Every Move She Makes (43 page)

"So she destroys the file, what's it gonna prove?"

"The million-dollar question," I said, switching lanes. Someone honked
behind me. "My guess is murder." "You're never gonna make it through,"

he said, nodding toward the next intersection. Sure enough, as I neared,
the light changed to red. I slammed to a stop. "Come on, come on." I
tapped my fingers on the steering wheel. Watched the cross traffic go
by. I thought about my conversation with Sam, and told Rocky about it.

"Which means Scolari should've put in for overtime.

He gave you the Slasher on a silver platter." "No, don't you see? He
drew this thing out. He knew about it back when all this started with
his wife. He was trying to distract me."

"From what?"

"From his wife's murder. He doesn't want us near Hilliard
Pharmaceutical." Rocky looked skeptical, but I let it go. Now I only
hoped I could get to Hilliard Pharmaceutical before Josephine did.

"Make a right here," Rocky said, pointing to an alley.

"We can cut off some of that commuter traffic." I whipped the wheel
around, pulling into the alley. MY rear wheels skidded slightly as I
dodged a garbage can someone had knocked over. I hit it anyway. It
bounced off the front bumper with a hollow clatter that sounded like a
drum encore in a rock concert. Rocky looked over his shoulder. "They
should've made it flat on one side to begin with. So it wouldn't roll
into the middle of the alley." I braked to a stop at the next street,
glanced both ways, then shot across the moment it was clear. "You think
Hilliard could have erased those files from the accounting office?" I
asked. "Possible. Then again, maybe me or Bettencourt did it
accidentally. Hard to say."

"You know what a F.A.T. partition is?" I asked suddenly.

"Yeah, why?" "My friend over at DOJ says that's what the data on the
computer was stored on. It wasn't really erased." "I guess it didn't
occur to me." I wondered if that was true, that he merely hadn't thought
of it, but our arrival at the Hilliard warehouse kept me from pressing
the issue. Josephine Hilliard's Lincoln was parked out front, and I
pulled in behind it.

"Where the hell's the warrant team?" Rocky asked.

"Good question," I said, pulling out the cell phone. I called our
office, surprised to hear Torrance answer. "Is Andrews there?" I asked.

"He's in the judge's chambers getting the warrant.

Where are you?"

"With Rocky."

"And Rocky would be ... "With me?" Silence.

"We're at the warehouse."

"Damn it, Gillespie-" "There wasn't time to explain. We looked around
the office, but no one was there. I knew the warrant team was supposed
to be here."

"Explain what?"

"That Dexter Kermgard called Reid," I replied. "He said Josephine was
enroute to the warehouse to destroy the Project Green file. Which
presents a slight problem."

"What?"

"I think we beat the warrant team here."

"Gillespie "We need to contain the scene."

"Keyword being contain, Gillespie. Don't play hero."

"Gotta go." Rocky eyed me. "Who was that?"

"Torrance. Who else?

"Bet you'll be glad when they catch Foust and you can go home, alone."

"Immensely," I said, trying to envision my couch as it was meant to be,
without sheets on it. All that came to mind was the bathroom sink. I
wondered if I'd ever be able to brush my teeth without thinking about
Torrance kissing me there. "Let's go. I want to see what's going on." I
dropped the cell phone onto the seat and grabbed my radio. Rocky and I
exited the car. The door to the warehouse wasn't quite shut. We looked
at each other, and Rocky shrugged as though to say, what the hell, he
never had a choice. Entering without the warrant presented a problem,
but I justified it in my mind with the knowledge that Josephine might be
destroying evidence. Exigency of circumstances. The moment I opened the
door, I saw Josephine on the moving ladder in the back, pulling a file
box from the top shelf. A large re(] container was at her feet.

Gasoline. There were two containers on the floor. Halting in my tracks,
I put up my hand, motioning for Rocky to stop. We backed out, and I shut
the door softly. "She's going to torch the place," I whispered. "We need
to call for fire." I keyed my portable, but Dispatch couldn't copy over
the static.

"I'll call from the car," Rocky said.

I handed him my radio. Rocky returned to the car. Suddenly I heard a
crash inside. I pulled open the door wide enough to peek in. I saw a
file box on the floor, papers scattered everywhere. Josephine lifted a
second file box from the top shelf Looking for something? The Project
Green file? I glanced back at Rocky, wondering what was keeping him. He
was still talking. When I returned my attention to Josephine, I caught a
movement through a space in the shelf. Dex, his weapon in his left hand,
edged his way toward Josephine from the next aisle over. "Oh, no," I
muttered. I waved at Rocky. He looked up, and I mouthed, "Dex." He
nodded, but I don't think he understood, since I saw his eyes widen as I
drew my semiauto. Phone in hand, he nearly fell from the car in his rush
to get to me.

"What the hell is going on?"

"Dex'.s inside. He might be after josephine Hilliard." "Yeah? Well, I
got even worse news. The warrant team went out to the original address
on the warrant. They got sent to the main facility. Torrance is enroute
now. He says the best they can do is send a radio car our way." "Great."

I couldn't very well ignore the situation within. I raised my hand to
knock.

"What are you doing?"

"Maybe saving josie Hilliard's life," I said. Rapping my knuckles on the
door, I waited about two seconds, then opened it, keeping my gun hidden
against my right side. "Mrs. Hilliard?" I called out.

I didn't move from the doorway, my only safety zone.

Nor did she move from the top of the ladder. The gasoline smell was
overpowering, and I realized she had either knocked the container over
or dumped it on purpose. In her right hand she held a thick file folder,
in her left was a small silver object. I wasn't close enough to see, but
when she pushed up on the top with her thumb, I knew what it was. The
sterling lighter. The one I'd seen on her desk.

She saw me, and held out the lighter.

"Put it down," I said. "The whole place will go." "Why didn't I think of
that," Josephine replied, giving a slight smile. She cocked her head to
one side. I started to ask her why, but then it hit me. "This is because
of the merger, isn't it?"

"Of course. We'll lose everything when they find out."

Behind me, I heard Rocky calling for backup. Dex had yet to make himself
known. And until he did, I wasn't about to move from my spot. "Maybe
there's another way you can resolve this," I told her, falling back on
my Hostage Negotiation training. I figured I was dealing with a woman
who felt she was at the end of her rope. I needed to keep her talking.

If she stopped, it would give her time to think. And what I didn't want
her to think about was lighting a fire. "There's no other way," she
said. "Everything I have is in this business."

"Then why destroy it?"

"Because if they find it, it's over."

"Find what?" I asked, although I knew. Project Green.

She shook her head, but before she could answer, Dex slipped between the
wall and the shelf at the far end.

"Hello, Kate," he said, his weapon held low.

My heart pounded as I drew down on Dex. I knew I'd do what it took to
protect and survive. But who was I protecting here? Was Dex trying to
stop her? Or was he setting me up? "Put your weapon away, Dex," I said,
partly for Rocky's benefit. Although Dex had yet to point it at me, I
didn't want Rocky stepping in without knowing what was going on. In
fact, I didn't want him in at all, since I wasn't sure how Dex would
react. Or Josephine, for that matter. Both were protecting their slice
of the pie. They were like two animals that when cornered, would fight.

I heard Rocky utter a soft, "Oh, shit," then, "Kermgard's here. He's
armed." Apparently, Rocky was giving a play-byplay on the cellular.

"Not a chance, Kate," Dex said in reply to my order.

"Me and Josie got some unfinished business. Give me the file, josie."

She flipped open the top of the lighter.

"Dex!" I called out. "Can't you smell the gas?"

"Then get out of here, and you won't get hurt." Behind me, I heard Rocky
clear his throat. "Kate, Torrance says out. Now." I pretended not to
hear. "Josie, don't do it. Nothing is solved this way." Dex closed the
short distance between them and stepped on the ladder. It rolled a few
inches and josie fell against the shelf behind her, trying to catch her
balance.

The empty gas can clattered to the ground. I jumped at the echo.

"I've soaked every one of these boxes with gas, she said, holding the
lighter up as proof. "I'll take you with me."

"Dex," I said, "put the gun down, come out with me.

It's not worth it. You know what happened to Estrada." Picky Estrada,
now retired, fired on an arson suspect who pointed a gun at him. The
spark from his weapon, or a ricocheting bullet, no one quite knew for
sure, ignited the gasoline. Estrada walked out of there resembling a
roasted marshmallow with half a mustache. "He was lucky," I said. "You
might not be." I saw Dex's gaze flick to the empty gas can on the
ground. He stepped off the ladder. "And if that file makes it out of
here, it won't matter."

"So you go down for a little drug running," I said.

Now was not the time to point out that I knew he'd murdered the PI. "You
know you can make a deal with the DA. Testify against Paolini."

"An ex-cop in prison?" he said. "I don't think so.

Give me the file, josie." Josephine backed against the shelves, lifting
the lighter higher. A flick of her thumb, and it was lit. "You want
this, Dex?" she cried. "No one is getting this. No one." I felt
helpless, yet curious as to why Josephine and Dex were pitted against
each other. I could smell the gas, though not as strong now. "Put it
down," I shouted, eyeing the high wavering flame in her left hand. It
was precisely at that moment that I realized what I had overlooked
regarding this entire case. It wasn't about Project Green. Not totally.

And Scolari was wrong about Dex. Dex and Josephine were both
left-handed. Patricia was killed by a right-handed suspect. I took a
step in, but the sound of a car door slamming made me pause. Undoubtedly
Torrance. "Oh, shit ..." I ignored Rocky's expletive, figuring Torrance
was finally here. Especially after seeing the look on Dex's face as he
glanced our way. But in the millisecond it took all this to register, I
realized Torrance could never have made it here so fast, even going Code
three, with lights and sirens. I sensed Rocky's chest at my back, then
he grasped my shoulder. At the same time, I saw Dex about to speak, then
shut his mouth, a look of confusion on his face. Even Josephine stared.