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Cerulean Sins :: Гамильтон Лорел
Страница: 331 из 352He left and he hid, but not well enough."
"If it was an execution, why make it look like some sort of ritual murder?"
"So it wouldn't look like an execution."
"Why did they care?" I asked.
He shook his head. "It was a message, Anita. They wanted him dead, and they wanted him dead in such a way that it would be sensational enough to make headlines. They wanted his death out there for all the others like him, like me, that left."
"You don't know this for sure, Bradley."
"Not all of it, but I know that everyone involved wants Van Anders caught, and Heinrick gone."
"What about the others?"
"I don't know."
"Are they gone for good, or should I still be worried?"
"Be worried, Anita, I would be."
"Great." Something occurred to me. "I know this is all off the record for you. Well, I've got one thing off the record to ask you."
"I can't promise, but what is it?"
I gave him Leo Harlan's name, and a general description, because it's not that hard to change your name. "He says he's an assassin, and I believe him. He says he's here on a sort of vacation, and I believe that, too. But St. Louis is suddenly lousy with internationally wanted bad guys, and I'd be curious to know if my client is tied to them somehow."
"I'll check around."
"If he comes up on any of your hit parades, I'll avoid him, and refuse to raise his ancestor. If he doesn't, I'll do the job."
"Even though he's an assassin?"
I shrugged. "Who am I to throw stones, Bradley? I try not to judge people more than I have to."
"Or maybe you're getting more comfortable with murderers."
"Yeah, all my friends are either criminals, monsters, or cops."
That made him smile.
Zerbrowski yelled from downstairs. "Anita, yo, we're out of here."
I gave Bradley my cell phone number. He copied it down. I ran for the stairs.
56
O’Brien had started the interrogation before we got there. People in St. Louis didn't seem to understand that sirens and lights on a police car meant get the fuck out of the way. It was almost as if the police car with all flags flying made a gawkers' block around us. The drivers were so busy trying to figure out why we were in such a rush that they forgot to get out of the way.
I had never seen Zerbrowski so angry. Hell, I wasn't sure I'd ever seen him angry. Not for real. He'd raised enough of a fuss to drag O'Brien out of the interrogation, but she kept saying, "You can have him when we're through with him, Sergeant.
"If it was an execution, why make it look like some sort of ritual murder?"
"So it wouldn't look like an execution."
"Why did they care?" I asked.
He shook his head. "It was a message, Anita. They wanted him dead, and they wanted him dead in such a way that it would be sensational enough to make headlines. They wanted his death out there for all the others like him, like me, that left."
"You don't know this for sure, Bradley."
"Not all of it, but I know that everyone involved wants Van Anders caught, and Heinrick gone."
"What about the others?"
"I don't know."
"Are they gone for good, or should I still be worried?"
"Be worried, Anita, I would be."
"Great." Something occurred to me. "I know this is all off the record for you. Well, I've got one thing off the record to ask you."
"I can't promise, but what is it?"
I gave him Leo Harlan's name, and a general description, because it's not that hard to change your name. "He says he's an assassin, and I believe him. He says he's here on a sort of vacation, and I believe that, too. But St. Louis is suddenly lousy with internationally wanted bad guys, and I'd be curious to know if my client is tied to them somehow."
"I'll check around."
"If he comes up on any of your hit parades, I'll avoid him, and refuse to raise his ancestor. If he doesn't, I'll do the job."
"Even though he's an assassin?"
I shrugged. "Who am I to throw stones, Bradley? I try not to judge people more than I have to."
"Or maybe you're getting more comfortable with murderers."
"Yeah, all my friends are either criminals, monsters, or cops."
That made him smile.
Zerbrowski yelled from downstairs. "Anita, yo, we're out of here."
I gave Bradley my cell phone number. He copied it down. I ran for the stairs.
56
O’Brien had started the interrogation before we got there. People in St. Louis didn't seem to understand that sirens and lights on a police car meant get the fuck out of the way. It was almost as if the police car with all flags flying made a gawkers' block around us. The drivers were so busy trying to figure out why we were in such a rush that they forgot to get out of the way.
I had never seen Zerbrowski so angry. Hell, I wasn't sure I'd ever seen him angry. Not for real. He'd raised enough of a fuss to drag O'Brien out of the interrogation, but she kept saying, "You can have him when we're through with him, Sergeant.