Bishop stared at the witness list without expression for almost thirty seconds. No one else in the room moved, and then Bishop quietly said, 'Fucking-A. Goddamned fucking-A. All six victims are right there.'
As Krantz read it, Watts and Williams looked over his shoulder, Williams making a whistling sound.
Bishop said, 'Okay, this is looking good. This is major, but what have you got that locks Sobek to the killings?'
'So far just what you see here. The relationships. You'll
L.A. REQUIEM 327
need to bring Sobek in and sweat him. You've got more than enough for warrants to search his home and automobile.'
Williams was still with the list, shaking his head. 'This fuckin' guy I see every day. We were just talkin' about the new Bruce Willis movie.'
Krantz jutted his jaw. He hated giving anything to Dolan or me, but he could read Bishop, and he knew Bishop wanted it. 'It's good, Captain. Let's find Sobek or Wood or whatever his name is and get him in here. I can get a phone order for the search, and get that done while we're talking to him.'
Bishop picked up his phone. No one said anything while he spoke, but Stan Watts caught Dolan's eye and winked. She smiled when he did. After a couple of minutes, Bishop wrote something, then put down the phone. 'Wood didn't come in today. He didn't come in yesterday or the day before, either.'
Krantz peered at Dolan. 'I hope you didn't do anything to make him bolt.'
'We didn't go near him, Harvey, and no one could've tipped him. We didn't see his mother until twenty minutes ago, and she doesn't know how to contact him.'
Bishop said, 'Now, Harve, let's not make accusations. I think Sam's done a good job here.'
Krantz smiled, smooth and friendly, and squarely in Bishop's butt.
'I wasn't accusing you, Samantha. This is good work. This really is.' He turned to Bishop. 'But we've got to take this a step at a time now. If this stands up, and I believe it will, Samantha, then this man is a civilian employee of the Los Angeles Police Department. He was murdering people while he worked here, and he was using our information sources to do it. If we're not careful, we could have another public relations nightmare on our hands. We need to match his prints. We've got to field some physical evidence, maybe correlate the daytime homicides with the days this guy had off or missed work, that kind of thing. Then hope for something physical when we raid his home.'
He looked at Dolan, then the others, like he was trying to drive home a point. In command and on top of things.
328 ROBERT CRAIS
'If he's not here, we have to find him, and that might take time. I want to move fast, but I don't want to lose this guy because we didn't get all the signatures we should've, and I don't want him tipped because word leaked out.' Krantz looked at Dolan when he said that, and she turned red.
Bishop laced his fingers, nodding. 'Okay. How do you want to play it, Harvey?'
'Let's keep it small until we know what we're dealing with. Just us, and maybe two radio cars, but let's not make a big show with SWAT. If something goes wrong, the press will be all over us. Until he's in custody, I don't want him to know we're on him. If we miss the guy, the press will have it all over the air and he could slip through our ringers.'
'Okay, Harvey, that sounds good. Set it up the way you want, and roll on it.'
Krantz clapped Stan Watts on the shoulder, then turned for the door. He looked like Errol Flynn heading off with the Dawn Patrol.
Dolan said, 'I want a piece.'
Everyone stopped, and looked at her.
'Captain, I earned a place here. I want this. I want to be there when we get this fucker.'
Krantz's jaw tightened, and he made the little jut. He wanted to tell her no so badly that he had cramps, but he was watching Bishop.
Bishop tapped his desk for a moment, then leaned back and nodded. 'It's Harvey's Task Force, Samantha. I never force a commander to take someone he doesn't want.'
Krantz nodded, and jutted his jaw again.
'But I think you deserve a second chance. How about you, Harve? Think you could find room for Dolan?'
It was clear what Bishop wanted, and Krantz hated it. His jaw rippled with tension, but he nodded gamely. 'We'll meet you in the parking lot, Dolan. You're welcome to come along.'
Everyone filed out as the meeting broke, Stan Watts and even Williams slapping Dolan on the back or shaking her hand. She accepted their congratulations with a wide, bright
L.A. REQUIEM 329
smile, sparkling eyes, and a flush of excitement that was breathtaking. Samantha Dolan was beautiful. I would never again see her as happy.
35
When we got down to her car, Dolan opened the trunk, and tossed me a bullet-resistant vest. 'Here. Gonna be small, but you can adjust the straps.'
I held it up to myself, then put it back in her trunk. 'Not my color.'
'Your call.'
Dolan stripped off her shirt right there in the parking lot until she was down to her bra, then put on her own vest. All the people out on Los Angeles Street could see her, and so could the cops coming out of Parker Center, but she didn't seem to mind.
Dolan caught me watching and grinned nastily. 'See anything you like, go for it.'
I waited in the car.
When Dolan was dressed, she got behind the wheel. 'I've been thinking about all this, hotshot, and I'm putting you on notice. I'm not giving up on you.'
I looked at her.
'I'm not calling it quits just because you've got your Southern Belle. I want you, and I always get what I want. Maybe I'll put Scarlett O'Hara on notice, too. I intend to take you away from her.'
I shook my head and stared out the window.
'Be the best you've ever had.'
'Dolan, let's just not go there, okay?'
330 ROBERT CRAIS
Her voice and her eyes softened. 'I know you love her. I just gotta make you love me more.'
She looked away then, and I looked away, too.
We sat quietly after that with the air conditioner running until Krantz and Watts rolled out of the covered parking in their D-ride, Williams and Bruly behind them. Dolan keyed a small black radio. 'I'm on.'
Watts came back, 'Okay.'
Williams said, 'Up.'
We pulled into line behind them, and eased out of the lot.
I said, 'Hey, Dolan.'
'Mm?'
I stared at her until she glanced over.
'I like you a lot. I mean a lot, you know? '
She made a gentle smile that crinkled her eyes, but she didn't answer.
The plan was simple: We would proceed directly to Sobek's address, reconnoiter the area, then withdraw to decide what to do while waiting for two Rampart Division radio cars to come in as backup units.
