Long Shadows (Amos Decker, #7)(61)

“The woman who brought her in said that Lancer would be able to provide us information about Draymont. She didn’t specify anything about Draymont being assigned to guard the judge.”

“I don’t remember the exchange exactly,” said White.

“But I do. So we need to check with Gamma and find out why Lancer, out of all the people there, was picked to talk to us.” He pulled out his phone and punched in a number.

“Who are you calling?”

“Kasimira Roe,” replied Decker.

“She won’t tell you anything. That lady hides behind the lawyers.”

“I think she might talk to me this time…Kasimira? Yeah, it’s Decker. Look, I went over your father’s file, talked to Danny Garcia, and I have some thoughts and leads I’m going to run down. But on my case, I need an answer to a question.”

He asked about Lancer.

“Right, yeah. Okay…Is that right? She did? All right, yeah, thanks. I’ll be in touch about your father. Thanks again.”

He clicked off and looked at the floor.

“Well!” snapped White. “What did she say?”

Decker glanced up at her. “Gamma didn’t pick Lancer to talk to us. Kasimira said that Lancer approached the associate Kasimira sent out of the meeting and told her that she could help with the inquiry.”

“You mean she basically volunteered to come and meet us?”

“Yeah, but she didn’t meet with us, did she? She pulled her fainting act before she said a word, and now she’s disappeared.”

White looked thoughtful. “So she might have seen us come in, anticipated what we would ask about, and then seized the opportunity?”

“But why come forward and then disappear? Why not just slink off into the shadows and we’d never know of her involvement, since Gamma wasn’t protecting the judge?”

“Did Roe say why Lancer came forward?” asked White.

“She didn’t know for sure, but she said that Lancer and Draymont worked closely together at Gamma. He was the field guy and she was a supervisor. But still, Lancer could have just kept silent. There would be no reason for us to question her.”

“But if she wanted to get away she might pull a stunt like that.”

Decker said, “But why not wait a bit and then just announce you’re moving or taking a new job or retiring to go paint landscapes in Tuscany? Why do it that fast?”

White replied, “Because after what happened to Draymont, she was afraid the same thing would happen to her. She had to act fast and seized on the opportunity of our being there.”

Decker looked at her with respect. “Freddie, I think you might be right about that. Nice work.”

She smiled at him.

“What?”

“First time you called me Freddie. I like how you say it.”

Decker looked around the bedroom. “I’m thinking Draymont bought it in the study, then his killer left right away. Then the second person comes in, sees Cummins kneeling next to the dead Draymont, chases her upstairs, and kills her.”

“So the second killer was there and also seized an opportunity?” said White.

“He might have seen Draymont go down and then he goes after his real target, the judge.”

“Or she. Could Alice Lancer have killed Draymont? Maybe there was something between them we don’t know about. They might have been more than coworkers. Remember that Lancer’s neighbor recognized Draymont as being at her house a lot. She thought they were dating.”

“And then Lancer left Cummins alive to tell on her?”

“Your theory of two killers is not as plausible as Lancer having killed both of them,” noted White. “She uses a gun with Draymont because he was a big, strong guy and she didn’t want to take a chance of him overpowering her. Then she waits for Cummins to come downstairs, maybe to check on the noise the shots might have made. When she does, Lancer attacks Cummins with a knife, chases her all the way upstairs, and kills her right here. If Lancer and Draymont were lovers, maybe they had a falling-out and Lancer went all jealous when she found out about Cummins. It could happen. That would explain the frenzy of the attack on Cummins.”

“And Lancer stuffs old Slovakian money down Draymont’s throat?” said Decker.

“She worked at Gamma, she would know of the connection. It’s a distraction only. Same with the cut-up blindfold and the ‘res ipsa’ bullshit.”

“Well, if we can find Lancer, it might clear a lot of things up.”

“Let’s hope we do.”

He said, “Now, let’s just check the study.”

They trooped downstairs, and into the room where Draymont’s body had been discovered.

They both stopped so abruptly, they bumped into each other.

The electric blue light was slamming Decker from all corners.

They had just found Alice Lancer. However, she would not be telling them a damn thing.





Chapter 42



D?ECKER AND WHITE WATCHED AS Alice Lancer’s covered remains were wheeled out of Cummins’s house on a gurney.

Andrews spoke with Helen Jacobs, the ME, and then came over to them.

“She was shot,” said Andrews. “Two to the chest. Just like Draymont.”