The Heart of the Jungle, стр. 17
"You see, some time ago, I was on Brunner's tail. I'd been hired to recover a stolen statue for a socialite by the name of Hathaway---you've probably heard of her; she's a bit of an eccentric."
In fact, Chris had heard of Eugenia Hathaway. Her parties were regularly covered in The Sounder, and it seemed like she had at least ten fundraising galas every year for one cause or another.
"Turned out Brunner sold the piece on the black market, but that's not the important thing here. What is important is that I discovered Michael's involvement with Brunner during that investigation. I'm the one who tipped off MacQuery. I owed him a favor." Jason's eyes clouded for a moment with something that looked suspiciously like a painful memory. The moment passed, though, and he continued. "I thought it might be a good idea for him to rein in his thoroughbred before his whole firm was dragged through the mud. I may have started this whole thing---although at the time, I had no idea that you existed, just that Michael was messing around with Brunner and putting George's reputation in danger." Jason picked up the tape recorder and waved it in Chris's direction.
"This interview with the maid---the bit about the child and getting to the Heart of the Jungle---it just never made any sense, so I dismissed it. I guess it sat in the back of my mind and festered, though. I never did like a loose end.
"I'd completely forgotten about it until I learned of the connection between you, Michael, and your daughter in the police station. That's when I knew I had something."
"Did you take this to the police?" Chris leaned forward, his entire body tensed like a spring.
"First of all, I'm not exactly cozy with the SPD. I've, uh, stepped on a few toes down there in the past, Callahan's in particular. So, no, I haven't gone to them. Yet."
"But you have to." Chris leapt to his feet and leaned over the desk.
"This could change everything."
"Slow down. We can't go to the police right now. This isn't enough. Chris, you have to understand something about law enforcement: They only act on solid evidence. This?" He gestured with the tape recorder. "This is hearsay.... They won't do anything with it. They can't."
"But---" Chris was burning with frustration. He paced in front of the desk, his mind whirling with this new information. He stopped and looked down at Jason. "They have to. This proves Brunner was involved."
"I'll admit it's compelling, but it's not enough. What I think is that Brunner and Michael were planning something, and I'm guessing your daughter was central to those plans. I think we can assume that one of two things happened: Michael and Brunner staged the whole thing and took off with her, or something went terribly wrong. Either way, if we can find out, we might just get some answers."
Chris was overcome. "You really think she could still be alive?"
Jason didn't respond immediately. The caution on his face said he didn't want to give Chris false hope. "I don't know. It's possible. Morales remembered Brunner saying she had to be kept safe, that they needed her to get to the Heart of the Jungle."
"That's why we have to take it to Callahan. Jason, he never had a solid lead before. This is a solid lead."
"Chris, this is a tape-recorded interview with an illegal immigrant who would never consent to talk to the authorities for fear of being deported. Morales will go into deep hiding if I even suggest it."
This sobered him. Jason gestured toward the chair and he dropped back into it. His head was reeling. He felt helpless and hopeful at the same time. "If we can't take this to the police, then I don't understand how it helps me."
"It gives us a place to start. Something to work with. What we have to do now is chase a ten-month-cold trail. We find out what Brunner and Michael were up to, and from there, maybe we can figure out where this Heart of the Jungle is. Once we've gathered enough evidence, then we'll take it to someone. Probably the FBI. Since this involves a child, it's firmly within the purview of the Crimes Against Children Unit. I... know some people there that I trust much more than I trust Callahan."
For the first time since that awful night, Chris dared to feel a glimmer of hope---real hope. He regarded Jason with gratitude. "I don't understand why you would want to do this for me," he said.
"I have a soft spot for anything involving children," Jason replied, the painful memory crossing his face again. "And as I told you, I can't stand a loose end. That probably has something to do with the way I pounced on you yesterday. I'm sorry about that. I can be a little aggressive when something's captured my interest. Apart from that, I guess I feel somewhat responsible. If I hadn't butted in, maybe the situation with Brunner and Michael would have worked itself out without MacQuery jumping in and throwing his weight around. They may have cooked up this whole scheme just to get out of the picture. Maybe they were planning to hold your daughter hostage to blackmail MacQuery and get him off their backs."
"If that's true, then why haven't they done it already? George said Brunner was out of the picture. He said he got rid of him a long time ago."
"I honestly don't know. That's one of the things we need to find out."
"How long do you think this will take?"
"Could be a couple of days or a couple of months. Chris, it could be never. It just depends on how well Brunner covered his tracks."
Chris nodded, keying in on the note of caution in Jason's tone.
Though he was