Darkness Calls. Caridad Pineiro

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      Diana turned her attention to the lists of convicted sex offenders in the area, sipping an oversize cup of café latte she had picked up on her way to work. Her caffeine-and-sugar rush was humming nicely when David showed up at nine. He plopped himself on the sofa and she brought over the lists she had already reviewed. “I’ve flagged a couple who seem like possible suspects.”

      David rubbed at his eyes, where a bleary network of red obscured the normally bright blue. “Tired?” she asked, dropping onto the sofa next to him.

      “Hmm,” he grunted, and grabbed the lists from her. As he examined them, he asked, “How long do we give Latimer before we chase him down?”

      Diana glanced at her watch. It was already nine-fifteen with no word from him. Latimer didn’t strike her as the type who would be late, which could only mean that he had no intention of showing up. She fought back the sudden disappointment and mustered righteous anger. He had not kept his promise. So much for the trust she had felt last night.

      Trust being a funny and fragile thing, she thought as she ran her hand along her right cheek. It was still sore, and this morning she’d woken with a pounding headache. The medication the doctor had given her had eased the pain enough for her to concentrate on her work. Still, every time she moved her jaw, a slight sting reminded her.

      She glanced at her watch again even though only seconds had passed. “At nine-thirty we go after him. If he refuses to cooperate, we’ll get a warrant.”

      It was as if Latimer had heard; a moment later her phone rang. She hurried from the couch and grabbed it. Anger blossomed inside her as the secretary said Latimer’s lawyer was upstairs. “Bastard,” she mumbled under her breath as she hung up the phone, all of her earlier interest in him blown away by the call.

      David picked up his head from the sofa back. “Let me guess—”

      “Latimer sent his lawyer down. Probably to throw up roadblocks so we couldn’t question him.”

      “Testy this morning, aren’t we?” he said, noting her irritation.

      “I don’t like games. He said he’d be here. If I’d thought otherwise, I would have hauled him down here last night.” She walked to her desk, slipped her jacket off her chair and put it on.

      “Especially after the little incident?” She shot David a glare as she headed for the door of her office. Of course she was mad about the “incident,” but she also felt betrayed.

      That sense of betrayal fueled her anger as she and David arrived at the anteroom to the assistant director in charge’s office. His secretary nodded and gave them a tight, uncomfortable smile. “He’s waiting for the two of you.”

      Diana took a breath and knocked on the door. After hearing the soft “Come in,” she and David entered.

      In a chair opposite ADIC Jesus Hernandez sat a middle-aged man. Hernandez immediately identified him as Latimer’s lawyer and the man rose, offering his hand.

      Diana and David shook hands with the man but continued to stand even though the lawyer motioned for them to sit. “Mr. Ruggiero. I wish I could say it was good to see you, but I would have much rather had your client come down as he promised last night,” Diana said.

      The man glanced up at her and then at David. “My client has every intention of presenting himself—this afternoon.”

      “He agreed to come down this morning. Is there some reason—”

      “Mr. Latimer made that concession under duress, Special Agent Reyes. We both know that after the altercation—”

      “Brought about by your client attacking—”

      “My client advises that you struck first. He was only defending himself,” Ruggiero shot back.

      “Your client has a foot and at least one hundred pounds over my partner, Mr. Ruggiero,” David said.

      Hernandez finally joined the fray and brought silence to the room with a sharply barked “Enough.”

      Diana nodded and at Hernandez’s prompting, sat in the chair next to Ryder’s lawyer. David took a СКАЧАТЬ