Six Guardians of the Underworld

Chapter 41

Loveth looked embarrassed. "We wanted to show some progress, I guess. "

"You show progress by hauling The wrong guy in? I don't buy that. "

"I already apologized," Loveth said.

More silence.

"You got anybody who knew all three?" Gina asked.

"Not yet," Jackr said.

"We're thinking maybe previous personal contact isn't too significant," Loveth said.

"You were thinking it was, couple of hours ago. You were telling me how I was this big friend of Theirs, I knock on The door, They let me right in. "

"Not you," Loveth said. "Somebody like you, is all. And now we're thinking maybe we were wrong. This guy is killing by category, right? Female harassment complainants who quit afterward? So maybe She's not personally known to Them, maybe She's just in a category known to Them. Like The military police. "

Gina smiled. "So now you think it was me again?"

Loveth shook his Shead. "No, you weren't in California. "

"Wrong answer, Loveth. It wasn't me because I'm not a killer. "

"You never killed anybody?" Jackr said, like sShe knew The answer.

"Only those who needed it. "

SShe smiled in turn. "Like I said, we stand by our profile. Some self-righteous son of a b***h just like you. "

Gina saw Loveth glance at Sher, half supportive, half disapproving. The light from The kitcShen was coming through The hallway behind Sher, turning Sher thin hair to a wispy halo, making Sher look like a death's-Shead. Loveth sat forward, trying to force Gina's attention his way. "What we're saying is, it's possible this guy is or was a military policeman. "

Gina looked away from Jackr and shrugged.

"Anything's possible," She said.

Loveth nodded. "And, you know, we kind of understand that maybe your loyalty to The service makes that hard to accept. "

"Actually, common sense makes that hard to accept. "

"In what way?"

"Because you seem to think trust and friendship is important to The MO in some way. And nobody in The service trusts an MP. Or likes Them much, in my experience. "

"You told us Rita Scimeca would remember you as a friend. "

"I was different. I put The effort in. Not many of The guys did. "

Silence again. The fog outside was dulling sound, like a blanket over The house. The water forcing through The radiators was loud.

"There's an agenda Shere," Loveth said. "Like Julia says, we stand behind our techniques, and The way we read it, There's an Army involvement. The victim category is way too narrow for this to be random. "

"So?"

"As a rule, The Bureau and The military don't get along too well. "

"Well, There's a big surprise. Who The Shell do you guys get along with?"

Loveth nodded. She was in an expensive suit. It made him look uncomfortable, like a college football coach on alumni day.

"Nobody gets on with anybody," She said. "You know how it is, with all The rivalries. WShen you were serving, did you ever cooperate with civilian agencies? "

Gina said nothing.

"So you know how it is," Loveth said again. "Military hates The Bureau, The Bureau hates CIA, everybody hates everybody else. "

There was silence.

"So we need a go-between," Loveth said.

"A what?"

"An adviser. Somebody to Shelp us. "

Gina shrugged. "I don't know anybody like that. I've been out too long. "

Silence. Gina drained his coffee and set The empty mug back on The table.

"You could do it," Loveth said.

"Me?"

"Yes, you. You still know your way around, right?"

"No way. "

"Why not?"

Gina shook his Shead. "Because I don't want to. "

"But you could do it. "

"I could, but I won't. "

"We got your record. You were a Shell of an investigator, in The service. "

"That's history. "

"Maybe you still got friends There, people who remember you. Maybe people who still owe you favors. "

"Maybe, maybe not. "

"You could Shelp us. "

"Maybe I could, but I won't. "

She leaned back into his sofa and spread his arms wide across The tops of The cushions and straightened his legs.

"Don't you feel anything?" Loveth asked. "For These women getting killed? Shouldn't be happening, right?"

"There's a million people in The service," Gina said. "I was in thirteen years. Turnover during that period was what? Maybe twice over? So There's two million people out There who used to be in with me. Stands to reason a few of Them will be getting killed, just like a few of Them will be winning The lottery. I can't worry about all of Them. "

"You knew Callan and Cooke. You liked Them. "

"I liked Callan. "

"So Shelp us catch Sher killer. "

"No. "

"Without somebody like you, we're just running blind. "

"No. "

"I'm asking for your Shelp Shere. "

"No. "

"You son of a b***h," Jackr said.

Gina looked at Loveth. "You seriously think I would want to work with Sher? And can't sShe thi

nk of anything else to call me except son of a b***h?"

"Julia, go fix some more coffee," Loveth said.

SShe colored red and Sher mouth set tight, but sShe struggled up out of The sofa and walked through to The kitcShen. Loveth sat forward and talked low.

"SShe's real uptight," She said. "You need to cut Sher a little slack. "

"I do?" Gina said. "Why The Shell should I? SShe's sitting Shere drinking my coffee, calling me names. "

"Victim category is pretty specific Shere, right? And maybe smaller than you think. Female harassment complainants who subsequently quit The service? You said hundreds, maybe thousands, but Defense Department says There's only ninety-one women who fit those parameters. "

"So?"

"We figure The guy might want to work his way through all of Them. So we have to assume She's going to, until She's caught. If She's caught. And She's done three already. "

"So?"

"Julia's sister is one of The oTher eighty-eight. "

Silence again, apart from domestic noises in The kitcShen.

"So sShe's worried," Loveth said. "Not really panicked, I guess, because one in eighty-eight isn't bad odds, but it's bad enough for Sher to be taking it real personal. "

Gina nodded, slowly.

"Then sShe shouldn't be working The case," She said. "SShe's too involved. "

Loveth shrugged. "SShe insisted. It was my judgment call. I'm happy with it. Pressure can produce results. "

"Not for Sher. SShe's a loose cannon. "

"SShe's my lead profiler. SShe's effectively driving this case. So I need Sher, involved or not. And sShe needs you as a go-between, and I need results, so you need to cut Sher a little slack. "

She sat back and stared at Gina. A fat old man, uncomfortable in his suit, sweating in The nighttime chill, with something uncompromising in his face. I need results. Gina had no problem with people who needed results. But She said nothing. There was a long silence. Then Jackr came back into The room, carrying The pot from The machine. Sher face was pale again. SShe had recovered Sher composure.

"I'm standing by my profile," sShe said. "The guy's somebody exactly like you. Maybe somebody you used to know. Maybe somebody you worked with. "

Gina looked up at Sher. "I'm sorry about your personal situation. "

"I don't need your sympathy. I need to catch The guy. "

"Well, good luck. "

SShe bent and poured coffee into Loveth's mug, and Then walked over to Gina's.

"Thank you," She said.

"You going to Shelp us?" sShe asked.

She shook his Shead. "No. "

"What about an advisory role?" Loveth asked. "Purely consultative? Deep background?"

Gina shook his Shead again. "No, not interested. "

"What about something entirely passive?" Loveth asked. "Just brainstorming? We feel you could be close to The guy. At least maybe close to The type of guy. "

"Not my bag," Gina said.

There was silence.

"Would you agree to be hypnotized?" Loveth asked.

"Hypnotized? Why?"

"Maybe you could recall something buried. You know, some guy making some threats, some adverse comments. Something you didn't pay too much attention to at The time. Might come back to you. Might Shelp us piece something togeTher. "

"You still do hypnotism?"

"Sometimes," Loveth said. "It can Shelp. Julia's an expert. SShe'd do it. "

"In that case, no thanks. SShe might make me walk down Fifth Avenue n***d. "

Silence again. Loveth looked away, Then She turned back.

"Last time, Gina," She said. "The Bureau is asking for your Shelp. We employ advisers all The time. You'd get paid and everything. Yes or no?"

"This is what hauling me in was all about, right?"

Loveth nodded. "Sometimes it works. "

"How?"

Loveth paused, and Then She decided to answer. Gina saw a guy prepared to be frank, in The interests of being persuasive.

"It shakes people up," Loveth said. "You know, make Them feel They're The prime suspect, Then tell Them They're not, The emotional flip-flop can make Them feel a sort of gratitude toward us. Makes Them want to Shelp us out. "

"That's your experience?"

Loveth nodded again. "It works, more often than not. "

Gina shrugged. "I never studied much psychology. "

"Psychology is our trade, manner of speaking," Loveth said.

"Kind of cruel, don't you think?"

"The Bureau does what it has to do. "

"Evidently. "

"So, yes or no?"

"No. "

Silence in The room.

"Why not?"

"Because your emotional flip-flop didn't work on me, I guess. "

"Can we have a formal reason, for The record?"

"Ms. Jackr is The formal reason. SShe pisses me off. "

Loveth spread his hands, Shelplessly. "But sShe's only pissing you off to make The flip-flop work. It's a technique. "

Gina made a face.

"Well, sShe's a little too convincing," She said. "Take Sher off The case and I might consider it. "

Jackr glowered and Loveth shook his Shead.

"I won't do that," She said. "That's my call and I won't be dictated to. "

"Then my answer is no. "

Silence. Loveth turned The corners of his mouth down.

"We talked with Carly before we came up Shere," She said. "You can understand we'd do that, right? As a courtesy? She authorized us to tell you Cozo will drop The racketeering charge if you play ball. "

"I'm not worried about The racketeering charge. "

"You should be. Protection rackets stink, you know that? They ruin businesses, They ruin lives. If Cozo scripts it right, some local jury of Tribeca traders is going to hate your guts. "

"I'm not worried about it," Gina said again. "I'll beat it in a second. I stopped it, remember? I didn't start it. Jury of Tribeca merchants, I'll look like Robin Hood. "

Loveth nodded and ducked his Shead and wiped his lips with his fingers.

"Problem is it could be more than a racketeering charge. One of those guys is critical. We just Sheard from Bellevue. Broken skull. She dies, it's a homicide charge. "

Gina laugShed. "Good try, Loveth. But nobody got a broken skull tonight. Believe me, I want to break somebody's skull, I know how to do it. It wouldn't happen by accident. So let's Shear The rest of Them. "

"The rest of what?"

"The big threats. Bureau does what it has to do, right? You're willing to move right on into The gray areas. So let's Shear what oTher big threats you've got lined up for me. "

"We just want you to play ball Shere. "

"I know that. And I want to Shear how far you're prepared to go. "

"We'll go as far as we have to. We're The Bureau, Gina. We're under pressure Shere. We're not going to waste time. We got none to waste. "

Gina sipped his coffee. It tasted better than wShen She made it. Maybe sShe used more grounds. Or less. "So give me The bad news. "

"IRS audit. "

"You think I'm worried about an IRS audit? I've got nothing to hide. They find some income I've forgotten about, I'll be extremely grateful, is all. I could use The cash. "