Baltimore 03 - Did You Miss Me?

take back their country”. He preaches a return to core values and a simpler way of life.’
    Paige froze, blinking at one of the bank statements. ‘When you said a hell of a lot of cash, you weren’t kidding. My God.’
    ‘Some of that cash was earmarked for Reggie’s defense fund. The rest goes to support “taking back their country”. I wasn’t really surprised that he had all those guns in his trunk. Bill’s been edging closer to militia-type statements since the trial started. I think that’s his true agenda.’
    ‘Any thought on who his right hand is?’
    ‘I got the sense that nobody was. He doles out info on a need-to-know basis.’
    ‘Not even his wife and sons?’
    ‘Bill doesn’t trust Cindy with money. She spends too much.’
    ‘What about the sons? Either of them the right hand?’
    ‘Reggie would be, if he hadn’t been in jail. Bill doesn’t like George. He uses him, but doesn’t trust him. Because Bill doesn’t trust anybody.’
    ‘So on top of being a racist, he’s a paranoid sonofabitch.’
    ‘Paranoid, definitely. Sonofabitch? Absolutely. But it’s more than that. At the beginning, long before the trial started, he thought “the cause” was a means to an end and if people were dumb enough to donate, they deserved to be taken to the cleaners. As the trial progressed, it seemed like Bill believed more and more of his own rhetoric. He stopped playing a role and starting becoming that voice in the wilderness, the one who’d lead armies to victory.’
    ‘Culminating with his bringing weapons to the courthouse today.’
    ‘Exactly. Bill has always been a paranoid sonofabitch and that caution has probably kept him out of jail.’
    ‘Till now.’
    ‘Exactly. Because now he’s graduated to being one crazy sonofabitch.’
    Tuesday, December 3, 3.45 P.M.
    ‘That Bill Millhouse is one crazy sonofabitch,’ Joseph said as he walked into the interview room where the aforementioned crazy SOB waited. Bill sat a few feet from the table, wrists and ankles manacled, wrists behind his back. The manacles were chained to the chair, which was bolted to the floor. Behind him stood two armed officers. No one was taking any chances.
    Bill Millhouse was a large, hulking man and he’d passed his size on to both of his sons. His face was bruised, his left eye swollen nearly shut, his upper lip split nearly in two. He kept his eyes forward, not acknowledging anyone’s presence.
    Joseph had read the Millhouse profiles in Daphne’s file, read their testimony in the trial transcripts, and reviewed a few tapes of Bill on some talk shows. Joseph’s interview plan was pretty simple. He’d get him to talk about the guns he’d brought to the courthouse and why he had so many. From there he’d try to lead him from the pistols in his car to the tasers in the alley and from there to Ford.
    He picked up a chair and placed it a calculated distance from Bill. ‘One crazy sonofabitch.’ He sat down, casual only on the outside. ‘That’s what they’re all saying anyway. The media, that is. Not that I blame them. Seems crazy to try to break your son out of jail. I mean, who does that anymore? Well, obviously you do. Gave it the old college try anyway.’
    Millhouse didn’t flinch. Didn’t say a freaking word.
    Okay, so we can play it this way, too . ‘ You gave it the old college try. Can’t say the same for your team.’
    The tiniest twitch in Millhouse’s cheek.
    Now we’re talking . He’d considered the guns in Bill’s trunk carefully as he watched the talk show tapes, with all of Bill’s ‘take the country back’ rhetoric. There was no way Bill could have used all those guns. Joseph guessed that Bill had planned a bigger party, but he’d been caught by JD before he could arm his followers.
    ‘Not like you didn’t give them every opportunity. Could’ve done some serious damage with ten assault rifles. Bunch of cowards if you ask me. They ran, just when you needed them most.’
    No response.
    That’s not the team he’s angry with . Or maybe Bill didn’t have followers lined up to fight . Bill had definitely had a plan inside the courtroom, though.
    ‘I don’t suppose those rifles would have made any difference, though, since your wife and sons failed to accomplish the mission inside the courtroom. Although Reggie did do some damage to a deputy with that blade you smuggled in.’
    Millhouse’s eyes stayed forward, but his lips curved, a deliberate fuck-you.
    Fuck you too . But