Free White Offerings by Ann Roberts Page B

outcome.
    Rasp swirled her Chardonnay. “We don’t have a lot. The weapon is missing.”
    “No surprise there,” Molly said. “It’s probably at the bottom of Tempe Town Lake. Whoever killed Itchy is a pro. He’s not going to make mistakes. I’ll bet there weren’t any prints on the car either.”
    Rasp shook her head. “Nope. And we checked out that bus pass that belonged to LaDonna Jones. That’s another dead end. She’s a postal employee who works downtown and lost it a few weeks ago.”
    “So, I’ll ask my question again,” Andre said. “Where do we go from here?”
    Rasp replied, “We go on that slip of paper you guys found. I agree that Itchy hid those numbers for a reason. We just need to figure out what they mean.”
    Molly sipped her Scotch and thought about the slogan “Here to Help!” “I already Googled the phrase on the Internet and, as you might imagine, there were pages and pages of hits. It could take us years to figure it out.”
    “I think we need a different angle,” Rasp said. “I’d investigate the paper. We need to find the printer.”
    “That could be a total dead end,” Molly argued. “We could sift through thousands of invoices, and there are hundreds of printing companies in Phoenix. For all we know, whoever printed it already went under.”
    “You’re a bit of a pessimist, aren’t you?” Rasp gave a crooked smile and she blushed.
    “We’ve gotta try,” Andre said. “It’s our only lead. Let’s start with the big places tomorrow and work down.” He checked his watch. “I’ve gotta go. I’ll see you tomorrow, Mol.” He threw some bills on the bar, nodded to Rasp and left.
    Suddenly the situation seemed more intimate, and Molly felt guilty, as though she were doing something inappropriate. She reminded herself that she was sitting in a bar with a colleague—nothing more. The fact that Rasp was extremely attractive, and her chocolate brown eyes incredibly soothing, didn’t matter.
    “So, are you on board with the game plan, Nelson?” Rasp asked. Her gaze focused on the inside of her wineglass.
    Molly’s mind jumped back to the investigation. “Yeah, it’s all we’ve got. But I’ve been thinking about something else, too.”
    “What’s that?”
    “Who tipped off Carnotti’s people about the operation?”
    Rasp shrugged. “There are lots of possibilities. Carnotti is highly connected. My bet is your friend Itchy. I think whoever grabbed him had been following him. He may have tried to bargain for his life. I don’t know.”
    Molly frowned. She had trouble believing Itchy would talk. He’d always been highly reliable and careful. Her concern was on the other end. “You don’t think there could have been a leak?”
    Rasp shook her head. “I doubt it. I mean, is it possible? Yeah, it’s possible. But I’ve worked with my people for nearly two years. Everyone’s put their life into nailing Vince Carnotti.”
    “I wasn’t thinking of your people. I was thinking of mine.”
    Rasp glanced at her and their eyes met. “Somebody in particular? Someone you don’t trust?”
    Molly chuckled. “There are lots of cops I don’t trust. I’ve heard rumors about dirty ones, but none of them have anything to do with this investigation. I guess I’m just naturally suspicious, too.”
    “Why?”
    “I’ll bet you can guess. It’s hard enough being a female cop, but being a lesbian has been really difficult. I get a lot of jokes and I could write a book on sexual harassment.”
    “You should report it.”
    “To who? My captain? He’s one of the biggest homophobes on the force. He hates me. The best thing I can do is ride out my time until he gets a promotion or I do.”
    Rasp touched her arm, and Molly’s gaze instantly dropped to her hand. She made no effort to remove it. “I know it’s hard. The FBI isn’t any different. The good-old-boy network doesn’t include me.”
    “And when have you filed a complaint, Agent Rasp?”
    Rasp shrugged.