“Anything’s possible.”
“But you think it unlikely?”
“With the cash in the throat? I doubt they just happened to be carrying expired Slovakian currency when they showed up at the judge’s house to murder her.”
“But it could be a device to throw you off the scent. To distract?”
“They would have to know Draymont was guarding her, and they might have known who employed him. How well-known was your father’s background, that he came from Czechoslovakia?”
“Well-known enough. We have the clock in our office.” She attempted a smile.
For Decker, this was an exercise in futility, since he already believed that there were two unrelated killers at the house that night. But he also might be wrong about that.
“Then your theory is that someone wanted to get back at Gamma. So they killed Draymont, stuffed his mouth with Slovakian money, then killed the judge to take out the witness?”
“It’s one possibility,” she replied.
“Why target Draymont? Out of all the agents you have? And why kill him when he’s on assignment, which means they might well have to kill the protectee, too?”
She sipped her wine and looked thoughtful. “I know it might seem implausible when you say it that way.”
Decker took a swig of beer. “When I say it any which way.”
She stared at him. “So, what is your theory then?”
“Is that what this is about?”
“What do you mean?”
“You call me to meet, throw out a bullshit theory which I shoot down, and then you put me on the spot to tell youmytheory to make me look smart. But you really want to find out where we are in the investigation.”
She smiled demurely and set her wine aside. “Would you like to come and work for Gamma? We can use people like you.”
“Don’t think it would work.”
“Why?”
“I don’t wear ties. Except at funerals.”
She sat forward, her expression more urgent. “Iamafraid that this will have a negative impact on Gamma.”
“And despite my winning personality, I don’t do PR.”
“The media has already picked up on the fact that one of our operatives was killed.”
“I don’t really care about your business. I just want to catch whoever killed two people.”
“I can understand that, but I have a lot of people to think about.”
“Okay, you think about them and I’ll focus on my job.”
“You’re not very cooperative.”
“Am I supposed to be with someone who’s gotten information on a case she shouldn’t have, and tried to con me into spilling even more without telling me a goddamn thing in return?”
She looked down. “I guess I deserved that.”
Decker set the beer aside and rose. “I gotta get back to work.”