The Coffin Dancer (Lincoln Rhyme 2)

"I thought he was a cop but then he said he was there to kill some people. I thought he was going to kill me too. He needed to escape so he told me to stand still and I did, and this cop or somebody came to the door and he stabbed him--"

"And killed him," Dellray spat out.

Jodie sighed and looked miserable. "I didn't know he was going to kill him. I thought he was just going to knock him out or something."

"Well, asshole," Dellray spat out, "he did kill him. Killed him dead as a rock."

Sellitto looked over the evidence bags from the subway, containing scuzzy porn magazines, hundreds of pills, clothes. A new cellular phone. A stack of money. He turned his attention back to Jodie. "Keep going."

"He said he'd pay me to get him out of there and I led him through this tunnel to the subway. How'd you find me, man?" He looked at Dellray.

"'Cause you were skipping 'long the street hawking your be-bops to everybody you came across. I even knew your name. Jee-sus, you are a mutt. I oughta squeeze your neck till you're blue."

"You can't hurt me," he said, struggling to be defiant. "I have rights."

"Who hired him?" Sellitto asked Jodie. "He mention the name Hansen?"

"He didn't say." Jodie's voice quavered. "Look, I only agreed to help him 'cause I knew he'd kill me if I didn't. I wasn't going to do it." He turned to Dellray. "He wanted me to get you to help. But soon as he left I wanted you to leave. I was going to the police and telling them. I was. He's a scary guy. I'm afraid of him!"

"Fred?" Rhyme asked.

"Yeah, yeah," the agent conceded, "he did have a change of tune. Wanted me gone. Didn't say anything about going to the police, though."

"Where's he going? What were you supposed to do?"

"I was supposed to go through the trash bins in front of that town house and watch the cars. He told me to look for a man and a woman getting into a car and leaving. I was supposed to tell him what kind of car. I was going to call on that phone there. Then he was going to follow."

"You were right, Lincoln," Sellitto said. "About keeping them in the safe house. He's going for a transport hit."

Jodie continued, "I was going to come to you--"

"Man, you're useless when you lie. Don't you have any dignity?"

"Look, I was going to," he said, calmer now. He smiled. "I figured there was a reward."

Rhyme glanced at the greedy eyes and tended to believe him. He looked at Sellitto, who nodded in agreement.

"You cooperate now," Sellitto grumbled, "and we might just keep your ass out of jail. I don't know about money. Maybe."

"I've never hurt anybody. I wouldn't. I--"

"Cool that tongue," Dellray said. "We all together on that?"

Jodie rolled his eyes.

"Together?" the agent whispered maliciously.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah."

Sellitto said, "We've got to move fast here. When were you supposed to be at the town house?"

"At twelve-thirty."

They had fifty minutes left.

"What kind of car's he driving?"

"I don't know."