.38 Caliber Cover-Up Read online

  “I want to know where Erren is headed and what you two planned while I was out of the room at the cabin.”

  “That’s on a need-to-know basis.”

  “Oh, I definitely need to know and you sure as hell are about to tell me.”

  “You can’t threaten me, Darby.”

  “If there’s one thing I know about my daughter, son, it’s that she doesn’t make threats.” Her father widened his stance and placed his hands on his hips. “She keeps promises.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  “Brian, tell me where he’s going.” Darby stood nose-to-nose with the attorney. She hadn’t screamed and didn’t need to fake anything. She sounded and felt desperate.

  Whatever Erren said he was doing, his real intention was to find Pike’s murderer. None of the evidence they had secured told them who had pulled the trigger. She knew firsthand that putting that slimeball on the fast track to state prison was the only thing that was important to Agent Rhodes.

  Definitely more important than she was to him.

  “We need to get you to a safe house as soon as possible.” Brian still stood next to the wall. The confidence in his tone was slipping. “It’s imperative that you receive protection.”

  “I don’t think you recognize my daughter’s look. You may as well give in. She’s going to get her way.” The Sergeant Major’s stance may have seemed intimidating to an assistant district attorney, but to her he’d never appeared more caring.

  “Erren said he was forwarding the pictures to you. Are they on your BlackBerry?” She held her hand out, expecting him to hand over the phone.

  “We don’t have time for you to hunt for clues,” Brian said. He looked at her family. “This is highly inappropriate. We’ll go over everything at the safe house.”

  “I don’t have time to waste,” she told him, motioning for the phone. She restrained her foot from tapping impatiently as Brian didn’t react.

  Her brother took two threatening steps toward Brian, who yanked the phone from his pocket. “The longer we stay here, the more you’re putting your family at risk.”

  Darby took the phone and moved to the chair in the corner, skimming through the pictures slowly, studying details she hadn’t noticed with Erren next to her.

  This is what Erren had been doing when she’d finished her shower. They’d seen the same pictures. What had he seen to change his mind? He’d been loving and caring then had become withdrawn…even for him. Scrolling through the evidence sheets shouldn’t have meant anything to him. What had she missed? So what did he see? Someone he knew?

  Whatever it had been, it was enough to send her straight to a safe house.

  “Time’s up, Darby.” Stepping forward, Brian reached for his phone.

  Her brother put a hand out to stop him. “She’s done when she’s done, Mr. Thrumburt.”

  Each picture was important or Michael wouldn’t have included it. She focused on the small details. Trying to connect the dots. She was determined to discover what Erren had seen that had changed his mind. What was his urgency that caused him to shift plans?

  This won’t be over until I find Pike’s murderer. How many times had Erren said this to her?

  Maybe it wasn’t what Erren had seen, but what he hadn’t.

  “He’s after Pike’s murderer.” She looked at Brian for confirmation. “Erren is out for revenge.”

  “We don’t know who pulled the trigger, but these men are responsible.”

  Brian gestured to the phone. “Rhodes accepted that we wouldn’t know what truly happened that night until your brother awakens.”

  “Is that what he told you? He’s a very good liar.”

  Good enough to convince you to walk away.

  “We really must leave, Darby.” He turned toward her father, perhaps to make a plea. The motion pulled his left sleeve higher on his wrist, exposing more of the ink stain she’d seen the day before.

  The ink smeared on the back of his wrist wasn’t an accident. It was a faded dragon’s tail—or a tattoo the ADA was having removed. A very sketchy, not well-done yet completely recognizable gang sign. She flipped through the pictures and found the young woman who looked totally wasted. A hand helped her shoot more drugs into her arm. A hand with a dragon…

  Brian’s hand. He constantly pulled at his sleeves, constantly covered his hands. He’d been playing them this entire time. It explained why the men involved knew to look through Pike’s picture albums and her box of photos.

  Thrumburt was dirty.

  Erren! He was walking into a trap.

  Control your breathing. Don’t let Thrumburt know you figured it out. Set your emotions aside, O’Malley, she could hear Erren’s voice whispering in her ear.

  Okay, think. Erren probably had a plan, but he’d sent her to Thrumburt, so he didn’t know he was dirty. Her partner didn’t have all the facts and she was the only person who could warn him he was in danger.

  But Thrumburt had called the U.S. Marshals to arrange for her protection. It didn’t make sense. She stared at the phone, unwilling to risk anyone seeing her face. She had to get herself under control and think like a cop, act like Erren. She could play the role of an undercover agent. It was about more than lying.

  Obviously, Erren hadn’t shared all of his plans. What if the marshals’ arrival had taken Thrumburt by surprise? What if the Medic had called them here to take his place? There were more possibilities than she had time to consider.

  Thrumburt didn’t act as if he knew she could identify him in the pictures. His easiest route was to blame everything on Erren. If she deleted the picture it may buy Erren more time. She’d get Thrumburt away from her family, ditch the marshals and find her partner.

  Piece of cake.

  “It’s no use. I’ll never discover what Rhodes saw or how his mind works.” If she couldn’t lie, then she’d tell the truth. “He has a compulsion to find Pike’s killer that I don’t understand.”

  “Let him do his job, Darby.” Thrumburt took his phone from her. “He knows what he’s doing.”

  “I know he’s capable.” She looked at the floor. If she looked at Brian, she was certain he’d see through her. “Give us a minute, will you? Then I’ll be ready to go.”

  The dirty ADA left the room. She hurried to her father, digging in her purse for the Glock.

  “I guess Rhodes is Paladin?” he asked.

  “Yes, sir. If you’ve ever trusted me, Dad, do it now.” She hugged him, pressing the gun into his hand. “I don’t have time to explain. Do whatever it takes to protect Michael. You’ve got to get out of here and hide.”

  “Then you need to come with us,” her brother said, matching her whisper.

  “I can’t.” She wasn’t going to break apart. Not now. She swallowed the emotion building in her throat and hugged her dad one last time, pulling Sean into the group for a quick squeeze. “He saved my life and Michael’s. He doesn’t know he’s walking into an ambush.”

  “Let me come,” Sean said.

  “There’s no way you can go alone,” her father said at the same time.

  With a hand on each of their shoulders, she looked between them, tilting her head toward her little brother. “It’s going to take you both to get him out of here and protect him. It’s my responsibility to warn my partner.”

  And the only way to ensure you’re all safe. Time for this woman to come to the rescue.

  “I don’t like this, Dar.” Sean’s voice sounded angry, with more emotion than she’d heard from him since he was a kid.

  “You know I can take care of myself.”

  “At least take the Glock.” Her father pushed it back toward her.

  “Come on, Dad. I’ve got another in my boot and extra clips in my purse. I’m a cop, remember?”

  “But also my little girl.”

  “You taught us to never leave a man behind,” she whispered. “Erren’s my man, Dad.”

  “Keep your head down, shoot straight, and we’ll see you Sunday for the
Cowboys game.”

  “Yes, sir.” Another quick hug. “I’ve got to go. Take care of him.”

  Brian was watching for her through the little window in the door and pushed it open. The marshal walked into the room after she’d left.

  “He’s staying behind.” Thrumburt placed his hand in the small of her back to guide her down the hall. “I think you’re right, Darby. We need to find Erren. We’re the only people he can trust.”

  The man’s hand wasn’t warm like Erren’s. It didn’t comfort her in any way. It creeped her out and it took all of her control to keep from cringing.

  “Why the change of heart?” she asked.

  “Erren’s GPS indicates a location in Dallas. He’s not headed back to San Antonio like we thought. I’ve already got a unit moving into position to back him up, but I believe I should be there to make certain things go smoothly. We wouldn’t want the cops to shoot him on sight.”

  Or you want to be there to ensure that’s exactly what happens.

  They climbed into the waiting car driven by the second marshal. Thrumburt sat in front. She took the back. The sedan was dark inside as they pulled away from the hospital, but not dark enough to cover her movements. Getting to her second Glock wouldn’t be an easy task.

  “Where’s Thomas?” their driver asked.

  “Change of plans,” Thrumburt announced. “You have the GPS location where Rhodes went. Take us there.”

  “My job’s to get O’Malley to a safe house, not follow a rogue agent into the seedy part of Dallas.”

  “Your job is to do what you’re told.” Thrumburt raised his voice and his speech became less refined and precise.

  Darby watched the exchange. Thrumburt had never lost his cool—he played the intimidated dork to perfection. So…

  He knows. Somehow. She’d messed up again by deleting the picture. Of course, he’d already seen himself in it and he would notice it was gone.

  “Campbell,” she said, catching his eye in the mirror. With a frightened expression, she shook her head and pointed to Thrumburt.

  Campbell slowly reached in his jacket, but the ADA pulled a gun. The marshal slowly replaced his hand on the steering wheel.

  “Keep driving. Just get us to that location.” He kept the gun pointed at Campbell. “Nice try, Darby. Gently lift your purse over the seat to me.”

  She did as he commanded. “What now, Brian? How are you going to cover this up?”

  “Rhodes has taken care of that for me. It couldn’t be better if I’d planned it myself.”

  “That was a stellar performance at the safe house. You really had me fooled. All your faked emotion, I would give you a round of applause if you didn’t disgust me.” He was responsible for her friend’s death and she wanted to tear the man limb from limb. “You put Michael in a coma and killed Pike, you little bastard.”

  “You killed a cop?” Campbell chimed in, hands gripping the steering wheel tighter.

  “You,” Brian said to the marshal, “should keep your mouth shut and take us in exactly the direction that little arrow on the screen is pointing.”

  “We should be there in about ten minutes.”

  Brian thrust his fist into the side of the marshal’s head. The car swerved out of their lane and quickly back in, resulting in surrounding horns and her loss of breath.

  “I said no talking. Just drive.”

  “You are a bastard of the first order,” she said.

  “Darby, Darby, Darby.” Thrumburt shook his head as if he couldn’t understand why she was disgusted. “I didn’t pull the trigger, but I suppose you could give me credit for eliminating the threats to my operation.”

  “Are you seriously going to compare yourself to a businessman? You’re a crook. A drug dealer. You’re responsible for several deaths and you’ll pay with your own life.”

  “That’s a debt I’ll never pay, sweetheart.”

  She could see the GPS arrow getting closer to her partner’s location. She didn’t know what to do. Whatever Erren was planning, these men were several steps ahead and confident their cover-up would succeed.

  The only way it would work was if they were all dead. Dead DEA agent, dead U.S. Marshal, dead Dallas cop. How in the world would they pull something like that off?

  Campbell’s questioning eyes met hers in the mirror. He pointed to the GPS and raised his finger like a gun. She understood. They had to do something before they reached their destination.

  “Stop here.” Thrumburt opened his phone and sent a text. Within seconds he received a reply. “We’ll be meeting them at a more private location. Straight for three blocks and take a left at the stop sign.”

  They pulled into a parking lot of an old warehouse building in South Dallas. They were running out of time. She made eye contact in the mirror with Campbell again, who cut his eyes toward the gun still pointing in his side.

  Thrumburt wasn’t wearing his seat belt. Could Campbell speed up and slam the ADA’s head into the dashboard before the airbag exploded? The marshal’s arms stiffened on the wheel. Using slow, controlled movements, she pulled the middle seat belt across her lap and snapped it shut.

  “Don’t get any heroic ideas, Campbell,” Thrumburt said.

  The marshal punched the gas, heading toward the side of the building.

  Darby braced herself for the impact.

  “Stop!” their captor screamed.

  She should cover her head and duck to the floor, but she couldn’t move. She was frozen by the barrel of the .45 yoyoing between her and the marshal. The side of the building grew larger in the front windshield.

  She had to be prepared to take the gun from Thrumburt. Her hand was on her seat belt, ready to pull it open.

  The crash jolted her body as the scream of the gun pierced her ears.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Another frickin’ dark alley. Another setup. Another double cross.

  Erren drove past the meeting point, searching from the car for a possible ambush. Nothing in sight, but plenty of places for one to happen. The alley could have been a duplicate of where he’d met Beavis and Butthead. And Knighton, his not-so-trustworthy handler, had indisputable knowledge of first-rate betrayals.

  Time to end this.

  He parked half a block away, keeping the Sergeant Major’s car out of the line of fire. It was the least he could do for Darby’s family. If all went as planned he’d pick up the Cougar and return it soon. He walked back to the meet, prepared to follow through for Pike—no matter the outcome.

  He caught sight of the men lurking at the edge of the shadows and lifted his hands in the air. Two were behind him with guns at his back before he made it twenty feet into the alley. Whoever was behind this operation wasn’t taking a chance this time. The men pushed him between his shoulders, tripping him up, making it difficult to walk into the darkness—much more thorough than Beavis and Butthead.

  One man he recognized from Darby’s house. It was the cop who’d shot at them, now walking with a limp. He wasn’t gentle about searching Erren for weapons or a wire. “He’s clean.”

  Erren watched a tall form walk into the low light of the alley.

  “Well, well, well, if it ain’t Agent Rhodes,” said a familiar voice, confirming his suspicions.

  “Knighton,” he acknowledged.

  Erren’s long-term portrayal of the San Antonio drug dealer came easily to his mind and actions. He purposefully changed the way he stood, talked and didn’t meet the DEA handler’s eyes. Then an image of sitting across Darby’s legs jumped into his head.

  Fantastic. She’s going to get me killed and she isn’t even here.

  “How’s the leg?” he asked the cop limping by him.

  “As far as the legit cops are concerned,” he answered, “you kidnapped one of Dallas’s finest at gunpoint. We could shoot now and never ask questions.”

  Knighton circled him. He hadn’t been surprised to see him. They’d been waiting to take care of the problem. No curiosity about what Erren h
ad to offer. They didn’t act anxious or apprehensive. Damn.

  Made sense to have cops pointing the weapons. Limpy Cop had Erren’s cell and tossed it to the DEA handler.

  “Did you wonder why a dead guy called?” Erren asked.

  “Naw. Not a problem. You brought the evidence to me and we’ll get rid of the problem child and his sister later.” He took a step toward Erren and hit him hard in the chest.

  The force of Knighton’s fist caused Erren to move backwards. The filthy scumbag turned his back and Erren balled his fingers into fists to stop himself from retaliating. “So you figured out O’Malley’s not dead yet. Okay. But you still might have a problem.”

  Knighton turned on a dime and Erren couldn’t avoid the backhand that came along with it. He didn’t fake the pained moan that escaped before he had control. The staggering blow was meant to knock him to his knees, but he managed to stay on his feet.

  “My problem will end when I get rid of you.”

  “Like I came here, unarmed, with my only bargaining chip on a cell phone?” Erren shook his head and pointed his thumb to his bruising chest area. “Not dumb, man.”

  He hoped he was driving Knighton nuts. Erren needed him angry and thinking unclearly. He wanted answers.

  “If you emailed the pictures somewhere. If you got someone to believe you. If you could make all that happen in an hour. A lot of ifs for a washed-up undercover with no handler and no police academy babysitter.” He looked at Cop Number Two on his left. “Get rid of him.”

  The cop took Erren’s arm, giving a tug to begin walking.

  “Did I mention that I have to check my drop-box account once an hour or it forwards to the Feds?”

  Erren allowed himself to grin at Knighton’s volatile reaction. At this point, any emotion the man showed gave Erren information.

  “Do you really expect me to believe that TV babble? This isn’t playacting, but I am curious. Where did you find O’Malley’s phone? It wasn’t on him at the hospital.”

  “You missed it at his sister’s place.”