“Unless he figures there’s no way for him to hide being in New Orleans,” Atkinson said. “Like, say for example, he knows the feds are interested in him.”
“Fuck me,” Maureen said. “Detillier told me the FBI was in the dark on this guy. That’s why I’m meeting him tomorrow.”
“Detillier told you that?” Atkinson asked. “That they’d never heard of Leon Gage before he came to New Orleans?”
“Not that exactly,” Maureen said. “He made it sound like Clayton was the one they were interested in, that Leon had just popped up because of Clayton’s death.”
Atkinson raised her shoulders, turned up her empty palms. “Making one thing sound like another. Sure sounds like the feds to me.”
“That motherfucker.”
“Don’t feel bad,” Atkinson said. “That’s how they do. I think sometimes it’s unconscious. He might not even know he was playing you.” She stood. “And maybe I’m completely wrong about Detillier. Maybe Gage is here for the reasons he gave and didn’t think he’d find her and he took advantage of an opportunity. Maybe she set it up, the meeting in the cemetery, like she did the other two killings, maybe that’s what really brought Gage to New Orleans, and it just went wrong for her.”
“You believe all that?” Maureen asked.
“I have to be open to every possibility,” Atkinson said.
“But do you believe any of what you said?”
“About as much as I believe Leary’s death was a suicide.” Atkinson shivered and zippered her coat. Finally, Maureen thought, the cold is getting to her. She’s human. Atkinson said, “Can you find that girl again? Dice. I want to talk to her. She’s the only person we know in the city who knows a thing about Leary.”
“I didn’t find her,” Maureen said. “She found me.”
“I know you’ve tried to help Dice,” Atkinson said. “To build trust, a rapport. That’s good police work. If you can produce her, I don’t have to send other cops who don’t know her like you do looking for her. If you can find her, things’ll go easier for her.”
“That sounds ominous.”
“It is what it is,” Atkinson said. “It’s not news that the Eighth District and the gutter punks are not real collegial with each other.”
“It’s not my district. Won’t I be stepping on toes?”
“Since when has that stopped you?”
If you only knew, Maureen thought. “I’m trying to stay out of trouble, remember?”
Atkinson said nothing.
“I’ll see what I can do,” Maureen said. She hadn’t been able to find Dice on her own for the past few weeks, and it wasn’t like she’d suddenly get good at it.
“Tomorrow,” Atkinson said, “y’all will come back and canvass the blocks around the cemetery, right? Should you turn up a witness, if Dice could get us a description of the man asking questions, you see how that could help? Maybe the descriptions will match.”
“Detillier can give you a description of Gage,” Maureen said, “if that’s all you need. Look, Gage is meeting me at L’il Dizzy’s at one o’clock. You show up instead of me and arrest him. Easy.”
“I don’t think Agent Detillier would appreciate that plan.”
“Well, fuck him. He put his plan in place before Leary turned up dead.”
“Look,” Atkinson said, “I don’t trust the guy, but that doesn’t mean I don’t believe in his case. He’s chasing guys out to kill cops, out to kill you. You want to get in the way of that?”
“Okay, I’ll talk to Gage,” Maureen said. “And after, I’ll call you, tell you what I’ve found out about him. I’ll let you fight it out with the FBI over him.” She looked away from Atkinson, stared back in the direction of where she’d found Leary. That corner of the cemetery glowed now, bright as an operating room. “I’m having lunch tomorrow with the guy who did that.”
“You do good police work tomorrow,” Atkinson said, “and if he did it, we get him for it. Maybe we get him and a bunch like him before they do worse. There’s always worse.”
“No pressure,” Maureen said. She turned back to Atkinson. “Any advice?”
“Go early,” Atkinson said. “Eat before he gets there. He sees you have no appetite you might make him nervous. He shouldn’t frighten you, or anger you. None of that. You’re not supposed to know anything about him. He’s a grieving father from LaPlace and you’re a courteous, helpful policewoman.”
“So we both show up full of shit and lie to each other. Sounds like a plan.”
“Wear your vest,” Atkinson said. “And keep one in the chamber.”
17