It’s hard to argue with the truth.
‘‘Look,’’ she said, ‘‘we just have to talk to him some more. We’ll get a hint of something that’ll work.’’
‘‘She’s right,’’ said Al.
‘‘How long do we wait?’’ I asked.
‘‘For what?’’ asked Al. ‘‘The hint?’’
‘‘No. How long do we wait before we go on in and yank ’em out.’’
‘‘I’m not sure that we’d want to do that,’’ said Al.
‘‘Well,’’ I said, ‘‘I think that’s gotta be a county decision.. . and I’m in charge, at least until Lamar gets back. It’s going to be my decision. And there’s absolutely no doubt in my mind that we go in and get ’em after a reasonable wait.’’
‘‘That might be,’’ said Al. ‘‘But we own the TAC team, and if you want to go on in against their advice, I’m afraid you’ll be on your own.’’
I’d been afraid that it was going to come down to that. Liability first.
‘‘Look, Al. It’s a decision that has to be agreed on in advance, because it’s probably going to have to be made in a hurry. You know that.’’ I stood up. ‘‘That’s why I brought it up now.’’
Al didn’t say a word.
‘‘For now,’’ I said, ‘‘I’ll count on using your team. I’ll put something together, you and the team commander approve it, and when the time comes, I’ll use it.’’ Bluff.
Al smiled. ‘‘Have you ever attended a crisis school?’’
Well, he had me there, if you didn’t count the last couple of days. He had, and he also controlled the resources. All I had was three officers, four reserves, and the office staff. And me. And I felt that my luck had been stretched awfully far yesterday.
‘‘Well,’’ said George in a cheerful voice, ‘‘let’s give it a little time, all right?’’
I nodded, noticing how quiet Hester had gotten. Great. With A1 and me disagreeing, she wasn’t going to be available to work freely either. Shit.
I wasn’t going to jump in like an idiot. I think everybody knew that. I hoped they did. What I wanted was a plan for direct intervention, carefully thought out, that I could order up on short notice. What A1 and company wanted was for somebody else to make the call on using force. Specifically, themselves. Legally it was mine. Practically it was theirs. The only thing I was certain of was that they’d be late, no matter what. Because I really felt that we’d have to go in, and maybe in a big hurry. I really did. Anyway, I now had myself lined up to come up with a plan.
Press liaison was our next item. How to do it professionally. So far, either A1 or I had just given them a brief rundown on events, without any real information. What was needed wasn’t my direct approach, it was somebody who could manufacture satisfactory sound bites, present them to the press, and escape without telling them too much. Not me, that was certain. As we discussed it, a little lightbulb came on in my head.
‘‘A1,’’ I said, ‘‘would you do it?’’
‘‘No.’’
‘‘Why not?’’
‘‘It’s not my show, it’s yours.’’
‘‘Hell, A1,’’ I said, ‘‘you’re just so much better-lookin’.’’
There was a slight pause, and then we all started to laugh. Even A1.
‘‘All right, all right,’’ he said. ‘‘You got me on that one. How about we do the press together?’’
About fifteen minutes later, I found myself alone, outside the tent feeling the hot sun very well through my thinning hair, and wanting a cigarette so bad I was ready to kill for it. Then I noticed that the wives of our reserve officers had brought sandwiches. Thick slices of ham, thick slices of cheese, on really big hamburger buns. With thick smears of butter and mustard. Well, what the hell. Oh, have I mentioned I’m also restricted to thirty grams of fat per day, by my cardiologist? Well, I am. As I approached the folding table heaped with food, I decided to take two sandwiches, potato chips, and a can of Pepsi. I smiled at Gloria Nydegger, wife of a reserve officer.
‘‘This’ll be our little secret, Gloria.’’
She smiled back. She knew about my diet. I’d complained about it to everybody I knew. ‘‘Okay. Two?’’
‘‘Shit, Gloria, make it three.’’
‘‘Sounds good. Extra mustard?’’
Oh, why couldn’t state work that way?
I just started the first sandwich when George of the Bureau came over.
‘‘Just had a strange sort of call, Carl.’’
‘‘Mmmmpf?’’ Hard to sound sharp with a mouthful of sandwich.
‘‘A SAC is on his way up. Be here real quick.’’
I swallowed. ‘‘So?’’
‘‘So this is a heavy hitter among heavy hitters, Carl. Fellow named Volont.’’
‘‘Oh, yeah,’’ I said. ‘‘Met him at the meeting in Oelwein.’’
‘‘Well, I’ve never met the man myself,’’ said George. ‘‘Just heard of him.’’
‘‘Yep,’’ I said. ‘‘Well, he seems to have a handle on the dope trade, although I think he believes I’m not too sharp.’’ I grinned, remembering my raincoat.
George gave me a funny look. Just then, his cell phone rang. He answered it, got sort of a quizzical look, and handed it to me.
‘‘It’s for you…’’
‘‘Me?’’ I’d only talked on a cell phone a few times in my life, and sure wasn’t expecting to receive a call.
‘‘Hello?’’ I was expecting an FBI supervisor.
‘‘Carl?’’ asked a muffled voice, slowly and thickly.
‘‘Yes, this is Carl.’’
‘‘Houmph dses goone?’’
‘‘What?’’
‘‘House thinks goanen?’’ Very slow, very deliberate, and just about impossible to understand.
‘‘Who is this?’’
‘‘Mumph Lamar, fumf dumm shiddd.’’
‘‘Lamar? Lamar, is that you?’’
‘‘Yefffs.’’
‘‘Jesus Christ!’’
‘‘Mum, mum, mum,’’ he laughed.
‘‘It’s Lamar,’’ I said to George. Back into the phone, I said, ‘‘Why the hell aren’t you resting?’’
It wasn’t a long conversation, but just basic Lamar, and his wanting to know how things were. His wife came on the line a few seconds later.
‘‘Hello, Carl.’’
‘‘Hi, June.’’
‘‘I couldn’t stop him, and the office said they could get hold of you up there with this number.’’
‘‘How is he, June?’’
‘‘Well,’’ she said, disgusted and a little proud at the same time. ‘‘You know my old man here. Had to know just as soon as the anesthetic wore off.’’
He was calling from his room, had just come from a surgery on his leg, the second one, and was doing just fine. Except he wasn’t really conscious yet.
‘‘June, hey, could you ask him something for me?’’
‘‘Well, I’ll try. I’m not promising anything…’’
‘‘Ask him who shot him, will you?’’
‘‘Sure,’’ she said into the phone. I could hear her talking to Lamar, asking him twice who had shot him, more loudly the second time. Then she seemed to be arguing with Lamar for a second. Then I heard his voice on the phone.
‘‘Zhad fummggem hurrmen.’’
‘‘What, Lamar? I can’t quite understand you,’’ I said apologetically.
‘‘THAT FUCKIN’ HERMAN!’’
