Vision in Silver(77)
Silence.
“Mrs. Borden has custody of the child,” Scaffoldon said. “We’ll arrange a police escort to bring the girl back to Toland. If she was with her mother in the train station, she’ll need to make a statement.”
If the first gambit doesn’t work, try another, Burke thought. “Once again, you’ve been given inaccurate information. Lieutenant Montgomery has custody of his daughter. She will be staying here. We’ll take Lizzy’s formal statement later today, and I will send you a copy of the transcript. Good—”
“Wait! What about the bear?”
Burke gave the three men listening to his every word his fierce-friendly smile. “The bear?”
“Mrs. Borden mentioned a stuffed bear. The girl’s favorite toy. Took it everywhere. Is it there?”
“Most of it,” he replied pleasantly. “Little girls can be careless, and Wolves have sharp teeth.”
Scaffoldon sucked in a breath. “It was destroyed?”
“It lost an arm and a leg but is otherwise intact.”
A hesitation. “Where is it now?”
“I tucked it out of harm’s way here at the station and was going to have it mended as a surprise for Lizzy. But I can box up the pieces and send it to you if you think it will help your investigation.”
“No,” Scaffoldon said sharply. Then his voice shifted to something that might be mistaken for courtesy. “There’s no need to do that.”
“If you change your mind, you just let me know.”
“Montgomery is the only one with a motive to kill Elayne Borden. If you try to shield an officer who already has a serious blotch on his record, you’re going to step on some important toes, Burke. That won’t be forgotten.”
“You ever do a tour of duty in the wild country, Scaffoldon?”
“It’s a punishment assignment,” Scaffoldon snapped. “No sane police officer volunteers for it. So, no, I’ve never done that kind of tour.”
“I have. Twice. Learned a lot from the experience. That’s why I’m not intimidated by government officials or businessmen with deep pockets . . . or motivational speakers claiming to come from a wealthy family who conveniently lives on another continent. I’ve seen some of what’s out there in the dark. Those are the toes I don’t want to step on.”
“I guess Montgomery fits in well there.”
“Yes, he does.” Burke hung up. He rubbed his hands over his face before sitting back.
“I guess I’d better get those custody papers processed before someone asks to see a copy,” Pete said.
“I know a judge who owes me a favor.”
To his credit, Pete didn’t say, Of course you do. At least not out loud.
“Problems?” Louis asked.
“Oh yeah,” Burke replied. “More than a few—including a CIU captain who most likely belongs to the Humans First and Last movement. He did not want Scratch connected with Elayne Borden in any way.”
“Not surprising he belongs to the HFL,” Pete said. “You’ve got to figure some cops are going to like that tune.”
“The shortsighted ones.” Burke looked at Kowalski. “Anything to tell me about the lieutenant?”
“I went to his apartment last evening and packed a bag for him, brought it back to the Courtyard. Also brought him my sleeping bag. Only one single bed in those efficiency apartments. Figured stretching out on the floor might be more comfortable than sleeping in a chair.”