“Yeah, and chances are she’s meeting him for quickies every afternoon. You know how these women work.”
Brit’s gut flinched as if someone had punched him. “She filed charges against him. She gave us all she knows.”
“Says who?”
“Says me.” Brit jammed his hands into his pockets to keep them off Adams’ neck.
“What you want to bet when we catch the guy, she’ll be in court crying her eyes out because she knows he really didn’t mean to do it? The answer is no. Do the job. Find the guy and bring him in, but I’m not putting men out there to protect some girlfriend when I’ve got cop killers running the street.”
Brit stormed out of Adams’ office ready to hit somebody. He slammed the door of his broom closet of an office and dared anyone to try to talk to him. He’d expected Adams to deny his request, that wasn’t what had blistered his balls. It was the fact that everything Adams said was exactly how Brit had felt a few days ago. And while most of those feelings had been pushed aside, the smallest thread of doubt hung loose. And that thread seemed to be the one thing that could unravel Brit’s sanity.
~
Cali sat in the last meeting for the day, wishing the moments away. Mrs. Jasmine had the floor again and it took everything Cali had to pay attention.
“The At Risk Kids Foundation is still looking for volunteers to help them coordinate their biannual meeting. And they’ve sent out e-mails asking if anyone knows any civil servants that would volunteer as speakers. I’ve already offered up my husband, who is a fire fighter.” She shuffled through her notes. “If anyone has a few hours to donate, I’d appreciate it.”
Cali felt Mrs. Jasmine’s eyes zoning in on her, but she glanced away. It wasn’t the program. A.R.K. helped teenagers who were thought to be at risk of quitting school. Cali seriously felt the program had merit, but right now, she should be asking for volunteers to help her piece her own life back together. Cali got a vision of her standing up and announcing, “Excuse me, would someone please volunteer to convince me that my dead mother isn’t visiting me in my dreams, and if anyone else could do something about my ex-boyfriend, the murderer whom I slept with. Well, I’d appreciate it.”
“Didn’t you volunteer last time, Cali?”
Cali glanced up, caught in the woman’s target. “Yes, it’s a great program.” Then she clamped her mouth. You can’t fix everything, Cali. Her mother’s voice echoed in her head. Let somebody else help the A.R.K. program this time.
“Well, everyone think about it,” Mrs. Jasmine said.
“I’ll do it,” Tanya said, sitting next to Cali.
“Thank you, Tanya.” The meeting continued and Tanya leaned over. “Do you think Mr. Little Dickhead would come speak at the meeting?”
“I don’t know. You did call him an asshole.”
Tanya grinned. “That’s why I was thinking you could ask him for me. I think he likes you.”
Not as much as he does the brunette, Cali thought.
~
After simmering a while in his office, Brit left to find Duke or Mark. To see if their chat with the other gang members had given them anything.
“Nothing,” Duke mumbled and shoved back from his desk. “The bad thing is I believe they’re telling the truth. Either Payne is shooting us a line of bull or he got something wrong.”
Brit felt his blood pressure rise a notch. “Maybe it’s not the Blue Bloods. Maybe it’s a different gang.”
The toothpick between Duke’s lips rolled to the other side his mouth. “Maybe. But he said Blue Bloods, didn’t he?”
Gritting his teeth, Brit nodded. “Did they get anything from the crime scene at Anderson’s?”
“No, it was clean. Just like Keith’s.”
Brit picked up the file. Two bullets to the head. The same as Keith’s. Same gun, a .45. Keith was killed in a parking lot. Anderson died at his house.
“You know,” Brit said, “I always found it odd that Keith didn’t have any defensive wounds. Keith was a fighter and if he’d seen anything coming, he’d have fought. And I’ve never seen anyone sneak up on him, either.” Brit thumped the file. “It says here that Anderson’s place wasn’t broken in to. So we have to assume that he might have known the killer.”
Interest piqued, Duke sat up. “Then it would have to be someone they both knew? So is Payne’s story a crock? Neither Keith nor Anderson worked on the gang force. I checked. Even you said that Keith and Anderson hardly knew each other.”
Brit popped his knuckles. “They didn’t. Sure, we ran into Anderson while working a case or two, but that’s it.”
“Maybe we should look back at those cases,” Duke said.
“Maybe. But hell, I’m just thinking out loud. None of those cases ever felt like trouble.” Brit gritted his teeth. He was so tired of not finding answers.
“Keep thinking,” Duke said. “Because I sure as hell have hit a brick wall.” The toothpick shifted to the left side of Duke’s mouth.