The Witness (Badge of Honor 4)

“Any of them ever into anything like this?”

“They’re mostly into protest marches,” Towne said. “Talk and protest marches.”

“I’d like to help Wohl if I could,” SAC Davis said.

“There was something I heard—” Towne said, stopped, and then went on. “I heard that Wohl was going with Farnsworth Stillwell. As his chief investigator.”

“Really?” Davis asked.

“He might as well,” Young said. “I’ll bet Carlucci throws him to the wolves.”

“You think that ‘unnamed police official’ was Carlucci?”

“I think it was somebody close to Czernich. Maybe even Czernich himself.”

“Not Czernich,” Davis said. “Czernich wouldn’t do that, unless Carlucci told him to. But somebody close to Czernich—”

“If Carlucci isn’t behind it, and finds out who the big mouth is, he’s in more trouble than Wohl.”

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“I don’t think anyone’s in more trouble than Wohl,” Davis said. “How good was your source about Wohl going with Stillwell?”

“I just heard it. I can’t even remember where. Maybe on one of those radio talk shows driving to work.”

“See what you can find out for sure, Isaac, will you please?” Davis said.

“Yes, sir,” Towne said.

“I’ll tell you what I can see,” Davis said. “Armed robberies of banks, with witnesses afraid to testify because of this case, because of what happened to Mr. Monahan.”

“You really think so, Chief?” Young asked.

“I think it’s a credible possibility,” Davis said. “I think this could be a dry run for something like that.”

“Well, there goes our bank robbery solution rate,” A-SAC Williamson said.

“I wasn’t trying to be funny, Glenn,” Davis said.

“Chief, neither was I,” Williamson said. “I’m very much afraid you’re absolutely right.”

“I hope not,” Davis said.

It was evident to the others that Davis did not violently object to being told he was absolutely right.

“This isn’t exactly on the same subject—” Young said.

“But?” Davis prodded.

“I told you the reason I was late was because I was talking with Jack Matthews. He heard something last night that might, just might, affect one of our ongoing investigations.”

“Which one?”

“Bob Holland.”

“Oh, Jesus, that’s all we need! We’re getting pretty close to the end of that, aren’t we?”

“At the cost of I don’t like to think how much money and man-hours,” A-SAC Williamson said, “I have been assured that we are beginning to see light at the end of the tunnel.”