"Staggs, Earl - The Missing Sniper" - читать интересную книгу автора (Staggs Earl)

The questioning expression became one of surprise. "You mean...you're staying? But why?"

Adam grinned. "Because you're stubborn and hardheaded like me. Besides, I'm already here. Let's see what we can do without Thornton's cooperation."

And because, Adam said only to himself, you said "kill" a good man, not "try to kill" a good man. This wasn't about keeping Thornton alive.

Adam rose from his chair and nodded at the files on the desk. "I'd like to borrow those and go over them again later. I know it's against procedures to let them out of the office."

Dillon hesitated only a second before he scooped up the files and tucked them under his arm. "Screw procedures. Let's go."

Thirty minutes later they stood on the roof of a four-story office building, looking over a retaining wall and down at a shopping center parking lot across the street. Dillon described the scene on the day of the shooting. "The speaker's platform was right there," he said, pointing, "in front of the Kmart, and the parking lot was packed with people. Near as we can figure, the sniper got here early, stayed down behind this wall until it

was time, then got away down the stairs."

"You checked the door and the stair railing for prints?"

Dillon nodded. "No prints anywhere. He either wiped them clean or wore gloves."

"Did you find any shell casings?"

"We went over this roof with a fine-toothed comb. Even the street below. None."

"And the slugs? Did you recover all three?"

Dillon nodded again. "Standard thirty caliber, available anywhere."

"Where was the woman who saw the shooter?"

Dillon turned to look at him. "How did you know about her? Are you, uh, getting something from standing here?"

Adam shook his head. "I read it in your file."

"Oh." Dillon pointed to a building down the street. "She was at a window on the fifth floor of the hotel, watching the rally through binoculars. She looked over this way after the shots. Her description wasn't much. Medium height, medium build..."

Adam finished it for him. "Brown hair and carrying a briefcase." He caught Dillon's questioning look and added, "That was in the file too. She was positive he was not carrying a rifle?"

"Dead certain. We figure he dismantled it and had it in the case."

"Makes sense," Adam said. He leaned out over the wall and looked down at the street below. "I suppose no one saw the man leave the building." Dillon leaned and looked with him. "No one. There was so much pandemonium down there, people running in all directions, he could've left the building stark naked and no one would've noticed." Adam looked around the roof once more. "I think we're finished up here."

"Okay. What now?"

"Now, let's go across the street."

Ten minutes later they were in front of the Kmart. At Adam's request,

Dillon stepped off the location of the speaker's platform. Adam then asked to see where the first two slugs -- the ones that missed -- were recovered, and Dillon pointed to two holes in the concrete wall of the store. Adam then wanted to know who was on the platform that day and where they were when the shooting began.

Dillon looked around for a moment, took three steps to the right and stopped. "The podium was just about here. Right behind it was a row of chairs for the County Council, some local business people, Willy Thornton, and the Mayor. Thornton was standing here at the podium when the shots were fired. Everyone else was sitting down. Except the security team, of course. They were standing."