“This is such bullshit,” Luther said, for about the millionth time. “You know that, right?”
“I’m sorry, Luther.” Gerald had said that multiple times, too.
“It’s not your fault,” Luther reassured him. “You didn’t know the man had such a hard-on for Rutledge.”
Special Agent D’Antonio had heard about the incident with Virgil Rutledge and his attorney and asked Gerald for his version of the events. Luther wasn’t even sure if the disclosure was legal, but the deputy had told him what he’d heard. And of course, what he’d heard was a crazy man implicating his son.
“You’re sure Adam Rutledge doesn’t have anything to do with this?”
“Pretty damn sure,” Luther replied.
D’Antonio tore into Grant after learning what Gerald had witnessed, spouting off about being blind and letting kidnappers go free. They went into Grant’s office and shut the door so they could yell at each other in private. If D’Antonio knew Luther was the one who’d called Iris about Adam, Luther had no doubt he’d have been on the receiving end, too. After a few minutes, Grant and D’Antonio came back out and sent Luther to JJ’s house. They’d gotten authorization for a search warrant for Adam’s car, but the judge wasn’t willing to go further than that over the phone and without more evidence. Grant and D’Antonio were waiting with the judge at his home now for the results of the search of Adam’s car. Depending on what was found, the judge could authorize a search of Iris’s home as well. Officer Kiss-Ass Kilbourne (so Luther called him, Kissy for short) had arrived a few minutes ago with the signed car search warrant. Luther had convinced him to wait until JJ returned home before executing it. Or at least, he thought he had.
Luther strode toward Adam’s car, where Kissy was peering in the windows. He was a young guy—a punk with a badge, really. Not that Luther hadn’t crossed some lines in his time, but he felt as though that’s the only reason Kissy had joined the neighboring county’s Sheriff’s Department. Kissy had been on loan for the previous kidnapping as well, but even on brief acquaintance the man rubbed Luther the wrong way, so he’d managed to avoid him. Over the past twelve hours, Luther had decided the man was also jockeying for position, hoping to impress the FBI folks he interacted with so rarely. Not that Kissy would ever make it at the Academy, although Luther would surely like to see him try.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Luther asked.
Kissy grinned as he opened the passenger door of Adam’s car. “Well, lookee here. He didn’t even lock it.”
Luther was carrying a few extra pounds, and he used every one of them to slam the door shut with his hip. Kissy stepped up to Luther, removing his campaign hat so they stood toe to toe. Gerald intervened, almost as quickly as he had in the interrogation room, looking uncomfortable. “Come on now, guys. We’re all on the same side here, aren’t we?”
Luther thought that remained to be seen, but he took a moment to remember why he was there. As much as it pushed his buttons that an asshole outsider wrongly and blindly suspected Adam of involvement, Adam wasn’t in any danger. The boy was. And the sooner they eliminated Adam from their inquiries, the sooner they could find the real culprit, and hopefully the child.
“Fine,” Luther said. “Let’s just get this done.”
The words were no sooner out of his mouth than JJ’s Bronco came flying up the driveway. She was alone, and she already appeared frazzled, nearly falling out of her vehicle before a word was spoken. She looked around, taking in the two law enforcement vehicles from two different counties, and headed straight for Luther.
“Are you here about my dog?” JJ asked.
“I—uh, no. What about your dog?” Luther looked around and realized the dog was nowhere to be seen. Normally it would have been barking its fool brains out.
“Never mind,” JJ said. “If it’s not for that, why are you here? Is it about the boy?”
Luther took a deep breath and held up a couple of sheets of paper. “JJ, don’t freak out. We’re here to execute a search warrant on Adam’s car.” He nodded to Kiss-Ass, and took a few steps away from the car while the man got down to business. “We have no right to search anywhere else on your property, and we have no intention of doing so.”
JJ’s mouth dropped open. She closed it with her hand, then shook her head. “I don’t have time for this shit. I have to be at work in a couple of hours. I’d like to shower the dog vomit off first, and oh yeah—head next door and tell my daughter that her dog isn’t dead yet.”
She was on the verge of angry tears, and her clothes were a little worse for wear, with unidentifiable stains on her T-shirt.
“JJ, is there something going on? Something you want to tell me about?”
She waved her hand through the air as if swatting a noisome fly. “You know this is a complete crock of shit.”
Luther risked putting a reassuring hand on JJ’s arm. She looked like she could use it. “Yes, I do know that. But some of the higher-ups don’t, and the sooner we do this, the sooner they’ll stop wasting time looking at Adam.”
Kissy let out a whoop behind them that would’ve been appropriate at a monster truck rally. Luther turned to see him triumphantly holding an item about the size of a fat book in the air. “Waste of time, huh? Well, look what I found in the little peckerwood’s hatchback.”
Luther stepped forward for a better look, and his stomach roiled. It was a costume, a brown hooded robe still in its plastic package. Luther donned latex gloves, and Kissy handed the item to him. “Looks like a match to me.”
“No!” JJ said. “You know Adam never locks his car. This doesn’t mean anything.” She turned away with her cell phone in hand.
“Hey!” Kissy yelled. “You can’t do that.”
The deputy grabbed for her phone, but JJ sidestepped him easily, making him look a cloddish fool. She put the phone to her ear and dodged him a second time, and Luther watched the deputy flush with angry embarrassment. The man’s hand drifted to his waist…
“Kiss-A—uh, Kilbourne, I’ll get it,” Luther said, and passed the costume back to him. “Bag the evidence.”
Luther held out his hand. “Don’t worry, JJ. I’ll give it back before I leave.”
JJ made a face like she was ready to spit in his hand, but set her phone in it instead. He was sure she only gave it up because there was no answer on Adam’s end.
While Luther was doing this, Kilbourne pulled out his smart phone and took a picture, then placed a call of his own. “Sir, this is Officer Kilbourne. Did you get the photo?” He tilted the phone away from his face and told Luther, “They’re showing it to the judge.”
“Luther, you know anyone could’ve put that there,” JJ pleaded. He didn’t respond, and everyone fell silent, staring at Kilbourne’s phone. Waiting. It didn’t take long.
“Yes sir, I’m still here.” He paused, nodding as if the man on the other end of the phone could see him. “Yes sir, I’ll head on over. As soon as I wrap up at the Tulley place.”
The man hung up and tucked his phone into his pocket, then handed the package to Gerald and said, “You want to bag this? Make it quick if you want to go with me. Daylight’s wasting. I’m heading to Iris Rutledge’s house. We got the search warrant.”