Daddy's Little Killer

Chapter 20

Chapter 20

 

Charlie Haverston looked rested and fresh as a daisy when I met him in the lobby at Central Division at eight fifteen. His eyes bugged.

"What in the world happened to you?"

"You don't like my transformation?"

"Dr. Eriksson-"

"Charlie, after this case, we at worst are on a first name basis."

His voice dipped low, and he pulled me aside. "What in God's name is going on? The crime lab called and said they found more surveillance devices. Orion's bodyguard took off with your luggage. You didn't answer your phone-"

I pulled the cell out of my pocket and stared at the dead screen. "I haven't charged it. I'm sorry, Charlie. I've been working on the profile all night."

"And to make matters worse, Danny Datello is upstairs in an interview room cooling his heels for the last fifteen minutes waiting for someone who looked like a no-show."

"I'm here now. Waiting a few minutes isn't going to kill Datello. I'm sure he doesn't like it, but this isn't his ballgame, Charlie. This is our turf, remember?"

"Weber is looking for you."

"Yippie."

"Helen, this is serious. Something is going on around here and for the first time I can remember, nobody's talking about it."

"Good. A little discretion at Central Division is long overdue. I'm gonna run up and talk to Datello. Let Hardy and Weber know that I can meet with them after I finish this interview."

"I don't think they're willing to wait."

"Too bad. They brought me here to solve crimes. That doesn't happen by executive committee." I paused before heading toward the stairs. "Do I look utterly unexpected?"

Charlie shook his head and laughed. "I barely recognized you. What's with the get-up?"

"I spent the night in the morgue and as you well know, someone else has custody of my luggage. Come down to the interview after you talk to Chief Weber. I want you part of this conversation, Charlie."

A pin dropping would've echoed when I marched through the squad room and headed for interview. Caffeine thrummed through my veins and excited every nerve in my body until they congealed into a solid mass in my gut. Walking into a room with Danny Datello was either the most brilliant thing I would ever do or the most ill advised.

There was no avoiding it. He knew I was here. I knew he was here. Doubt swirled through my brain about the bumbling PIs Orion was convinced Datello hired. Like many other things bouncing around me, it didn't add up.

Squelching the temptation to observe Datello from behind the glass was difficult. My hand hesitated, trembled even when I reached for the doorknob. What did Datello suspect, and what did he know? My lower lip endured a little more damage. Keep them off balance, Helen. It's your best weapon. Wendell's advice blanketed me with a sense of calm confidence. I pushed the door open and stepped inside.

Datello sat at the table, navy blue Armani from shoulders to floor. It must've been en vogue this season. Garish diamond cufflinks pierced his starched white sleeves. Face a little too olive, hair a little too black, hands a little too pudgy. Uncle Sully would see him as a soft man. 

Cold brown eyes impaled me. I was impervious to his attempt at intimidation. Until he stood.

Datello dwarfed his East Coast family. Funny, the details one misses when she doesn't realize she should be paying attention.