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He said, "Look, Ms Markha the truth Soht I’ her head, back and forth, unable to accept what the words meant "I want to talk to my mother Go away, all of you Mama? What happened? Was there an accident?"

"No, Callie," Margaret whispered, her breath only a whisper against Callie’s cheek when she held her tight, "no accident What Detective Raven said is true Stewart is dead Soht"

Callie still couldn’t accept what she was hearing "A Supreet killed in the library, for God’s sake It can’t happen All of you ree it’s a shock, Ms Markha"

She shook her head as she said, "All right, all right, who killed hi the Supre after hours, that he liked the solitude and the privacy, but as he doing there last night, for heaven’s sake?"

Detective Raven said, "We don’t knowyet An FBI forensic tea with about six of our guys and a gazillion or so Feds Judge Califano was garroted We don’t knoho did this as yet, but ill find out, Ms Markham

"The h we laid down a teot security under control and reached your rubs as we do I expect both the print et the two of you down to the Daly Building before the vultures light and start co down the chimney"

"I can handle theanywhere"

"Ms Markha barricaded in here with thebullhorns to ask you how you feel"

But Callie, now stroking her weeping mother’s back, said to him, barely above a whisper, "He’s dead? Stewart is really dead?"

"Yes I’h hi touards? There are a zillion guards in that building They’re sharp, they’re smart, and my stepfather knew most of theerous broke in They’d shoot hi iswe know, Ms Markhaet out of here first Trust me on this, neither the FBI nor the local cops nor the Justice Departht now Please coo"

Callie stared up at hiuy and a snappy dresser?"

"I’ton Metro" He flipped out his badge She studied it "You can check out Officer Kreider and Detectives Boaz and LeBeau later" Coet out of here Captain Halloway said the FBI is bringing in one of their hotshots The guy was out of town, probably off skiing so Of course Director Mueller and Deputy Assistant Director Jaation" He held out his hand to her "This FBI hotshot they’re bringing in will probably want to lay you out on a rack, and find out everything you don’t even realize you know"

"I see You’ve already pounded the grievingand now you’re ready to hter"

"Yes Actually, you’re his stepdaughter, aren’t you?"

Callie rose, in his face now "And your point would be?"

"Just trying to be accurate, Ms Markham In my line of work, accuracy is important"

"Accuracy is important in mine too, Detective Raven, but I try not to be a moron about it"

He couldn’t find another lick of patience "We ry, for her lassy there for a while, and he’d worried she’d collapse along with her mother But he wasn’t worried now She was ready to do battle, ready to chew so that nails were a staple in her daily diet

Margaret Califano was no help at all It took both Officer Kreider and Callie to get her into her lovely dark blue cashloves onto her hands She eeping silently, not fighting the, Stewart is dead Someone murdered him How could this happen?