Free Shadow Tag (The Ray Schiller Series - Book 2) by Marjorie Doering Page A

“Look, I don’t like it, but we can’t completely rule out Gaines yet. Maybe Costales was more desperate to take over ACC than we thought. Maybe he took a stupid risk and waved a fistful of money under Gaines’ nose that night. The kid’s just starting out, and he’s got a grandmother who’s about to become totally dependent on him. That’s a hell of a lot of pressure. The prospect of getting more money than he’s ever seen in his life might’ve been enough to make him cave. Maybe Costales just got real lucky.”
    “It sucks, but it’s a possibility,” Waverly said. “So, say Costales promised Gaines a ton of money to kill Davis after he’d left the building. Gaines could’ve pulled the trigger and earned himself a shitload of blood money, and Johnson’s story about seeing Davis alive could be true. Yeah, it could’ve gone down that way.”
    “Hey, how’s it going, guys?”
    Ray looked up and found a familiar face studying them. He couldn’t put a name to it, but he recognized the young detective as one of the few who’d given him a genuine welcome when he’d arrived at the first precinct.
    “It’s going all right,” Waverly told him. “Ray, you remember Dennis Hoerr, don’t you?”
    “Sure,” Ray said, shaking his hand. “Good to see you again.” The guys in vice probably had a field day with that name; he couldn’t believe he’d forgotten it. Dennis Hoerr looked all of fifteen. Ray would’ve bet that baby face couldn’t produce a five o’clock shadow before midnight.
    Keeping his hands nestled in his pockets, Hoerr asked, “So, what are you guys working on—anything interesting?” His incessant rocking on the balls of his feet was making Ray queasy.
    “We’re still chipping away at the Paul Davis case,” Waverly said.
    “Got anything yet?”
    “We’ve got some ideas,” Waverly told him. “Nothing we can back up yet, though.”
    “Anything I can do?” Hoerr asked. “I’m kind of at loose ends right now, you know?”
    “Yeah.” Waverly laid a hand on his shoulder. “How’re you doing, Dennis?”
    “All right, I guess.” Hoerr’s face brightened. “Hey, listen, guys. I’ve got my folks’ fishing boat this weekend. I’m taking it out on Minnetonka to see if I can reel in a few bass or something. Would the two of you like to come?”
    “Sorry,” Waverly told him, “but Phyllis has me contractually bound to do household chores this weekend.”
    “Can’t you get out of it?”
    “Wish I could, Dennis,” Waverly said, refilling his cup, “but I’ve put ’em off two weekends in a row already. Sorry.”
    Ray could feel Hoerr’s eyes boring into him.
    “What about you, Ray? We can wet our whistles, soak up some sun and call it fishing. How about it?”
    “Can I get a rain check? I’ve got to unpack my stuff and get my apartment in some kind of order.”
    “Come on, Ray, you and me. That stuff can wait. I’ll bring the beer.”
    “Sounds good, but I’ve really got to get organized. I swear the packing boxes are multiplying every time I leave the apartment. Maybe another time.”
    The light in Hoerr’s eyes dimmed. “Sure. Some other time then.”
    Waverly took a swig of the fresh coffee and shouted, “Hey, who brewed this swill? You could pave roads with this crud.”
    From another part of the room, someone shouted, “At least it beats yours, Waverly. What do you do—use the grounds twice?”
    Laughter erupted throughout the room.
    “Hey, look who’s talking—Spencer—the guy whose coffee tastes like he gets the water from a sitz bath.”
    Cheers and applause resounded.
    The door of Chief Roth’s office flew open. His broad body filled the doorway. “What the hell is going on out here? It sounds like a war between Juan Valdez and the Hills Brothers. Knock it off and get back to work.” He spotted Ray and Waverly. “You two.” he said, pointing at them. “I want to see both of you in my office.”
    “Be right there, Chief.” Waverly bent