Ambush

Chapter 30

The next day at the office, I wasted no time, walking up to Harry Grissom and telling him some of what I had deduced about the string of killings. These weren’t business-as-usual drug rip-offs and grocery store robberies. There was a pattern to it — I just hadn’t figured out what that pattern was. I needed to keep digging and wanted Grissom’s blessing to start rummaging through old homicide cases.

He pulled me over to a corner near a window where no one in the squad bay would hear us. Then he looked at me with those droopy eyes and said, “What’ve you got?”

I’d known this hardened cop for too long not to come right to the point. “I think the ambush was part of a bigger drug war that’s going on. I don’t know why anyone would want me or Antrole dead, but the way our original suspect was murdered and the tip that came in to us makes it look like it was a setup from the very beginning.”

Grissom just nodded as he considered it.

“I’ve also found two murders of Canadian nationals here in the city in the last week. Both victims had a past involving narcotics and were known to be associated with the Canadian mob. I have intel from a couple of sources that says the Canadians are clashing with a Mexican cartel over control of the synthetic drug market.”

The lieutenant interrupted me. “Are you saying there’s a drug war involving Canadians?”

“Yes, that’s exactly what I’m saying.”

“That will be one of the quietest, most polite drug wars in history.” He took a moment to think, then said, “You can keep on your assignment, trying to discover patterns in these homicides. But I don’t want you to start coming up with crazy conspiracy theories. You know as well as I do that the majority of the murders in New York are somehow related to drugs. I want to find Antrole’s killer just as badly as you do. But I don’t want you raising such a fuss that someone asks why you aren’t assigned any current homicides. Is that clear?”

“Crystal.”

“Then I expect you to get on with your assignment. If that assignment happens to lead to viable suspects in Antrole’s murder, then everyone is happy. If not, I wasted my best detective on a foolish assignment. I’ve been accused of worse.”

I watched Grissom as he padded back to his office. I often wondered if he tried to be inspiring or just had a way about him that pushed you to your limits. Suddenly I felt energy. I needed to line up some leads and feel like I was doing something.

That’s how a cop should always feel.