Promise Renewed

by Mitzi Pool Bridges

  “I’m afraid so.”

  Darin dropped his head in his hands, fought the urge to cry. He’d been too late. He’d failed his partner. If he’d gotten there a few minutes earlier Hunter would still be alive. He sat up, rubbed his chest. He didn’t know a heart could physically hurt from shock and despair. His did.

  He looked at his brother whose eyes were filled with concern. “What time did the cops get there?”

  “About fifteen minutes after you called,” Douglas said, his voice grim. “It could have been you with a bullet in his head.”

  What had Hunter stumbled onto? Drugs for sure. Darin had seen that much. But who hit him over the head? Who killed Hunter? Whoever it was, Darin vowed to find him.

  “I want the story. All of it,” Douglas said, his demeanor all lawyer.

  Darin looked his brother in the eye. This must be how he acted with his clients. Hell, Darin wasn’t a client. They were brothers. But Douglas must know something Darin didn’t.

  “Hunter is dead and a warehouse full of drugs has disappeared. Someone there killed my partner. I have no idea how or why Hunter was there in the first place.”

  “Tell me what happened last night, Darin. From the beginning.”

  “It’s cop stuff, Douglas. We’ll handle it.”

  “I think you’d better tell me everything, Darin. Now.”

  Darin saw the concern on his brother’s face. Not just brotherly concern, but more. “Why?”

  “I caught a whiff of something earlier from your captain. It made me think they might look to you for more than an explanation.”

  It took an effort for Darin to hold himself in check. He made Douglas repeat what he’d just said.

  It was an effort to ask, “They think I had something to do with it?” They couldn’t believe such a thing. Not possible. Yet Douglas wouldn’t insist on the facts unless he thought it necessary.

  “Okay. Here goes.” Darin told his brother how he’d gotten Hunter’s call to meet, and everything that happened until someone bashed him in the head. How many more times would he have to tell this same story with the same outcome? He had a feeling every telling would bring on the same hurt.

  “That’s it. That’s all you know?”

  Darin didn’t like the incredulous lawyer-tone of Douglas’s voice. “Afraid so.”

  “You don’t know why Hunter called you instead of the captain? You don’t know how he knew about the warehouse space you claim was full of drugs?”

  “It was full of drugs. Most were in the truck when I got there. After I heard the shot I could tell they were speeding up the process. My guess is they were moving several million dollars worth. Maybe fifty million or more. And no, I don’t know how he knew about it. And I don’t understand, why didn’t he call it in? He was a damned good cop, so it doesn’t make sense. His being dead doesn’t make sense. Does Haley know? Has his family been notified?” Haley had been Hunter’s girlfriend for the past year. He’d been on the verge of asking her to marry him before he started acting so strange.

  “According to the chief of police, who I contacted when you were unconscious, the answer is yes. They’re taking it really hard. They have questions for you.”

  Darin groaned. “I’m sure.” What could he tell them? How could he comfort them when there was no way to accept Hunter’s death himself?

  “Can you tell me anything else?” Douglas asked.

  “It’s all I know,” Darin snapped. “Once I tell the captain what happened, he’ll understand.”

  “I hope you’re right. But this could be a lot more serious than you think.”

  “More serious than my partner getting killed and millions of dollars worth of drugs heading for the street? What could be more serious?”

  “You being held responsible.”

  Darin stared into his brother’s eyes and saw that this was deadly serious. “Tell me what you know.”

  “Captain Wells let me know in no uncertain terms you were going to be looked at for this. They found no drugs in the rental space. Only your partner with a bullet in his head.”

  “There were several shots.”

  “Hunter’s gun was out of his holster. He got a shot off. But they didn’t find any blood other than his so he must have missed. They’re still looking.”

  Darin shook his head only to have the room tilt around him. This couldn’t be happening. TJ stuck a glass of water in his hand, and he took a long swallow. “Do they think I hit myself in the back of the head? How could I do that?” He rubbed at the bump.

  Douglas shrugged. “They’ll say you did it for a cover after you shot Hunter.”

  For a moment, Darin was too stunned to answer. In a million years, no one would believe such a thing. “Do you think I did this?” he asked stiffly.

  “You know better than to ask. But what if your superior does? What then?”

  Up until now, TJ had been silent. “I’ll get Max on it. We’ll see if we can’t find who owned the space, how the drugs disappeared, and why your partner was there.” She put her arms around her older brother. “We’re here for you, Darin.”

  His sister had been so quiet Darin had forgotten she was there. But she could help. Together, TJ and her husband Max owned a consulting firm that fought fraud in the workplace. They had a couple of private investigators they called in on occasion. Plus, they had one of the most brilliant computer gurus on the payroll Darin had ever seen. He trusted his sister and Max implicitly. But he’d never expected to need their help. Still didn’t think so.

  Shaky, Darin stood.

  “Where do you think you’re going?” TJ asked.

  “I’m out of here. I want to get to the station and clear this up before it gets any worse.”

  Too late. The door swung open and Captain Wells, a frown on his face, walked in. Behind him was Detective Melanie Harris.

  Inwardly, Darin suppressed a groan. The captain didn’t think he had to pass the likeability test with his squad and didn’t try. Melanie Harris had made detective a year ago and was placed immediately in their squad. She fit right in. Friendly, got along with the women as well as the men, and carried her weight in the field. She was an efficient cop who had stepped up to the plate from the beginning.

  “Captain, Melanie.”

  She came up to him, took his hand. “I’m so sorry, Darin. Who could have done this?”

  He couldn’t answer.

  “Are you all right?” his captain asked.

  “Not really. My partner’s dead and I don’t know why. Millions of dollars in drugs are missing and I don’t know where. Plus, I have a headache.” He paused. “I guess that about sums it up.”

  “Do you know where your gun is? You didn’t have it when we arrived.”

  Darin blinked. Apparently he’d been hit on the head harder than he thought. He’d forgotten about his Glock, or maybe he’d assumed it had been retrieved at the scene. “I don’t know. I had it in my hands when I walked into the warehouse. Haven’t seen it since. Did you find it?”

  “No such luck. Dammit. It’s probably on the street now.”

  Darin was at a loss. Who had his gun? Hunter’s killer?

  HPD didn’t take a missing cop gun lightly.

  “We’ll find it,” Melanie assured him.

  “Do you feel up to a trip downtown?”

  “That’s where I was headed.”

  “Good. We’ll take you.”

  “I’ll be glad to drop him off, Captain,” Douglas offered.

  “No need. We’re headed that way.”

  “Let me have a minute with my brother before you leave.”

  “Of course. We’ll be right outside.” The captain and the detective stepped out of the room.

  Douglas walked over to his brother. “For some reason, I don’t like your captain.”

  “Not many people do.”

  “Promise to call if you need me.”

  “I will.” He turned to his sister. “I’m going to see where they’re going with this. I may
take you up on your offer.”

  “Be careful, Darin,” she said, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek.

  “What do you really think about all of this, Darin?” Douglas asked.

  “I think someone either stole millions of dollars in drugs, or picked up their stash and moved it to another spot. If they were stolen, whoever owned them will be after those who took them. Either way we may not find them until they hit the street.”

  “I hope to hell they don’t lay this on you,” Douglas said.

  “Not as much as I do,” Darin agreed.

  Chapter Two

  Silence enveloped the trip to the station. Melanie and the captain sat in the front seat, Darin in the back. Every so often Melanie would turn to look at him with a reassuring smile. It didn’t help the way he felt in the least.

  He’d been released from the hospital with reservations. A prescription lay in his shirt pocket. He could use one of those pills now as his head pounded with the knowledge he’d be walking into the station without his partner. Damn! Hunter had had no reason to go against the rules. No reason to try and stop drug dealers on his own, and no reason to keep everything to himself.

  Hunter was—had been—a seasoned cop. It wasn’t like him to be irresponsible.

  Unless the reason was one no one knew about. One Darin would have to find. One he would find. No slime-ball drug dealer was going to kill his partner and get away with it. Not in this lifetime.

  His head pounded harder.

  When he walked into the squad room his fellow detectives looked at him with questions, and sorrow in their eyes. When he headed toward them the captain told him to go to his office. Darin gave the group a quick nod. “Later," he mouthed. To tell the truth, he was glad to leave. Being in there and knowing he’d never see Hunter again made his stomach curl.

  Darin wondered if he’d ever get over it.

  The captain waved him to a chair and shut the door. A bad sign.

  “I’m sorry about your partner. But I have a few questions that have to be answered. Then I’ll send someone in to take your statement.”

  Standard procedure. So far.

  Darin told his captain all he knew, which wasn’t much. Even to his ears, his story sounded lame. “I wish I could tell you more. When he called, Hunter didn’t tell me I would find a warehouse full of drugs. He didn’t tell me anything except to get my ass over there. Which I did.”

  “You’re sure there were drugs on the premises?”

  “Millions of dollars worth from the looks of what was in the truck and in the warehouse.”

  “How did they get out of there so fast?”

  “There were at least three guys loading the truck. A big box truck, like the kind people rent for moving themselves. From what I saw the warehouse was almost empty. After I heard the shots, activity increased. They could have finished in a few minutes. If the cops had gotten there sooner, they would have caught them.” If Darin had gotten there a few minutes earlier himself, he could have protected his partner’s back. A wave of guilt washed over him. He had a feeling he’d live with the guilt a very long time.

  The captain ran a hand through his thinning hair. “If drugs were there, like you say they were, where do you think they are now? Did you hear them say anything? Who were these guys?”

  “Good questions.” Darin looked down at his hands, then back up to the captain. He didn’t like the man, but respected his authority. “I think we should take a look at everyone we know in Houston who’s in the business. We know two who have the funds to handle a deal of this size.” The captain shot him a look he couldn’t mistake. Every one of the big boys had evaded the takedowns the squad had executed for the past year. During which time there had been a lot of drugs and a lot of money involved, but HPD hadn’t been able to get one scrap of evidence to confirm their suspicions. They knew who the leaders of the two biggest cartels in the area were. Little good it did them without evidence. “I saw what I saw, Captain. But I didn’t hear a conversation, just a buzz of voices, and I can’t identify a single person there.”

  “Then we have a dilemma. Your partner is dead and you were there. You claim to have seen a mountain of drugs we didn’t find. Did you happen to get a license number of the truck?”

  Darin shook his head. “I was too worried about Hunter to even think of it. But the drugs were there and were carted off in a truck that was similar to a U-Haul. There were no signs on it. I heard shots. I couldn’t go in guns blazing. I didn’t know where Hunter was or what he was up to. Hell, I didn’t even know for sure he was in there.” Darin stared at the captain. “Were there traces of the drugs?”

  “Yes, but who knows what point in time they came to be there.”

  Darin’s headache intensified. “Are you serious? You don’t believe me? Why would I lie? You’re making a monumental problem even worse if you think I had anything to do with this.” He glared at his captain, not caring whether he was written up for subordination or not. “My partner is dead. I wanted to be there for him and wasn’t. Do you know how bad I feel about that? You’re not making this any easier.” He stood, turned on his heel, and headed for the door. “I need to visit Hunter’s family and talk to Haley.”

  The captain stopped him with a sharp, “This doesn’t look good for you, Callahan. None of it.”

  Darin sighed heavily, but didn’t turn around. “It’s the way it is, Captain,” he said, his voice as tired as he felt.

  A knock on the door stopped the conversation.

  “Enter,” the captain barked.

  Chief of Police Guy Hamilton stepped into the room. Darin’s nerves, already stretched to the limit, twisted into knots. Hamilton was a good cop, but everyone feared him. At six-four and over two hundred pounds, biceps like a body-builder, plus an army haircut, he was formidable.

  The captain looked pale in comparison. He hauled his five-foot-nine-inch, thick frame out of his chair and greeted his boss.

  “How are you?” the chief asked Darin.

  “Other than a bad headache, I’m physically fine. I’m more sorry than I can say that I didn’t get to the storage lot soon enough to help Hunter.” Darin glanced at Captain Wells, then shifted his attention to the floor. “What am I going to tell his family? Or Haley?”

  Hamilton put a hand on Darin’s shoulder. “We’ve taken care of it. Right now, I want you to give your report to Stan. Take a couple of days off, at least until after the funeral. By then we may know more. Or you’ll remember more.”

  “Can’t remember what I don’t know. But I’ll take the time.” He was going to need it. He’d have to dig deep to find the killer. I’ll get him for you, Hunter. Maybe Haley would know something. “Will I be issued another weapon?”

  “No,” Captain Wells barked. When he saw the chief’s expression, he added, “Not at this time.”

  It was clear the captain didn’t appreciate the chief bursting in on him, much less giving instructions to one of his squad.

  It didn’t bother Darin in the least.

  He gave his report to Stan, signed mountains of papers and went to talk with his squad members.

  “I’m so sorry,” Dwanda said, tears edging down her cheeks. She gave him a hug and wiped her eyes. “We still can’t believe Hunter is dead. He was the best.”

  The rest of the squad echoed the same sentiment.

  “What can we do? Where do we look?” Hank asked. “We’re here to help, you know.”

  Darin needed their help. He wasn’t sure he could do this alone. But he would if need be. “Keep your eyes and ears open. We know the big guys out there. One of them took millions of dollars worth of drugs from that warehouse. If they were stolen, the owner is a very unhappy camper right now. If so, it wouldn’t be implausible to see a drug war. If the owner moved his stash, we need to find it and keep it off the streets. See if you can find who we’re dealing with. Keep a close eye on Tony Ramiro and Zeb Chavizi. Find out if one of them rented space number seven. I doubt they used a real name, but ch
eck anyway. Remember, not too many have enough cash to handle a deal of this size. Those two do. If you find or hear anything at all, call me on my cell.” God help them all if one or the other started a turf war over this. This many drugs sitting somewhere for the taking would be a hell of an incentive to do just that. If that was what had happened at the storage lot, his squad might not be big enough to handle it.

  Everyone agreed to help.

  Two hours later, he’d showered, changed and was at the home of Hunter’s parents. His brother was there as well as Haley. They were shell-shocked. Haley looked pale, her eyes red from crying. Her honey-blond hair was brushed back from her face, making it look more drawn. Darin wanted to be anywhere but here, doing anything but this.

  The questions started immediately. His answers were vague. What could he tell them? Their son, brother, fiancé had died for what? Darin couldn’t tell them because he didn’t know. He couldn’t comfort them because he couldn’t be comforted. For the next few hours he sat with them. How could he sit here and do this when he felt so guilty? It was next to impossible. Then he asked Haley to step outside.

  “I need to talk to you, Haley. And I need to get into Hunter’s apartment. You have a key, don’t you?”

  She nodded. Tears welled again. “When?”

  “Now. I know it’s a bad time, but there’s so much I don’t know. I have to find out what Hunter was up to last night. If you know anything about what he was onto, anything he might have said, please tell me.”

  “Let me tell the Hunters I’ll be right back.”

  She hurried inside and was back in seconds. “I’ll help all I can, but I don’t know a thing that will help you. Tom didn’t talk about his work.”

  “You may know something and not know you know it.” If that made any sense.

  When they pulled into Hunter’s driveway, Darin thought he was going to be sick. He’d been here dozens of times over the past three years. He and Hunter had watched sports on TV, barbecued in the backyard, played basketball in the driveway where Hunter had put a hoop above the garage door. He’d never expected to walk in the front door knowing Hunter would never be there again.