3rd Degree

Chapter 18

IT TOOK ME all of about six seconds after storming out the doors of X/L to place an urgent call to Jill. I took her through the frustrating meeting I'd just come out of.

“You're looking for a subpoena,” Jill cut me off, “to get into Lightower's files?”

“Duh, Jill, and fast, before they send in the Arthur Ander-sen boys to do a little office tidying.”

“Any evidence there's anything in Lightower's computer to back that up?”

“Call me suspicious, Jill, but when a guy I'm interviewing starts to twist around like a cod on a fishing line, those little police antennae behind my ears always go twang.”

“How do they go, Lindsay?” Jill chuckled back.

“Twang,” I said, more firmly. “C'mon, Jill, I'm not screw-ing around.”

“Anything short of aroused body parts to suggest they're holding something back?” The blood began to roil in my chest. “You're not gonna do this for me, are you?”

“I can't do this for you, Lindsay. And if I did, whatever you found wouldn't make it through arraignment. Look, I could try to cut a deal with them.”

“Jill. I've got a multiple-murder investigation.”

“Then if I were you, I'd try to apply some nonlegal pressure.” “You want to spell that out for me?” Jill snorted. "Last I checked, you still had a few friends in

the news media....“ ”You're saying maybe they'd be more forthcoming if their

company got trashed a little on the front page of the Chronicle.“ ”Duh, Linds...“ I heard Jill giggle. All of a sudden a beep sounded on my cell phone. Cappy Thomas at the office. ”Lieutenant, I need you back

at home base, posthaste. We got a line on the au pair."