Slidell lurched forward across the table, close to Ajax’s face. “Cut the crap, you worthless piece of shit.”
“I don’t know what you are talking about.” Looking Slidell straight in the eye.
“Can you think of anyone at Mercy we should question?” Tinker again.
“I promise to give serious thought to that question.”
“Please do.”
“Yeah. Please do.” A chair scraped. The visible parts of Slidell jerked from view. “In the meantime, I need air what ain’t fouled.”
A door opened. Closed. Ajax sat still as a carving on Rushmore, eyes on the corner, where, I assumed, Tinker was standing.
“I have never physically hurt anyone. Not then. Not now.”
“I believe that’s true, Doc.” Tinker, good cop extraordinaire. “Listen. You need a soda?”
The twitch of a lip. A smile? “I will accept nothing to eat or drink.”
“Suit yourself.”
Our little gaggle divided. The detectives turned left, toward the violent crimes division. Barrow and I turned right, toward the conference room. Slidell was already there, standing by the table. His face looked drawn, his eyes puffy and red from lack of sleep.
“You get anything?” Barrow asked.
Slidell shook his head. “The guy’s a fox. Knows how to play his hand.”
“When did you start in on him?”
“Just past one.”
I may have made a sound. Or moved. Slidell’s eyes flicked to me. Before I could say anything, voices sounded in the hall, then Tinker joined us, followed by Salter.
“I wanted to go at him alone.” Directed to me but loud, for Tinker’s benefit. Maybe Salter’s.
“The whole interview, Ajax never changed his story?” Barrow had also missed the start of the show.
“Can’t remember treating Donovan or Leal. Didn’t know they were dead. Had nothing to do with killing ’em.”
“Leal’s been all over the news,” I said. “Ajax doesn’t read papers or watch TV?”
“Claims he’s too busy saving lives.”
“And no one at the hospital once mentioned Leal? Does that sound right?”
“The slimy—”
Salter truncated Slidell’s response. “Just what have you got on this guy?”
“He’s a pedo. And his vehicle and tag square with a witness account from the spot Leal was grabbed.”
“Full match?”
“Two digits.”
“That’s it?”
“Four girls are dead. Maybe six. This creep likes girls.”
“It’s weak.”
“Two of our vics walked through his ER.”
“Did he treat them?”
“We’re getting the records.”
“Anything else?”
“Tell her about the pay phone,” Slidell ordered me.
I did.
“Outside Mercy.”
“Yes.”
Salter nodded, turned back to Slidell. “Any shot at DNA?”
“He’s not falling for it.”
“How do you want to proceed?”
“Let me go back at him.”
“Has he requested a lawyer?”
“Not yet.”
“He’s supposed to register as a sex offender,” Tinker said. “Hasn’t in years, never did in North Carolina.”
“That buys us some leeway.” A few beats, then, “You seriously think Ajax could be our guy?”
“He’s our only real suspect.”
“You getting his history?”
“Every dump he ever took.”
“Okay. Let him cook awhile, then go back in.” Looking from Slidell to Tinker. “If nothing breaks by six, we cut him loose.” Slidell started to protest. “And this goes by the book. I want to see fast footwork, I’ll watch Chinatown.” Pointedly to Slidell. “Ajax asks to lawyer up, we shut it down. Are we straight?”
Slidell inhaled deeply, exhaled through his nose.
“Are we straight, Detective?”
“We gotta kick him, we stay up his ass?”
“Right between the cheeks.”
CHAPTER 30
AT FIVE, AJAX requested counsel.
Thirty minutes later, a cruiser dropped him at his home. An unmarked car was already parked up the block.