“Special Agent Lucas Wellstein of the Federal Bureau of Investigation to see you.”
“Tell him I’m not in.”
“Too late.”
“You mean you told him I was here?”
“Proudly.”
“Jesus.”
Lucas Wellstein pushed past Molly and entered the office. He approached Jesse with his hand extended.
“Lucas Wellstein,” he said.
Jesse stood and accepted Wellstein’s hand.
“It’s nice to meet you, Chief Stone,” Wellstein said.
“Jesse.”
“Excuse me?”
“The name’s Jesse.”
“Okay. Jesse,” Wellstein said, peering at him more closely.
Wellstein was an old-looking young man with an eminently forgettable moon-shaped face that featured coal- black eyes, which radiated paranoia and suspicion. His furtive glances from behind his horn-rimmed glasses, coupled with his self-conscious awkwardness, put Jesse in mind of Richard Nixon.
“We’re here regarding the Hinton murder case,” Wellstein said.
“And so fast, too.”
“Can you take us to the crime scene?”
“I can.”
Jesse didn’t move.
“Now,” Wellstein said.
“You mean you want to go now?”
“Yes.”
Jesse stood and looked at the door.
“Would you like me to take you there,” he said.
“Yes. I would.”
“Then please feel free to follow.”
Jesse looked at Molly, whose full-faced grin forced him to turn away.
Then it was on to the crime scene.
47
Captain Healy was already at the scene when Jesse and the cavalry arrived.
Lucas Wellstein approached him.
“Captain,” he said to Healy.
“Lucas,” Healy said.
“Where is everybody,” Wellstein said.
“Meaning,” Jesse said.
“The movie people. Where are they?”
“Once they got word that production had been suspended, they packed up and left.”
“Left town?”
“Probably they just went back to their local accommodations.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
“Sorry to hear what,” Jesse said.
“I had hoped they would remain on the site. So that I might question them.”
“We had no idea you would be coming. We did speak with each member of the cast and crew, and collected contact information for all of them.”
“‘We’?”
“My officers and I.”
Wellstein smiled sardonically.
“I’m sure you did an excellent job,” he said. “I still wish they had stayed. But, hey, that’s water under the bridge now, isn’t it?”
His smile reeked of both personal and professional insincerity.
Jesse didn’t say anything.
“We’ll be taking over from here,” Wellstein said. “Thank you for all that you’ve done.”
“Would you like to see the information we compiled?”
“Not just yet. I’ll get back to you about it.”
Neither Jesse nor Healy said anything.
“Can you show me the crime scene?”
Jesse led him to the spot where Marisol and Frankie had been shot.
“Killing took place right here,” Jesse said. “CSI unit already did their inspection.”
“That’s damned fine police work, Stone,” Wellstein said.
“You should also commend Captain Healy for that. I’m sure he’ll be appreciative.”
Wellstein looked at Jesse.
“Are you being condescending, Chief Stone?”
“Jesse.”
“I don’t take kindly to attitude . . . Jesse.”
“Neither do I.”
The two men stared at each other.
“Do we have a problem,” Wellstein said.
“I would hope not,” Jesse said.
“I would hope not, as well.”
Jesse didn’t say anything.
“I think I can handle things from here,” Wellstein said.
“I would hope so,” Jesse said.
—
It’s uncanny,” Healy said as he and Jesse wandered away.
“What is,” Jesse said.
“How you manage to piss people off.”
“It’s a gift.”
“Lucas Wellstein isn’t someone you want to be on the wrong side of.”
“Too late now.”
“Can I ask you a question?”
Jesse didn’t say anything.
“What exactly was it that set you off?”
“I beg your pardon,” Jesse said.
“What about him got your goat?”
“Pretty much everything.”
“What everything?”
“Quit hocking me. You know exactly what I mean.”
Healy smiled.
“He is a bit of a shit,” Healy said.
“And that’s just for openers,” Jesse said.
48
