“We’re way ahead of you,” said Bell. “Vaja got a call about forty-five
minutes before the raid. We’re running the number now.”
Nikki looked at it and slipped the phone back into the bag. “You don’t need to. I
know this number. It’s a burner. The same one somebody used to call Salena Kaye at
the rent-a-car.” Heat zip-sealed the evidence bag then gave voice to what she had
suspected ever since Tyler Wynn’s bomb went off. “Someone is tipping off our
perps.”
SIXTEEN
Rook surprised Nikki in the Homicide Squad Room with a change of clothes when she
rolled in just before six. “I fantasized about you in these butt-cupping jeans and
your brown leather jacket to fight crime today,” said Rook. “I couldn’t find your
Wonder Woman bulletproof bracelets at my place, though, so if you encounter any
automatic weapons fire, you’re going to have to rely on your lightning reflexes.”
“Thanks, Rook, that’s sweet.”
“I just figured after a night in the field you’d want to tidy up. Oh, I also
brought you a latte. Just how you like it. Sugar-free, two pumps of strychnine.”
After she changed, Nikki filled him in on the discoveries up in Hastings-on-Hudson,
ending with the phone tip-off. Even though they had the bull pen to themselves, he
lowered his voice. “So that pretty much sucks. How do you think the information is
getting out to all our suspects?”
“Not so much a how, Rook, as a who.” Then, she said, “I was thinking on my drive
down. Would I be too pushy to ask, where the hell is Puzzle Man?”
“Probably still working it.”
“Probably?”
“Right. I’ll see if I can encourage him.”
Nikki met with each detective over the next few hours to get an update on case
progress. It felt like anything but. Salena Kaye had gone underground and Rainbow
had gone strangely silent. “At least he hasn’t killed anyone else,” said
Detective Malcolm.
“Considering Heat’s next, I think we can call this a win, so far,” added
Reynolds.
Rook caught her eye and they met up in the kitchen. “Puzzle Man gave me the old ‘I
was just about to call you’ BS. No matter. He says he may be close to something.”
“Really…” Nikki had been disappointed enough recently that her skepticism
overshadowed her optimism. “Any hints?”
“No spoilers. And that’s a quote. But I twisted his arm, and he says he can meet
us tonight. Café Gretchen at seven-thirty.”
“Great.”
“Although for him that could be nine. The one thing Puzzle Man can’t seem to
figure out is how to read a clock.”
“You leave me brimming with confidence,” she said, and left him to microwave his
container of instant oatmeal.
On her return to the bull pen Heat hesitated in the doorway, taken aback to find the
visitor sitting beside her desk. “Agent Bell?”
“Good morning. Although, it sort of feels like the days and nights have melded,
doesn’t it?” Her smile seemed genuine enough, but Nikki approached Yardley Bell
with healthy caution.
“Kinda.” Heat allowed a neutral smile; no harm being civil to see where this was
going. “What’s up?”
“Brought you a peace offering.” She indicated the coat rack behind Nikki, where
the blazer she had left for testing at DHS hung on a hanger. “And relax, our lab
has certified it as non-lethal.”
“Thank you.”
“As is that piece of orange string you sent over. It came back negative for
smallpox.” Which left Heat still wondering where she could have picked it up. “I
also have some news for you. Is this a good place?”