Hunter's Revenge, page 15
“And he turns the tables on them by saying he’ll go to the cops this time.”
“Right,” she said with a quick nod. “So now they’re panicking. They have Staley about to confess, they’ve got Griffin threatening to go to the police if they keep calling him.”
Pete nodded too. “They hire a real hitman, take them both out.”
She smiled, then it faded. “But I can’t prove one goddamn thing of this. Not one.”
“Who ordered the hit on Staley?”
Tori shrugged. “McMillan?”
Pete met her gaze. “Your uncle?”
Tori ran a hand through her hair, absently remembering Sam’s fingers there just that morning, Sam telling her it was time for her summer cut. She sighed. “I can’t even entertain the idea that my uncle was involved in my family’s murder.”
Pete stood up and went to the fridge. Tori wasn’t surprised to hear the clanking of beer bottles as he pulled two out. “Not to be disrespectful to your uncle—because I didn’t know the man—but money has a way of changing people. If he’s involved in this little gang, if he’s one of the higher-ups, then he most likely knew what was going on. From what you’ve been able to dig up, there was a lot of money involved. That’s just drug money. All this other stuff? Planting of evidence, letting perps walk. Gotta be some big bucks there too. You’re not going to risk your career for chump change. We’re talking big, big bucks here.”
“Yes, I agree. If it’s just these few guys involved, that’s a lot of cash to go around.”
He handed her a bottle. “I remember an incident once. Early on when I was brand new on the force. Probably the first time I’d heard of Bexley. He shot someone after a traffic stop. Young Mexican kid. Caused quite a stir, but again, back then there weren’t cameras everywhere. The kid was dead, and all you had was Bexley and his partner’s take on things. Now like I said, I never trusted Bexley and I certainly never hung with him, but he was under your uncle’s command back then.” Pete took a swallow of his beer. “Bexley was a rookie cop at the time. It all blew over, but I think Lieutenant Hunter took a firm stance protecting his guys.”
Pete paused a moment, then nodded. “Heard rumors after that. About the killing. The kid was unarmed. Heard they planted a gun on him.” Pete shrugged. “That’s how it used to be in the old days. I’m not trying to say that your uncle was a part of a coverup or anything, just that he stuck up for his guys.”
“I don’t have a relationship with my uncle, so don’t think you’re offending me by telling me this.” Tori twisted off the cap on the bottle. “If Bexley was a rookie, that would have happened well before the Blue Dragons got up and running, I’d guess.”
“You and your uncle don’t talk?”
Tori shook her head. “He and my father were never close, and there was only a handful of times our families were together. But my lack of a relationship with him is more personal.” Tori took a swallow of the beer. “He didn’t want me. After…after they were gone, he didn’t want me.” She held her hand up, not wanting to go into all that. “So what I’m saying is, I’m not protecting him because he’s my uncle. I simply can’t see him signing off on having his own brother killed. And his wife and kids,” she added quietly. “I don’t believe he’s that much of a monster.”
Pete sat down again. “You’re doing all this on your own?”
“I am. I don’t know who I can trust. I don’t know if the Blue Dragons are still around. And if I take all of this to my lieutenant, he’ll have to go further up the chain with it. I’ll be out of the loop, off the case. They’ll get CIU involved, Internal Affairs. Probably take it to the DA’s office to see if there’s enough here to go back that far and investigate.”
“You’re afraid it’ll disappear?”
Before she could answer, her cell rang. It was Casey’s ringtone. She pulled it out of her pocket. “Yeah, O’Connor. What’s up?”
“You won’t believe this, Hunter. Fort Worth PD pulled a Chevy Impala out of the Trinity. Up on the West Fork, upstream of some park there.”
“Is it ours?”
“Guessing. I talked to one of the detectives. They don’t have much right now and the ME hasn’t even taken the bodies yet. I’m on my way over there.”
“Bodies?”
“Two. Males. Both shot.”
Tori stiffened. “It’s got to be our guys.”
“Yeah. But don’t forget, Denton PD is working a murder too. We might be fighting for the car.”
“As soon as you get IDs on them, let me know.”
“I will. And you need to call Malone. Just touch base. Tell him you’ll be back to work on Monday.” Casey paused. “You will, right?”
Tori figured if she stayed out much longer, Malone would come find her. “I’ll be in touch with him.”
She placed the phone facedown on the table. “That was my partner. She said a Chevy Impala was fished out of the Trinity. Two men inside. Both shot.”
Pete nodded. “Looks like you found your hitmen.”
“Yeah. But who in the hell killed them?”
Chapter Thirty-two
Casey tried not to hover, but she used her phone to take as many pictures as she could. A loud clearing of a man’s voice made her look up.
“You know, we’ll be happy to share all of this with you, O’Connor.”
It was the detective she’d spoken to earlier. “Yeah, I know. I’m just trying to get a head start. Sorry.”
“The ME guesses they’ve been in the water several days already.”
“You run prints? Or are they waterlogged?”
“Yeah, quite bloated. But we got a hit on one. The driver. Jeffery Scarsdale.” Detective Weaver looked at his notes. “Last known address was in Phoenix, but he has ties to this area. Has priors. Been arrested both here and in Dallas.”
“Age?”
“Forty-two.”
“The other?”
“Nothing on him yet. He appears to be much younger. Mid-twenties, maybe. Hard to tell. Both shot in the back of the head.”
“And the gun you found? We’re hoping to get a match.”
“Yeah. Glock, 9-mil.”
Casey nodded. “The bullet pulled from our vic was a 9-mil. Denton PD has a similar case. If you don’t mind, I’ll call them. Give them your name?”
Weaver nodded. “Sure. I’ll pass them on to our lab.”
“Great. And I’ll have my guys get with your guys. Appreciate it.” She turned, then stopped. “If you get an ID on the other one, you’ll call?”
“Sure, O’Connor. I’ll try to remember,” he said dryly as he walked away.
It didn’t matter, she thought. Mac would be all over this one. She pulled her phone out and called Detective Anwar in Denton.
Chapter Thirty-three
Tori had debated calling Malone, but she was afraid he’d be full of questions. Instead, she texted him. I’m going to need a few more days. And he replied with an equally short text. I’ll expect you Monday morning. She sighed. She had no intention of going in.
She called in an order to Sam’s favorite Italian restaurant. Then she texted Sam. I ordered dinner. Would you stop at Fellini’s on your way home? She received a heart emoji as a reply, which made her smile.
And then she headed home. She was tired. Mentally, at least. After she’d left Pete Dewberry, she’d driven over to Thomas Bexley’s house. No one answered the door. She then called him, but it also went unanswered.
She then thought she’d take a chance with McMillan. He was at home, but he wouldn’t give her the time of day. As soon as she introduced herself, she’d seen the shield go up.
“Hunter?”
“My father was Jason Hunter. You may remember him.”
“Rings a bell.”
“I would hope so, considering he was under your command. Hamilton and Jaworski were assigned to his murder.”
“Yeah, of course. I remember.”
“I’d like to ask you a few questions, if you’ve got the time.”
He’d stared at her for a long, uncomfortable moment, then he shook his head. “Actually, no. I don’t have time.”
He’d literally closed—slammed—the door in her face and she heard the lock engage from the inside. She’d left then, a little curious as to the nervousness that he’d shown. Did he think that maybe Staley had talked before he was killed? Or did he know that she’d been to visit Cunningham? Or even Pete? She didn’t know how he would know unless Cunningham called to warn him. She knew Pete would not.
She had too many questions, too many scenarios running through her mind to settle on any of them. For some reason, she kept skipping over her uncle, though. But really, what was the reason she couldn’t fathom him being involved? Because he was family? Even though she didn’t think of him as family, he still was.
She turned onto their street, then stared in shock as a car—a black SUV—squealed out of her driveway. It shot past her so fast she couldn’t make out the driver. She turned sharply, intending to follow, only to have the neighbor across the street back his car out of his driveway, blocking her. She slammed on her brakes, then pounded the steering wheel in frustration—the SUV was already out of sight.
Her neighbor waved apologetically at her as he drove off and she gave him a curt nod. She pulled into her driveway but sat there a moment before opening the garage door. Who the hell was it? Or was she being paranoid? Maybe someone was simply turning around, and they happened to use her driveway. A coincidence.
She didn’t think that was the case, no. She pushed the button above the rearview mirror, waiting as the garage door opened. On impulse, she pushed it closed again and backed out onto the street. She drove around the neighborhood, taking different streets, most she’d never been on before. There was no sign of a black SUV, so she returned home.
By the time she drove into her driveway for the second time, she’d convinced herself that it was definitely not a coincidence and that someone was either following her or looking for her.
* * *
The first thing she did when she went inside was email Boris and request a meeting. Early. Tomorrow. Then she showered and changed. By the time Sam came in carrying the bag that contained their dinner, she’d had wine poured and the table set.
Sam fell into her arms with a sigh. “These are going to be the longest weeks of my life. It’s like they’ve taken everything away from me. I have nothing to do. And I mean nothing.”
“You’ve got vacation time. Take it.”
“I know. But they’ll pay me for what I don’t take, and it’ll be a nice chunk.”
Tori kissed her. “We don’t need the money. Your sanity is worth it.”
Sam touched her cheek before pulling away. “Are you concerned with my sanity for your sake or mine?” she teased.
Tori laughed. “Mostly mine.”
“Well, I don’t want to take vacation time just to be stuck here at home without you. I might as well be stuck there and get paid for it.” Sam picked up one of the wineglasses and took a sip. “How was your day?”
Tori took the wineglass from her and set it back down. “We’ll talk over dinner. Go change.”
“I’m going to grab a shower too. Can you keep it warm?”
“Of course.”
Sam turned to go, then turned back to her and kissed her. “You look stressed. Did something happen?”
“No. I’m fine. Tired.”
“Okay. Then let’s plan a short night and head to bed early.” Sam squeezed her arm. “I’ll even toss in another backrub.”
Tori smiled at her. “I accept.”
As soon as Sam left, Tori took out her phone and checked email. There was a reply from Boris. “I have the goods. Meet early. Same place.”
The goods? What the hell did that mean? Then she tilted her head. Burner phones maybe. And early? What was early on a Saturday?
Chapter Thirty-four
Tori parked not far from the spot the food truck normally occupied on weekdays. A quick glance at her car’s touchscreen told her it was 7:07. She had no idea what early was to Simon—hopefully before eight. Sam had wanted to come with her, but she’d talked her out of it.
“I’ll only be a few minutes,” she’d told her. “I’ll pick up something for breakfast on my way back.”
Sam’s green eyes had captured hers, and Tori knew that she’d been trying to read them, trying to decide if there was something Tori wasn’t telling her. Was there? She hadn’t learned anything earth-shattering, no. It was mostly speculation—and suspicion—on her part. Sam had finally nodded, although Tori could tell she was upset.
Tori shook her head. No. Not upset. Sam didn’t get upset. Sam was feeling left out, that was all. And yes, maybe so. She hadn’t shared much with her. Not even about Staley.
She saw Simon at 7:18. He was wearing the same ball cap and sunglasses as the first time. He acknowledged her with a brief nod in her direction, then went on into the park. At this early hour, it was nearly empty except for a few joggers that were seen along the trail. She got out of her car and followed him, pausing to look around, making sure no one was watching. She’d been just paranoid enough on her way over to practically drive in circles before heading this way. She saw no one tailing her.
“Good morning,” she said as she leaned against the tree he was standing by.
“Good morning, Tori,” he said cheerfully. Then he grinned. “I was hoping you’d contact me.” From each front pocket, he pulled out a phone. “Because I got burners for us. I’ve already programmed my number into yours and vice versa.” He handed her one. “Now we can talk.”
She took the cell, nodding. “And you’re sure it’s safe?”
“Oh, yeah. We’ll only use it to call each other. No one will know the numbers. Just us.”
“Okay.” She looked around them again. “It looks like Staley was killed by the same guys who took out Charles Griffin. Those guys were fished out of the Trinity River yesterday morning. Shot. Still in the car. Matches our silver Chevy.”
“So who killed them?”
“Probably whoever hired them. And I interviewed Cunningham yesterday too. He was the only one on the list not mentioned in my father’s notes. He said that Staley was going to confess.” She shrugged. “Too much to go into but let’s just say that, yeah, they were dirty cops. Cunningham said Staley mentioned murders, as in he was going to confess about some. Cunningham said he was way down in the pecking order, though, and didn’t know anything about murders.”
“You believe him?”
“Yeah, I do. So I tried to meet with Bexley. He wasn’t home and didn’t answer his cell. Then I went by McMillan’s place. He wouldn’t talk. Practically slammed the door in my face.”
“Why do you think Cunningham talked to you?”
“Staley warned him that he was going to confess. Told him to be prepared to answer questions.” Tori looked up as a jogger approached and she waited until he passed by before continuing. “Cunningham did nothing more than snatch drug money thirty years ago. I don’t think he’s worried about any repercussions. But if Staley warned him that he was going to confess to more—like murder—then he probably warned the others too.”
“And you think that’s what got him killed?”
“Yes. One of the people he warned didn’t want it to get out. McMillan was very nervous, I could tell. So he either knew about Staley—meaning his death—or he didn’t want me poking around. Based on my father’s notes, he assumed they knew he was investigating them. And here I come around—his daughter—asking questions about it all. Hell, maybe my uncle called McMillan and told him I’d been over asking about the Blue Dragons.”
“Okay. Well, get this. Harken—there was no official cause of death. There was an autopsy, but nothing’s been filed yet.”
“He was over eighty. Why an autopsy?”
“Because he died in the hospital.” Simon leaned closer, his voice quiet. “Car accident. Brakes failed. He survived. Broken leg that needed surgery. Everything went well. He was about to get discharged the next day.”
“Heart attack?”
“No. From what I was able to find at the ME’s office, they’ve ruled out cardiac arrest.”
Tori arched an eyebrow. “You hacked their files?”
Simon smiled. “I did. And people don’t just stop breathing and die for no reason, even in their eighties.”
“What are you suggesting?”
Simon’s voice lowered even more. “I’m suggesting that like Brewster, the car accident is suspicious. Brewster died but Harken survived. So they found some other way to kill him.”
“They? The Blue Dragons?” Tori shook her head. “Hospitals have too much security. Besides, if you’re a patient, you have monitors on you and stuff, right?”
“Yeah, I guess. Maybe he was drugged. Someone came in, slipped something in his water maybe. Maybe they smothered him.”
“I take it you’re pretty much convinced it wasn’t natural causes.”
“They’re doing a full tox. If he was drugged, they’ll find it. But it’s suspicious, don’t you think?”
Tori nodded. “Yeah. But as it stands, his death could be natural causes. Let’s don’t jump to conclusions, even though, yeah, I agree it looks suspicious.” She ran a hand through her hair. “I have enough going on with Staley. I hope Harken is not going to be one more to look into.”
“So what do you want me to do?”
“There was a black SUV. Looked to be a newer model. I didn’t get the make. But it was speeding out of my driveway yesterday when I got home.”
Simon smiled. “I’m good, Hunter, but I’m not that good. That’s not much to go on. You’re going to have to give me a little more than that.”
