Page 61 of Lion & Lamb

LAMB: You have to find that call, Victor. That could be the key to everything.

SUAREZ: Which leads me to believe it’s already been wiped. But I’ll try. Also, your suspicion about Bernstein working for the Sables turned out to be accurate.

LAMB: He’s their fixer, right?

SUAREZ: They’re making sizable deposits to a secret account of Bernstein’s. No one, not even his wife, has access to this account.

LAMB: Damn it, I hate being right. There’s no way Bernstein should be allowed anywhere near this case, yet somehow, he’s the guy calling all the shots.

SUAREZ: I’m working on that too. A source tells me there’s a memo somewhere in which Bernstein spells out exactly why he’s the man for the job.

LAMB: Stellar work, as usual.

SUAREZ: Rain has a very faint digital trail. She’s either a true nobody or a ghost.

LAMB: I’m not sure which disturbs me more. Anyway, time to turn up the heat under Tricky Mickey.

SUAREZ: You’re going to have to settle on a nickname for him, boss. I can’t keep up.

LAMB: Ha-ha-ha. Get back to work.

Chapter62

Transcript of call from Cooper Lamb’s phone to Detective Michael Bernstein

ARIEL LAMB: Hello, I would like to speak with Detective Bernstein, please.

MICHAEL BERNSTEIN: Uh, yeah, this is…wait, who is this?

ARIEL: (Muffled) Dad, he’s on the line.

BERNSTEIN: Hello? Hello?

COOPER LAMB: (Muffled) Oops, thanks, honey. (Pause) Hey, Detective! Glad I caught you. This is Cooper Lamb. Got a minute? I have something very important you should know.

BERNSTEIN: Hang on—was that one of your kids just now?

LAMB: Yeah, that was my daughter, Ariel. I’m driving her and her brother to school, but I thought it was super-important to reach out to you right away. Don’t worry, they understand. Kind of goes with the territory.

BERNSTEIN: What do you want, Lamb?

LAMB: I mean, I imagine you share a little shop talk with your youngsters now and again. “Boy, you kids should have seen the floater we pulled out of the Delaware this afternoon, talk about fleshy bloat—”

BERNSTEIN: I don’t have time for this.

LAMB: Kids, the detective says he’s too busy to speak to someone involved in the case he’s investigating. Does that sound right to you?

BERNSTEIN: Lamb, I swear to God…

ARIEL: I think he should at least talk to you.

LAMB: Do you hear that, Detective? Out of the mouths of babes.

BERNSTEIN: Make it quick.

LAMB: This is too serious for the phone. Let’s meet up in one hour. You pick the place.

BERNSTEIN: Can’t do it.

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