Robert Walker - Fatal Instinct

“ Look,” she said solicitously, “I've got a military plane on standby and we'll take the body to Quantico with or without your consent.”

He put up a palm to her. “No, no, you know you have my full support, Dr. Coran. It's just… well, I'd hoped we had put this horror behind us.”

“ I can certainly understand that.”

“ With Helfer in custody-”

“ That's not enough. We have to be absolutely certain, and I'm afraid the forensics evidence provided to prove him guilty beyond a reasonable doubt-”

Archer's shoulders hunched with his raised arms as he protested, “I oversaw that evidence myself, and it is enough to bury Helfer several times over. What can you possibly mean, reasonable doubt?”

“ Reasonable doubt that he acted alone.”

“ But all the evidence points to that single fact.”

“ I know… I know, and it's all so pat.”

He was again staring at her before he caught himself. He cast his dark gaze elsewhere, but not before she registered the pent-up rage seething below, held in check. The unflappable Dr. Archer had been flapped.

“ Well,” he muttered, “it sounds as if you need nothing from me.”

“ No, I don't. I'll take the heat from the family and any other interested parties.”

“ I guess you've been made aware that they've ordered some sort of internal investigation of the department.”

“ No, really? I had no idea,” she lied. “Routine, they say.”

“ Oh, yes, I suppose so when such a position is held for so many years by someone such as Dr. Darius.”

“ Yes, well, they do seem to be concentrating on efficiency levels, that sort of thing. Who knows, perhaps we'll get some additional influx of funds. God knows we need it.”

“ I'll keep my fingers crossed for you.”

She turned on her heels and disappeared down the hall, tapping out a light Morse code with her heels and cane as she did so. Dr. Archer flicked a switch on his intercom and spoke to Laurie Marks, telling her to prepare the Emmons body for transportation.

He clicked off the intercom and said to the empty room, “Fine, Dr. Coran, you will have your cadaver, but you will never get the eyes back.”

Later that day, Jessica stopped by Rychman's incident room, where everything had been dismantled. Desks and secretaries were being rerouted, but Alan was still working out of the central office here, and he was concentrating deeply on what Dr. Simon Archer was telling him.

Jessica could only guess at what Archer was saying. Both men stood up when she entered.

“ Well, I'm on my way, gentlemen, and not likely to return soon.”

“ You'll be missed,” Rychman said, their eyes meeting.

Archer, who had seen them make up in the parking lot outside the restaurant and who had followed them to where she was staying, knew that Rychman had spent the night with her.

“ Got to catch up with Emmons' body,” she told them.

“ Can't give up on that two-man theory, can you?” asked Rychman. “Suit yourself, but I think you're wasting your time, Jess… ahh. Dr. Coran.”

“ If we could just find some corroborating evidence like a second set of hairs-other than yours, Dr. Archer!” she said. “Of course, everyone expects to find some of the coroner's hair on the body.” She watched him for a reaction but there was none.

“ Par for the course,” said Archer. “Well, look, I've got to get down to interrogation. Seems Leon's wanting to talk some more,” said Rychman.

“ Is he still claiming his innocence?” asked Archer.

“ He never claimed to be innocent,” countered Rychman. “But he does claim that he was used by the Claw.”

“ But Ames says-”

“ I know what Ames says, and I agree. It's Dr. Coran here who disputes Ames' findings, not me. But I listen to Leon because the more he talks, well, the more we get on him. He's described most of the murder scenes down to the dots on the i's.”

“ Lot of pent-up rage, anger toward his mother, I've heard,” said Archer.

“ You've heard right, and it got directed at women in general.”

“ I'll offer you a final word of advice, Captain,” Archer said.

“ Yes?”

“ With Helfer's type you want to threaten and intimidate every chance you get. Wear the bastard down; don't let up; intimate that you have his DNA, his hair, his fingerprints, his teeth marks on the body. In time, he'll crack like a dried eggshell.”

Rychman's smile was wide. “Say, Dr. Archer, you sure you won't come along, take a shot at Leon? Sounds like you'd make a great interrogator.”

“ I'll leave it to the professionals. Besides, I have to get back to my lab. A lot of people want a lot of information from me right now, so as much as I'd like to…”

“ Understood,” replied Rychman, walking him to the door and a little way down the hall.

“ I hope you're not still buying into Dr. Coran's notion that Leon Helfer did not act alone. Not one shred of forensics evidence we have supports her claim, you know.”

“ No, Dr. Archer, you needn't worry on that score, and with her going back to Quantico, so goes her theories. Can't prosecute on a theory.”

“ No, no, you can't, and we should do nothing to jeopardize the case against Helfer. The man deserves the full extent of the law. There's no way he can escape justice now.”

“ Depends.”

Archer looked closely at Rychman's eyes. “What do you mean, depends?”

“ You know how the game is played, Doc. Defense'll try for an NGI-”

“ But Ames says he's not insane in the legal sense.”

“ Defense shrinks will say he is and it'll be bargained down to a manslaughter with intent, diminished capacity, all that crap. Our boy'll spend the rest of his natural life in an asylum 'longside guys like Jeffrey Dahmer, John Wayne Gacy and Matisak. Long as we've got no death penalty in New York…”

“ No justice anymore, is there, Captain.”

“ You got that right, Doc.” Rychman took Archer's hand and shook it, saying, “You did a hell of a job amassing information against this creep, Archer. Don't worry, news like that travels through the ranks fast, and when the D.A. puts Leon away, one way or another, IAD'11 get word to back off.”

“ Being a division chief really puts the spotlight on you,” replied Archer. “Have to say, I'm tired of those guys snooping around my records and my lab.”

“ You'll learn that being in charge means priority one is to cover your ass and keep fault away from your sector. Divert attention to someone else, if you must.”

“ I may have to come to you for advice from time to time,” he said.

“ Sorry, but at the moment, if I stepped in, said anything on your behalf like you ask, it'd just backfire on both of us. Let the snoops snoop, so long as you've got nothing to hide. So far, what've they turned up? A few clerical errors? A broken chain or two. Come on, when Darius ran the department, errors were made, right?”

“ Guess you're right. I'll stop worrying.”

“ You really ought to at least come down and watch Helfer sweat. You can stay behind the mirror. He's really coming un-glued now, waiving off his attorney's advice to shut up, breaking out into cold sweats. Part of the fun of the chase, once it's over, is to toy with your prey.”

“ Maybe… I'll drop by, then, if I can. Later,” said Archer.

Jessica joined Alan in the hallway where he stood watching Archer disappear. “What was that all about?”

“ Seems he wants my advice about how to deal with IAD. Guess they're making him antsy.”

“ Where there's paranoia there's fire?”

“ IAD spooks everybody, Jess.”

“ I doubt that they could spook you.”

“ I'm keeping an eye on Archer, Jess. Right now, that's all I can do.”