Rules of Prey

working at his desk over in the county building. We’re just going to walk over and get him.”
    “Who made the call? To make the bust?”
    There was a pause. Then, “Lester.”
    “Outstanding. Stay with that.”
    Daniel hung up and Lucas turned to Rubella. “Get the chopper cranked up. We’ve got to get back in a hurry.”
    When Rubella was gone, he took Carla’s hands.
    “They’ve got a case against this guy, but I don’t like it. I think they’re making a mistake. So just sit tight, okay? Watch the evening news. I’ll call every night. I’ll try to get back up here in a couple of days, if things cool down.”
    “Okay,” she said. “Be careful.” He kissed her on the lips and jogged down the dusty track after Rubella.
     
    The flight back to the Cities and the drive from the airport took two hours. Anderson was sitting at his desk, his feet up, staring distractedly at a wall calendar when Lucas arrived.
    “Where’ve you got him?” Lucas asked.
    “Down in interrogation.”
    “His lawyer in there?”
    “Yeah. That could be a problem.”
    “Why’s that?”
    “ ’Cause it’s that asshole McCarthy,” Anderson said.
    “God damn.” Lucas ran his hands through his hair. “The usual bull?”
    “Yeah. The little dickhead.”
    “I’m going down there.”
    “Chief’s down there.”
     
    “We’re not getting anything out of him.” Daniel was leaning on the wall outside the interrogation room. “That prick McCarthy won’t let him say a word.”
    “He smells a good one,” Lucas said. “If this goes to trial and he gets Smithe off, he can quit the county and make some real money in private practice.”
    “So what’re you going to do?” Daniel asked.
    “I’m going to be a good guy. A real good guy. And I’m going to get mad and read off McCarthy.”
    “Not too much. You could jeopardize what we got.”
    “Just plant a seed of doubt.”
    Daniel shrugged. “You can try.”
    Lucas took off his jacket, loosened his tie and mussed his hair, took a deep breath, and went through the door at a jog. The interrogators, the lawyer, and Smithe were seated around a table and looked up, startled.
    “Jesus. Sorry. I was afraid I’d miss you,” Lucas said. He looked down at McCarthy. “Hello, Del. You handling this one, I guess?”
    “Does the pope shit in the woods?” McCarthy was a short man in a lumpy brown suit. His dishwater-blond hair swelled out of his head in an Afro, and muttonchops swept down the sides of his square face. “Is a bear a Catholic?”
    “Right.” Lucas looked at the interrogators. “I’ve been cleared by Daniel. You mind if I ask a few?”
    “Go ahead, we ain’t gettin’ anywhere,” said the senior cop, swirling an oily slick of cold coffee in a Styrofoam cup.
    Lucas nodded and turned to Smithe. “I’ll tell you up front. I was one of the people who questioned the survivor of the third attack. I don’t think you did it.”
    “Is this the good-guy routine, Davenport?” asked McCarthy, tipping his chair back and grinning in amusement.
    “No. It’s not.” He pointed a finger at Smithe. “That was the first thing I wanted to tell you. The second thing is, I’m going to talk for a while. At some point, McCarthy here might tell you to stop listening. You better not—”
    “Now, wait a minute,” McCarthy said, bringing the chair legs down with a bang.
    Lucas overrode him. “—because how can it hurt just to listen, if you’re not admitting anything? And your lawyer’s priorities are not necessarily the same as yours.”
    McCarthy stood up. “That’s it. I’m calling it off.”
    “I want to hear him,” Smithe said suddenly.
    “I’m advising you—”
    “I want to hear him,” Smithe said. He tipped his head at McCarthy while watching Lucas. “Why aren’t his priorities the same as mine?”
    “I don’t want to impeach the counselor’s personal ethics,” Lucas said, “but if this goes to trial, it’ll be one of the big trials of the decade. We just don’t have serial killers here in Minnesota. If he gets you off, he’ll have made his name. You, on the other hand, will be completely destroyed, no matter what happens. It’s too bad, but that’s the way it works. You’ve been around a courthouse long enough to know what I’m talking about.”
    “That’s enough,” said McCarthy. “You’re prejudicing the case.”
    “No I’m not. I’m just prejudicing your job in it. And I won’t mention that again. I’m