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Chapter 18

WHY COPS?” ASKEDJamison as they were driving to police headquarters.

“You’re too young to know it, but in the sixties and seventies ‘pig’ was a commonly used derogatory term for police. That’s why I mentioned the old cop shows on TV. So the vic in the policeman uniform coupled with the pig’s blood starts to make some sense.And that might mean we’re talking killers from a certain generation.”

“Maybe not,” countered Jamison. “The term’s obviously made a comeback. It’s being used by other groups now.”

“Okay, but we have to find out first if the two dead men we foundwerecops. I could be totally off base with my theory.”

“God, this is like a horror show.”

“I never ran into amurder that had any positive elements, Alex.”

Decker looked out the window. “If they are cops, you have to wonder where they’re from. They would’ve been identified by now if they were local.”

“From another state, then?”

“Why would they be here? I’m assuming they were performing in some professional capacity. Local cops almost never cross state lines.”

Hestopped speaking and stared off once more.

“Wait a minute, Decker, are you thinking what I think you are?”

“They could beFeds, Alex.”

***

Green and Lassiter were waiting for them at the station.

“We’ve run the prints through databases we have access to,” said Green. “But it’s limited. And we got zero hits.”

Decker said, “I can get them run by the FBI. Just get me a set of the digital prints.” He looked at Jamison. “I guess I’m going to have that talk with Bogart after all.”

“Lucky you,” replied Jamison.

Decker called Bogart from the privacy of an empty office at the police station.

To FBI special agent Bogart’s credit, he didn’t scream or even interrupt as Decker laidout what had happened.

“Can you send me the prints now?” asked Bogart.

“Soon as I hang up with you.”

“If they are Feds this is going to turn into a shit storm, Decker.”

“It pretty much already is.”

Decker and Jamison waited at Green and Lassiter’s desks, which were situated next to each other in the open room of the detectives’ section of the station.There was one other plainclothesman working at another desk.

Thirty minutes passed and then Decker’s phone buzzed. He and Jamison stepped into the empty office to answer it.

It was Bogart.

Decker put it on speaker so that Jamison could hear.

“We ran the prints through our own employee database and got nothing. Then we provided the prints through our liaisonoffice to sister agencies.”

“And did they get a hit?”


Tags: David Baldacci Amos Decker Thriller