“Can we go inside and talk a minute, Ms. Miller?” Agent Williams asks, giving me a pointed look.
“No need,” I say, glancing over at Cindy and motioning her toward the office. She gives a nod and begins herding the other two women toward the door. Satisfied my staff are about to be out of the way, I return my attention to the agents. “Agent Pitt was working with me on a highly sensitive case, and as much as I want to help, that limits my conversational freedom, as you can imagine.”
“When an agent is murdered, it’s highly sensitive, as you can imagine,” Williams’s snips. “He was a personal friend, Ms. Miller.”
Adrian speaks in my ear, “He’s telling the truth. He and Pitt came up together in the agency. They were friends. If one was dirty, the other might have been as well.”
I’m still trying to process the implications of his words when Lucifer jumps back in. “Is this a personal or professional visit, Agent Williams?” Lucifer asks. “Because our team updated the FBI in lengthy detail last night when we realized Pitt was missing.”
“We’re aware of that,” Agent Davis states, “but Ms. Miller failed to offer a personal statement. We’d like to know exactly what happened last night.”
“Asked and answered,” Lucifer quips.
Williams stares at him, his eyes hard before he looks at me. “I’d like to hear it in your own words.”
“Leave me your card,” I say, “and I’ll arrange a time to sit down. I’m juggling the security of my staff and witnesses today.”
“Yes, about that,” Williams says, looking at me, “one of those witnesses is Adrian Mack. We’d like to talk to him as well.” He glances between us. “Can either of you make that happen?”
“Fuck no,” Adrian says in my ear. “I will not talk to that blowfish bastard.”
With a solid no from Adrian, I reply a bit more delicately than he did. “Considering the fact that Chicago has issued a completely unjustified warrant for his arrest,” I say, “I’m not even sure I’ll hear from him again. In other words, good luck reaching him and as I’m sure the powers that be wished, my case is now in jeopardy.”
“Unjustified?” Agent Williams asks. “How would you know that if you haven’t talked to him since the warrant was issued?”
“Don’t lie to a federal agent,” Adrian says. “Not even for me, baby.”
And I might have, I think. For him. Instead, I say, “I don’t remember saying I haven’t talked to him.”
“Then you have talked to him?” Agent Davis presses.
“Yes,” I say. “I have. And I fear every time he makes contact that it will be the last. And honestly at this point, if I were him, I probably wouldn’t testify.”
“Did Adrian kill Agent Pitt?” Agent Williams demands.
Adrian curses and I gasp. “What? No. He did not. He tried to save his life. Deleon killed Agent Pitt.”
“We don’t know if he’s dead,” Lucifer states. “Our team arrived and Deleon and Pitt were gone. And as I said, our team already covered this.”
“Was Pitt there to arrest Adrian Mack?” Agent Davis asks.
“Why in the world would he arrest him?” I ask. “He had no known warrants at the time and the two were friends.”
“Were they?” Agent Williams asks.
I hold up my hands. “Enough. I’m not on trial and neither is my witness. I’m done here.”
“Can you come to our office tomorrow morning?” Agent Davis asks, in a rather oddly abrupt shift of topic. “Or perhaps we can come here? We can bring donuts.”
“I’m not a cop,” I say. “I don’t live on donuts. And I’m waiting on a hearing with the defense and the judge that will likely happen in the morning. Give me your cards. I’ll be in contact.”
They hesitate and then Davis hands me his card. “Call me tomorrow or I’ll be back to talk and I won’t take no for answer.” He punches the elevator button.
Lucifer motions to the office when Agent Davis says, “Ms. Miller.”
“Yes?” I say.
“You do know that aiding and abetting is a crime, right?” He doesn’t give me time to reply. “Of course you do. You work for the DA. And Adrian Mack knows that as well. He was, at some point, a federal agent, though I’m not sure he was ever a good one.” The elevator opens and the two men step inside.
Lucifer’s jaw sets hard and he motions me forward again. I don’t say a word for fear of being overheard, but I’m fuming. What the hell was that? Lucifer opens the lobby door and I walk inside. Cindy and Grace immediately surround us. “What was that?” they ask as if they’re reading my mind. “What did they want? Did they find Agent Pitt?”
“Come to the stairwell,” Adrian says in my ear. “Now.”
I eye Lucifer. “I need to—”
“I know,” he says. “I’ll update them.” He glances at his watch. “You have a dinner to get ready for. Take the rear exit. I’ll have a car waiting for you.”