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"You all know the drill Ourfor when he tore up Danny’s apartment? We need to find that out

"Danny was killed within twenty-four hours of Justice Califano, according to Dr Conrad’s preliminary exa or very late Saturday night Annie Harper, his girlfriend, didn’t spend the night on Saturday"

"That was her good luck," said Agent Ollie Hah"

Maitland said, "Yes, she will, and then she’ll have to live with it Danny’s s us so close I can taste it It’s someone in this bloody loop, soed stranger, not soet it done, today, all of it"

Savich said, "We’re going to focus on the following scenarios First, there’s some connection between Danny O’Malley and Justice Califano, soether If this is the case, we’ll find out what it is"

Savich drew a deep breath "The only other scenario that makes any sense is that when Danny found out about Justice Califano’s murder, he either knew i he shouldn’t have, probably in Justice Califano’s office And he acted on it"

Ji that"

Ollie Halove with stupid Well, we’ll hope there was another reason, that ether somehow in the killer’s mind"

Savich nodded "I simply can’t think of another reason why the killer ransacked the apart for whatever it was that Danny was holding over his head Danny could have also been involved in so with the killer, and not realized that part of the plan was to kill hi and tried his hand at blackot to find out what he knew and how he knew it So that ot to track every move Danny O’Malley made

"We’ll take his bills apart, strip his computer down to the hard drive If he used the to do what, Mr Maitland’s already nments" He paused a moment, looked out over the devastation, then finally at theroom "None of us want Danny O’Malley involved in some sort of blackot to face it head-on" He turned to Agent Michaels "When you interviewed hi back? Was there any hint that he wasn’t being straightforward?"

Agent Michaels said i the hand-wringing innocent, tears in his eyes the entire interview I should have realized--" Pete cursed under his breath

Savich said, "Forget it, Pete We’ll hope it turns out he wasn’t acting We’ll push harder on everyone else now As Mr Maitland said, we’re close Trust et him soon First, we have to pin down exactly why he murdered one of Califano’s law clerks"

Sherlock said, "If it turns out Danny was a blackmailer, what could he possibly have known? He wasn’t anywhere near the Supreht" She paused a ents "I hope Danny wasn’t that stupid"

CHAPTER 16

AFTERSAVICH TOLD Ben Raven to meet them at Elaine LaFleurette’s place in two hours, he and Sherlock drove again to Eliza Vickers’s McLean condo

Savich said, "I want to tell her myself, look her in the face and tell her about Danny I want to see how she reacts for myself" She and Fleurette are our best leads now"

When Eliza answered the knock, he said without preamble, "Hello, Eliza I’m sorry to tell you this, but Danny O’Malley is dead"

Eliza Vickers took the news like a body blow She turned white, whispered, "No, no," and sturabbed her ar into the sain, staring at the her hands frantically over her arms "This can’t be true It can’t Oh God Not Danny, not him" She covered her face with her hands and stood there sobbing, rocking on her feet