Chapter 44

Dawkins squinted as he peered into the room. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the darkness as he felt around for a light switch. He finally found one and flicked it on. The man lying on the floor looked unfamiliar to him.

The man squirmed around, attempting to say something but to no avail as the duct tape over his mouth suppressed any potential successful communication.

Dawkins knelt down beside the man, whose hands were fastened behind his back with duct tape as were his feet.

"Who are you? And what are you doing here?"

Dawkins ripped the duct tape off the man's mouth.

"I'm special agent Chris Cooper from the FBI. Help me up!"

Dawkins flashed a wry smile at the moment only he would find comedic. Then he got serious.

"Not until you answer my second question."

"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm squirming on the floor trying to convince Barney Fife to help me out."

"You're a funny man, Agent Cooper. I always thought Barney Fife would be the one squirming on the floor, duped by someone else-not the one in charge of the situation."

Cooper's biting edge softened. "Just help me up, OK?"

"I want some answers first."

"I don't really have any for you. I'm here handling an internal situation."

"It doesn't look like you're handling it very well."

"Enough with the wise cracks. Just get me untied, OK?"

Dawkins and Warren began freeing Cooper, who didn't demonstrate much gratitude once he was on his feet.

Despite the runaround Cooper gave him, Dawkins was determined to get some more answers.

"Let me see your badge, Agent Cooper."

Cooper dug into his pocket and pulled out an official FBI badge.

Satisfied with Cooper's credential, Dawkins pressed on.

"Do you know Buddy Walker?"

"I already told you that I'm not at liberty to say anything. I'm only here handling an internal matter."

"Well, we got a tip that Walker was holding someone hostage, which is why I'm even here saving your sorry self. So, if your Walker is that internal matter you're talking about, I'll be happy to let it remain your problem and drop our investigation. Otherwise, I'm going to make your life miserable. So, what's it gonna be?"

"I'm sorry, but I can't tell you anything else. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to get going."

Cooper headed toward the basement stairs with Dawkins right behind him.

"Great. I'm sure Judge Johnson won't mind issuing a search warrant for Walker's house, seeing that we have plenty of probable cause-and the fact that the Judge is my uncle."

Cooper stopped his march up the basement stairs.

"Look. Please don't start causing any trouble. You have no idea who you're messing with. If you jeopardize this operation, I have my own ways of dealing with you. And I promise you won't like them."

Dawkins bowed up.

"Is that a threat? Because you're in my town now, not some big fancy city where the FBI walks all over local law enforcement. We're the law here."

"It's your grave, Barney."

Cooper chose to make that his parting salvo and continued ascending the basement stairs.

Dawkins made his final appeal, which came out more like a threat.

"Boy, it would be a shame, Agent Cooper, if you got arrested for trespassing."

Cooper didn't look back as he reached the top step and opened the door. He began sprinting for the front door.

"Let's go," Dawkins said to Warren as they scrambled after Cooper.

By the time Dawkins and Warren made it to the front yard, all they saw were the taillights on Cooper's Cadillac Escalade.

Dawkins kicked the ground in disgust. Cooper's arrogance grated on his last nerve. He had untied Cooper only to be mocked, lied to and humiliated.

But Dawkins didn't really need a definitive answer from Cooper. He was no Barney Fife. He now knew that Walker was a federal agent, too.