“The plot thickens,” I said. “So, what did he do to her?”
“Probably a statutory sex thing, I bet. The reporting officer says that she was not a complainant in the matter. She was seventeen at the time, so she could have legally consented, but this Peale dude provided her with booze, and since she was not able to consent to drinking, and she was intoxicated at the time she was discovered, he was in problems.”
“Ouch.” I grinned. “Bad choices, there.”
“Yeah. He didn't get shit out of it, with the plea bargain and everything.” Harry shrugged. “She had a fresh cut on her lip, but she claimed that was an accident.”
“I'll just bet she did,” said Hester.
“Now, here's the good part,” said Harry. “The guy who was in charge of that bust retires next week, but he was in, and he said that Jessica Hunley was involved in the edges of the case. She wasn't at the cabin at the time they made the arrests, but the Hunleys' attorney came to the cop shop and made everybody's bail. And this Hutha Mann, a/k/a Tatiana, gave her address as a place that turned out to be Jessica Hunley's fuckin' dance studio.”
“No shit?” I said. “So they go way back as a group, then.” “Apparently so,” he said, looking very satisfied with himself.
We walked over for lunch at a great place called Popeyes. Multiple levels, it had a maritime decor and a great menu. Well, a cop would think so.
“It must be great,” I said, “to work in a town that has restaurants like this.” There was a faint, multi-tone sound, and Hester pulled her cell phone from her pocket. She answered it, and then held it out to me. “For you. Your office.”
I took the phone. “Yeah?”
“Carl, Lamar. Nothin' major, but the attorney we got to talk to to get in the old mine won't be in until tomorrow sometime. Is this a problem?”
“No, I don't think so.” I didn't think we'd be back there until then, anyway. “I'd appreciate it if you'd look for some sign, down at the highway level, where somebody might have gone over the fence, or something. Stack of crates? Rocks? We think there's a really good chance our buddy might have made it down there pretty fast that night.”
“Borman and Knockle are already up there, and everything is okay, as far as they can tell. Most of the kids up there are at work, I guess.” He paused. “I'll have 'em check the mine area. Do you want 'em wandering around up on the hill, looking for an entrance?”
I did not. No point giving the game away before we were ready.
“You do know that it runs for about three miles or better?” asked Lamar. “Inside the hill, mostly north and south, but it does go back in under the bluffs for a good five hundred feet, too?”
“Okay… ”
“I just asked because, if you want to do a search or something, it could take a real long time. The chambers are big enough to be easy to search, you know, but they cover a lot of territory.”
“I sure hope not,” I said. “I hate caves.”
He chuckled. “The troops been getting really curious why I'm telling 'em to do all this stuff. I ain't told where you are, and they're thinkin' that I'm on the case.”
“Hey, we brought in the best.”
“Uh, Carl, while I got you on the phone… did you have some sort of confrontation with Borman about that warning shot business?”
“Not really,” I said. “Why?”
“Well, he says you jumped in his shit in front of witnesses. Embarrassed him, or something. Gave him a lecture, I believe he said. Here in the office. You know anything about that?”
“Sure. He flagged me down on my way through Dispatch, and wanted to know why I told on him. Just like a little kid.”
“Yeah. Well, Carl, he's filed a grievance with the union. Alleges harassment on your part. Wants you disciplined.”
“Bullshit.”
“Yeah, but that's what he says.”
“Ask Sally,” I said. “She was there. She was there for the whole thing.”
“Okay,” said Lamar. “But don't you talk with her about this. She's a witness, let the process take its course.”
“I want that little moron off this case,” I said. “Can't do that, Carl. You know the rules, here. Just watch your step.” “Watch my step, hell,” I said. “I'm gonna strangle the little shit.”
“Right. Oh, before I forget, that Huck girl called for you guys a few minutes ago. Dispatch didn't tell me 'cause it went in your 'to do' box, but I was readin' the log.”
Quite a gear change, as Lamar intended. “When did she call?”
“About an hour ago. No message, just said she needed to talk to you before you came back.” He stopped, surprised. “Let me check that note… ”
“Back? How did she know we were gone?”
“Okay, Jesus, I didn't think. Yep, here it is. The note says '… before they come back… ' You didn't tell her you were leavin'?”
“No. I didn't… just a sec.” I covered the phone. “Hey, did you tell Huck we were leaving the area?”
“No,” said Hester. “No, I didn't.”
“Me, neither,” said Harry, just to make me happy.
“She called for us, and left a message saying that she'd talk to us before we got back.” I was getting concerned.
“Hey, Lamar? No, Hester didn't say anything, either.” I pulled a pen from my pocket. “Give me the call-back number on the note, will you?”
He did. I knew it wasn't the Mansion, but it sounded familiar.
“You know what number that is?” If it was familiar to me, it would probably be familiar to Lamar, as well.
“Yeah, it's the main administrative number for the casino boat.”
“I'll give her a call,” I said.
I handed the phone back to Hester. “Gotta get one of those.”
“The whole state would appreciate it,” she said.
“Huck had to talk to either Jessica or Tatiana right after we left the dance studio,” I said. “She called our office a few minutes ago. I think she's on the 06:00 to
14:00 shift, which means that she was at work when shecalled our office, and would have been when we left the studio, too.”
“So they called her at work, then?” Hester and I were both figuring that a long-distance call from work was something Huck probably wouldn't be doing.
“Probably. I better call her.”
Hester just handed me her phone.
The gaming boat hated to interrupt dealers, understandably, and told me to call back in fifteen minutes. That gave me time to gripe to Hester and Harry about Borman and his grievance.
Hester just shook her head. Harry related a similar incident between him and a rookie that ended with the rookie working in a discount store. “They just seem to hate constructive fuckin' criticism, these days, you know?”
“Yeah,” I said, ruefully. “What my boy doesn't know is how restrained I was.”
Our food arrived just as Hester's phone rang again. She answered, grinned, and handed it to me. “Lamar,” she said.
“Yeah?”
“Your friend Huck just called back,” said Lamar. “She gave this number, and said you're to call it right away.”
I got my pen back out, and wrote it down. “Thanks.”
“You bet. Let me know what's going on… ”
