The Kill Room

there’s associated trace.
    “And speaking of food: We found some trace in two locations in New York: combine them and apparently you end up with a very interesting dish involving artichoke, licorice, fish roe and vanilla. Did you happen to see the recent recipe in the New York Times ? I understand the Patchwork Goose is quite the restaurant. And you should know that I have an expert witness to testify about the food.”
    Rhyme knew Thom would love being thus described.
    Swann was completely silent now. In fact, he seemed numb.
    “Now, we’re looking into whether you had access to a particular type of military IED, which was used at the Java Hut. And saltwater-laced sand was found both there and at Annette Bodel’s apartment in Nassau. We’ll subpoena your clothes and shoes and see if you happen to have any grains left on them. Your washing machine too. Hm, do we have anything else?”
    Sachs said, “The two-stroke oil trace.”
    “Ah, yes, thank you, Sachs. You left some two-stroke oil trace at one of the scenes and I’m sure we’ll find the same fuel mixture in your office at Walker Defense or at Homestead Air Reserve Base, if you were there before or after the attack on May 9. Thanks particularly for that find, by the way—the oil; that’s how we figured out that NIOS was using drones, not flesh-and-blood snipers. Excuse me, UAVs.
    “But, I digress. Now, that interesting blade of yours…” Rhyme had seen the evidence bag containing the Japanese chef’s knife. “We’ll match its tool mark profile with wounds on the bodies of Lydia Foster, de la Rua, Flores and the lawyer in the Bahamas. Oh, and the limo driver too.
    “More? Okay. We’re datamining your credit card, ATM withdrawals and mobile phone usage.” He took a breath. “And we’re subpoenaing the Walker Defense Technical Services and Support operation to see whom they’ve been datamining and spying on. Now, that pretty much wraps up my formal presentation. Prosecutor Laurel?”
    A trademark pause, which by now Rhyme found rather charming. She then said in an at-attention tone, “Do you see where we’re going with this, Jacob? We need you to testify against Harry Walker. If you do that we’ll work something out.”
    “What does that mean, ‘work something out’? How many years?”
    “Obviously I can’t say for certain but probably we’re looking at thirty.”
    “Not much in it for me, then, is there?” he asked, gazing back at her coolly.
    She replied, “The alternative is I don’t fight extradition to the Bahamas. And you spend the rest of your life in one of their prisons.”
    That seemed to bring Swann up short. Still he remained silent.
    This wasn’t, technically, Rhyme’s concern. But he felt he should contribute. “And who knows, Jacob?” Rhyme said, an amused tone in his voice. “Maybe ADA Laurel here might see if you could get a spot in the kitchen in whatever facility you’re sent to.” He shrugged. “Just a thought.”
    Laurel nodded. “I’ll do what I can.”
    Swann looked over the smoke-damaged house of Spencer Boston. Then turned back. “When do you want to talk?”
    Nance’s response was to dig into her pocketbook and extract a battered tape recorder.

CHAPTER 91
    B USINESS ISN’T WHAT IT USED TO BE, the arms business, I mean,” Swann was telling them. “Walker Defense was having problems, bad problems, with the wars winding down.”
    Sachs said to Rhyme, “That’s right. A lot of the factory facilities were shuttered when I was there.”
    “Yes, ma’am. Lost sixty percent of our revenue and the company was in the red. Mr. Walker was used to a nice lifestyle. A couple of his ex-wives were too. Along with his present one and she was thirty years younger than him. Without a good income she might not’ve been too inclined to hang around.”
    “Was it his Aston Martin in the lot?” Sachs asked.
    “Yes. One of his. He’s got three.”
    “Oh. Well. Three.”
    “But it was more than that. He believed—I believed too—that the company was doing good work, good for the country. The rifle system for the drone, for instance. And that was just one of them. It was important work. We needed to keep the company afloat.”
    Swann continued, “Orders weren’t coming from the U.S. like they used to so Mr. Walker ramped up business in other countries. But there’s a huge surplus of arms out there. Not much demand. So he created some.”
    Nance Laurel asked, “By bribing officers and defense