The Colors of Hate - 52

Dean came into the living room in time to see Reid enter carrying several take-out bags from a local deli. “I gather this is a working supper,” Dean said as Reid put them down on the table and Kirby disappeared into the kitchen.

“Of course. What else?” Reid asked.

“Nothing.” Dean shrugged.

Kirby reappeared with bottles of beer balanced on three plates. He set them on the table, went back for silverware, then they sat down to eat.

“Tell Reid about your father’s visit,” Kirby said after they’d made some inroads into the meal.

Dean gave him a brief version of what had happened, ending with, “He’s all bluster.”

Reid shook his head. “Don’t count on it. Mr Jones is still in town, along with another cohort. We finally located his whereabouts. Unfortunately we have no reason to roust either of them.”

“I see,” Dean said slowly. “Where are they?”

“Southtown Motel, using aliases. But we’ve confirmed the one man is Jones.”

“So now what?”

“That’s a good question. We could wait them out, but if they leave there’s no guarantee your father wouldn’t just send someone else, presuming they’re here on his orders.”

“Which they might not be,” Kirby pointed out. “Jones might have decided to deal with you on his own.”

“Then why hasn’t he tried to?”

“Excuse me? Who do you think slipped the message under your hotel room door, and spray painted the front of your building? Mickey Mouse?”

“Okay, point made.” Dean scrubbed a hand through his hair as he looked at Kirby. “I could start wandering the streets at two a.m.” he said with a slight smile. “That should draw them out.”

“Not happening,” Kirby growled in reply. “Besides, they’d think it was a set-up, all things considered.”

“It would be better to draw them to the theater,” Reid said pensively. “If we could come up with a way to do it. It is Dean’s venue, so to speak. The place he spends the majority of his time.”

Dean nodded, began to say something and stopped as he looked at the two detectives. “Question. Is this something homicide cops usually do? I don’t want the two of you getting in trouble because of me.”

“We’re on our own time right now, so the department really has no say in it,” Reid told him.

“And I threatened to take a leave of absence if he didn’t help out here,” Kirby added.

Reid chuckled. “The one threat that really works. I don’t want to be stuck with someone else, trust me.”

“Back to the problem at hand,” Kirby said. “What can we do to get them to the theater? We need something which doesn’t smack of a set-up.”

All three men thought about it as they finished the last of their meal. Then Dean snapped his fingers. “Got it. I publically threaten to go to the newspapers with the full story of the CVA. The truth behind the lies of who and what they are.”

“Do you actually know that?”