More pieces of the puzzle slipped into place. Jim’s suspicions about her and Tommy. It wasn’t sex, he knew that Tommy was working for Rykov and wanted to know how much Alex knew. She’d shared with him some things—things that she would have shared even if she wasn’t working for the feds. He said all the right things, until the fight.
He knew something. What else had happened that day that made him suspicious? Had Tommy called him? Said something about her reaction? She hadn’t over-reacted ... but maybe that was the problem. Maybe she should have reported him. Because if she wasn’t working for the feds, she might have. She would have at least told her supervisor about it. She wouldn’t have said anything about the money, but she would have spoken up about the physical assault. It was over the top and could get the department into serious trouble, especially with the national incidents of police brutality.
She was reading too much into this. If Jim was involved with Rykov, that didn’t mean that he had been spying on her. Why would he have? She hadn’t even gone to Matt until months after she and Jim started dating. And just because he’d gone to high school with the mob leader didn’t mean that he was on his payroll.
Then why is he at the boat shop now?
Selena called just as Alex turned on her ignition. “Yep,” she answered.
“Just checking in.”
“I’m fine. I’m heading back.”
“Find anything?”
“I didn’t stop.”
“John had some questions about the gun so went to talk to the ballistics expert and was stopped dead in his tracks when he got to the crime lab.”
“Who stopped him?”
“No one. The gun is gone.”
“It can’t be gone.”
“It was sent to the state lab from further testing.”
“That’s bullshit. We never send ballistics test to the state. It’s across the damn street from our own lab.”
“And they claim they don’t have it,” Selena said. “John isn’t going to let it go, unless he’s told to back off. I’m sorry—I know you need this to be discreet. But you should know that Jim signed the evidence log.”
Jim was involved with Rykov. If she hadn’t had enough proof before, this was clear as day. “Can you get John to stand down until I can talk to my FBI contact?” Though Jim must already know that John Black was looking into the murders of the prostitutes. Otherwise, why move the gun? How did he know?
“Yes—but you know John. I can get him to sit on this for a day or so, but not indefinitely.”
“I don’t need longer,” she said. “Thanks, Selena. And tell John to be careful, this case may blow up on everyone.”
“John isn’t afraid of pissing people off. You’re the one who needs to be careful, Alex. I’m worried.”
“I’m meeting Matt in a few minutes. I’ll call you later.” She hung up and pulled onto the road.
Seconds later, Jim’s truck loomed in her rearview mirror. Before she could react and wonder how he could have surprised her so quickly, he slammed hard into her Honda. She tried to turn with the road, but he slowed and hit her again, this time on the rear driver’s side, effectively pushing her off the road. She slammed on her brakes, but her tires spun in the gravel. Jim hit her again and her front wheels went over the edge of the embankment.
The first dead body she’d seen on the job had been pulled from the Sacramento river. An accident, in the rain, a college student had taken one of the river turns too fast and skidded off the edge and into the river. He’d been trapped in his car. He hadn’t died of his injuries; he’d drowned because he’d been unable to escape the submerged vehicle.
But with the drought, the river current wasn’t as violent and the water levels were low. As long as she could get out of her car she should be okay. It was summer. The water wasn’t too cold and she was a good swimmer. But the plunge would still be dangerous.
She leaned back in her seat, trying to prevent the car from tipping over the edge. She didn’t want to move for fear of disturbing the delicate balance, but one more hit and she would be rolling down through the shrubs and saplings. They weren’t strong enough to hold back a vehicle.
But Jim would know all that. He would know her chances of survival were good. He wasn’t going to let her just float away, not when she knew who had rammed her off the road.
She reached over for her gun and glanced into the rearview mirror. Jim was already out of his car. He had his gun drawn and aimed at her. The passenger door opened. Jim wasn’t alone.
The rage on his face was unlike anything she’d seen before.
He was going to kill her.
She released her foot from the brake and pressed the gas while leaning forward as far as she could. The front end of the car dipped, and then she was falling down the embankment, faster than she expected to. She hit a tree and her airbag deployed, hitting her in the face with such a force that she was certain her nose broke. Powder burned her lungs, blood clogged her throat, and she couldn’t see anything. Darkness enveloped her as she felt her whole body tilting to one side.