Cold Paradise (Stone Barrington 7)
Page 155
“So?”
“We want to know where you got the prints.”
“Didn’t you ask my office?”
“They wouldn’t tell us. They said we had to talk to you, and you were in Palm Beach, so we drove up here from Miami this morning.”
“How much did the bank robber get?” Dino asked.
“About thirty thousand, I think. I’m not sure.”
“Let me get this straight,” Dino said. “You two guys got into your government car and drove all the way up here from Miami, using government gas, in pursuit of a guy who got thirty grand from a bank four years ago?”
“That’s right,” Miles replied.
“Well, Agent Miles, I’m not too sure I approve of the way you people are spending my tax dollars,” Dino said.
“I don’t understand,” Miles replied.
Stone spoke up. “Neither does Lieutenant Bacchetti. He can’t figure out why you fellows are making this kind of effort to track down a penny-ante, walk-in bank robber who the bank won’t even make the effort to prosecute.”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t get your name,” Miles said.
“Stone Barrington.”
“Well, Mr. Barrington, bank robbery is a very serious crime.”
“Gee, the bank doesn’t think so. When you catch this guy, they won’t even send somebody down to court to testify against him.”
“No matter what the banks think, the FBI considers bank robbery to be a very serious crime,” Miles said. “It eats away at the roots of our economic system, if we let people get away with stealing even what you consider a small amount from a bank.”
“No kidding?” Stone said.
“What else did this guy do?” Dino asked.
“I’m sorry?”
“Come on, Agent Miles, you’re not here about a bank robbery. What did the guy do?”
“That’s confidential.”
“I’m a police officer. Mr. Barrington, here, used to be a police officer, and now he’s a distinguished member of the bar. You can tell us.”
“Those are not my instructions.”
“What are your instructions?”
“I’m, ah, not at liberty to say.”
“Well, Agent Miles, if you want information from me, you’d better be at liberty to trade a little information.”
“Lieutenant, why are you being so difficult about this? All we want is to catch a bank robber.”
“No, that’s not all you want. You want to catch an entirely different animal, and I want to know the species.”
Miles took out a handkerchief and wiped his brow. “Lieutenant, you’re interfering with an FBI investigation.”
“Oh? Well, I’m terribly sorry. Did it ever occur to you that you might be interfering with my investigation?”