FILES. AND MORE files.
Paper bones with very little meat.
Decker dropped the last of them on a pile in the middle of the desk, sat back, and breathed in the stale air that seemed to permeate Baronville’s police headquarters on Baron Boulevard. Right next door was Baronville City Hall.
Jamison sat across from him taking notes. Decker, with his perfect memory, never needed to do that. He idly watched her pen gliding over the paper. The door opened a moment later and Detective Green came in.
“Any luck?” he asked as he popped a stick of gum into his mouth.
Jamison finished the sentence she was writing and looked up.
Decker closed his eyes. “Joyce Tanner and Toby Babbot were unemployed. Michael Swanson was a drug dealer. Bradley Costa was an SVP at a bank. And they all lived alone. No family. Tanner had been married but subsequently got divorced.”
Green closed the door behind him. “Yeah, well, that we already knew.”
Decker opened his eyes. “What was Babbot’s disability?” He glanced at Green, who was taking a seat across from him.
“The file just said he was disabled,” pointed out Jamison. “It didn’t say how or why.”
“Is that relevant?” asked Green.
“Everything is relevant until you can show it’s not,” said Decker.
“I’ll check.” Green leaned back in his chair. “So, nothing really jumped out at you?” he asked.
Before either Decker or Jamison could answer, the door opened again and Lassiter came in. She was dressed in a beige jacket and knee-length skirt with chunky heels. Her hair was loose around her shoulders.
“So, have I missed anything at the powwow?” she asked, taking a seat next to Green.
“Not much,” said her partner. “Just a follow-up question that may or may not be ‘relevant.’”
Decker stared at the opposite wall. “I met John Baron last night.”
Jamison looked surprised by this but kept silent.
Decker continued, “Some young punks were roughing him up. I intervened. But he declined to press charges. Any idea why?”
“Guilt, maybe,” replied Green.
“About what?” asked Jamison.
“It’s complicated,” said Lassiter.
“I’ve got lots of time,” replied Decker. “I’m technically on vacation.” He clasped his hands in front of him and studied her with an expectant expression.
Lassiter looked uncomfortably at Green and said, “Okay, the Baron family basically exploited this place and then sold out to companies that eventually shuttered everything. They lived in great luxury high up on the hill, while the rest of the town suffered and slowly died. And we’re still dying.”
“Did the present John Baron have anything to do with that?” asked Decker.
Lassiter shook her head. “No. He was in college when his parents died. But he’s lived up there ever since.”
“So why blame him?” asked Jamison.
“He’s a Baron,” interjected Green.
“So guilt by association?” said Jamison.
“I’m not saying it’s right or fair, I’m just saying that’s how it is,” replied Green. “I’ve personally got nothing against the guy. He never hurt me or anyone I cared about.”
“Lucky you,” said Lassiter.
Jamison looked at her. “Did he hurt someone you cared about?”
Lassiter put up a hand. “It has nothing to do with anything.”
Green added with a glance at Decker, “And to paraphrase you, I don’t see how this little trip into the sordid history of Baronville is helping us solve six murders.”
Decker said, “I asked Baron if he knew any of the vics and he said he didn’t.”
“Well, other than maybe the banker, I wouldn’t imagine he would,” observed Lassiter. “A street-level drug dealer doesn’t exactly run in the same circles as a Baron.”
Decker said, “Even though you claim he moves in different ‘circles,’ maybe he does know Swanson or one of the others.”
“So you didn’t believe his answer?” asked Green sharply.
“I don’t believe anyone, initially,” replied Decker.
“Okay, but do you have any helpful thoughts?” Green indicated the pile of files.
“We need to run through all the vics again, because I believe they have to be connected,” said Decker.
“We already did that,” protested Green.
“Fresh eyes,” countered Decker. “We’ll need the keys to all their places.”
“But we haven’t even identified the last two,” pointed out Lassiter.
“But you have the other four.”
Green said in a disappointed tone, “I guess it was wishful thinking, but I thought you Feds would swoop in and solve this sucker overnight.”
“Did your partner fill you in on your ME’s time-of-death and other related screw-ups?” asked Decker.
Green looked a bit sheepish. “Yeah, she did. Blowflies and livor mortis. That was a good catch, actually. We’re looking at it all again.”
“Great, while you’re doing that, let me throw you another bone so you feel like we’re swooping onto something.”
“What bone?” asked Lassiter.
“Ask your ME to check to see if the ‘nonhuman’ blood found at the crime scene is pig’s blood. I think he can probably do that without screwing it up.”
“Pig’s blood?” exclaimed Green. “Why in the world would you think that?”
“You watch any old cop shows?”
“What, you mean Law & Order?” asked Green.
“Farther back than that.”
“What does that have to do with anything?” asked Lassiter.
“It might have everything to do with it,” replied Decker.