“Nah. He doesn’t seem worth the trouble.” He smiled at Puller while his friend let out a snort of laughter. “So just move your truck and we’ll be on our way.” He drew closer to Puller. “But you try something like that again, I won’t be as accommodating.”
Landry stepped between them. Perhaps she had caught the look from Puller that indicated he was about a millisecond from breaking the man in half.
“That’s enough of that,” she said, pushing them apart. “Puller, move your vehicle. Now. Gentlemen, you have a good day.”
Puller climbed into his truck and backed it up just enough to allow the other car to creep past. Then the driver accelerated, turned the comer, and was gone.
Puller got back out of the truck. “What were their names?” he asked.
“That is none of your damn business,” snapped Hooper.
Puller looked at Landry inquiringly.
She shook her head. “It is none of your business, Puller. And just be glad he didn’t press charges. Now from here on, just stay away from them.”
“Me staying away from them isn’t the problem. They’re following me.”
“So you say,” barked Hooper. “Doesn’t make it true.”
Landry said, “Puller, their story does sound logical. If they’re looking for a house on this street.” She gazed up and down it. “And I see three for-sale signs.”
Puller knew this was bullshit. The guys had their cover story. But Diego had seen them near the Sierra. He didn’t think there was any real estate in that area that would interest the two men. But he kept that to himself.
“Okay,” he said. “You’re probably right.”
Landry clearly didn’t believe him, and Hooper clearly still wanted to arrest him.
He turned to climb back into the Tahoe. Hooper said, “How do you know we’re done with you yet?”
Puller turned and stared at him expectantly. “Okay. Are you done with me?”
Hooper looked surprised by the question and glanced at Landry. She said, “Hoop, finish the patrol on this street. I want to have a word with Mr. Puller.”
Hooper climbed into the cruiser and hit the rack lights and engaged the crowd control button. The blasting noise caught Landry completely off guard.
“Damn it, Hoop, just go,” she snapped.
He sped off faster than he should have on a residential street.
“How do you stand working with that idiot?” asked Puller.
She ignored the comment and said, “What is going on with you?”
“Come again?”
“Are you getting paranoid?”
“I’m not paranoid. Those guys are following me.”
“You have proof of that?”
“I’ll get it.”
“What you need to get, Puller, is to just leave it alone. Those guys didn’t look like the types to be messed with.”
“And you think I do?”
She looked over his shoulder, her arms folded across her chest.
He said, “I know I need to come down to the station and press charges against the guys from last night.”
“You might not want to do that.”
“Why not?”
“They want to press charges against you.” “Come again?”
“They said you attacked them.”
“I did. Before they attacked me.”
“You might not want to go around admitting that.”
“They were in my room, waiting to ambush me. Little hard to spin that.”
“They’ve already been released on their own recognizance.”
“Things work that fast in Paradise?”
“I don’t know what to tell you.”
“I was told those guys didn’t have gang connections. But someone is apparently pulling strings behind the scene.”
“I’m just a beat cop, Puller. I don’t get into stuff like that.”
“So they’re out on the street waiting to come after me again?”
“I don’t think you have to worry about that.” “Why?”
“Because I told them you were a super special forces homicidal maniac who could kill them in more ways than they could even imagine. I told them that the next time you would kill all of them and then get your Army buddies to come down here and help kill their families for good measure.”
Puller cracked a smile. “You actually told them that?”
“That was the gist of it. And for the Latinos I said it all in Spanish so they would get the point without having to translate. I said if they left you alone, I could guarantee their safety. Otherwise all bets were off. They all looked scared shitless when they left. And I really don’t think they’re going to press charges. They’re too afraid of you.” Puller said, “Okay, I appreciate the assist.” “You’re welcome. Now you can focus on what happened to your aunt.”
Puller smiled. “I wish every local cop I worked with was as cooperative as you.”
“You treat me with respect, I reciprocate. The moment you stop doing that, so do I.”
“I’ve got no problem with that.” He paused, wondering whether he should even venture there. But it would be a good way to ask more questions. And he found he was enjoying Landry’s company. She could be a good asset for him on this case if it turned out his aunt’s death wasn’t an accident.
“You free for dinner?”
She looked surprised and, Puller thought, a bit pleased by the invitation.
“You let me stay at your place rent-free,” he said in a joking manner. “I’d like to do something for you.”
She thought about this for a few seconds. Part of Puller thought she was going to say no.
“I get off duty in two hours. Where do you want to go?”
“Your town. I’ll defer to you.”
“There’s a place called Darby’s on the main drag.”
“Okay. I’ve seen it.”
“Say about eight o’clock?”
“Sounds good.”
He climbed into his truck and drove off. But he was no longer thinking about dinner with Landry.
Tweedledum and Tweedledee in the sedan. He needed to know who they were and whether they were connected just to him somehow or to what had happened to his aunt.
And maybe he had a way to do that.
He picked up his phone.
CHAPTER 40
“Well, well, I was wondering when the hell I was going to hear from you.”
“Just been a little busy, General Carson,” said Puller.
“General Carson? I thought we had moved to Julie.”
“It’s still working hours, ma’am. Wasn’t sure how you felt about that.”
Julie Carson was a one-star stationed at the Pentagon in the J2’s office. The J2 was a two-star who gave the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs the daily briefing. Carson was the vice chair and gave the briefing when the J2 was
