“What kind of deals?” Hank asked.

Asher licked his lips and looked at Hank. “Can you get my charges knocked down to simple assault if I tell you?”

“Depends on what you have. I can probably convince the crown to drop the attempted murder charges.”

The suspect frowned. “I … I don’t want to go to prison.”

“That might be up to Shaft. If he presses charges, you’ll be lucky to get by with aggravated assault.”

Asher rocked in his seat, rubbing his hands together. He sighed deeply, and then spoke. “Michael was involved in the heist you mentioned. He told me about it. I swore to keep quiet, but he’s dead now, so you can’t do anything to him.”

Hank leaned forward and rested his arms on the table. “Who else was involved?”

“I … I don’t know. More than just him, but I don’t know who.”

“Where’s the money?” King asked.

“I don’t know. Why would he tell me?”

“I thought you two were close?”

“Sure, but … he didn’t tell me, and I didn’t ask.”

King swung a chair over to the desk, flipped it around backwards, straddled it, and laid his arms on the back of the chair. He looked intently at Asher. “Who killed Werner Shaft?”

Asher shook his head and looked back and forth between the detectives. “I honestly have no idea. They said it was Michael, but I know it wasn’t.”

“How do you know that?”

“Because he’s not a killer. He was a good guy.”

“A good guy who robs people,” King said dryly. “Don’t forget, he was in prison for burglary.”

Asher jutted his chin. “Yes, he was. But in all those cases, I’ll bet you won’t find one case where anyone got hurt.”

“You seem to know a lot about his crimes,” Hank said. “Except the one we’re asking about. Why is that?”

Asher shrugged. “Everything I know is public information. I followed his case, and I was in contact with him while he was inside, but we never talked about what he did. And I know he never hurt anyone.”

Hank looked at King and jerked his head toward the door. They stood and King followed Hank into the hallway.

“I think he’s telling the truth,” Hank said. “He’s just a guy who decided to take matters into his own hands. It was a dumb move, to be sure, but I guess he figures blood is thicker than water.”

King nodded. “Yeah, you might be right. I don’t think he knows anything else.”

“All right. Book him for assault, and at least he’ll be handy if we need to talk to him again.” Hank turned away and then stopped. “See if you can convince Shaft to let this guy off with simple assault. He doesn’t belong in prison.”

King went back into the interview room as Hank went to his desk. Asher had confirmed what Michael Norton admitted during his phone call to Annie—Norton was one of the three men who committed the heist.

Asher also seemed convinced Michael Norton wasn’t a killer. Hank wasn’t so sure.

Chapter 40

Thursday, 12:51 p.m.

WHEN ANNIE ARRIVED home, Jake was lounging in the living room. She sat down and filled him in on her interview with Sharon Stipple. There wasn’t much to tell, and soon the conversation turned to Jake’s encounter with Stanley Asher. She was concerned Jake might be injured, perhaps a cracked rib, or worse.

“It’s honestly just a bruise,” Jake told her, sitting up to prove his point. “Shaft is the one who got the good beating. They took him to Richmond General, bandaged him up, and released him. He’s got a cracked rib, and he’ll be sore for a while.”

“It’s a good thing you were there,” Annie said. “He might’ve been killed.”

“Perhaps,” Jake said. “But if I didn’t rile Shaft up, he might never have left the warehouse, and might never have been beaten.”

Annie shook her head. “You can’t blame yourself. Asher was out to get Shaft and he would’ve waited as long as he needed. Shaft should be thanking you.”

“He did,” Jake said. “And he sounded sincere.”

“His life might still be in danger.”

“From whom?”

“I don’t know. If he’s not the killer we’re looking for, then he could be next.”

“And if he is the killer?”

“Then we have to prove it,” Annie said. “One thing I know for sure, he’s involved in all this.”

“I’d still love to find out where the money is,” Jake said. “That’s the key to it all.”

“We’ll find it. Somebody knows, and they’re not going to leave it alone forever.”

Jake shrugged. “I haven’t ruled out Maria Shaft. If her husband knew where the money is, he might’ve told her. It might even be hidden in their house somewhere.”

“The same goes for Tammy Norton,” Annie said. “Although Norton claimed on the phone his wife knew nothing about it.”

Jake glanced at his watch. “Let’s see what’s on the news.”

Annie reached for the remote control and turned on the television. Channel 7 Action News was coming on and Lisa Krunk’s face took up most of the screen.

“I’ve just received some breaking news,” Lisa was saying. “Rocky Shaft, the chief suspect in the slaying of Werner Shaft and Michael Norton, was attacked this morning by an unknown assailant. I’ve been unable to obtain the name of his attacker, but Shaft received some injuries before the attack subsided.”

“How did she hear about that so fast?” Jake asked.

“She has eyes and ears everywhere,” Annie said.

A picture of Rocky Shaft appeared on the screen and Lisa continued, “Rocky Shaft was questioned by police earlier and released. Apparently, they didn’t have enough evidence to hold him, but I’m told the case against Shaft is mounting, and it’s just a matter of time until he’s arrested and charged.”

“Where did she get that?” Jake asked. “That’s not even true.”

Annie turned off the TV and laid the remote control on the stand beside her. “If Lisa can’t dig up any sensational news, she makes it up.” She stood. “I’ll be in the office if you need me.”

She sat at her desk, turned on her computer, and spread out her notes. She scrutinized every detail in an attempt to make some sense of what they knew. Finally, she replayed the phone conversation with Michael Norton.

No matter how she connected the dots, it all pointed to Rocky Shaft. But something didn’t sit right with her. Something disturbed her about the obvious conclusion and she couldn’t put a finger on it.

If she had a way of knowing where Michael Norton was when he called her, it might give her a lead.

She had an idea. She knew someone who might be able to help.

Better known by his friends as Geekly, Jeremiah Everest was a long-time friend of the Lincolns, and helped them on occasion when they needed his expertise. When it came to anything technical or computer related, Geekly was the absolute best.

She duplicated the folder of recent phone recordings onto a flash drive, and wrote a note asking Geekly to analyze the recording labeled, “Michael Norton”, for any background sounds or other information that might shed some light on the location of the caller.

She dropped the drive and the note into a padded envelope, addressed it to Jeremiah Everest, and called a local courier. She asked for same day delivery and twenty minutes later the package was on its way.

~~*~~

HANK TURNED as Captain Diego poked his head from his office and motioned him over. “And bring King with you,” he called.

Hank found his partner in the break room. “Diego wants to see us.”

King tossed a half-eaten sandwich into a paper bag, balled it up, and made an expert shot into the wastebasket. He stood without a word and followed Hank to Diego’s office.

Hank sat and leaned back while King took his usual spot, holding up the filing cabinet, his arms crossed.

“Fill me in on the Shaft case,” Diego said, looking at Hank and smoothing down his black mustache.