Hank dropped his pen and sat back. He had hoped to hear some good news, anything they could run with, but in reality, he wasn’t surprised. Norton was lying low, not dumb enough to hide out in any place conspicuous.

At least he’d gotten away from King for most of the day. That was always good.

“Did you hit them all?” Hank asked, knowing what the answer would be.

“Every one. Some I had to track down at work, but I got to them all.”

“Then you might as well go home for the night,” Hank said, waving his hand. “I’m about done here myself, and then I’ll be heading out.”

King dropped his foot and leaned forward, poised to leave. “What’s up for tomorrow?”

“If nothing else comes up we’ll hit Smokie’s Bar,” Hank said. He told King about the tournament Shaft and Norton were involved in. “We’ll talk to the owner and see what he can tell us.”

“Sounds like a lot of fun,” King said dryly as he stood and headed away. “See you tomorrow, Hank.”

Hank leaned over his desk again. He wanted to get the reports out of the way to clear the day tomorrow. He looked up again. King was on his way back.

“Diego wants to see us a minute.”

Hank looked across the precinct floor. Diego stood in the doorway of his office looking their way. Hank tossed his pen down and pushed his chair back. He followed King into Diego’s office.

The captain sat at his desk and motioned toward a chair. “Sit down.”

Hank took the only free chair and stretched out. King stood by the end of Diego’s desk, his arms crossed, a bored look on his face.

“Fill me in, guys,” Diego said, looking back and forth between the detectives.

“Not much to tell, Captain,” Hank began. “I’m still hoping to find some sign of Norton, or his car at least, but he’s burrowed himself deep.”

Diego nodded and looked at King. “Nothing from me,” King said, shrugging a shoulder. “Been out all day talking to anyone he knows. Came up empty.”

The captain sat back. “So what you guys are telling me is you’re at a dead end?”

Hank nodded. “Not quite. We have a couple more leads to follow up on.”

“What about the guy who invaded the Lincoln house? Anything on him?” Diego asked.

“Nothing. But he seems like a pro. I have officers watching the house round the clock, so if he returns we’ll nab him.”

What about you, King?” Diego asked with a deep frown. “Don’t you have any CIs who might know of a hitman in the neighborhood?”

“I’ll check in with them tomorrow,” King said. “But most of my CIs aren’t in the murder business. Mostly drugs and petty crime.”

Diego sat back and combed at his bristling mustache with two fingers. “That’s not the only reason I wanted to see you guys. I want to know what you think of Lisa Krunk’s story.” He motioned toward a small television, now turned off, sitting on a shelf along one wall. “Did either of you catch it? Lisa made a few pointed accusations. Any truth to them?”

“I caught the teasers earlier in the day,” Hank said. “Rocky Shaft is pretty angry. Can’t say I blame him. He’s got to be under a lot of stress right now. Other than that, I didn’t hear anything that excited me.”

“Lisa is claiming Tammy Norton is harboring her husband, covering up for him,” Diego said.

Hank sighed. “That’s just Lisa. I can’t find any evidence of that. Mrs. Norton wants her husband found. Says he’s innocent, and the only way to prove it is to find him.”

King snickered. “Of course he’s innocent. They always are.”

Captain Diego ignored King’s comment and kept his eyes on Hank. “What about Maria Shaft’s claim there was no relationship between her husband and Michael Norton?”

Hank laughed. “It’s not quite the way Lisa made it sound, Captain. She left out some important information. A little clever editing on her part. I don’t have much faith in Lisa’s broadcasts no matter how convincing they sound.”

Diego stared thoughtfully at Hank a moment before clearing his throat. “I want you to tell the Lincolns to back out of this one. They might be private detectives, but they’re citizens, and there’s already been an attempt on Annie’s life. I don’t need any more bodies.”

“That sounds like a good idea, Captain,” King said.

Hank frowned at King and then leaned forward. “They aren’t going to want to do that, Captain. When their lives are threatened, they get more determined.”

Diego removed his cap and brushed back his hair with one hand. His eyes narrowed and the muscles of his jowls worked. Finally, he dropped his cap back on, adjusted it in place, and spoke. “I realize you don’t have the time to keep an eye on them, but make sure they stay out of the way. I’ve given them a lot of leeway in the past, and I’ll admit, they’ve been helpful at times, but …”

“And they’ve been helpful this time too, Captain. Annie’s the one who got Tammy Norton to admit her husband beats her up. I didn’t see any evidence of that.” Hank paused and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. “I’ll keep an eye on them, but I don’t think we can tell them what they can and cannot do. As long as they stay within the law.”

“Fair enough,” Diego said. “But make sure they don’t keep any evidence from you.”

“They never do, Captain. They’ve always been forthcoming. I think their history shows that.” He paused. “Why would they keep anything back? They not only want to see justice done, but they have clients to take care of. It’s their job.”

“I realize I can’t keep them out of this entirely, but tell them to be careful. We already suspect Norton killed at least one person, and we know he beats his wife. If he’s the one who made the attempt on Annie, either himself, or with a pro, then he needs to be stopped ASAP. He’s proven himself to be a violent person.”

“We’ll get him,” Hank said.

Diego dropped his elbows on the armrests and steepled his fingers under his chin. He didn’t share his thoughts, but rather dismissed the detectives with a wave. “Go home now, guys. You can get back at it in the morning.”

Hank stood. “I’ll finish the reports then I’ll be out of here.” He turned to go. “Goodnight, Captain.”

Diego waved again, his eyes buried in a file folder. “Good night.”

King followed Hank from the office, crossed the quiet room, and went out the front door.

Hank returned to his desk and sat, pulling a file toward him. He looked at his watch. This was going to be an early night for a change. He would have time to drop by and see Amelia before going home, and he hoped to get an early start the next morning.

Chapter 20

DAY 3 - Wednesday, 8:35 a.m.

JAKE HUSTLED MATTY and Kyle out the front door of the house and into the Firebird. He glanced toward the patrol car parked at the curb. The same two cops had been there most of the night, keeping a close eye on the house.

One of the officers called Jake’s phone from time to time, keeping in touch, reassuring them, and checking to see if everything was all right inside the house.

Jake started the vehicle and pulled from the driveway, stopping beside the cruiser. He rolled down his window. “You guys okay?”

The cop in the driver seat nodded. “All quiet last night. Everything all right in the house?”

Jake nodded, and the other cop looked over and stifled a yawn.

“Annie’s making you guys a cup of coffee. She’ll be out in a minute.”

“Sounds good,” the driver said, looking at his watch. “We still have a couple hours to go before some fresh guys get here.”

Jake waved a hand and pulled away. He appreciated the watch put on the house, but didn’t expect the would-be killer to return. Nonetheless, they were threatened, and the safety of his family was his top priority.

North Richmond Public School was only two blocks from the house and Matty usually walked to school with Kyle, his best friend who lived next door to the Lincolns, but today Jake wasn’t taking any chances.