"Doherty, Jim - Death And Taxes" - читать интересную книгу автора (Doherty Jim)

the actual crime as possible.
I turned to Carpenter. УThink we should move him?Ф
УWhere?Ф
УRestaurant has a big, walk-in fridge. I figure heТll keep better there. God
knows when the localsТll be able to get here, and I donТt like the idea of him
putrefying Сtil they do. On the other hand, moving the bodyТs kind of a major
disturbance of the crime scene. It wonТt exactly endear me to Sheriff Cody.Ф
УWell, itТs awfully cold outside,Ф Carpenter said. УIf the heat in the room is
turned off, he should keep as well right there as he would in the
refrigerator.Ф
I nodded, closed and locked the door, and tacked an УXФ in yellow, plastic
УPolice LineФ tape across it. Then I took ShepТs three rolls, placed them in a
manila envelope, sealed it, and stapled an evidence tag to it.
УIТm going to lock this in one of the safety deposit boxes at the front desk,Ф
I said. УHereТs the key to my room. Why donТt both of you meet me there? I
want you to help me brainstorm.Ф
УWhy us?Ф asked Shep.
УТCause IТm reasonably sure neither one of youТs the killer.Ф
*
УThe way I see it,Ф I said to my ad hoc staff, Уthis was a professional hit.Ф
УWhy do you say that?Ф asked Carpenter
УManner of the death. It happened during the night, while we were all asleep.
None of us heard the shot, suggesting some kind of suppressor was used. One
shot, a contact wound to the base of the skull. Very cold-blooded. Small
caliber weapon, probably a .22. Supposed to be a favorite with pros from what
I hear. Plus, Coogan had a resume that might have made him a target. Before
joining Internal Revenue, he was in the CIA. ATF prior to that. Good places to
make enemies.Ф
As I spoke, I was removing my civvies, and putting on my uniform. Once, a few
months earlier, Sergeant Albin had called me in the middle of the night and
ordered me down to the Loop because some whackoТd called in a bomb threat to
the Dirksen Building and they wanted me to mount a search. I immediately drove
from my home to 219 South Dearborn, organized some contract guards into a
makeshift search team, and conducted a floor-by-floor canvass. We didnТt find
anything, but the effort had to be made.
Anyway, the point is, instead of being thanked for getting out of my nice warm
bed and handling this potential emergency in as expeditious a manner as
possible, I got a chewed out for not first stopping at the FPS District Office
a few block south of the Dirksen and changing into my uniform. УYou canТt
operate in plainclothes without the express approval of the FPS Commissioner
in DC,Ф I was told. That turned out to be bullshit, of course, but, just the
same, I wanted to avoid that argument this time.
УAll right,Ф said Shep. УSo, itТs a professional hit. So what?Ф
УOkay, now we start playing the odds. According to the desk clerk, nobodyТs
checked out. A few people were upset about being snowbound, but no one wanted
to take a chance on driving in the blizzard except me, and I gave it up after
a mile or so. Everybody on the Inn staff who was here last night is still
here. So everybody that was here when Coogan got killed is still here.
Conclusion: The killerТs still here.Ф
УCouldnТt it have been somebody from the outside?Ф asked Carpenter.