“I can do it,” Decker said.
“I’m less threatening. Let me do it.”
“Fine.”
“I’ll also ask him where Casey Halpern lives so you know which police department to contact.”
“Great.”
“Question,” Radar said. “Do you think that Snowe has already called Pallek and Halpern and warned them that he’s being questioned?”
“I thought about that,” Decker said. “My opinion? He hasn’t told them anything. I think as soon as we started talking about Dana and attempted murder, Snowe knew he was in it up to his eyeballs. I think he decided that they were his get-out-of-jail-free card. So no, I don’t think he’s called either of them . . . yet. If we had his cell phone and his burner, we could check.”
McAdams said, “You want me to ask him for his cell to see who he’s been calling?”
“It would show good faith on our part to ask him for it. But once he’s booked we’ll get it anyway.” Decker turned to Radar. “I don’t know who else is involved in this mess, but I think we should keep watch on Carter and Diaz while we’re interviewing Pallek.”
“When’s your buddy coming in to watch Carter?”
“Oliver? Tomorrow.”
“I can spare someone until then. What about Rina?”
“She’s supposed to be with someone at all times. I’ll check in on her. Thanks for asking.”
Radar said to McAdams, “Go in and ask Snowe for his cell and burner phones and permission to search his room. Let’s see what he does.”
Both of them watched as McAdams went into the interview room and sat down. “Is Detective Butterfield bringing you food?”
“The guy who just came in?”
“Yes.”
“Yeah, I think he’s bringing me a hamburger.” Snowe sat back. “You know, I’ve been very cooperative.”
“Yes, you have.”
“I hope you guys will be equally cooperative with me. I really laid it on the line, you know. I’m bare assed in the wind right now.”
“Cameron, we’re thinking about what you told us and we’re leaning toward believing you.”
“You should. It’s the truth.”
“Right. I do have a few requests that’ll help your case out considerably.”
“I told you everything I have to say.”
“I realize that. Now it’s just about corroborating what you said.”
The kid was quiet. Then he said, “Go ahead. I’m listening.”
McAdams said, “You told us that Pallek gave you a map that night. You also said that the map might be in your dorm room.”
“I don’t know if I threw it away or not.”
“Can Detective Decker and I search your dorm room?”
“For the map?”
“For the map and for anything else that might corroborate your story.”
Cameron shrugged. “Sure.”
“Okay. Thanks. A couple of other things. What about your burner phone? It would help our case if we had it and could corroborate the calls that you said you made.”
Cameron sighed. “Well, you’re too late for that. I threw it away.”
McAdams said, “Where did you throw it?”
“I chucked it when I was on the road headed back.”
“Okay. Do you remember the phone’s number?”
“No idea.”
“Where did you buy it?”
“I think I bought this one at Target.”
“At which Target did you buy the burner that you tossed on the side of the road?”
“In Hamilton, I think.”
“Do you remember when you bought it?”
“A month ago, maybe. It was almost used up when I decided to ditch it.”
“Okay,” McAdams said. “You bought the burner a month ago at Target in Hamilton. How did you pay for it?”
“In cash. It doesn’t do you much good if your burner has a paper trail.”
“And this was the phone that you used to call Casey Halpern?” When Cameron nodded, McAdams said, “Can you say yes or no for the recording?”
“Yes, I called Casey Halpern on it.”
“Did you block your number when you called him?”
“No, I did not. I wanted it to register on his phone logs in case he tried to deny that I called him.”
“Why would he deny that you called him?”
“I’m not saying he would. But I did call him, and then Dr. Pallek showed up. So you draw your own conclusions.”
“Okay, that makes sense. So your burner’s phone number would be on Casey Halpern’s phone logs. Trouble is, I can’t get into Halpern’s phone logs until I verify that your burner called him. And I can’t verify that unless I know your burner’s number.”
“I don’t want you to pull up my burner because I don’t want you knowing everyone I called on it.”
“Cameron, I’m not working Vice. This is a Homicide case, and it would really help your case if we had the burner’s number.”
“I have to think about it.”
“Don’t take too long to come up with an answer.”
“Anything else you want to squeeze out of me?”
“Yes, as a matter of fact. Do we have your permission to look at your cell phone?”
“No. It has my burner phone number in it. What are you looking for?”
McAdams said, “Just verifying your story.”
Kevin Butterfield came back with a fast-food bag and a Coke. He set the bag in front of Snowe. “Here you go.”
“No, you can’t look at my phone.” Cameron pulled out a hamburger. “Bon appétit.” He took a bite.
McAdams said, “Where does Casey Halpern live?”
Snowe swallowed and wiped his mouth. “Last time I saw him, he was in New York.”
“Okay,” McAdams said. “Can you narrow that down?”
“Brooklyn.”
“Do you know where in Brooklyn?”
“Nope. And I don’t even know if he still lives there.”
“Have you ever been to his place?”
“A few times but I couldn’t tell you a thing about it.”
“You’ve been there but you don’t know his address?”
“I had it at one time. He texted it to me. It was a long time ago. I probably deleted it. I don’t remember.”
“Was it a posh area?”
Cameron thought a moment. “It had a lot of cafés, places where people hang out and check their phones and do nothing.”
“That could be a lot of areas.”
“I don’t know what to tell you. I don’t know Brooklyn.”
“Okay. I’ll be back.”
“Yeah, I hope you remember that I’ve done nothing but cooperate with you.” McAdams was about to leave when Snowe said, “It was near a lot of Jews. Where Halpern lived. You know the Jews I’m talking about—the ones with the curls and the long black coats.”
“Did Halpern live in Williamsburg?”
The kid shrugged. “Don’t know. You’re the cop. You find him. Can I eat my hamburger in peace? Even a guy going to the gallows is entitled to his last meal.”
“Sure.”
“I’m kidding about going to the gallows,” Snowe said. “But if I did go, my meal would be a whole lot better than a fucking hamburger.”
Cameron Snowe’s dorm room was a single and that meant no meddling roommate to worry about. It wasn’t dirty, but it wasn’t tidy—clothes scattered on the bed, a pile of papers on top of the desk, and a messy closet. The garbage had been emptied and there were no stray food containers or wrappers. He had several boxes of cereal, several bags of chips, and cans of beans, corn, and soup. There was a small fridge with dips, instant coffee, a carton of milk, and beer.
After searching through the desk drawers, McAdams despaired. “No map.”
“Check again.”
“I did it twice, but I’ll go for the trifecta if you insist.”
Decker was flipping through papers from the desktop. �
�Let’s switch.” He handed McAdams the papers and went to check the drawers. Twenty minutes later, he got up, his knees cracking.
“No luck. What about you?”
“Nothing.” McAdams placed the papers back on the desk.
“Check the closet,” Decker said. “It’s been a little nippy at night. He was probably wearing a jacket. Maybe he folded the map and stuffed it in a pocket.”
“Sure.”
“When are you headed back?” Decker asked as he lifted off Snowe’s crumpled bedcovers.
“What time is it?” McAdams checked his watch. It was almost six. “I’ll go back after I’ve had some dinner. Hint, hint.”
“I’ll tell Rina you’re coming over.” Decker felt the covers, shook them out, and then laid them on the floor. He pulled out his phone. After a few rings, he said, “She’s not picking up. That’s not good.” He sent her a text.
“I’m sure she’s fine. Didn’t you just speak to her?”
“A half hour ago.” Decker’s phone buzzed. “Okay. She’s answered that you’re welcome anytime, you don’t even have to ask.” He texted back for her to call him.
McAdams separated the coats from the rest of the clothes and began to check pockets.
Decker’s cell rang. He said, “Just wanted to hear your voice.”
Rina said, “I’m still at Hillel with around six students who are helping me cook. I’m going to pack it in at around seven.”
“Perfect. I’ll come pick you up.”
“You don’t have to do that.”
“I’m at Morse McKinley. Do not step foot out the door until I get there.”
“What are you doing there?”
“All in due time. Make sure you’re with someone at all times.”
“I’m fine, Peter.”
“Nuh-uh. Just listen to me, okay?”
“What’s wrong?”
“I can’t get into now, but I’ll fill you in later, okay?”
“Son of a bitch!” McAdams announced.
“What?” Decker said.
“I didn’t say anything,” Rina said.
“Can I call you back in a bit?”
“Don’t bother. I’ll see you in an hour.”
Decker hung up. McAdams was holding a folded plastic sleeve that contained a piece of paper. “It’s not a map. It’s directions from Morse McKinley to somewhere up north—presumably the accident spot.”
“What kind of directions?”
“Very complicated directions.” McAdams smiled. “Back roads. Looks like he got them off a computer service. Why are you always right?”
“Tell that to my wife.”
“Evidence bag, please?” McAdams shook his head. “That was a stroke of luck.”
“It would have been better if the directions were handwritten.”
“Decker, gift horse . . . mouth.”
“I expect nothing except perfection.” Decker was grinning. “You know what the best part of those directions is?”
“What?”
“It’s hard to pull prints off paper.” Decker handed McAdams a paper bag. “It’s much easier to pull them off plastic.”
Chapter 39
As soon as McAdams came to the station house, Radar said, “We’ve got eyes on Diaz and Pallek. We can’t seem to locate Carter.”
“Shit. What happened?”
“This is a walking town. He must have slipped away. And, yes, it is not good to lose visual with the creep. Where’s Decker?”
“Picking up his wife at Hillel at Morse McKinley. He told me to drop this off and get it dusted immediately for prints.”
“What is it?”
“The directions that Pallek allegedly gave to Cameron Snowe. I was going to copy them down and see what route Pallek took to the accident spot. See if there are CCTVs en route.”
“And the paper was like that when you found it? In the plastic sleeve?”
“Yes. Let’s cross our fingers that we’ve got Pallek’s prints on the plastic. Do we have Pallek’s prints on file?”
“I’ll check for you. School would have them. It’s part of the local ordinance that all faculty from the colleges are printed.”
“Do you want me to get them?”
“They’ll ask why and I don’t want to open up that can of worms without proper papers. When we pull Pallek in for questioning, just lie and say we got them from the colleges and we found a match.”
“Sure. When are you going to pick up Pallek?”
“Now, before he bolts. Call up Decker. Ask him when he’s coming in.”
“Sure.” McAdams made the call. “He wants to know if he can eat dinner first. It’ll take him about a half hour.”
“That’ll be fine. It’ll take at least that long to process Pallek. Where are you eating dinner?”
“Pete invited me over.”
“Go.” Radar relieved him of the evidence bag with the sleeve. “I’ll see you both back here in an hour or so. In the meantime, I’ll see if Pallek’s prints are in the system for any criminal reason.”
“He doesn’t have a record. Neither does Hank Carter. Are you sure you don’t want me to go over to the college and ask for them?”
“They won’t give them to us, Tyler. They’re very private with their own. Have you had any luck calling up rental car agencies?”
“The local ones are closed.” McAdams paused. “What about notaries, Captain?”
“What about them?”
“I don’t think they have the duty of confidentiality like a lawyer or doctor or priest. And I know you give them a right thumbprint when you sign some types of notarized documents. It’s only a right thumbprint but most people are right handed and most people use their thumbs. I could check with local notaries to see if Pallek has a print in their books.”
“Okay. Good idea.”
“I’ll make some calls at Decker’s house.”
“Right,” Radar said. “Go enjoy your dinner. It might be a while before you’ll eat again.”
“Have you found Carter yet?” When Radar shook his head, Decker began to pace. “How could this happen?”
“We can’t bring him in anyway, Pete. We don’t have anything on him other than being creepy. Where is Rina now?”
“She’s with friends. She’s okay, but I would feel so much better if I knew where that asshole was. He must be involved in something. Otherwise why would he bolt?”
“I don’t know that he did,” Radar said. “Your PI friend is coming tomorrow. I hired him to watch Carter. So let him use his PI skills and find Carter if he’s still AWOL. Right now we have more pressing matters. Pallek needs to be interviewed before he asks for a lawyer and we lose our chance with him.”
“I know, I know. Where’s Snowe?”
Radar said, “He’s in jail waiting for arraignment. I’m hoping bail is high enough to keep him overnight, but a judge may not consider him dangerous or a flight risk. If he’s about to be cut loose, we’ll parade him in front of Pallek to make him nervous. Let’s get going, Pete.”
“Right.” Decker looked around. “Where’s Tyler?”
“I sent him home to eat dinner with you.” When Decker didn’t answer, Radar said, “He didn’t show up?”
“I thought he just decided to stay here. Damn it.” Decker dialed McAdams’s number.
The kid picked up. “Yo.”
“Where the hell are you?”
“Hello to you, too, boss.”
“Don’t be a wiseass. You had me worried.”
“Aw, you care,” McAdams said. “Listen to this. I, through my doggedness and persistence, have managed to find a twenty-four-hour rent-a-car agency in Hamilton called Neweast Transportation. After a bit of bullying and lying, they finally opened the records for me for the night of the accident, which was actually Sunday by the time James Dellek rented a red Chevy Sonic at 1:17 a.m.”
“Okay.” Decker exhaled. “That’s really good. And we know definitely that Dellek is Pallek because . . .”
&
nbsp; “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“Did you show the rental agent a picture of Pallek?”
“Please. I know better than to bias her before we have a six-pack or a lineup. Besides, I don’t even know if she was the one who rented to Pallek—or Dellek if you want to play it by the book, whatever the book is. Have you brought Pallek in yet?”
“I was just about to go into the interview room. I’ll use the information you just gave me to put on the heat. Get your ass down here so you can be part of it.”
“I’ve got a few more things to do.”
“Like?”
“I’m trying to track down local notaries. Another one of my brainstorms. Ask Radar about it. It may take me a while.”
“Come in whenever you can, Harvard. We’re in this for the long haul.”
This time Pallek had drawn his thick hair back in a man bun. He was still slight and still short. Decker motioned the standing man to the chair, and both of them sat down. He put his notes on the table, poured two cups of water, and slid one in front of Pallek, who said, “What do you want?” He didn’t wait for an answer. “I’m a really busy guy.”
“I appreciate that, Dr. Pallek. Thanks for coming down.”
“Like I had a choice? Why am I here?”
“I’m asking for your help.”
“What help? I can’t help you.”
“You don’t even know what I’m asking for.”
“It can’t be good. You don’t drag a person down to the police station just to get help. So either arrest me for something or I’m going home.”
“You want me to arrest you?”
“Well, no, I don’t want you to arrest me. I didn’t do anything arrestable. I don’t even know if that’s a word.”
“Dr. Pallek, do you have any idea where your brother-in-law might be?”
“You mean Hank?”
“Yes, Hank Carter. Do you know where he is?”
“No, I don’t. He’s a grown man and I don’t keep tabs on him.”
“Think about it, sir. You have no idea where he is?”
“I answered your question already. Why? Is he missing?”
“We’re looking for him just to chat and we can’t seem to find him anywhere. He doesn’t appear to be home, he’s not in his office. I thought that was odd.”
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