Free Misery Bay by Steve Hamilton Page B

today. If this was somebody who tracked him from downstate, I’m sure he wouldn’t have hesitated to kill two people instead of one.”
    “We have other agents working on this from the Detroit end,” Agent Long said. She was starting to look a little apprehensive, at least. Unlike her partner. “Maybe they’ll find someone who’ll be willing to point us in the right direction. That’s what we all want, right?”
    “In the meantime,” Agent Fleury said, “we’ll try to stay out of your way as much as possible. You do realize that anything directly relating to this case needs to come through us. We’re clear on that?”
    On top of everything else, I thought, Chief Maven just got pushed down one more notch on the totem pole. He’s so low now it’s a wonder he can still see above the dirt.
    Without even realizing what I was doing, I started to edge my chair back away from the impending blast zone.
    Then he spoke.
    “I’ll do whatever I can to cooperate with your investigation.” Maven’s voice was devoid of any anger, any sincerity, anything living at all.
    “Very good,” Agent Fleury said. He seemed only slightly put off by the robot who’d apparently taken over Chief Maven’s body. Agent Long looked at me for some kind of reassurance, but I was even more confused than she was.
    “Chief, are you okay?” she said.
    “His wife,” he said. “Has she been notified?”
    “His ex-wife,” Agent Fleury said. “Yes, she’s been notified.”
    “Who told her?”
    “Another marshal, I believe.”
    “Okay,” Maven said. “Then I think we’re done here. Go do your jobs and find out who did this.”
    “You can rest assured we’ll do exactly that,” Agent Fleury said. “I can’t tell you how much we appreciate your cooperation today.”
    “We’ll be staying at the Ojibway if you need us,” Agent Long said. “I’m sure we’ll be here in town for a couple of days, at the very least. Of course, we’ll be in touch as soon as we know anything.”
    She gave Chief Maven one more look of vague bewilderment, then a quick smile for me. Then they were both out the door.
    The chief made no move to get up. I kept sitting there next to him for a long while, waiting for him to say something to me.
    “If you send me the bill for your services,” he finally said, “I’ll make sure you get paid.”
    “What are you talking about?”
    “You made that trip to Houghton on Raz’s behalf. He’s obviously not here to pay you, so I will.”
    “I don’t want any money.”
    He didn’t answer that. The room was silent again. He kept staring at the door. After another minute passed, he leaned forward, put both hands on the table, and pushed himself to his feet, as slowly as a ninety-year-old man.
    “Chief,” I said, as I got to my feet. “I’m sorry.”
    He took two steps and stopped. He didn’t look at me.
    “It’s time for you to go home,” he said. “I have work to do.”
    “What are you planning on doing now?”
    He turned and looked me in the eye for the first time since we’d come back to the station. Hell, for the first time since I’d found Raz on his kitchen floor.
    “Do you have to ask?”
    “You heard what they said, Chief. This isn’t your case.”
    “You’re probably right. But let me ask you a question. If it was your old friend, would you let anybody stop you?”
    “Chief, come on.”
    “Answer the question.”
    I looked at him for a long time. I didn’t say yes. I didn’t say no. I didn’t have to say anything at all, because we both knew the answer.

 
     
    And we’re rolling …
     
    … Here’s my neighbor, Mrs. P. Hello, Mrs. P. How are your roses growing?
     
    … Close-up on her face. She’s looking at the camera, looking at the camera, that’s it.
     
    … And then boom, she looks at something behind me.
     
    … Her face changes. Yes, that’s it. Nice job. You’re selling this. It’s all in the face.
     
    … Meanwhile. Uh-oh. This can’t be good,