The Wandering Man: A Charlie Doherty Thriller by Terrence McCauley

Author:Terrence McCauley [McCauley, Terrence]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781639770847
Publisher: Wolfpack Publishing
Published: 2022-01-04T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 12

Despite the chief’s orders to call, I waited until we got back to the Castle to give him a full report. He’d been in the middle of a meeting but ended it as soon as Rosie told him I was back.

I stepped aside as a long blue line of department brass filed past me. They all gave me the high sign or patted me on the arm as they went by. Up here in Valhalla, it was safe to greet old Charlie. Out in the real world, it was a different story.

When I was finally able to go inside, I was glad it was just me and Carmichael. No sign of Fitzgerald or Ross.

The chief was already back behind his desk. “How’d it go?”

I took a seat and told him about Keating making a run for it and his news about the black delivery truck seen in the area around some of the disappearances.

“Sounds like it wasn’t a wasted trip after all,” Carmichael said. “A black truck that looks like a paddy wagon. You think that’s real or just a product of Keating’s rum-soaked brain?”

“It was real enough to him,” I said. “He wasn’t lying or making anything up. I think he was trying to be helpful.”

“Maybe he was,” Carmichael allowed. “At least it’s something to go on. Black paddy wagons that aren’t paddy wagons. What do you think they could be?”

“If the witnesses were just regular civilians, I’d ignore it. But those vendors are out there all day long. If they said something about the truck was different, I’d say there’s something to it.”

“Go through the files Spann pulled. See if Brunner’s notebooks are in there. If not, I’ll have Rosie call up records and see if they can’t hunt them down.” Carmichael drummed his fingers on the desk as he thought it over. “A delivery truck could mean a salesman, which fits nicely with your idea of the killer, Charlie. A convincing, friendly guy the kids saw before. Could fit like a glove.”

“It’s a lot better than bothering Honeywell,” I said.

“I agree we can set him aside as a suspect for now,” Carmichael said. “I’m not willing to forget about him entirely just yet, but something else has come up that requires more immediate attention.”

He shoveled aside some papers on his desk and came up with a newspaper. “Saw an interesting article in the afternoon edition of today’s Mirror.”

I felt like a dope. All my talk about my memory and I’d forgotten to tell him about the shutterbug I’d found in the cemetery yesterday. “I’m sorry about that, boss. With everything going on, I forgot to tell you about the stringer for the Mirror who was following us during our walk. I got all the pictures he took of us, but to smooth it over, I gave him an interview with you. I didn’t think you’d mind.”

“I wouldn’t have minded if he printed it.” Carmichael tossed the paper on his desk facing me. “As you can see, he didn’t print it.

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