Lewis sighed. “I know. And thanks to you I’m getting quite good at golfing.” He turned to George. “Bye, Detective Donovan. It was a pleasure working with you.”
“Goodbye, Mr. Brackenport. It was nice meeting you.”
With a wave, Lewis went for the elevator, picking up his phone even before he reached the doors. George waited until Lewis was on his way down. “What was that about golfing?”
Andi huffed. “Our DA, Bill Waters, he’s a golf fanatic. Spends more time there than in the courtroom. If you want something from him, it’s best to approach him on the course, because he’s a grumpy old bastard when he has to work but approachable when he’s got a club in his hands. Lewis and I, we’ve done this before. With Bill Waters, it’s easier to apologize than to explain, especially when part of the apology is telling him about a success. He’s not going to be over the moon that he can’t ask for the death penalty here, but he’s smart enough to appreciate the chance of getting even bigger fish to fry. Speaking of which, what do you think about our case?”
For some reason George felt almost giddy about being asked his opinion. So far, Andi had worked the case almost as if George hadn’t been there, finding all the clues and doing his silent lone wolf thing. Why Andi suddenly decided to open up, at least in relation to the case, was a mystery George didn’t want to find the answers to. They were acting like real partners, which was all that mattered.
“I think Lewis is right. Ronald hardly has the brains to run a large-scale operation. And I think we—and he—were lucky to get to him before the people from that organization. Even if the girls weren’t ‘top notch’ anymore, not losing them should have been about principle. Now the question is how big is that organization, have they crossed state borders yet, and how do we get the guys at the top? If Taylor Vance turns out to be a dead end, we’re stuck, I’m afraid.”
“You’re right. Let’s just hope we can find him—if he really exists and Ronald wasn’t lying to us. Though I doubt it. He didn’t strike me as somebody who’s very good at getting creative, and Lewis has surely told him that lying would put the death penalty back on the table immediately. Now if Taylor Vance has been doing this for some time, there’s a chance we have him in the system. If not, there are other options. I have some reliable—informants.”
The way Andi said informants had George wonder if this was Andi’s secret—somebody who had an in with the criminal underbelly of Charleston and helped Andi for whatever reason.
“Sounds good.” George glanced at his watch. Arresting and then questioning Ronald Wallace had taken most of the day. “It’s already five thirty. How about I run Vance’s name through the database? If I find anything, we can go there first thing tomorrow.”
Andi tilted his head. “Yeah, let’s do that. I wanted to check with Evangeline, see if she has come up with anything else.” He turned in the direction of the staircase. “See you tomorrow!”
George lifted his hand. “See you tomorrow!”
It almost felt as if they’d been partners for some time and not three days. George waited till two officers came to transport Ronald Wallace back to his cell. Then he went to his PC and ran Vance’s name through their database. After the search engine started working, George decided it was time to get some coffee. On his way to the common room, Chief Norris came out of her office.
“Detective Donovan, do you have a moment?”
George sighed inwardly but put a smile on his face. “Of course, Chief. What can I do for you?”
“In my office.” She went back through her office door, not looking back to see if he was following.
“Please close the door, Detective.”
Chief Norris was already sitting behind her desk, motioning for him to take a seat as well once he had closed the door. George sat down, waiting for the chief to start talking. It didn’t take a genius to guess why she called him, but he didn’t want to make it too easy on her. Not after his talk with his brother.
“I gather your case is going well, Detective?”
“I’m not sure about going well. We’ve found the murderer of the three girls, yes, but there’s something more going on, and at this point we have more questions than answers.”
Chief Norris nodded. She steepled her fingers on her desk, narrowing her eyes at him. “You found the murderer within two days? That’s fast.”
George understood the implication. He shrugged. “We had a partial fingerprint on the murder weapon, and the perp isn’t the sharpest tool in the shed. He thought we wouldn’t find the weapon, and he stayed in his own home instead of going underground after the deed. The moment Lewis Brackenport explained to him how close to death row he was, he started singing like a gospel choir. Which is how we know there’s more going on.”
“So you were just lucky?”
George thought about his answer for a moment. Theyhadbeen lucky in finding the other two girls plus the murder weapon for Lilly Cordon immediately, which was thanks to Andi’s hunch. If they hadn’t found them, Ronald Wallace would have either gotten away or—more likely—been killed by the people who employed him. The murder case itself had unraveled unusually fast, but it was the first tangle in a net they still didn’t know the size of. And even though he was still suspicious of Andi’s intuition, he’d already started seeing it the way his brother Daniel had suggested—as a gift Andi was using to help bring justice to the victims of crimes and their families. The question was should he let Chief Norris in on his thoughts or keep his cards close to his chest for a little longer? He finally decided to tell her his honest opinion. There was nothing to be gained by playing it safe.
“I guess we were. It was lucky Ronald Wallace hadn’t ghosted or been murdered. The rest was good, solid police work. As far as I’ve seen it, Andi Hayes is an incredibly talented detective. You should be glad to have him in your precinct. He’s an asset, not a liability.”
Chief Norris narrowed her eyes at him. “You can say this after three days?”
“Yes. And quite confidently. We were thrown into a triple murder, which left Andi little room to be sneaky around me. I’ve seen him interact with both Evangeline Melcort and Lewis Brackenport, and both of them have a deep respect for him. As did your predecessor. I know you’re worried about the precinct’s reputation and ultimately your own, but to be honest, I think it would be beneficial for you to just let Andi do his thing and revel in the credit the whole precinct gets for his work.”
The chief mused over his words for a few moments. “Are you sure there’s nothing fishy going on?”
“As sure as I can be after only three days. I think he’s just insanely talented. Add to that his stubbornness, and it’s no wonder he cracks so many cases.”
“I’m listening. What you say fits what I’ve heard about Detective Hayes so far. Most people have a thing or two to say about his cranky personality, but nobody ever doubted his proficiency at doing the job.” She sighed deeply. “Since you’re partnered with him, I’d like you to keep an eye on him until this case is closed. Just to be absolutely sure. Needless to say, if anything suspicious comes up, I want to be informed immediately. You can leave now.”
George wasn’t too happy about being dismissed like an errand boy, but he knew all about power games, and at the moment, Chief Norris was trying to come to terms with a truth she hadn’t wanted—or even expected—to hear. It was obvious that, despite her stellar career, she still had to learn a thing or two about self-control and maintaining a poker face. Two things George had learned from his parents, especially his mother, at a young age. Never let anybody, especially a potential enemy, get a read on your emotions. A stoic expression was key in the shark-infested waters of politics and society. So he got up and left the office. A quick check of his PC showed the search engine was still combing through the system to find Taylor Vance. George’s heart sank. If it took this long, it usually meant there was nothing to be found. He took the time to broaden the search to all accessible databases; then he gathered his things to go home for the night, leaving the computer to do the work for him.
