Page 89 of The Accomplice
Because I knew White had them, and he had not disclosed them prior, that meant there was nothing incriminating in any of the calls. There were only five pages of calls for Otto’s phone, with numbers listed. I would need to sit down and go through it to check the numbers, but there were no transcript sheets. White was on his way out the door when I called him back.
‘Where are the call transcripts ?’ I asked.
‘There are none.’
‘What do you mean ?’
‘Our warrant allowed us to monitor all calls, but we were only permitted to transcribe and exhibit incriminating calls. We didn’t get anything. And she never spoke to her lawyer.’
‘I don’t believe you,’ I said.
‘Do you think if I had something on Carrie Miller that I would suppress it ? I’d be waving it in your face, Flynn. Sorry, there’s nothing. It was the biggest waste of time.’
And together with his assistants he left. There was something very wrong with this picture, and the calls. I could feel it, but I couldn’t yet see it. I didn’t trust White, and if he could hold an ace up his sleeve, ready to play at the perfect moment, he wouldn’t hesitate.
I checked my phone. Two missed calls from Bloch fifteen minutes ago. Harry and I were the last people in the courtroom. I called her back.
‘What’s happening ?’ I asked.
‘It’s not Kate,’ she said.
I closed my eyes, raised my head for a second and whispered a silent prayer.
Another Sandman victim. But who … ?
Sometimes when you look at the world, nothing looks exactly right. There’s something off, something out of whack, something just plain wrong. You can feel the problem, but it’s hard to find the solution.
Sometimes the solution comes from another problem. It can feel like my subconscious has been working away on something for days, solidly, without me knowing it. And then suddenly, the last piece falls andwham!
It’s like magic.
‘Tell me about this victim,’ I said.
‘He’s been chopped into several pieces in order to fit into the freezer. That’s about all we can say. Still can’t see his face …’
‘Are there any pieces missing ?’ I asked.
A moment’s pause. Dead air on the other end of the line.
Then Bloch said, ‘How did you know that ?’
We talked for ten minutes. Agreed a plan.
‘What’s going on ?’ said Harry.
‘It’s time to give the reporter her exclusive,’ I said.
CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
KATE
First, there was pain.
And then darkness.
Her head and neck were ablaze with agony. The most intense pain she had ever felt. As if someone had held an acetylene torch to her brain and cooked it until it was a hot, pink ball of boiling tissue.
She felt pressure on her chest, and realized it was from her chin. Slowly, she tried to raise her head. Agony whipped through the muscles in her neck. They had been strained and stretched as she’d been out cold with her head leaning forward for God knows how long. She had to fight through it. Had to lift her head. She tried to raise her arms, to help lift her chin, but her hands were bound behind her.
