The Dead Room

44

Darby reached for the plastic cup of water sitting on the nightstand.

Chadzynski folded her hands behind her back. Warner glanced out of the small window installed in the door, then turned to the commissioner and nodded.

‘Lieutenant Warner does a sweep of my office and car two to three times a week to look for listening devices,’ Chadzynski said. ‘He performed one this morning and found listening devices installed in the panel of my car door.’

‘The listening devices are sophisticated,’ Warner said in a gravelly voice. ‘They turned on and off by remote to save battery power, and have a three-mile listening radius.’

‘Mr Warner has some people he trusts going through my office,’ Chadzynski said. ‘After they’ve finished, they’re going to inspect your office, then the entire lab.’

People he trusts, Darby thought.

She licked her dry lips, looked at Warner and said, ‘Who are you?’

Chadzynski answered the question. ‘Mr Warner is the head of Anti-Corruption.’

The cops who worked in Anti-Corruption reported directly to the police commissioner. Only Chadzynski knew their identities.

‘The news is playing actual footage of the explosion,’ Chadzynski said. ‘Some TV camera must have been recording. In any event, I had the bomb squad commander examine the footage and they believe the explosions were caused by an IED.’

An improvised explosives device, Darby thought. That made sense – two separate explosions, two separate charges.

‘What kind, do we know?’

‘The bomb squad says it’s too early to say until they’ve sifted through the debris – they’re at the site as we speak,’ Chadzynski said. ‘However, given the way the house and crime scene vehicle went up, they’re in agreement that the IED contained either a plastic explosive, like C-4, or dynamite.’

‘I don’t think they were timed charges. I think someone was watching the house and detonated them.’

‘Maybe it’s this mystery man you met in Belham – the one with the brown van.’

‘How did you find out?’ Darby hadn’t filed her report – she hadn’t even had time to write it.

‘I had Jackson Cooper in my office first thing this morning,’ Chadzynski said. ‘He brought me up to date. It’s his opinion that the area around the house was pretty well sealed off.’

‘It was.’

‘He also told me a patrolman was placed at the front door. That you asked him and Detective Jennings not to allow any Federal agents inside the house.’

Darby nodded, knowing where Chadzynski was heading, why Lieutenant Warner and his Anti-Corruption squad were now on board.

‘I think it’s reasonable to assume that the IEDs weren’t inside the house when you arrived – or on the crime scene vehicle,’ Chadzynski said. ‘To gain access to the house, someone either posed as a Boston police officer or was, in fact, an actual officer.’

‘I agree,’ Darby said. ‘Is that why you asked Pine to leave the room?’

‘I have no reason to suspect him of anything. It’s simply a precautionary measure, but I want to restrict this investigation to people I can trust – you, and Lieutenant Warner. We now have to deal with this additional element, this victim found in the basement of Kevin Reynolds’s former home, a Federal agent named Peter Alan who died during Frank Sullivan’s boat raid.’

‘Jennings said he believed the man was Peter Alan. We won’t know until we run his prints.’

‘The fingerprints came back this morning. It’s Peter Alan. Mr Cooper told me.

‘Four Federal agents died along with Frank Sullivan – Peter Alan, Jack King, Tony Frissora and Steven White. If Alan is alive, I think we should go on the theory that the others are too.’

Darby nodded.

Chadzynski said, ‘Mr Cooper also informed me that the man who murdered your father requested a meeting with you but he was vague on the details.’

‘I was scheduled to speak with John Ezekiel this morning at ten about Amy Hallcox. Her real name is Kendra Sheppard. She visited him the day she was murdered.’

‘Yes, I know. Mr Cooper told me. As for Ezekiel, I’ll have Lieutenant Warner speak to him.’

‘Ezekiel said he’d speak only to me.’

‘Why?’

‘I won’t know until I talk to him.’

‘Have you spoken to him before?’

‘No,’ Darby said. ‘Never.’

Chadzynski digested this silently.

‘Mr Cooper has asked to be removed from the CSU.’

‘Yes,’ Darby said, ‘I know.’

‘His request surprised me, as I’m sure it did you. I know how much you value him, both personally and professionally.’

Darby waited.

‘He cited the reason as conflict of interest, but he wouldn’t tell me specifics,’ Chadzynski said. ‘Do you have any ideas?’

‘At one point in time he knew Kendra Sheppard on a personal level. They’re both from Charlestown.’

‘Mr Cooper neglected to mention that fact to me.’

‘It must have slipped his mind.’

‘I can tell by the tone of your voice you honestly don’t believe that.’

No, she didn’t. ‘Commissioner, I’d like you to put some people on Michelle Baxter.’

‘Who?’

‘She lives in Charlestown, in an apartment building right down the street from the Reynolds house. She’s the woman who was speaking to the driver of the brown van I saw yesterday in Belham – the mystery man, as you called him.’

‘This is the first I’m hearing of this woman.’

So Coop hadn’t told her.

‘Is Mr Cooper deliberately withholding information that could help this case?’

‘He identified Kendra Sheppard,’ Darby said. ‘He –’

‘Please answer my question.’

Darby drank some water. Coop knew something; she could feel it in her gut. He was under no legal obligation to speak, but if Chadzynski found out he had willingly withheld information that could be helpful, he could kiss his Boston career goodbye. A disciplinary meeting would be held. Given his untarnished work record, he’d most likely be asked to tender his resignation instead of being fired – if he was lucky.

But if his deliberate withholding of information wound up contributing to the injury or death of someone, Coop would never work in law enforcement again, not to mention possible prosecution.

‘Darby?’

‘Yes. I think he’s withholding something.’

‘Then I suggest you speak to him. Today.’

‘I will, after I talk to Ezekiel.’

‘Are you feeling well enough to go to the prison?’

Darby nodded.

‘Mr Warner will drive you,’ Chadzynski said. ‘I’d like him to take your vehicle. While you’re inside the prison, he can check for listening devices.’

Darby described her car and told Warner about the garage down the street. She found her keys on top of the nightstand and handed them to him.

Chadzynski stepped away from the bed and was about to open the door when she turned around, her gaze level. ‘You may want to remind Mr Cooper what he’s putting on the line. I hope, for his sake, he’s not deliberately withholding vital information.’

I do too, Darby thought, reaching for the phone.