Kiss The Witch Part 30

Tom Bradley thought that was funny. "No. It's just the way things worked out. Guess you never know sometimes, eh?"

"Yeah," said Carlos. He gave up a nervous laugh. "You never know."

Bradley said, "So listen, Spin Man. I'm"

"Spin Man?" I said.

"Oh, yeah. That's what we called him at school."

"But that doesn't leave this circle," Spinelli warned. I rolled my eyes and left it at that.

"Anyway, Spin Man. I'm sorry I can't stay and reminisce, but I have to run. Got a plane to catch out of Logan in an hour. I can barely make it as it is. You have the files?"

Carlos and I both said, "Files?"

He looked at us queerly. "The case files on Biocrynetix." He looked to Spinelli. "Dominic. You told me you would have them ready."

"I know. We had them." Spinelli turned to me. "Detective Marcella was just explaining what happened to them. Detective?"

I swallowed back a growing lump in my throat. "We gave them away already."

Bradley said, "You gave them away?"

"Just a while ago."

"To who?"

"This guy. He said his named was Bradley."

"Yeah," said Carlos. "He told us he was FBI."

"Someone said he was me?"

"Yes. No. I mean he said his first name was Bradley. He showed us a badge and ID. Didn't he, Tony?"

"He did. He had a badge, an ID and a nice suit."

"A very nice suit," said Carlos.

Agent Tom Bradley looked down at his suit, pulled on his cuffs and stiffened his shoulders. "Well, this will not look good for your department." He turned to Spinelli. "I'm sorry, Dominic."

"Tom, I'm sure we can get to the bottom of this."

Bradley checked his watch. "I'm running late, Spin Man. I have to go."

We waited until Agent Bradley was gone before exchanging bewildered glances. Spinelli broke the awkward silence. "Anyone want to explain to me what just happened here?"

"They got us," Carlos said. "Plain and simple. The b.a.s.t.a.r.ds got us again. We have nothing now."

I concurred. "Looks like you're right, Carlos. I should have asked for papers or something."

"He showed us a badge and ID."

"We still should have asked for case transfer papers."

"So what now?"

"What do you mean what? That's it. We're done. That's how it goes. Sometimes you win. Sometimes you lose."

"And sometimes you choose between the two," said Dominic.

Carlos scoffed. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"I don't know. It's from a song."

"Carol King," I said.

"Yeah. That's right."

"Well, I have news for you. There is no choosing here. This time we lose."

"Maybe not." Spinelli's cheeks dimpled suspiciously.

"Wait a minute." I poked him on the chest. "I know that s.h.i.+t-eating grin. What have you got up your sleeve, Dominic?"

His full smile broke free. "Oh, I don't know, just an ace in the hole is all."

"What?" This from Carlos and me both.

"Okay," he said. "You're gonna like this." He paused for dramatic effect. Carlos and I crowded him against the desk.

"Tell us already."

He scooted aside, came around the desk and pulled an airline ticket out from the top drawer. "Remember this?"

I took the ticket. "This is Ferguson's boarding pa.s.s for the Toronto to Boston red eye."

"Exactly. Look at the arrival time."

I looked at it again, only then realizing I had not paid particular attention before to the times on it. "It says arriving in Boston 1:55 a.m. Monday morning."

He smiled at that. "That's right. Do you know what time that train struck Rick Delaney's car Monday morning?"

"No."

"3:10 a.m. Exactly one hour fifteen minutes after J.P. Ferguson's plane touched down. Plenty of time for him to call Delaney at home, wake him up and have him drive out to the Biocrynetix Laboratories for an emergency meeting."

"You're thinking Ferguson pushed Delaney onto the tracks?"

"Yup."

I admit, my enthusiasm deflated sharply then. "Dominic. Putting J.P. Ferguson on the ground at the same time Delaney kissed the grill of a train does not prove he pushed the man's car onto the tracks."

"Oh?" His face soured some. "I suppose you would like a confession then."

"Yes, Dominic. A confession would be nice."

His devious smile returned. I drew a doubting bead upon him. "Dominic. Why are you smiling?"

Carlos said, "Oh no, Tony. He's got a confession."

I shook my head. "No he doesn't."

Dominic nodded. "Yes I do."

"You have a confession?"

"Yup."

"From who?"

"Ferguson."

"He confessed to you?"

"Well no, not to me, but over the phone."

"I don't understand."

He came back around to the front of the desk and picked up the phone. "You remember how I told you I found listening devices in our phones?"

"Yes, of course."

"Okay. See it got me thinking. Whoever tapped our phones, a.s.suming it wasn't Biocrynetix Laboratories, probably tapped Ferguson's phone as well."

"Yes?"

"And so I determined the frequency of the bugs set in our phones, picked up a few wi-fi receivers of my own, set them to the same frequency and then planted them outside Ferguson's office."

"Did it work?"

"Did it? Just listen."

He pulled out his Merc-Vector mobile device, launched a specially configured app, which he designed, and hit the play b.u.t.ton. What Carlos and I heard next blew our socks off. The first voice on the recording was J.P. Ferguson's. The other man's voice we may never know.

"Biocrynetix Laboratories. J.P. speaking."

"Yeah, it's me."

"Why are you calling me here? I told you not to call me at the office."

"Relax, Ferguson. The lines are clean."

"What do you want?"

"Tell me what Marcella knows."

"He doesn't know anything. The man is inept, and so is his b.u.mbling idiot partner."

"Why did he come back to see you?"

"Because he knows about QE647."

"He's getting close then."

"No. He's not getting close. Everything he knows he could learn on the internet."

"Does he know you killed Williams and Delaney?"

"Of course not. As far as anyone is concerned, those were accidents."

"You should not have pushed Delaney onto the tracks. That was foolish."

"No. He had to go. He knew too much."

"You should have let us worry about that."

"Why?"

"Because Marcella knows it was not an accident. He saw the tire marks. It is only a matter of time before he checks the tires on your car against the tire tracks at the crossing. Right now, he thinks they came from Snow's hummer. But he'll figure it out soon enough."

"All right then. I'll get rid of the car if that's the only evidence pointing to me."

"Good."

"Anything else?"

"Yes. Don't leave town. We'll be watching you."

The line went dead there. I looked at Spinelli, uncertain how to respond. "Dominic. I don't know what to say. This is amazing. We've got Ferguson dead to rights with this recording."

"Tony," said Carlos. "I thought you said this was no longer our case."

"No. I didn't say that. I said Howard Snow's murder was no longer our case. Ferguson killed Williams and Delaney in our jurisdiction. His a.s.s is ours."

Carlos still did not seem pleased. Dominic asked, "What's wrong?"

"Don't know. It seems too easy. Sounded like the caller baited Ferguson."