“Nothing about this case has been easy,” replied Decker.
He left Milligan and walked down the hall to an office he was sharing with Jamison. He filled her in on his discussion with Milligan.
“That theory does fill in some holes,” she said.
“But it doesn’t get us any closer to who’s behind this. Or where they might be planning to strike. And that’s what we really need to find out.”
“I spoke with Bogart a few minutes ago. They found nothing helpful at the Gorskis’ home.”
Decker sat down across from her and stared at the ceiling.
“But you’re not satisfied with your own theory?”
“Why do you say that?” he asked.
“Because I know you. I can tell.”
He turned his head to look at her. “Okay, you’re right. I’m not satisfied.”
“What would make you satisfied?”
“Something that makes total sense, not piecemeal.”
“You might not get that.”
“I’m coming around to that possibility.” He put his size fourteens up on the desk and leaned back in his chair.
“Heard from Harper Brown?” asked Jamison.
“Not a word.”
“She and Melvin saw each other again.”
“How do you know that?”
“I talked to Melvin just now. They went to lunch, well, a picnic really at Roosevelt Island. He said they had a great time.”
“I’m glad she can find time for pleasure while working a case involving the fate of the country.”
“Everybody needs to take a break now and then,” said Jamison.
“So now you’re defending her,” said Decker with a snort.
“Hey, I’m a progressive. We’re always moving forward, not backward.”
Decker stood. “Well, I’m looking to make some progress too, so I better get to it.”
“Where are you going?”
“Not sure, but I’ll let you know how it turns out.”
“Hey, Decker?”
He turned back. “What?”
“Why did you stick up for me with the Secret Service and insist I go to the meeting at the White House too?”
“I’m surprised you have to ask.”
“What do you mean?”
“That’s what I meant when I said I had your back, Alex.”
He turned and walked out.
CHAPTER
67
“EVER THINK YOU’RE LOOKING at a case ass-backwards?”
Harper Brown stared across the width of the café table at Decker. “In this case, how so?”
He had called her on the way out of the WFO and they had arranged to meet here.
“Dabney kills Berkshire and then himself. The case starts from there and we proceed linearly.”
“Right, but there are back stories we have to check out too. And we have been. This didn’t start with him killing her.”
“Granted, that was the result. But as we’ve been checking out the histories, it seems that we’ve been focusing mainly on Dabney.”
“Well, we can’t find out jack shit on Berkshire, except that she was definitely a spy. We have nothing else to go on.”
In response, Decker pulled the doll out of the backpack he’d brought and set it on the table between them.
“We have this.”
“This confirms that Walter Dabney must’ve known Berkshire. They were working together.”
“And that explains how they afforded a place like this all those years ago.”
Decker looked at her. “So you thought of that too?”
“I have my moments of epiphany,” she said modestly.
“Let’s check the Dabneys’ bedroom.”