Read Online The Single Staircase by Matt Ingwalson - Free Book Online
Authors: Matt Ingwalson
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heads.
“Does anybody have any other ideas ?”
Silence. Almost imperceptible shrugs . No.
“Raccoon, any other ideas ?”
Raccoon whispered, “No.”
“Well , where the fuck is the body? Where the fuck is the body?” Owl made a sound that sounded like the devil was pushing out of his throat. He stamped his foot and then f ocus ed . “Daphne ’s missing phone. They say they lost it. They were nervous as hell about it. It’s the only loose thread we have. Anybody got an idea where it could be?”
“That’s going to be a hard one to find, Owl.”
“Yeah. All right. I don’t know what to say here. Anybody got anything?”
Silence.
“Let’s just see. Maybe the press conference will buy us some heat, buy us some time. Someone will crack. S omeone always cracks. Go home.”
Chap. 61
The officers filed out. One by one. Failure and exhaustion on their faces.
And then Owl looked up. He squinted and breathed. He stopped clenching his fists so he could signal Raccoon and then he called out, “Jefferson, wait.”
The detective stopped, turned around, looked at Owl. Looked at Raccoon. Looked back at Owl. Owl’s face was no longer sad. Just tense, the eyebrows pushed together, the lips drawn tight.
“Yeah, Owl?”
“ W hat do we know about roofies? It’s a date rape drug, right? Guys use them to knock out girls and then rape them.”
“Can be. Sometimes. Not usually. That’s sort of a media thing.”
“What’s that?”
“The date rape thing. It was the flavor of the month a few years back . But that’s, like, two percent of what the kids use them for. The rave kids, they take roofies all the time. Nine times out of ten, you bust kids for roofies at dance club s , not a frat house.”
“Why?”
“Sedative for the kids who are trying to come down off something. Others just like the high.”
“What’s it like?”
“Just like being really, really drunk. Really drunk.”
“But what’s the date rape thing?”
“Yeah, I mean, take enough of it, it knocks you out. Takes 30 minutes to kick in, you wake up a couple hours later barely remembering your own name. Guys give it to girls, the girls don’t even know they’ve been raped sometimes. They’re just confused. But like I said, that’s rare.”
Owl had been born an adult. He’d been a serious child, and then a sniper, a drinker, a man who searched for evil and who made his life moving among bad people. Nothing ever surprised him. Nothing ever really made him happy. Yet now he said out loud, nearly bellowed, “I got it. I got it. I know what happened to her .”
Chap. 62
Owl wouldn’t talk, wouldn’t explain. He sent Racco on for coffee and Raccoon went.
Owl placed a long-distance phone call. He did paperwork. He stared at the wall. Finally, three hours later, he got an email with an image attached.
He made two calls. The first was to Harrison, the PIO . He told him to cancel the press conference, that the whole thing was a mistake. Harrison protested that the mayor’s office was sending an aide. Owl just repeated, he needed the whole thing cancelled.
Then Owl called the surveillance officer and told him to arrest David Grey.
“On what charge?”
“Just bring him in.”
Chap. 63
It was almost 10 p.m.
David Grey sat in interrogation. The same room as three days ago. The same spartan metal table. The same untouched coffee. The same lack of lawyers, no David A. Davidson.
And the same Raccoon, sitting alone in another room, hunched over a video monitor.
And then Owl was in the room with Raccoon.
“I need you to turn it off.”
“What?”
“Off. I need the recorder off.”
“You know we can’t do that.”
Owl breathed . Paused. And said, “Please?”
A moment passed. And then Raccoon did it. He reached over and turned the recorder off.
“Thanks, Raccoon.”
Raccoon nodded. “I’m still listening, you know? Don’t fuck this up, this thing you’re doing.”
“I know,” Owl said.
“Does anybody have any other ideas ?”
Silence. Almost imperceptible shrugs . No.
“Raccoon, any other ideas ?”
Raccoon whispered, “No.”
“Well , where the fuck is the body? Where the fuck is the body?” Owl made a sound that sounded like the devil was pushing out of his throat. He stamped his foot and then f ocus ed . “Daphne ’s missing phone. They say they lost it. They were nervous as hell about it. It’s the only loose thread we have. Anybody got an idea where it could be?”
“That’s going to be a hard one to find, Owl.”
“Yeah. All right. I don’t know what to say here. Anybody got anything?”
Silence.
“Let’s just see. Maybe the press conference will buy us some heat, buy us some time. Someone will crack. S omeone always cracks. Go home.”
Chap. 61
The officers filed out. One by one. Failure and exhaustion on their faces.
And then Owl looked up. He squinted and breathed. He stopped clenching his fists so he could signal Raccoon and then he called out, “Jefferson, wait.”
The detective stopped, turned around, looked at Owl. Looked at Raccoon. Looked back at Owl. Owl’s face was no longer sad. Just tense, the eyebrows pushed together, the lips drawn tight.
“Yeah, Owl?”
“ W hat do we know about roofies? It’s a date rape drug, right? Guys use them to knock out girls and then rape them.”
“Can be. Sometimes. Not usually. That’s sort of a media thing.”
“What’s that?”
“The date rape thing. It was the flavor of the month a few years back . But that’s, like, two percent of what the kids use them for. The rave kids, they take roofies all the time. Nine times out of ten, you bust kids for roofies at dance club s , not a frat house.”
“Why?”
“Sedative for the kids who are trying to come down off something. Others just like the high.”
“What’s it like?”
“Just like being really, really drunk. Really drunk.”
“But what’s the date rape thing?”
“Yeah, I mean, take enough of it, it knocks you out. Takes 30 minutes to kick in, you wake up a couple hours later barely remembering your own name. Guys give it to girls, the girls don’t even know they’ve been raped sometimes. They’re just confused. But like I said, that’s rare.”
Owl had been born an adult. He’d been a serious child, and then a sniper, a drinker, a man who searched for evil and who made his life moving among bad people. Nothing ever surprised him. Nothing ever really made him happy. Yet now he said out loud, nearly bellowed, “I got it. I got it. I know what happened to her .”
Chap. 62
Owl wouldn’t talk, wouldn’t explain. He sent Racco on for coffee and Raccoon went.
Owl placed a long-distance phone call. He did paperwork. He stared at the wall. Finally, three hours later, he got an email with an image attached.
He made two calls. The first was to Harrison, the PIO . He told him to cancel the press conference, that the whole thing was a mistake. Harrison protested that the mayor’s office was sending an aide. Owl just repeated, he needed the whole thing cancelled.
Then Owl called the surveillance officer and told him to arrest David Grey.
“On what charge?”
“Just bring him in.”
Chap. 63
It was almost 10 p.m.
David Grey sat in interrogation. The same room as three days ago. The same spartan metal table. The same untouched coffee. The same lack of lawyers, no David A. Davidson.
And the same Raccoon, sitting alone in another room, hunched over a video monitor.
And then Owl was in the room with Raccoon.
“I need you to turn it off.”
“What?”
“Off. I need the recorder off.”
“You know we can’t do that.”
Owl breathed . Paused. And said, “Please?”
A moment passed. And then Raccoon did it. He reached over and turned the recorder off.
“Thanks, Raccoon.”
Raccoon nodded. “I’m still listening, you know? Don’t fuck this up, this thing you’re doing.”
“I know,” Owl said.
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