The Serpent's Kiss by Terry Mark

Author:Terry, Mark [Terry, Mark]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: Derek Stillwater
Publisher: OROX Books
Published: 2010-05-07T05:00:00+00:00

51

3:03 p.m.

JILL CHURCH FINISHED TALKING to the Birmingham Fire Department captain and walked back to the car, where Derek had remained the entire time. She felt exhausted and stressed. She didn’t want to talk to Derek, find out what he was planning next. It was time—way past time, probably—to check in, so she pulled out her cell phone and dialed Matt Gray’s number. She was routed through the switchboard.

“It’s Agent Church,” she said. “I need to talk to Agent Gray.”

“Just a moment.”

It seemed like a long moment. Too long. While she waited, she watched the firefighters dowsing William Harrington’s house with water. There were two trucks, lights still flashing red, coils of hoses, the smell of smoke. The house was a disaster. It had been a large enough explosion with enough heat generated to engulf the entire second floor within seconds. By the time the fire fighters showed up the house and been completely involved and the roof collapsed not long afterwards.

The Birmingham P.D. were not pleased that she and Derek had done their own illegal search, resulting in triggering an incendiary device. The Birmingham Police chief himself, Chief Walter D’Agosta, had pulled her to one side to hear her story and to make sure she knew just how much trouble she was in. He was a heavyset, balding man in a navy blue three-piece suit, wrinkled white shirt and blue patchwork tie. Mostly bald, he had a classic comb-over that threatened to lift all at once like a lid whenever the wind blew. He chewed gum and acted like he wanted to take a bite out of Jill at any moment. He probably figured he was intimidating, though Jill didn’t feel very intimidated.

“I should lock you up, you and that asshole Stillwater. I went over there to talk to him and he slammed the damned door in my face, said he was busy. I don’t appreciate this, Church. You had no warrant. That’s going to be very nice for the D.A. And the only person who was in the house when this bomb went off won’t talk to me. I think you’d better go over there and make sure your partner gives us a statement.”

“Sure,” she’d said placatingly, knowing by now that Stillwater didn’t give a rat’s ass what the Birmingham Chief of Police wanted. “I’ll talk to him.”

“And you, you should know better. And by the way, you’re aware that the media is buzzing about Stillwater? That your own people are suggesting that he’s this guy, The Serpent?”

“Do you trust everything the media says, Chief D’Agosta?”

Chew, chew, chew. “I do not. I’m not a fool. But maybe if he’s working with you guys, you should get your story straight.”

“I couldn’t agree with you more.”

“I should lock him up.”

“It’s the Bureau that wants to talk to him, Chief D’Agosta. I’m the Bureau. Consider him to be in my custody.”

D’Agosta chewed some more, staring at her disbelievingly. “Where the hell’s the owner of this house?”

“We don’t know.”

“Is he The Serpent?”

“Possibly.”

D’Agosta chewed some more, then swore and stomped away.

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