“Whatever it was, you don’t think it could have been planted there?”
“I’ll keep that theory in mind,” he said. “Are we about done here?”
“That’s my friend in there,” I said. “This is a man who once turned around and drove a hundred miles back to a restaurant, just because he realized he hadn’t left enough money on the table. If you think he had any part in this, you’re wrong. And I’m sure that goes for Bennett and Gill, too. Something is very wrong here, Chief, and I’m gonna find out what it is.”
“I figured you’d get to that one, McKnight. Only this time, you’re not a private eye anymore, remember? This time, you’re a material witness who happens to be about one inch away from being detained yourself. What you will do is remain in the general area in case I need you. What you won’t do is get in the way of this investigation. I realize that’s a tricky concept for you. So I’ll make it simple. Go home to Paradise. Stay there until I tell you otherwise. That’s it. Think you can do that?”
I stood up. “Just out of curiosity,” I said before I went to the door, “what happened to the ‘new Chief Maven’ I was talking to a couple of days ago?”
“He’s still here,” he said. “For you, I figured I’d bring out the original model. Just for old times’ sake.”
When I got back out to the lobby, business had picked up. Ham O’Dell was there now, towering over everybody and looking like he wanted to break something. I saw a pair of men from the Sault tribe, as well.
“Alex, what the hell is going on?” Ham said. “Nobody will talk to me. I came in this morning and the place was closed down. There were cops all over the place. They said my dad had already been arrested.”
“We’re all gonna work on this together,” I said. “Jonathan, did you get hold of the bondsman?”
“He’s on his way,” he said. “I figured Ham could use him, too.”
“You’ll need ten percent of whatever the bail is,” I said. “Can you both do that? If not, I can help out.”
“Whatever it is,” Jonathan said, “I’ll get it.”
“Same for me,” Ham said.
“You might want to ask those gentlemen over there about Gill,” I said. “But I don’t imagine they’ll need a bondsman. The tribe will probably bail him out.”
“God knows they have enough casino money,” Ham said.
I let that one go.
“Did you reach Jackie’s lawyer?”
“I did,” Jonathan said. “He’s on his way, too.”
“Okay, then both of you guys better just sit tight here. I don’t know how long they’ll be in there, but it’ll be a while before the bail is set.”
“What are you gonna do?” Jonathan said.
“I’m gonna find an old friend,” I said. “And talk to him about a videotape.”
Chapter Ten
I drove the few blocks from the City-County building to Leon’s office on Ashmun Street, parked the truck on the street, and climbed the narrow set of stairs to his office. Through the window I could see he wasn’t there. There was no sign on his door indicating when he might be back.
I went back down to the street, got in the truck, and thought about what to do next. Leon’s probably with Vargas, I thought. I wasn’t sure I was ready to knock on Vargas’s door and ask for him. The hell with it, I thought. If that’s what it takes, I’ll do it.
I drove over to the east side of town, to Vargas’s house on the river. There was a blue Miata in the driveway, a Saab in the open garage. Leon’s little piece of crap red car was nowhere to be seen.
Okay, so I don’t have to go knock on Vargas’s door, I thought. Not yet, anyway.
Instead I went back through the middle of town and caught I-75 going south. A few miles later, I got off at the Rosedale exit, made my way over to Leon’s house, near the Chippewa County Airport.
As soon as I was on his street, I saw him come out the front door of his house. He put a briefcase into his car, and then got in himself. He started to back down his driveway. I pulled the truck in behind him, blocking his way.
I got out of the truck. He didn’t move. He stayed in the car, staring straight ahead. His windows were already down, so I didn’t have to rap my knuckles on them to get his attention. He was not only wearing a tie today-the man actually owned a suit.
“Leon,” I said. “We have to talk.”
“I have to go meet my client.”
“You can do that. Right after we talk.”
“There’s nothing to talk about, Alex.”
“Oh yes,” I said. I leaned my forearms on the hood of his car, my face not more than twelve inches from his. “Yes, there is.”
“What are you going to do?” he said. “Are you going to assault me now?”
“Why would I do that?”
“Because you’re upset. That’s what you do when you’re upset.”
“Leon, I don’t assault my friends.”
He looked up at me for the first time. “I’m sorry it worked out this way,” he said. “The other day, when you came to see me, I had been sitting in that chair for two hours straight. I was trying to figure out the right thing to do.”
“And you decided what?”
“That I had to give the tape to my client. I expected him to take it right to the police. It looks like he waited a day to do it, but eventually he did.”
“What else have you done for your client? Did you search my cabin, for instance?”
“No,” he said. “Of course not.”
“Somebody did.”
“I wouldn’t do that, Alex. Even if he asked me.”
“Does he have anybody else working for him?”
“Not that I know of.”
“Okay, never mind,” I said. “It’s not important. So what’s on the tape?”
“I can’t tell you.”
“You don’t have to tell me,” I said. “You can show me.”
“I gave the original to Vargas,” he said. “I don’t have it.”
“Show me the copy.”
“Who says there’s a copy?”
“You just did,” I said. “You wouldn’t have said ‘original’ if there wasn’t a copy.”
He shook his head. “I can’t show it to you, Alex.”
“Okay, I guess I’ll have to assault you then.”
He looked up at me again.
“I’m kidding,” I said. “That’s not why you’re going to show it to me.”
“Why am I?”
I let out a long breath. Two squirrels chased each other up the tree in Leon’s front yard. “Jackie’s in jail,” I said. “He’s down there right now, waiting for Maven to get through with him, then he’ll be arraigned, and bail will be set. Assuming this isn’t all just a nightmare, there’ll be a trial. Whatever’s on that tape will come out then. I’ll be in that courtroom, watching it along with everybody else…”
I let that one hang. After a moment, Leon cleared his throat and said, “And?”
“And nothing. None of that’s going to happen. You don’t want it to happen, for one thing. Because you know it’s not right. To hell with Vargas and Maven and anybody else. You know they couldn’t have done this.”
“That’s not up to me,” he said.
“Yes, it is. It is up to you. You have the tape. You’re gonna show it to me right now. Not because I’ll beat you up if you don’t. Not because you’re my friend, or because you used to be my partner. None of that matters. The
