened daily in what was called headquarters. Even in euphemistic terms, that lofty name hardly described the space. The unlabeled office was on the ground floor of an obscure office building on the outskirts of downtown. In an area where all the buildings were derelict, this was the worst of the lot. The only thing it had going for it was the cheap rent.
Here they met to review eyewitness accounts of the robberies, to watch the videos of the holdups from the banks' security cameras, to update one another on individual progress in tracking down leads, and to discuss strategy on how to proceed.
The premise that the group was elite was laughable. They'd reviewed the testimonies and watched the videos till they knew the contents by heart. They didn't have any leads, and, as for how to proceed with the investigation, nobody, especially the men in charge, had the least friggin' idea. These so- called high-level meetings usually evolved into swap fests of big fish stories.
Dirty jokes made the rounds. Cars were debated at length. Sporting events were argued over and gambled on. They drank gallons of high-octane coffee and snacked on empty calories. Those who smoked kept the room cloudy. They insulted one another, also one another's clothes, cars, alma maters, wives, mothers, and dogs. They held farting contests. They talked about women endlessly--who they'd laid and who they'd like to.
What they didn't do was capture the bank robber.
By the end of the second month, even the dirty jokes had turned stale, not to mention the snacks. Tempers were getting short, especially those of the higher-ranking HPD officers, who were feeling the heat of criticism from their superiors and the disdain of the feebs.
To address these issues, a meeting was called exclusively for HPD officers.
'Even the chief is catching hell from the mayor. He wants this guy caught before he comes up for reelection.' The police captain presiding over this pep rally couldn't see his shoes for his overhanging gut. As he lectured on, Dodge's scorn increased. He wondered how many years it had been since this fat ass had covered a beat, tracked down a perp, made an arrest. He had his nerve to chew out subordinate officers when all Dodge had seen him do to distinguish himself was mooch coins for the cigarette vending machine and tell the stupidest jokes.
Because they had nothing else cooking, the task force members were discussing the viability of the suspects they had, based solely on their criminal profiles, not because any of them could be placed at or near one of the banks during a robbery.
One of these suspects had been arrested for drunk driving over the previous weekend. 'He's in jail for parole violation. So if he's our man, he won't be holding up a bank anytime soon,' the captain said.
'I don't think he's our robber anyhow,' one officer remarked. 'He's a punk. Cocky. Hotheaded. Hasn't got the coolness required to plan and execute these jobs.'
Another cop said, 'Last robbery, the guy flipped off the security camera.'
'So?'
'So, if this guy is cocky, doesn't that sound like something he would do? Our robber is a smart-ass. He struts his stuff.'
'From behind a disguise.'
'Yeah, but you know what I'm saying.'
A debate ensued. Dodge, who agreed with the first officer, had nothing to contribute, so he tuned out the argument and tried in vain to stifle his yawns.
Then, 'Hanley!'
Dodge roused himself and sat up straighter. 'Yes, sir?'
'How far have you got with Madison's girlfriend?'
Tommy Ray Madison, one of their suspects, was also on parole, having served his time for the armed robbery of a fast-food restaurant. He also had one botched bank holdup on his record. He fit the general height and weight description of their unidentified culprit.
Dodge replied, 'In the way you mean, sir, I haven't even got to first base.'
'First base?' Another officer chortled. 'Admit it. You've struck out.'
Dodge confirmed it with a weary nod. 'I've struck out, Captain.'
'How come? You're supposed to be the department's Romeo.'
'The chemistry's off. The lady is knocked up.'
'Aw hell. Who by? Madison?'
Dodge made a thumbs-up gesture. 'She's four months along. She and Tommy Ray are in love. He's walking the straight and narrow, loves her, loves the baby to be, wants to get married.'
'You said she was a sharp girl.'
'That's how she strikes me.'
'Madison is a goddamn felon!' the captain shouted. 'She's falling for that hearts and flowers crap?'
Dodge shrugged. 'That's love for ya. Besides, she says Tommy Ray found Jesus in prison.'
'Jesus was in Huntsville?' another officer quipped.
'Always the last place you look,' said another.
The captain squelched the responding laughter. He asked Dodge, 'Who does she think you are?'
'Nobody except a regular customer who always orders the fajita combo. She brings me my Corona before I order it. Two limes. I tip her well, and I'm a good listener.'
'You two talk a lot?'
'As much as I can swing without making her suspicious. I hang around till near closing. When the dinner crowd thins out, she dawdles at my table. I think I've won her confidence.'
'What story did you give her?'
'I have nowhere else to go, and I hate spending my evenings in my empty apartment, where I live alone on account of my wife taking up with another guy and moving him into our house.'
'I'm getting all choked up here.' A cop pretended to be crying.
'Sounds like a sad country song.'
The captain frowned over the interruptions and turned back to Dodge. 'What's your take?'
Dodge had been giving Tommy Ray Madison and his girlfriend a lot of thought. Although his honest assessment wasn't what anyone in the room wanted to hear, he gave it to them straight.
'She's a nice girl. Too nice for Madison, but who can explain love? And maybe he did find Jesus and is now a changed man. On the other hand, if Tommy Ray was robbing banks, or even if she suspected him of parole violation, I think she'd dump him, baby or no baby. I think she'd turn him in for his own
