Page 42 of Chasing Forever


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Ian laughed, “I made sure to include everyjuicy detail for you.”

Andrea winced, “Thanks Ian, I can alwayscount on you to brighten my day.”

She pointed to the matching guest chairs infront of the desk for Maddy and Ian to take a seat. “Maddy, do youmind running the interview? I’d like to know what he’s doing intown for so long that he felt obligated to import paid femalecompanionship. Why he was found so close to McAllister Fisheries,and why he was there right after Mayberry and his crew had left thearea.”

Maddy smiled, glad to have somethingmeaningful to do. She’d done her share of interrogations for theSeattle PD. “You got it.”

Lacking similar experience, Ian jumped in,“Can I join? You can be good cop and I’ll be bad cop?”

Appreciating his eagerness to help, Maddymotioned him to follow. “How about you stay in the back and don’ttalk? Wear your best poker face while I do all the talking?”

“Fine. But next time I get to be bad cop.”Ian practically hopped as he followed her to the back.

It was difficult to even look the sickbastard in the face after his little scene in the alley. Wearingher own best poker face, Maddy sat in the chair across the table.“Mr. Lang, I’d like to know what you’re doing in our little town ofSeaview, all the way from Chicago?” She smiled innocently at theperp.

He sneered, staying quiet at first. “I’m notsaying nothing without my attorney.”

“That’s just fine Mr. Lang. You can wait foran attorney,” she stood to walk out of the room but paused. “Iought to mention, your sweet lady friend didn’t want to wait forher attorney, she bartered a deal and has a lot of information toshare about you. And your boss,” she went out on a limb, assuminghe wasn’t here of his own volition. “I’m looking forward tospeaking with her in more detail. If you’ll excuse me.” She put herhand on the door, knowing he would object.

“Ok, ok. Hang on. I’ll talk now. I’d surelike to avoid any… attention regarding my lady friend. Let’s justlet her be our little secret.” He shuffled nervously.

“What are you doing in town Mr. Lang? Whatcan you tell me about your boss?” Maddy got right to the point thistime.

Avoiding eye contact, he started, “I… I’mdoing a little work in town. My boss hires me to do little jobs forhim here and there to lower the price on his businessventures.”

“What property?”

“Some old fish plant, docks. And some bar.Crazy if you ask me. A lot of other docks without all thefuss.”

“Why do you think he chose this spot?” Maddyalready knew the answer but wanted to hear it from him. To confirmher fears.

“Some broad. Some bitch he’s after. Says sheowes him bigtime. Paying double his normal fees as it’s soimportant to him. I been working for this joker for a few years. Hepays decent, normally has a good head for business, but he’s wayoff on this one.

“I don’t mind giving him up if it meanssaving my ass, since he’s already fucking this whole deal up.Coulda made a shit-ton of money too, got this cruise ship companyon the line, ready to buy him out once he lays the groundwork.Fucker is blowing it, all because of this bitch. Which is why Ionly hire temps.”

She knew she should wait, let Andrea takeover, as she knew Andrea was listening in and chomping at the bit.She’d already skirted the line interrogating when her father’scompany was likely in the mix, but when she was a major part of theplot, she ought to get out. The guy was so riled up, he wasn’tlikely to stop now. And she didn’t want him to. “What did Mr.Mayberry ask you to do to the docks?”

“Mayberry’s talking through that Nielsen guy,never talks to me directly. I only seen him once in town, but Iknow he’s in charge. Has been since he and Nielsen served timetogether. The brainy one. Nielsen says we’re to be subtle, thatthey’re already on to us. Just get in, do just enough damage toslow them down. Drive down the price.”

Man, this guy was easy. She didn’t even implythat he was getting any sort of deal for spilling the beans. Nother fault that he assumed that all on his own. “Who’s the bitchMayberry’s after?”

“He won’t say. Says we’ll ruin it forhim.”

Before she could go further, Andrea pulledher out. As instructed, Ian had stayed silent in the corner,looking intimidating. He followed her out as well.

Maddy was immediately apologetic. “Sorry, Iknow I shouldn’t get too close to this. By the time I confirmed whohe worked for, I was afraid to end the interview, or he’d stoptalking.”

Andrea nodded. “I know, you did the rightthing. We got enough to go on. I didn’t want this going furtherthan it needed to. Needed to get you out of there before you gotyourself in too deep and we lost our footing.”

“I know. I shouldn’t have pushed.”

“You’re right. You shouldn’t have. But I’mnot sure I would have been able to resist either. You did good. Wehave a pretty stellar witness. Stupid, but stellar.”

Nodding in agreement, Ian chimed in, “We gotlucky. Bigtime. We saw him with his goons in the black sedanshortly before I wrote down the plates, maybe it’ll get ussomewhere.”

“You’re on. Run it, track them down. Maddy, Iwant to ask you some more questions about Mayberry. Come on into myoffice.” Andrea was all business now. They didn’t get manyinteresting cases around here. This one was a little too personalto be interesting, unfortunately.

Maddy filled Andrea in on what she knew aboutDylan. Which turned out to be a lot. His obsessively highachievements in school: 4.0 GPA, membership in all the right clubsand sports. His father’s questionable business practices. Hismother’s frequent travelling, was never around, no one knew whatshe was up to. Her relationship with him, how it ended. Andrea hadalready heard a lot of it but was drilling her on the minutiae now.Maddy was exhausted by the time she was done.