Dave came hurrying out. “Damn, glad they didn’t come in. It’ll be a few more minutes before we’re ready for visitors.”
I latched onto my phone, hurriedly punching in Marty’s number. Seconds later he was on the line. “Hey, Marty. We just had a visit from the local cops. I managed to send them looking to the south of us for nefarious crooks. If you’re able, you might want to move our unwanted guests and their vehicles a little farther away.”
Dave cocked his head. “You sure you want them messing around with those dead guys while the cops are on the prowl?”
I shook my head. “No, I don’t. But they’ll have our place in their log book now. If two vehicles stuffed with corpses were discovered in our neighborhood, things could get sticky.”
The eastern horizon was beginning to lighten up when Marty arrived back at the office. As his helpers were sent off with our heartfelt thanks, I slipped an envelope in each one’s pocket. “For services above and beyond, guys,” I told them.
Marty watched them pile into his cousin’s van and drive off. “They sure earned their money tonight. Now what’s this about the cops showin’ up?”
By the time we’d all gathered once more in the main office of T&M, the sky was definitely lightening. One last thing to do, then time for some well-earned sleep. I scrubbed my face and settled in at Alice’s desk. “Okay, I think we’ve managed to survive the luckiest night of our lives. Marty, where are the bodies?”
“We put ‘em back in their rigs an’ moved them twenty blocks away, by that small park towards city center.” He rubbed the top of his head wearily. “Oh, and we also left the engines runnin’. That might give the cops an excuse to say they were gassed.”
“Might even work,” Tony said with a shrug. “How else you going to explain eight dead bodies sitting in their vehicles and no other sign of violence?”
Dave half-raised a hand. “Nate and I put both the tanks and hardware for them in the back of your van when you got back, Marty. We’ll drive down to Olympia and dump them at the recycle center there tomorrow-er, today.” He looked around tiredly. “Which brings up a question. Why’d you pick carbon monoxide?”
Tony hitched around, trying to get comfortable. “That’s one gas I knew we could get that wouldn’t accidentally kill us or the neighbors when we aired out the building. Takes a high concentration to kill you in a short time, like in a car or a building that’d been sealed up. And dissipates pretty fast, too.”
“I was surprised to find out there were industrial uses for it,” I said. “Always thought of it as the reason you didn’t leave your car running in a garage with the door shut.”
Nate stood. “Me, I don’t care what it was long’s it worked. I’m beat. See you guys when I wake up.”
* * *
The last police officer clattered down the stairs. Marty stood at the top, a smile on his face as he waved. “Don’t be a stranger, Officer Hedley.”
Alice cuffed him on the back of the head, a loud “Pop” resounding through the office. “At least keep your eyeballs in your head. Ogling every woman who shows up in front of your pregnant wife is gonna get you killed.” After another glare at him, she stomped back to her desk.
I tried to cover a snort of laughter. The fact Officer Hedley happened to be a slim beauty was one thing. Add to the mix she’d been eyeing Marty the whole time she was here made it unbearable for Alice.
Marty shook his head and rubbed it while grumbling back to his desk. “Gotta get her to stop watching those NCIS re-runs.”
“This the T&M Security office?”
Startled, I spun around at the rough-sounding voice. A grizzled looking man in a wrinkled brown suit stood just inside the second floor entrance to T&M.
Alice smoothed the scowl from her face, attempting to replace it with a smile. “Yes, it is. Can I help you?”
“I’m Agent Browder. You got a Francis Baker here?” He stepped forward and handed his identification to Alice. On closer examination, the suit wasn’t wrinkled so much as a couple sizes too large.
I strolled over, offering my hand. “I’m Francis. What agency you with?”
“FBI,” he said, taking my hand as he gave me a slow up and down look. “Mike Hilyard in our Charlotte office asked us to drop in and look things over. Seems you had a little disturbance last night.”
“Ah.” A light dawned. I turned to Alice. “Could you bring us a copy of the Crosby file when you get a chance?” I waved him towards our smallest conference room. “C’mon in, be glad to talk with you.”
Once settled down with our cups of coffee, I gave him a questioning look. “Why’re you guys interested in something simple as a break-in?”
He took a sip before answering. From close up, it was apparent he wasn’t a spring chicken, like most of the FBI agents I’d seen lately. Must be in his early sixties.
He looked up with a smile, icy grey eyes twinkling. “M’first name’s Alfred, Al to most folks. From the look on your face, you must be wondering why they sent an ol’ curmudgeon like me.”
Tony had been hovering outside the door ever since we’d entered. I waved him in. “Uh-yeah, to put it bluntly.”
“Because my higher ups don’t agree with Mike on this. They know you’ve been doin’ some work for Mike and the Charlotte office, just don’t think there’s a connection with what happened out this way. So they sent a bench warmer in.”
Tony sat next to me. “You remember me, Mister Browder?”
Al’s smile grew. “How could I forget Tony Bacca? You’n me really did a number on
