Scam

happened. She drugged him and got him out of the bar so the agent could take his keys for half an hour and then put ’em back?”
    “That’s it.”
    “And the story she was supposed to tell me to get a bonus was simply that she was hired to have drinks in a bar with a guy for two hours, and that was it?”
    “Yeah. That’s right.”
    “Why was it so important that she tell me that?”
    “So she wouldn’t tell you what I just did.”
    I exhaled. Exactly. That had to be exactly right. So I wouldn’t know about them taking Cranston Pritchert’s keys. “Okay,” I said. “So why did they take the keys?”
    “I have no idea.”
    “Did Laura know?”
    “No. She only did what she was told.”
    “By her agent.”
    “Right.”
    “And her agent never told her why?”
    “That’s what she said.”
    “Or who it was that hired her?”
    He shook his head. “No.”
    Damn.

48.
    M ACAULLIF MADE A FACE. “Why do you bring me this?”
    “Are you kidding? This could crack the case.”
    “This could crack my nuts. You know what you got here? You got two witnesses withholding evidence from the cops. You come here to make me a party to that, well, thanks a lot.”
    “Who’s withholding evidence from the cops? You’re a cop, I brought it to you.”
    “Don’t be a dickhead. I got a very short fuse on this one, and you know why. Belcher would love to nail me if he could, and you just came up with all the ammunition he’d need. If he could prove I knew what I know now and I didn’t tell him, it’s my ass. Good Christ, you couldn’t do a better job of fuckin’ me up if you were workin’ for the guy.”
    “Hey, MacAullif, you wanna calm down and look at what we got?”
    “I see what we got. Withholding evidence, obstruction of justice, tampering with a witness, and conspiring to conceal a crime.”
    “Conceal a crime?”
    “Sure. The bartender lied in his signed statement. We know it, we’re coverin’ it up.”
    “Sorry to piss you off, MacAullif, but I happen to be facing three murder counts. This obstruction of justice shit is just chicken feed.”
    “Yeah, but it’s true,” MacAullif said. “You didn’t kill any one. You didn’t commit the murders. But obstruction of justice, you’re doing just fine. And you can go to jail for that, in case you didn’t know.”
    “You mean if Belcher found out?”
    “Of course.”
    “Then let’s not tell him.”
    MacAullif scowled. “What a wiseass. God save me from a wiseass.”
    “Uh-huh,” I said. “Any time you’re ready.”
    “Huh?”
    “Any time you’d like to stop beating me up and look at what we got.”
    “You got jack shit.”
    “Come on. I know the girl wanted me to find her. And I know she drugged the guy’s drink to steal his keys.”
    “You just think you know that.”
    “What do you mean?”
    “Are you never gonna think like a cop? Just ’cause someone tells you something don’t make it true. This bartender, whom we know has lied once already, now tells a different story. You buy it as gospel, but does it have to be true? Not necessarily. I know this is a hard concept for you to handle, but people who tell lies don’t always tell the truth.”
    “The part about the boyfriend was true.”
    “Huh?”
    “This Jamie Pollack. Her boyfriend. That was true.”
    “Right,” MacAullif said. “And that’s where you make your big mistake. He told you there was a boyfriend. There was a boyfriend. You figure that confirms his story. All it confirms is that there was a boyfriend. The rest of what he told you could be total bullshit.”
    “I don’t think so.”
    “You don’t know. I mean, what do you know about this bartender, anyway? How well did he know Cranston Pritchert? How well did he know this girl? Did he know the talent agent? I mean, for all you know, this guy was mixed up in it right up to his eyebrows.”
    I put up my hand. “Okay,” I said. “I’m not letting him off the hook. I just happen to have spent the morning with him looking at resume photos and he seemed sincere to me. I concede my judgment is not perfect and I should not wash him out. Now could we move on to something else?”
    “I’d love to move on to something else. I happen to have two homicides of my own pending.”
    “I know, MacAullif. But first you have to clear yourself of this obstruction of justice charge.”
    That stopped him dead. MacAullif couldn’t quite believe I’d said that. I could see his brain going, trying to come up with