“Okay,” Billings said. “First has got to be about the bomber.”
“I’ve got a few about him,” Justin admitted.
“First is: Did we get a description? Yes, we did. A pretty decent one, from people who are pretty sure they saw him on the street before he arrived, and from a few survivors in the restaurant. We know at least a few of the blocks he covered to get here. I might have partial fingerprints, too, from recovered bomb fragments.”
“So-”
“So what’s being done to track him down? Nothing.”
“Chuck. .”
“I got your next question, too, Jay, ’cause I know you’re a good cop. If it was a suicide bombing, why the hell was he moving
“You’re two for two.”
“How about the cell phone? You probably want to know about that, too.”
“Yeah,” Justin said. “Like-”
“Can a phone be used to trigger a bomb? Yes. It’s a delightful new technology. The tones can be programmed to set the thing off.”
“Okay, so-”
“So
“But-”
“But, then, does that mean it wasn’t a suicide bombing? And if the phone
“You got the questions down cold, Chuck. Now, you got any answers?”
“No.”
Justin couldn’t decide which was getting the best of him at the moment, his confusion or his anger. “Why the hell not?”
“Jay. . remember I told you I couldn’t figure out the Feds on this one? Well, let me try out another question on you: Why wouldn’t they want answers to all of the questions we just asked?”
“Because they don’t want to know the answers,” Justin said. But even as he said it, he didn’t believe his own words.
“Or?”
“Or”-and now Justin spoke very slowly, as if he wanted to hear exactly what he was saying, trying the words out to see if they could possibly make sense-“they already know the answers. And they don’t want anyone else to find out what they are.”
Billings stayed silent for a few moments. Then he said quietly, “There are four or five guys working the bomb angle. I was partnered with a very good guy, a Feebie, Dorell Cole. We were making some headway, he knows a lot about signatures, too. As soon as we thought we might be getting somewhere, Dorell got yanked off. A new guy came in to oversee the whole thing, and believe me, this guy was a total asshole. He’s the head of the New York bureau.”
“Fuck me. Was it Rollins? Agent Len Rollins?”
“No. This guy’s name is Schrader. Hubbell Schrader. Who’s this Rollins character?”
“Someone I had a run-in with, about a year ago. He was the New York bureau chief then.”
“A run-in, Jay?” Billings’s left eyebrow rose, the first relaxed gesture Justin had seen since they met.
Justin shrugged. “I told him if I ever saw him again I’d kill him.”
“That sounds like one of your run-ins.”
“What did this guy Schrader do?”
“Basically, just cut me off at the knees. Clearly doesn’t want any input from anyone outside the Bureau. But he also dismissed everything that Cole had discovered or hypothesized. As near as I can tell, Schrader made his report, which was fast and inaccurate. Then President Anderson and Vice President Dandridge came swooping in, got their photo ops, declared the whole thing a suicide bombing, and went off wherever presidents and future presidents go when they’re not acting tough or raising money.”
“But you don’t think it is a suicide bombing, do you?”
“I can’t prove it. . but no, I don’t.”
Justin sighed. “It’s not on this level, Chuck, but I’m having my own problems with the Feds. And it opens up a few questions, too.”
“Hey, as long as we’re sharing. .”
So Justin told him about the local plane crash. Billings said he had read about it in the East End newspaper but assumed it was an accident. As Justin gave him some of the details, Billings whistled in amazement.
“The weirdest thing is, I thought the Feds would be all over this thing. Just because of the proximity to Harper’s. I mean, it’s a long shot that there’s a connection, even if the plane was tampered with, but still. .”
“You’d think they’d want to see for themselves.”
“Yeah.” Justin shook his head. “But nothing. No contact. They got their info from the FAA, and that info is. . let’s say skewed. . at best.”
“And they’re blocking the identity of the pilot?”
“It’s what it looks like,” Justin said.
“Why?”
“Why the hell are they getting in your way? Because they can, because they’re idiots, because they’ve got something to hide. .”
“You know where the plane came from, Jay?”
Justin shook his head. “The guy who runs the airport here, he thought it was a drug-running plane. Maybe up from Florida.”
Billings cocked his head and his eyes narrowed.
“That mean something?” Justin asked.
Billings shrugged. “Could mean just about anything,” he said.
“Well, why don’t you tell me
“You know, my imagination seems to be running wild these days. I think I’m getting paranoid. And what I think doesn’t really matter anymore. I’m outta here tonight.”
“You’re leaving?”
“They don’t want me. Said I did a great job, but my job’s over. So I’m heading back to Providence tonight. Got a meeting tomorrow morning with your old pal Ms. Chinkle. Gonna see if she’s got any insight into what the hell’s going on with her fellow federal employees.”
“You driving up?”
“The Feds are very generous. They let me rent a two-door Ford. Why, got a better suggestion?”
“Yeah. Dump the Ford. I’m going up tonight, too. Having dinner with Wanda. You can come with me and even join us tonight.”
“And your mode of transportation is. .?”
“Chartered a plane. You can drop your car off at the airport.”
“I always forget you’re filthy rich, Jay. I knew there was a reason people didn’t like you.”
“Fly up with me. Plane’s gonna leave at six sharp.”
“You know what? That’s too good a deal to pass up. I got a meeting here, kind of a debriefing, total bullshit, then I’ll go back to my motel, pick up my notes and files. I’ll show some of it to you on the plane and we can talk a little more.”
“Deal.”
The two men shook hands.
“I’m looking forward to the flight, Chuck,” Justin said.
“Me too,” Chuck Billings said. “But then, I look forward to anything I don’t have to pay for.”
10