but unless you can think of anything, we’re going to cut him loose. He’s bitching about having to go to a squash lesson.”
“A squash lesson? Do you know where?”
“Said he has one every Tuesday and Saturday down at The Racquet Club. Why?”
“I could meet him through the squash club. Do a UC. That last UC operative was probably playing the nice guy. We’ve got a missing girl. Maybe it’s time to stop being nice.”
“Damn it, Jack. What are you going to do? Pull his fingernails out with a set of pliers?” Connie paused for a moment and then added, “Which is probably the only way we’d get this son of a bitch to talk.”
“I appreciate your suggestion.”
“I am not suggesting that!” Connie groaned.
“I know. Chill out. Tell me what you plan on doing to find Lily.”
“There’s not a lot left I can do at this point. Nobody knows where she is. Her boyfriend is murdered. From how Porter acted and what he said to me before he was killed, I suspect she’s dead, too. Probably by the same people. The only real lead we have is Slater and he sure as hell won’t talk. I think we’ll have to put Lily on the back burner and see if Wilson can come up with the killers.”
“The guys who swaggered in and nailed Porter weren’t camera-shy. I’m betting they’re back in Mexico. Good luck finding them,” said Jack.
“Yeah, well, Porter’s murder is Wilson’s case.”
“Lily Rae was reported missing out of Chilliwack. That makes her our jurisdiction.”
“She’s probably dead,” said Connie gloomily.
“Yeah, so then you’ve got a homicide to investigate. What are you going to do?”
“I’ve still got her friends to track down and interview. I also have her computer you got for me, but so far it doesn’t look promising.”
“If you and Wilson have already written Slater off, why not let me take a crack at him.”
“What, with the pliers?”
“What if I could get him to talk without physically hurting him? Just by doing a UC and maybe acting like a tough guy. Getting him to open up to me.”
“Without hurting him? What would you do?”
“Whatever I thought was necessary. Mental pressure.”
“Mental pressure? If you even raise your voice at a person to gain a confession, most judges will rule whatever the person says is inadmissible in court. Not to mention that Slater is pretty self-assured. Even if you started screaming at him, I don’t see him as the type to break down and talk.”
“I’m not talking about getting him to say something to incriminate himself. I’m talking about getting him to say something to help us find Lily. We know it wasn’t him who murdered Porter. I want to find out who did.”
“I know, but what if Slater is implicated?” Connie asked. “What if he murdered Lily? If you do something a judge says will throw justice into disrepute, then Slater will walk away from any charges we might —”
“What if Lily’s not dead? Maybe she was taken hostage to put pressure on Porter for whatever he did. Maybe he ripped off their stash or something. The bad guys might have left her tied and gagged in the trunk of some car. They sure as hell didn’t worry about hiding Porter’s body. The fact Lily’s body hasn’t turned up should give us hope.”
“Trust you to think of that scenario. You sure know how to keep me awake all night.”
“Let’s hope Lily is still awake. Come on, CC. I’m not even thinking of hurting Slater physically. Like I said, more of a tough guy image combined with a little intimidation.”
“You think that would get him to talk? I get the feeling he isn’t easily intimidated.”
“The important thing to do is find Lily. I think he will talk.”
Connie paused as she thought about it. “Nothing physical?”
“Nothing physical … but, uh, I suspect whatever he says wouldn’t be admissible in court.”
“What you’re saying all sounds pretty innocent … but I know you. There’s no way I’m going to okay this on my own. I’ll talk it over with Wilson but even if he agrees, I’m still going to run it past a prosecutor. Hopefully one who doesn’t know you.”
“Make it soon. If she’s alive, she may not be for long.”
Connie sighed. “Okay, I’ll get on it right away, but it’s late in the day now and tomorrow’s Canada Day. Bet I don’t get an answer from a prosecutor before Thursday.”
“Let me know. In the meantime, I’ll try to think of an angle to get to Slater.”
Jack grimaced as he hung up. He had a plan brewing in his mind as soon as he heard Slater had obtained a lawyer … but knew it was a plan that if known, would never be approved.
chapter twelve
On Thursday in El Paso, Texas, it was eleven o’clock in the morning when Special Agent Adams awoke to the sound of Yolanda opening the bedroom curtains. She had been up for an hour and was already dressed.
“Christ, close those,” muttered Adams. “The sun feels like someone hit me between the eyes with a hatchet.”
“Serves you right,” replied Yolanda, leaving the curtains open.
“How much did we drink last night?”
“How much did you drink is more like it. Come on, get dressed. It’s almost lunchtime.”
Half an hour later, Adams wandered into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. Yolanda looked up from the table at the sound of a can of Budweiser being opened.
“After last night I thought you would have had enough. What’s this? The hair of the dog?”
Adams nodded and took three gulps out of the can before sitting down.
“Want to talk about it?” asked Yolanda.
“What’s more to say,” replied Adams, taking another gulp of beer, more as an excuse to avoid eye contact than to drink. “We got a gun tucked away in every room of the house. Don’t go out without taking the one in your purse. Always keep an eye in the rear-view and the doors locked.”
“It’s not that. I understand why we are on high alert, but …”
“But what?” snapped Adams, yanking a kitchen chair out to sit down. “What is it?”
“That’s what I’m asking you. These last two days you’ve hardly said a word to me. Even last night when I drank with you, I may as well have been drinking alone. I know you. There’s something
