Dark Room (Pete 'Monty' Montgomery 2)

“He’s got a partially ruptured spleen. Plus, he’s got a rare blood type, so they’re scrambling to find a donor—just in case. He’s adopted, which means that neither of his parents fit the bill and there are no known siblings to turn to. So he’s scared. And his parents are a mess. That’s why I’m more time pressed than I planned.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Monty waved that away. “If you want to hang out a little longer at the hospital and put the Vaughns at ease, do it. I’ve got enough to keep me busy for a few hours.” His forehead creased. “Where’s Morgan during all this?”

“At my place, sleeping. It’s probably the first good rest she’s had in weeks. I checked in with her on my way over here. She sounds half out of it, and more than happy to relax till I get back. O’Hara’s stationed outside my building, and I made sure to set the alarm and double-lock the door when I left. So everything’s cool at that end.” A scowl. “Everything except my plan to spend the morning with her.”

“Spend the night instead. Jonah’s condition will stabilize, so his parents will be calmer. I’ll be out of your hair—assuming you spend the rest of the afternoon and evening enhancing those crime-scene images. And Morgan will be a hell of a lot more relaxed at your place than at the Shores’. The tension there isn’t going to be easing up anytime soon.”

“Let’s hear the details,” Lane said the instant the waitress had taken their orders and disappeared. “What happened during your meeting with Arthur? And why the urgent computer search at my place yesterday? I assume it had something to do with your meeting with Charlie Denton.”

“Yeah.” Succinctly, Monty repeated the outcome of his meeting with Denton, then went on to relay the gist of his conversation with Arthur. He provided Lane with the facts, omitting the personal details behind Denton’s falling-out with Arthur. He had confidence in Lane’s deductive skills. As a result, he simply let him draw his own conclusions.

“So you were right about Hayek being a CI for Jack Winter,” Lane commented thoughtfully as soon as Monty was through.

“Yeah, and about Arthur orchestrating the deal between Hayek and the D.A.’s office.”

Lane eyed his father, processing everything he’d just been told, and all the implications that went along with it. “That doesn’t tie Hayek to the murders.”

“I didn’t expect it would. But it does tie Hayek to Arthur Shore. And not just as teenagers who Lenny took to the movies so Hayek could have brotherly companionship and a father figure. Arthur and Hayek had some kind of association seven years after Hayek left Lenny’s. Who knows how long that association lasted and how deep it ran?”

Brows drawn together, Lane mentally contemplated his father’s reasoning. “I’m not sure where you’re going with this.”

“Me, either. But either Arthur’s sitting on something, or the D.A.’s sitting on something.” A quick, pointed glance at his son. “Brace yourself. I might

be twisting your arm on the Hayek issue again. But for now I’ll let it be. The rest of my conversation with Shore gave me more food for thought.”

“He came up with an explanation and an alibi.”

“Too good an explanation and too convenient an alibi.”

“You think they were staged?”

“Or at least rehearsed. It’s obvious Elyse Shore prepped her husband for what was coming. She loves the guy; you gotta give her that. She protects him even at the cost of her own self-respect. I have some feelers out on this Margo Adderly. How much do you want to bet she’s either untraceable or unreliable?”

“You think Arthur paid her off?”

“Nah, more likely he did a walk down memory lane, recalling his sexual conquests of that year, then settled on someone who’s a druggie or an alcoholic and can’t remember what she had for breakfast, much less what time she threw a drink in Arthur’s face seventeen years ago. All I know is that he was too prepared and too composed when I hit him with that line of questioning. He didn’t lose his cool until I mentioned George Hayek’s name. Before that? He had it all down pat, right to the time on Elyse’s watch.”

“Monty, it’s beginning to sound more and more like you think Arthur Shore was involved in these homicides.”

“I think he’s involved in something. I just don’t know what. If Denton’s right, then that whole ‘my closest friend’ reference Arthur uses when he describes Jack Winter is a crock. More likely, they were the equivalent of in-laws in a marriage. Their wives were best friends, so they got along out of necessity. And, of course, they cut that Hayek deal together. So I’m sure they were on civil terms. But it sounds like Jack Winter was an ethical guy who thought Lara’s best friend was getting the royal shaft from her husband. That can’t have bred good feelings between them.”

“Even if that’s true, it’s hard to believe that even a fierce disagreement over moral choices could lead to murder. Plus, there’s another flaw in that theory—Elyse. She knew about her husband’s affairs, probably from the beginning. She accepted him anyway. And her father was one hundred percent behind his son-in-law. So it’s not like Arthur would have lost either his wife or his financial backing if Jack took the facts to Elyse.”

“Assuming that’s all Jack took to her. Maybe this isn’t about infidelity. Maybe it’s about something a lot more substantial. Even illegal. Now, that would be both a marriage and a career breaker.”

“You’re back to Arthur’s ties to Hayek.” Lane blew out a breath. “I’m up against a wall on this one, Monty. If my source is lying to me, he’s not about to admit it, or change his story.”

“True. Which means that if getting more detailed dirt on Hayek is what’s necessary, it won’t be coming from channels—yours or mine. Denton’s not any more willing to talk than your source is. When I called him back, gave him Hayek’s name as the CI he’d help me figure out, he was thrilled—at first. What A.D.A. wouldn’t be? Hell, to be able to link a rich, possibly shady international arms dealer who sells weapons to foreign governments with the Winters’ double homicide? Denton would be front-page news for a week.”

“Then you dropped the other shoe and told him that Arthur Shore had played an instrumental part in Hayek being recruited by the D.A.’s office.”

A corner of Monty’s mouth lifted. “Denton nearly choked on his coffee. Needless to say, he won’t be running with this lead. He likes his job too much. So Hayek will be our problem. You and I will tackle it as a last resort.”

“In other words, we’ll save the risky, balls-out approach for last.”

“Exactly.” Monty drummed his fingers on the table. “Let’s talk about the package Morgan got yesterday. It’s either a breakthrough lead or a pile of BS meant to throw me off track. Who is this woman who sent it, and how is it that her timing is so perfect?”

“You don’t think it could be Margo Adderly, do you?”