An Absence of Light

Graver nodded and tapped the eraser of his pencil on the cobblestone. For a moment no one said anything. Neuman was studying the top of his soft drink can again, Paula was still looking straight at Graver, and Burtell had lifted his coffee mug and was straightening a document inside one of his folders.

“Okay. If no one has anything they want to add, then I’m going to go ahead and write a summary reflecting that we turned up nothing suspect in our audit, and as far as we’re concerned their judgment that Tisler had died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound will go into his file. End of inquiry.”

He looked at Burtell again. “Dean, will you continue to follow up with Peggy Tisler? Lara’s going to get the details about when the family can claim the body. You can check with her on your way out. She’s also going to see to it that the necessary paperwork is put together regarding the suicide ruling. Tisler’s insurance company is going to want that. And there are a few other things… arrangements for a memorial service… whatever.”

Burtell nodded. “Okay, sure, be glad to.”

“Now, let’s see, the next thing I want to get out of the way is deciding the best way to move ahead on the Seldon investigation.”

There was a quick stirring behind Burtell’s eyes.

“It looked to me like it was on track, a fast track,” Graver said.

“Well, yeah”-Burtell straightened up in his chair, trying to move smoothly past his surprise-”it was. But Art… on this one his source was the linchpin to the investigation. In fact, the guy was all there was to it.”

“Okay, all the more reason to get right back on it. Are you the alternate controlling officer?”

Burtell nodded, but it seemed tentative. Graver couldn’t quite read it.

“Good,” Graver said. “I’d like Casey to work with you on this. I know we don’t normally do this, but under the circumstances I’d rather you didn’t continue the case alone.” Graver was too close to Burtell. He had no idea how he was carrying this off, if the incredible tension he was feeling was showing through his feint. “From the looks of it there’s the potential that it could mushroom, and I think you ought to team up on it again. You think the guy will go for that?”

Burtell involuntarily shot a look at Neuman and then back to Graver. He shifted in his chair. “Jesus, I, uh, I don’t know, Marcus. He’s already paranoid, and Art was really having to massage him, coax him along. When he finds out Art’s dead… I don’t know. I just don’t see how we can.”

Graver looked at Burtell and hesitated as if he was trying to figure out just exactly what it was Burtell was getting at.

Burtell went on, putting the best face on it that he could muster.

“This guy… was having a hard time believing we could keep his identity confidential. I know that’s a routine concern, but… he’s not a routine source.”

There was a moment’s silence.

“What do you mean?” Graver asked, but he wasn’t sure his tone of voice conveyed what he had intended.

Burtell looked around at each of them. Had Graver unintentionally betrayed something? Paula and Neuman both met Burtell’s glance. Then everything turned, and it seemed to Graver that at that moment Burtell realized there was no way he was going to be able to finesse this. Graver could see it coming. As he had predicted, Burtell was about to pull the plug.

“We need to go into this, Marcus,” Burtell said. Suddenly his tone was brittle, clinical. “Just the two of us.”

Neuman and Paula didn’t even have to be asked. They simply got up and walked out of the office.

Chapter 21

When the door closed behind them, Burtell stood, putting his files and his coffee mug down on the corner of Graver’s desk. Though he tried to appear composed, something that normally came easily to him, his agitation was apparent, just beneath the surface. He stepped to the windows and looked out at the city which was hard and bright in the clear morning, collecting his thoughts. A handsome man, well dressed… and composed. Almost.

“The damn case wasn’t that healthy.” he began, leaning one shoulder against the glass wall, one hand in his pocket. “You saw yourself there aren’t that many documents in the folder. Not that much corroborated information.” He looked outside again, squinting into the eastern skyline. “Art had only three meetings with this guy.”

Graver looked down at the opened folder on his desk. “Nieson.”

Burtell nodded, not bothering to hide a look of disgust.