She fell silent for a moment and then asked, "All right. What is it?"
"Something happened today. I have to tell you." Then he turned his head, rose again and shut the door. As if he'd meant to do that when he walked in but had been so focused on what he wanted to say that any other thoughts had scattered like dropped marbles. He sat once more.
Something happened...
"The hate crime I've been working?"
"Sure." Had there been another defacing? Was it an actual attack this time? Hate crimes often escalated from words to blood. Dragging to death gays, shootings of blacks or Jews.
"Goldschmidt's house again."
"The perps came back?"
"They did. But it seems Goldschmidt wasn't completely honest with us. Apparently he found their bikes and kept them.
He wanted the perps to come back. He was using them as bait."
"So, they were bikers."
"No, bicycles."
"Kids were doing it?"
"That's right."
She looked at him levelly. "And what happened, Michael?"
"Goldschmidt had a shotgun. Didn't listen to you the other night."
"Goddamnit! Did he shoot anybody?"
"He was going to," Michael said. "He denies it but--why else keep a loaded Beretta by the garage door?"
"'Going to'?"
"While the kids were on the street, getting closer, I got a call. It was from one of the perps. He was warning me that something bad was going down. He was worried about weapons. I should get TAC and backup there immediately. He said TAC."
"One of the kids? Called you? And said that?"
"Yep." He took a breath. "I called PG police and they had cars there in a minute or two. They secured everything." The big detective sighed. "Kathryn, the one who called me was Wes."
"Who?" Curious for a moment. And then the name settled. "But you said one of the perps!"
"Wes, that's right. The others were Donnie, his friend, and another boy. Nathan."
She whispered, "A mistake. It has to be a mistake."
He continued: "It was Donnie tagging the houses. Wes was with him. Nathan and another friend were doing other things. Stealing traffic signs, shoplifting."
"Impossible."
O'Neil said, "That game they were playing?"
"Defend and...I don't know." Her mind was a whitewater rapid, swirling, out of control.
"Defend and Respond Expedition Service," O'Neil said.
"That's it. What about it?"