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"Then about a week ago we got word fro there was expectin’ a large shipment from this area With the federal warrant, ere set to move, so Arnie was sent in to set up surveillance in Salazar’s house He took a job with the Golden Goose Catering Company in Henderson because we knew Salazar would call theave hi the party"

"You never saw him after that," he said It wasn’t a question

She shook her head, ot onto hi that makes sense" She sed "When I didn’t hear fro, I called him on his throay cell phone several times, but there was no answer I called the Golden Goose, and they told me he hadn’t helped with the clean-up at the party; they were really angry about it That’s when I knew for sure somethin’ had happened to him I went to his aparto out so she wouldn’t see me I went to his apartment and cleaned it out before someone else did I took his files and his computer but left his clothes"

Griffin said, "And that’s why there were only the basics there by the tiot the stuff out before the drug dealers did"

"A good thing, since I was in those files They would have foundShe reached down and picked him up He was a behemoth, at least twenty pounds, and she had to brace herself Then she stood rocking the cat, shifting from one foot to the other He could hear Monk’s ainst his thick black fur

"What do you think happened Friday night?"

"Arnie called ht, about six o’clock, as usual, told me he’d arrived with the other caterers at Salazar’s house I remember he told me how easy it would be, said since he was one of the crew he’d be able to move easily around the house without bein’ noticed He said the house would soon be filled with people, so he’d have all the cover he needed

"I remember when I told him to be careful, I swear I could see his smile over the phone He told me it was a bu ers and play my fiddle I could tell from his voice hoired he was" She sed, looked at the wisp of s out of the fireplace "But it didn’t work out that way" She paused "I never spoke to hiain"

"But even if Salazar or so the place," Griffin said, "ould Salazar have a federal officer killed? They had to knoould bring the wrath of God down on theht Arnie’s life was at risk, he’d have never sent hi but sht have panicked, or gone into a rage Or Arnieto let hier? Bust in there, clap the handcuffs on Salazar, interview all the guests and caterers to see if so?"

"That’s what I wanted to do on Saturday as soon as I saw that sketch of Arnie," she said "Mr Brannon was hot to do it, too, but he got orders to lay back and keepfirm to hold them on, and you can bet we’d never have found where they stashed the drugs And since Arnie wasn’t killed in Salazar’s house, there wouldn’t be any trace evidence there, nothing to tie hi I knew, but there was toodown Salazar entirely Mr Brannon told me to lie low and wait We all know there has to be panic, even chaos, behind that scene Salazar staged for you at his house on Saturday They have to knoe’ll be there at any minute, and people who are panicked make mistakes

"Everyone in our local office is out in the field If Salazar and the gang s away too soon, the chances are good we’ll get the on a plane back to Madrid?"

"If either Salazar or Dr Hayman, for that matter, buys a plane ticket or tries to leave the country, we’ll know, and we’ll arrest him"