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wants us to take a peek. See if we can get in front of
it sort of quick. We’ll probably just shadow you guys. See what we can see.”
    “In other words, we do all the
work and you guys get all the credit.”
    “Nope. You can have the credit. Like
I said, we just want to try to get in front of it, if we can.”
    “Doesn’t look like it’s going to
be easy. We don’t have jack-shit on this one.”
    “Tell me what you’ve got so far.”
    “You spoke with Sandy?”
    “Just now.”
    “Okay,” Miles said. “Well, there’s
that, and not much else. Not yet anyway, and most of it’s speculation at this
point. One of the techs found the slug, or I guess I should say what was left
of the slug that took Burns out. It cracked the front window, but didn’t
penetrate. It ricocheted off the window and imbedded in the top of the dash. He
says it looks like it was probably from a .223, but he says he can’t be sure
until they get it back to the lab for tests.”
    “What about Dugan?”
    “One to the head, two in the
chest. Coroner says he’ll get what’s left of the slug fragments when he does the
post. There’s some tattooing on his skull from the powder burns, so it was up
close and personal.” Miles pulled the tent flap back and they stepped inside.
As bad as Burns looked, Dugan was somehow worse. He ended up flat on his back,
his arms out at his sides like a kid ready to make an angel in the snow. One of
his slippers had fallen off his foot and was lying next to his hip. They both
looked at Dugan for a full minute then stepped back outside the tent. “Jesus,”
Virgil said to no one in particular.
    “Yeah,” Miles said.
    “So, what do you think about
Sandy’s take? Two shooters?”
    “I think it works. Dugan was
close. Foot, foot and a half. Burns wasn’t. So, if Sandy’s got the timing
right—and why wouldn’t she—there must have been two. I mean, how do
you shoot from a distance with one weapon and then take another weapon and run
over and pop someone up close? Or better yet, why? Just doesn’t add up.”
    “What if she heard it wrong?”
    Miles flattened his hair with his
palm. “Well, I just don’t think she did. Plus, I’ll tell you something, even if
she did hear it wrong and there was only one shooter, what’s he gonna do? Take
out Dugan up close and then run away with Burns just sitting there? That
doesn’t work. And neither does taking out Burns first from a distance and then
walking up and popping Dugan. So I think she’s on the money. Two shooters, two
weapons, all at the same time.”
    They talked it over for a few more
minutes running through different variations on the theme, but in the end,
Sandy’s scenario held up.
     “Okay, keep doing what you’re
doing here,” Virgil said. “I’m going to work a specific angle, but I want you
to run this by the numbers. Let’s not let anything fall through the cracks.”
    “Like I ever do. You know who’s
got the best closure rate in Metro, right?”
    “Yeah, I know. So do what you do.”
    “I intend to. So, what’s the
angle?”
    Virgil hesitated for a second. “Uh,
it’s sort of complicated. Cora’s got us looking at something.”
    Miles looked away for a moment as
if studying something off in the distance. “Well, I’ll keep you updated with
whatever we find,” he said.
    “That’ll do,” Virgil said as he
took one last look around. “I’m heading out. Find us something, Ron. I need a
thread to pull on.”
    “Don’t hold your breath, Jonesy. This
one has that ‘might kick our ass’ sort of feel. Is this about McConnell?”
    “Have you ever met Bradley
Pearson?”
    “Isn’t he the governor’s chief
weenie? I heard he’s sort of a snake…”

 
     
     
     
    7
    __________
     
    V irgil
drove over to the hospital and walked into the Emergency Department and when he
did his gun set off the metal detector at the doorway. He was about to badge
the security guard headed his way until he noticed it was a friend of his