Long Shadows

Chapter 91

He keeps asking to call his damn embassy,” reported White to Decker after Perlman and his men had been arrested and charged.

“He can call Vladimir Putin for all the good it will do him.”

They were at the police facility where the men had been brought to be booked for the murders.

White had contacted Agent Andrews and filled him in. As they were standing there, Maya Perlman rushed in, looking alarmed.

“There was a police officer at my house when I got back. He drove me here. Can someone please tell me what the hell is going on?”

“Your husband and two of his associates have been charged with murder and attempted murders,” said Decker.

“Murder? That’s ridiculous. Who is Trevor supposed to have murdered?”

“Alan Draymont, Alice Lancer, Patty Kelly, and Kanak Roe. And the attempted murders were a woman named Deidre Fellows and me.”

She gaped. “You?”

“We have it all on audio,” said White. “Your husband is some kind of Soviet spy from way back.”

She looked at White. “A Soviet spy? You must be delusional.”

White squared off with the woman. “Are you saying you knew nothing about any of it?”

“Of course I didn’t. Because none of it is true.”

Decker said, “Well, then you might want to ask your hubby why he keeps demanding to speak with someone at the Russian embassy.”

Perlman shot him a terrified look. “The Russian embassy?”

“Yeah. If you listen closely you can hear him.”

She looked down at the floor. “Oh my God, what is happening?”

White said, “A lot is happening, Mrs. Perlman, and none of it good. Your husband is a bad guy, a real bad guy who blackmailed Americans into turning against their country.”

She put a hand to her mouth and sobbed. “This isn’t happening. It can’t be.”

White’s look softened. “Okay, I know this is a lot to process. Let me get you some water before you pass out. Then I’ll find you a room where you can have some privacy. I recall you have kids from your first marriage, right?”

Perlman dumbly nodded.

“You can call them. They can come and be with you. Okay? Help you get through this?”

Perlman shot her a grateful look and nodded. “Y-yes, thank you.”

White led her away and then returned to Decker.

“She’s either a Viola Davis — level actress or the woman was clueless about old Trevor.”

“He probably didn’t tell her. No reason to. Need-to-know spy bullshit.”

She sat down next to him. “You solved this sucker and brought the bad guys down.”

“We did, Freddie. I wasn’t solving anything without you.”

“Thank you for saying that,” she said warmly. “But it seems like Perlman didn’t have the judge killed. And Barry couldn’t have done it. So are we back to Dennis Langley?”

“I don’t know.”

“Who else is out there? Langley has no alibi, really. And Barry now has two alibis, Tyler, and the neighbor.”

Decker looked at her funny. Barry has two alibis. Tyler and... But the neighbor’s alibi was enough. Tyler’s wasn’t needed.

“Decker, I know that look. You thought of something, didn’t you?”

He didn’t answer her. He was suddenly feeling sick to his stomach. What if Tyler wasn’t Barry’s alibi? What if Barry was Tyler’s alibi?