Page 76 of Bazooka
Luz snapped his fingers. “That’s the one, asshole Adam. Anyway, John Smith has a saw there. A real saw that cuts throughbone. Also, some kind of weird chisels, and those thingies that pull the chest apart so you can look inside. But I had to leave ‘cause he has to do a cremation.”
Maddox burst into laughter, and it was the first time I’d heard the man laugh.
“You mean an autopsy?” I said with a sigh.
Luz blew me a kiss. “No one knows me like you know me.”
I was toying with the idea of locking him in the interrogation room when Chief Bibb walked in.
“Yo, Chief B.,” Luz exclaimed, sliding down my desk. “You will never believe what I just saw.”
Chief Bibb looked as if he was about to run for the hills, and it made me chuckle. In fact, I was still smiling when my phone rang.
“Hey, Marcello,” I answered.
“Hey, Bazooka. I have some good news. I identified the guys who attacked your friend.”
“You’re kidding me.”
“Nope. A server at the local pub recognized them. They’re playing for the rugby team here, and they have a reputation as bullies. I just emailed you their info. One of them is Judge Sommer’s son, so the charges against them usually don’t stick, if you know what I mean. Do you have evidence against them?”
“All circumstantial. Photos of the victim. The witnesses, who saw them molesting the victim and his friends.”
“Yeah, you’ll need more,” Marcello told me what I already knew. “Incidentally, they’re playing against your home team today.”
“No shit. Here in Smitsville?”
“Yup. Although, they could have left already since the game was at noon. I would have let you know all this earlier, but it’s a recent development. They’re staying at the Bradford Motel on the highway. Room forty-three.”
“I owe you one, Marcello. I mean it.”
“Don’t mention it. By the way, how is the hunt for Mendoza going?”
“Not too good,” I replied honestly. “He left a trap for us, made a few threats, but he’s keeping his head under water.”
“We, on the other hand, tracked some suspicious movement on our side of the fence. We may have identified his liaison in Grangetown, but I’m waiting for the final confirmation. I’ll keep you posted.”
“I didn’t know you were assigned to Mendoza’s case, Marcello. Since when?”
“I had a run-in with that psycho, so it’s a recent clusterfuck. Don’t ask. Anyway, I’ll talk to you soon.”
“Yup. Thanks, buddy.”
I wrote the motel info on a piece of paper and headed to the only option available to me with the skill set I needed.
“Hey,” I said when I approached Maddox’s desk. “Would you mind getting your hands dirty sometime today?”
When the cold, black gaze met mine, I almost regretted my decision.
“How dirty?” he said, his face impassive.
“Nothing you would lose sleep over.”
He gave it some thought.
“I can pay you,” I added.
“I don’t need your money, but you will owe me,” he said, narrowing his eyes. “Deal?”
