In the Line of Duty

by Carolyn Arnold

  “Just because the gun wasn’t recovered in the raids doesn’t mean the members are clear of involvement. We have a recording of Coleman confessing to being the driver. He had to be involved on some level. And if the Hellions were firing at SWAT, I hate to say this, but what did they expect would happen?” Terry looked in her eyes when he made his point.

  She appreciated what he was saying; she really did. She nodded. “You’re right.”

  “That’s a few times in as many days as you’ve agreed with me.” Terry smiled. “I’ve fallen into the twilight zone.”

  She rolled her eyes. “I tell you you’re right a lot.”

  “Not nearly enough.”

  “And that’s my fault?” she teased. Then the moment of levity disappeared, her mind going back to the interrogation with Cousins and his claim that his uncle knew he took the car. To sell it, no less. Why would Brown let him do that? Were they really supposed to believe that he wasn’t involved, that he had no knowledge of what the car was being used for? He had his plates and may have removed them himself. He’d lied about what he’d done with the BMW. Twice. First he said he’d sold it, and then he supposedly had given it to charity.

  No wonder there hadn’t been a receipt. His nephew was the charity…

  But if Brown knew that Cousins needed his car, did he also know about the Glock and ammunition? And again, her mind circled back to why Brown didn’t just give his nephew money.

  “Brown knew about everything, Terry,” she said. “He had to.”

  Terry tilted his head. Whenever she stated things definitively, her partner met her with skepticism.

  “We know Brown’s a liar,” she went on. “And of course, we still haven’t found the vehicle.” God, everything would be so much easier if they had. “What we do have is Clark Cousins admitting to taking his uncle’s BMW, Glock, and ammunition to sell them. He even said that Brown knew he was taking his car. Brown could have removed the plates from his car himself, and if not, he was obviously aware they had been taken off. He’d have known his nephew wasn’t up to any good. Otherwise, he would have left the plates on.”

  “I see what you’re saying,” Terry said. “You want to have him pulled from holding? Question him again?”

  “No.”

  “No?”

  She shrugged. “Well, not yet anyway. Let him sit. He’s waiting for a lawyer anyhow. In the meantime, I want to see if we can get more proof against him.”

  “What are you thinking?”

  “Well, first we need to find out who sent those messages to Cousins.”

  “Yeah,” Terry said. “Assuming there are ones to find.”

  -

  Chapter 42

  “HAVE YOU GOTTEN ANYWHERE WITH tracking down the sender of those messages?” Madison asked Cynthia when she arrived at the lab with Terry.

  “Do I look like Houdini to you?” she snapped.

  Madison glanced at Terry, and both of them approached Cynthia cautiously.

  “Are you all right?” Madison asked.

  Cynthia blinked deliberately. “Peachy.”

  Oh, that meant the exact opposite…

  Madison turned to Terry. “Can you give us a minute?”

  He looked at the two women. “Ah, sure.”

  When the door shut behind Terry, Madison faced Cynthia. “What’s going on?”

  Cynthia was shaking her head. “I’m just tired. That’s all.”

  “There’s more to it than that, and you know it. Come on, talk to me. Isn’t that what you say to me sometimes?” Madison gave Cynthia a small smile.

  Cynthia’s eyes snapped to Madison’s. “Sure, why not?” Sarcasm dripped from the words. “And you’re always so forthcoming when you have a personal problem.”

  Her friend had her there… Madison put a hand on Cynthia’s forearm, ignoring her friend’s snarkiness. “Talk,” she said softly, encouragingly.

  Cynthia took a deep, heaving breath. “Lou and I had a fight last night.”

  “You two never fight.” Madison was surprised by how small her voice sounded.

  “Well, we did last night. And it was a big one.”

  Madison was never good at knowing what to say in these situations. She either didn’t ask the right questions or she asked too many. She had to say something, though, given the way Cynthia was looking at her. “What was it about?”

  Cynthia didn’t say anything for a while. “You don’t waste any time going for the meat of it, do you?”

  “You know me.”

  “He’s just been a real ass this week. Well, ever since Barry died.”

  Lou sounded like Troy. “He’s probably just grieving, Cyn. We all are.”

  Cynthia shook her head. “I think it’s more than that. It’s like he’s hiding something from me. It’s been building for a long time.” Her eyes filled with tears. “I think he’s having an affair.”

  “Why do you think—”

  “He’s secretive. He’s up late in the office. I heard him on the phone last night, too. That’s what started the big fight.”

  Oh no… Madison had no doubts about Lou’s fidelity. It probably had something to do with the surprise engagement party he’d been working on for Cynthia.

  “What was he saying?” Madison asked.

  “The door was closed so I just caught bits and pieces, but something about needing to change plans because there was a lot going on.”

  “And that’s all?”

  “That’s all? Maddy, in the past that would have been enough for you to kick his ass and beat the truth out of him.”

  “Lou’s not the cheating type,” Madison said quickly and pulled her friend in for a hug. Cynthia felt like a loose rag.

  Cynthia pulled back, narrowing her eyes at Madison. “Since when do you have faith in men?”

  Oh Lord. She had a point there. Madison was never the type to defend a man. Usually everything was their fault.

  “You’ve really gotten bit by the love bug, haven’t you?”

  “This isn’t about me, Cynthia.”

  “No, it’s not, but you wouldn’t normally stand up for a man. Troy’s changed you.”

  “Listen, time has changed me, experience has changed me, not a man.”

  Cynthia raised an eyebrow. “So you just don’t see Lou as the type to cheat?” The heat in her voice, in her gaze, started to evaporate. Her eyes drifted back to her computer screen. “The truth is, neither do I.”

  “Then what’s the problem?”

  “Maybe I jumped into this whole engagement thing too fast.” Cynthia stated it as if in an attempt at sounding certain, but Madison picked up on her friend’s doubt and even her call for reassurance.

  “You love Lou,” Madison said, trying to keep her face indifferent. But she’d just been put in awkward position—tell her friend and spare her heartbreak or keep her promise to Lou about the surprise party.

  “What aren’t you telling me? I can see it, Maddy. It’s all over your face.”

  “You’re not one to jump into a commitment like marriage without having given it a great deal of thought,” Madison said. “You know that Lou’s a good man or you wouldn’t have accepted his proposal.”

  “Madison…”

  Uh-oh. She’s using my full first name…

  “Fine,” she said, letting out a deep sigh. “I have something to tell you, but you can’t let Lou know that I told you. You have to still act surprised. And I’ll be watching—”

  “Surprised? What are you—” Cynthia’s eyes widened. “He’s planning something? Our honeymoon?” She frowned. “I’d love to have a say in what we do. I only plan on getting married once.”

  Madison was shaking her head and biting her bottom lip.

  Cynthia nudged her in the arm. “Speak.”

  “He’s been planning a surp
rise party for you for months.”

  Cynthia’s jaw dropped slightly.

  “Speak,” Madison mocked.

  “I’m in shock,” Cynthia said. “Here I have been accusing him of cheating on me. And it’s nothing like that. Did you know about this? All this time?”

  “Yeah.” Madison looked away, this time ashamed to have hidden something from her friend for so long. “I know you hate surprises, too.”

  Madison winced, but Cynthia was grinning.

  “He’s planning a party for me.” She lolled her head back and forth. “Sweet. But my lips are sealed.” She locked her lips and threw away the key. “He’ll never know you told me. I’m surprised you could keep it secret for this long. You said this has been in the works for months?”

  “Yeah.” At least Cynthia was feeling better. Madison felt awful, as though she’d betrayed Lou’s trust.

  Cynthia’s demeanor was playful now. “You really like him, don’t you?”

  Madison nodded. “Lou’s a great guy.”

  “Not Lou. Troy.”

  “What made you take that leap?” She really didn’t want to get into her relationship with Troy. It was so complicated. Were they on a break, broken up, or what?

  Cynthia smirked. “I talk about my love life but you won’t talk about yours?”

  “Terry?” Madison called out, projecting her voice over a shoulder so he’d be able to hear her from the hall.

  The door opened, and Madison turned back to look at Cynthia and smiled.

  Cynthia had a smug look on her face. Madison knew the conversation would be continued, but at least she had a temporary reprieve.

  “Cynthia’s going to give us some news on the messages.” Madison looked at her friend sharply. “Right?”

  “Sure.”

  “Wait, really?”

  Cynthia smiled. “I did find the messages.”

  “And?” Madison asked.

  “And what?”

  “What did they say?”

  “Here. Read it for yourself.” Cynthia handed her a printout.

  Madison read the text conversation out loud for Terry’s benefit:

  “someone told me you can hook me up. 5k for 4wheels gun and some bullets

  “who is this

  “5k interested or not

  “interested

  “bring $ to mitchell park near swings

  “when

  “need del on friday in or not

  “in.”

  “Were you able to trace the sender?” Terry asked.

  “Yes and no. It was a prepaid phone.”

  “So you don’t know who it was purchased by or registered to?” Madison asked.

  “Nope. Not yet anyway. Now get out of here.” Cynthia gestured toward the door. “I’ll call when I have something.”

  “How long?” Madison could hear the whine in her voice.

  “Long enough.” Cynthia shooed them away. “Go. Investigate. Do something.”

  “We’ll be back in an hour,” Madison said.

  “Make it two and we have a date.”

  Madison rolled her eyes. “Fine.”

  She and Terry headed out of the lab. Out in the hall, Terry pushed the elevator to go down to the main level.

  “Let’s request a warrant for his call history,” she said.

  “Good idea.”

  “If we can get ahold of his phone records, we’ll find out more about Brown himself, his friends, who he’s in contact with.”

  “And what do you suggest we do now?”

  “Go back and talk to Cousins some more. See if we can make him squirm.”

  -

  Chapter 43

  CLARK COUSINS’S CHEEKS WERE BRIGHT RED, contrasting sharply against his otherwise pale complexion.

  “Please, let me go.” His words were pleading and laced with desperation.

  “You know we can’t do that.” Madison kept her tone tight, devoid of emotion as she took a seat across from him.

  As per Terry’s usual, he took up a spot at the back of the room, standing behind Cousins.

  “Did you find the messages? Track the guy down?” Hope lit Cousins’s eyes but diminished quickly under Madison’s scrutiny.

  “You told us that you took your uncle’s car, that even your uncle knew about that part. And about the five grand.”

  “Please just leave my uncle out of this.”

  At least the kid had some manners. But still…

  “Did he know you took his gun and some bullets?” Madison asked.

  “No.” He ran a hand down his face. “He’d be so ashamed of me.”

  “Stop the act.”

  His eyes snapped to hers.

  “We found the messages you told us about. Seems odd that he’d just let you take his car. He probably knew why you wanted everything,” she tossed the accusation out there.

  “I don’t even know who that person was!” Cousins took a deep breath. “And you think that my uncle would knowingly hand over his car so it could be used in a cop killing?” Cousins asked, incredulous. “That I sold it for that purpose?”

  “Where did the money go, Cousins?”

  “I bought a new video game console, games, a big-screen TV, and a surround sound system. Five grand goes fast.”

  “And you have receipts for all that?” Madison stood. “You know what, never mind. We’ll find out. See, Detective Grant and I, well, we excel at finding out the truth.”

  Cousins swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing.

  “In fact, we don’t stop until we get all the answers.” She took a few steps, staying to her side of the room to keep an eye on him.

  “I don’t have anything else to say.”

  “The first person to start talking gets the deal. Is that going to be you or your uncle?” She let that sit out there for a few seconds and then continued. “Tell us how the money exchange happened.”

  “I was contacted, asked to get a car, a gun, and bullets in exchange for five thousand bucks. You said you saw the messages.”

  She pressed on. “How did you get your hands on the money?”

  “You read the message,” he repeated.

  “Humor me.”

  “It was dropped in a garbage bin at Mitchell Park near the playground.”

  “Were you approached because you’re a member of the Devil’s Rebels?” Her question caught him off guard. He looked from her, to Terry, and back to her. “From what I hear, the Devil’s Rebels are just a group of wannabes trying to make a name for themselves on the street,” Madison taunted.

  Heat flared in his eyes. “That’s not what we are.”

  “Then please, set me straight.” Madison glanced at Terry. Cousins was falling apart here. His emotions were easily tipped one way or another with just a little verbal prodding. She didn’t even have to point out that he’d said we.

  “I didn’t shoot that cop. Neither did Mike or Travis.”

  “What about your uncle?”

  “No,” he spat out. “I’ll wait for that lawyer now.”

  Madison and Terry left for the observation room.

  “Did you really need to push him to the point of lawyering up?” he asked.

  Sometimes she wondered whose side Terry’s was on—hers or the suspect’s.

  “You could always take a turn at questioning if you want to.”

  “Yeah, right.” He barked a laugh. “You love being in charge.”

  She narrowed her eyes at him but let the matter drop, her mind back on Cousins. “His asking for one only proves we’re getting closer. He’s not going anywhere. He has confessed to accepting money in exchange for equipping the shooter with all he needed to take out Barry. Accessory and likely conspiracy to murder will stick if nothing else does. We’ve got him.” />
  -

  Chapter 44

  MADISON AND TERRY STEPPED BACK into the lab. “That took a lot less than two hours,” Madison said. Cynthia had messaged Madison only forty-five minutes after they’d left her, and she already had answers.

  She was sitting in front of her computer and gestured for them to join her. Once they were there, Cynthia pointed to the screen. “The phone was activated a week ago at Sparky’s Shack downtown.”

  Sparky’s was an electronic store that carried everything from novelty alarm clocks to computers and TVs.

  “The phone was only used to communicate with one number,” Cynthia continued.

  “Clark Cousins’s?” Madison wagered a guess.

  Cynthia nodded. “Correct. And the phone was paid for in cash.”

  “How do you know—”

  Cynthia smiled. “Because I’m that good. I called Sparky’s, and they parted with the information pretty easily.”

  Terry’s eyes widened. “Without a warrant?”

  “I might have said some things that were very persuasive.”

  Now Madison smiled. “You’re not going to share what, are you?”

  “A girl has to have some secrets. Anyway, I got more than you probably expected me to.”

  “Stop stringing us along. You’re killing me.”

  Cynthia smirked and clicked on the screen, bringing up an image. “This was taken from the store’s security cameras at the time of the purchase.”

  “It’s the back of the person’s—”

  The image started moving. It was a video, not a still as Madison had originally thought. As the footage continued, the person turned around, facing the camera. They wore a black hoodie, but the face beneath it wasn’t a man’s.

  Madison stared at Terry in disbelief. “That’s Erica Snyder.”

  Cynthia stood back now, crossing her arms, searching for praise given the twitching of her mouth.

  “Awesome job, Cyn,” Madison said, but she felt like she’d been socked in the gut. She shook her head. “Everything she told us was probably a lie, including the description on the shooter. She had me believing… God… I need to sit.”

  Madison dropped into Cynthia’s chair, her gaze going to the screen where Snyder’s face stared back at her. The entire thing had been an elaborate orchestration to send them away from the real killer. But how did everyone—and everything—tie together?