“Yeah, I got that,” Maureen said. “What about him?”
“We’re wondering what he knows, if anything, about his son’s activities,” Detillier said. “He went to Homicide demanding information about his son’s death. He dropped off a two-inch stack of bullshit paperwork there that he says compels the NOPD to talk to him. Apparently, he spent three days going from courthouse to courthouse trying to see judges and trying to file these legal forms he drew up himself. This is before going to Homicide. After his visit there, Detective Atkinson reached out to us, which she did because we asked the division to do so. We’ve been waiting to see if anyone would surface over these deaths. Now someone has.”
“And you can’t question this guy yourself?” Maureen said.
“He’s demanding an audience with law-enforcement personnel who worked the scene. We hear he’s filed a bunch of papers with the coroner’s office, too.”
Maureen turned to Preacher. “And we honor demands like these? Is that common NOPD practice?”
“Fuck, no,” Preacher said.
Maureen turned back to Detillier. “But this guy is an exception because?”
“Because his son was a member of a violent patriot militia,” Detillier said. “And because this business with the bogus paperwork filings is typical of Sovereign Citizens. It’s our first real sign he may have been involved in his son’s activities.”
“How does Detective Atkinson feel about the FBI stepping into her investigation?” Maureen asked. “About you bringing me into it like this? She’s okay with it? The two Watchmen deaths are her case now. Leary is her suspect. Why doesn’t she get a chance to talk to the father? He may know a thing or two about Leary. Put him in a room with Atkinson, she’ll have him squawking in three minutes. She’s the best interrogator probably in the state.”
“We asked her,” Detillier said. “She told us to come to you.”
“If you think this guy’s a Citizen,” Maureen asked, “why not have one of your guys handle him?”
“As far as Napoleon Gage knows,” Detillier said, “his son is the victim of a random street crime. He expects to deal with the NOPD. The FBI suddenly appearing would change that. We don’t want to scare him out of town. We don’t want to make him more reluctant to talk. We want him very much to talk to someone, and we agree with Atkinson that the someone he’s most likely to be comfortable with is you.”
Preacher laughed out loud, trying and failing to cover by coughing into his fist. “Because of her sparkling personality.”
“You have to admit, Preach,” Maureen said, “that I’m a whole lot less scary than Atkinson.”
“You’re the one the Watchmen shot at,” Detillier said. “Nobody’s forgotten about that. We thought you’d like to get in on bringing them down.” He shrugged. “But if you’re happy writing speeding tickets…”
“I’m going to tell Atkinson everything that I learn doing this,” Maureen said. “Anything I learn from Gage that might help her find Madison Leary and close her case, I’m going to tell her.”
“Bringing Leary in could only be good for us,” Detillier said. “If you can help Atkinson while keeping the father in play for us, I have no problem with that.
“Listen, let’s not get distracted by interagency politics. I want to keep you alive, Maureen. The Watchmen present a direct physical threat to New Orleans law enforcement. They’ve targeted you specifically. Leon Gage may have useful information about them, and we feel that humoring him is the best way to get that information, should it exist. No matter how she feels about me and what I do, I’m sure Detective Atkinson is keen to eliminate the threat the Watchmen present. And I think she would agree that pulling apart the Watchmen is more important than her murder investigation into the deaths of two guys who, quite frankly, no one will miss.”
Maureen reached for her cigarettes. She lit one.
She wanted to believe that Detillier was telling her the truth and that the feds were on her side. That they were generous and team-oriented. That all law enforcement was created equal. That a badge was a badge to them. She knew better. They didn’t want her killed, but the feds acted only in their own interests. They came to her because it was the best move for them. She exhaled a long plume of smoke.