Oath of Honor

by Lynette Eason

“But I don’t know what. Seriously, if I had something to tell you, I would, but I don’t, so I can’t. You know how Linc’s always saying to have the facts before you say anything.” She shrugged. “I don’t have facts, just speculation.”

  “Speculation about what, Izzy?”

  “Something at the warehouse.”

  “What did you see that would cause you to speculate?”

  Izzy flashed back to the moment she’d seen the man on the balcony and shook her head. “Nothing I can put my finger on. It’s a feeling more than anything and I don’t want to base anything on a feeling, you know?”

  Her mother held her eyes a moment longer, and it was all Izzy could do not to glance away. Finally, her mother nodded, looked back at the closed door to the room where grief reigned, and drew in a deep breath. “Now. About Kevin. Tell me and quickly.”

  “It’ll be easier to show you.”

  “Is this something Felicia should see?”

  “Probably.”

  “Let me get her then.”

  Izzy waited until the deputy chief of police joined them, then she pulled the camera from her bag and pressed the touch screen to start the footage.

  Her mother and Felicia watched it. Izzy watched her mother. She didn’t need to see what happened on the recording again. The thunderclouds in her eyes turned into a full-blown raging storm during the two-minute video.

  She shut it off.

  Her mother and Felicia exchanged a glance. “Is there any more footage anywhere?” Felicia asked.

  “No.”

  Fingers pressed against her lips, her mother shook her head. “Is there any footage from the inside?”

  “No, nothing.”

  “You’re sure?” Felicia pressed. “Absolutely positive?”

  “I’m sure. That’s it.”

  “Okay.” Her mother drew in a deep breath. “Has anyone else seen this?”

  “No. I’m going to show it to Ryan, though. He knows about it, but he hasn’t seen it.”

  Hesitating, she locked her eyes on Izzy’s and finally gave a slow nod. “Fine. He can see it. If he knows about it, we both know he’ll be like a dog with a bone about watching it. But don’t show it to anyone else and turn it in as evidence immediately.” She paused. “Did you fire your weapon?”

  “No, ma’am. SLED has checked it and confirmed.”

  “Don’t forget to call Rhianna Simpson.”

  “The trauma counselor? Mom, I really don’t need—”

  Her mother simply raised her brow.

  Izzy sighed and grimaced. It was protocol and she knew it. She tucked the camera into her bag. “I’ll do it first thing in the morning. Go do your press conference. I’ve got my laptop, so I’m going to stay here and start filling out paperwork. I’ll also get the video turned in.”

  Her mother clasped Izzy’s upper arm. “You’re on leave for a few days.”

  “Mom—”

  “No choice, Izzy. I mean it.”

  “Fine.”

  She frowned. “Be careful, darling. What happened to Kevin is tragic. I don’t want that same phone call.”

  “Trust me, I don’t want that either.”

  Izzy hesitated, the desire to tell her about Derek nearly overwhelming her. Only the thought of Derek’s texts and Felicia’s presence stopped her. She at least owed it to him to let him explain himself. Didn’t she?

  “Something else, Izzy?” her mother asked.

  “No.” Izzy cleared her throat. “Not right now. Go. It’s going to be a long night.”

  The two women walked away and Ryan joined her in the hall. “I’m ready to see that video.”

  “Don’t you need to be with your family right now? Don’t they need you to be with them?”

  He turned on her. “Right now, what they need is for me to find out who killed Kevin. Now, let’s find a place to watch that video.”

  “Fine. But away from here. I don’t want your parents or someone stepping outside and asking what we’re doing.”

  “Izzy?”

  She turned. Gabby stood twenty feet away, her fingers wrapped around the strap of her purse, white teeth chewing on her bottom lip. Her friend’s uncertainty grabbed her heart. “Hold on a second, Ryan, okay?”

  “Yeah.”

  He began to pace while Izzy went to hug her friend.

  “I’m sorry,” Gabby said, “I just want you to know that.”

  “I know.”

  “I won’t keep you, I just wanted to see you and make sure you were all right.”

  “I’m not all right, but I’m not falling to pieces either. What about you?”

  Gabby shrugged, then rubbed a hand across her forehead. “I’m surviving.”

  The woman wouldn’t meet her gaze. Izzy frowned at the odd body language. “What is it, Gab?”

  “I … need to let you know that Mick was released this morning. For good.”

  Izzy froze, then swallowed hard and glanced over her shoulder to make sure Ryan was out of earshot. “I see.”

  “He’s done with the hospital and weekend visits and all that.” She drew in a deep breath. “And he’s faithfully taking his medication—at least he says so …” She lifted a shoulder. “All we can do is just pray for the best.”

  And keep him away from me. Izzy shuddered.

  “I thought about calling you or texting you or … whatever. But I wanted to tell you in person.”

  “Thank you. Is he … uh … okay?”

  “Yes. I think so. For now. But he’s going to be staying with me until he gets a job, so I didn’t want you popping in unannounced.”

  “No popping in on you. Got it.” Izzy wasn’t sure what to say.

  Gabby rubbed her eyes. “Okay, well. I’ll go. You look busy.”

  Izzy sighed and hugged her friend one more time. “I don’t want things to be awkward with us. We’ll take it one day at a time.”

  Relief wilted the woman’s shoulders, then she hugged Izzy with a hard squeeze. “Thanks, Iz.” She nodded toward the pacing Ryan. “Any word on his brother’s killer?”

  “Not yet.”

  “Did they catch everyone involved?”

  “Are you asking as a friend or as campaign manager for Melissa Endicott?”

  Gabby flushed. “Well, just as a friend, but if you’d rather not answer that, I understand.”

  “No, they didn’t catch everyone.”

  “Any leads?”

  “None that I can talk about.”

  Gabby nodded. “I get it. I’ll talk to you later, okay?”

  “Sure.”

  Still, Gabby lingered. “Give my condolences to the family?”

  “Of course. Let’s grab some lunch soon.”

  “You got it. See you later.”

  Gabby finally left and Ryan was instantly at her side. “Let’s go down here.”

  He led the way down the hall to an empty patient room. She handed him the camera and he pressed play. His expression never changed as the video played out.

  But his jaw tightened and a muscle jumped in his cheek. When the footage ended, he turned it off and handed the camera to her. He didn’t say anything for at least a full minute. Izzy knew he was processing and she simply stayed quiet.

  When he finally looked at her, she flinched at the hardness in his eyes. “Let’s find some place we can talk.”

  Ryan didn’t know what to feel. To think. To say. To do. He was afraid to move lest he simply explode. He decided livid was too tame a word for the description of his current emotion. “How could he do that? How could he be so stupid? I don’t even know what to say to that.”

  The words came out in a whisper, but Izzy must have heard them. She took his hand. “I tried to stop him, Ryan, I did. I promise.”

  “I … know. I heard. I … I’m sorry I jumped on you earlier about not having his back. You obviously did. You did everything right. But Kevin—” He shook his head. He had no words. He finally raked a hand through his hair. “How long have our families been frie
nds?”

  “What? I don’t know. Since before the Civil War probably. A long time. Why?”

  “Because I want to know what Kevin thought he had to prove to himself and why he thought he would do such a lame-brained, stupid thing as to go into a warehouse full of—” He looked down and drew in a breath, then looked back up into her sad, grieving eyes. “So think back and tell me what he had to prove.”

  “Ry—”

  “Think!” She flinched, then glared at him. He closed his eyes. “Sorry.”

  “I don’t know, okay? I’ll think about it. I’ve thought about it. But I just don’t know.”

  He closed his eyes. “I’m doing it again. Snapping at you when none of this is your fault. I’m sorry. I’m … sorry.”

  “I know.”

  “Okay, fine.” He paused and opened his eyes. “Were there any cameras inside the warehouse?”

  “I don’t know. I looked for some on the outside when Kevin was running toward it. I was afraid they’d pick him up on one as he approached, but as far as I could tell, there weren’t any. Doesn’t mean there weren’t, but …” She pressed her fingers to her eyes. “I didn’t even look inside. I was too busy trying to—”

  “Yeah.”

  “What about the guys who worked the crime scene? They would know.”

  He nodded. “I’ll call and see.” Five minutes later, he hung up. “They found three surveillance cameras on the outside of the building.”

  “Why didn’t I see them?”

  “They were hidden. Tucked away in strategic places, but there was no recorded footage and they didn’t find any cameras on the inside.”

  “That makes me wonder.”

  “What?”

  “If the cameras on the outside were hidden, there are probably hidden cameras on the inside.”

  He nodded. “I can agree with that.”

  “Okay, forget that for the moment. What about the guy who fell from the balcony?” she said. “In all the chaos with Kevin, I haven’t checked. We need to follow up on him.”

  “I’ll call the morgue and see if he was brought in. If not, he’s at one of the hospitals.”

  While he dialed the morgue, she walked to the drink machine and dumped in enough money for two sodas. He watched her fluid movements. Graceful … and pretty. He blinked at the thought. He’d known Izzy since she was a little kid. He actually remembered the day she was born and his mother made him come to this very hospital to see her. Izzy had only been a year older than Kevin, but Kevin had played around for years before deciding to settle down and join the police force.

  Against Ryan’s advice.

  Five years Izzy’s senior, Ryan had graduated high school and gone on to the police academy. He’d seen her only a handful of times in the years before she’d joined the force.

  But three months ago, at a joint family picnic, he’d noticed her. And Derek had noticed him noticing. “Stay away from her,” he said.

  Ryan frowned. “Why?”

  “Because I said so. Izzy’s doing a good job on the force. She’s focused, sharp. If you let her know you’re interested, she’d … well, you’d be a distraction and she doesn’t need that right now.”

  So Ryan had reluctantly kept his distance. He still didn’t know why Derek was so adamant that he stay away from Izzy, but since Izzy hadn’t shown him any encouragement, he’d kept a tight grip on his feelings. Of course, the reason she hadn’t shown him any encouragement was because he’d held her at arm’s length. At least he hoped that was why. Maybe she wasn’t nearly as interested in him as he was in her.

  Ryan drew in a calming breath. He needed to get his thoughts organized.

  When Izzy came back, she handed him one of the sodas, then took a long swig out of the other.

  “I’m on hold,” he said.

  She gave a low huff. “Of course you are. And you’re probably calling at the worst time ever.”

  “Yeah. Because any time is the worst time ever,” he mimicked her. Ryan knew she was as familiar with Maria Dover’s work practices as he was. Maria never had time for phone calls and she made sure everyone knew it. But this was important.

  Kevin … God, not Kevin. No, why Kevin?

  “This better be important.” Maria sounded irritated. Just like she always did.

  Ryan didn’t really care. “My brother was shot and killed tonight. That important enough for you, Maria?”

  The line went silent. “Ryan. Sorry. I didn’t look to see who was calling. And I heard about Kevin,” she said, a softness in her voice he’d never heard before. “I’m so sorry. Truly.”

  Her new tone sapped his ire. “And I’m sorry I snapped. It seems to be the only way I know how to communicate right now.”

  “What do you need?”

  “At the warehouse where the shooting took place, there was a guy. Izzy thinks he was killed. Did you get a body?”

  “I got him. DOA. His autopsy is a priority, don’t worry.”

  “Who is he?”

  “I don’t know since there was no ID on him. I’m sure someone’s run his prints, but I haven’t heard any more about him.”

  “Right. Thanks.”

  “If I hear something, I’ll text.”

  Ryan pressed his fingers to his eyelids. “Appreciate it.”

  “I really am sorry, Ryan.”

  “Thanks.” He hung up and stood silent for a moment, just processing.

  “Well?”

  He turned to see Izzy waiting. Ryan filled her in, then took a swig of the Coke. He tossed the can in the recycle bin. “I want to know who the warehouse belongs to.”

  “That should be easy enough to find out.”

  “Should be.” He shot a text to David Unger, his go-to guy when it came to needing information fast. David had many resources. It wouldn’t take long for him to find the answer. Assuming he was working.

  An answering text said he was.

  On it. Stay tuned.

  Ryan showed her the text. “I need to get back to my family, but I really want to join Charice downtown while she’s questioning the prisoner.”

  “You think he’d tell you anything he won’t tell her?”

  “I don’t know. Probably not.”

  “Yeah.” She sighed. “I’m just going to go fill out paperwork.”

  It hit him again.

  Kevin was dead.

  “He’s gone, Izzy,” he whispered. “I can’t believe it. I told him not to be a cop. I told him he was too impulsive, that he would get himself or someone else killed. I told him that, can you believe it?”

  She threw herself against his chest and wrapped her arms around his waist. Her shoulders shook and he realized she was crying. Huge, silent, body-wracking, soul-deep sobs that triggered his own tears.

  Still holding her, he let his knees buckle and, his back against the wall, slid to the floor, pulling her with him. He held her while their tears mingled in salty grief.

  6

  At 10:30, Izzy pulled up to the warehouse and cut her lights. Before she’d left the hospital, David had texted Ryan that the warehouse had been purchased almost two years ago by a company named Second Chances, Inc. It had been a cash transaction, so there’d been no bank loan. The name on the deed showed Jonathan Gill as the buyer, but the warehouse had sat empty and the company had never gotten off the ground. Probably because Jonathan had been killed in action while in Afghanistan four months later. And Chris two months after that.

  Sixteen months ago, the building had been sold to Bricks & Sticks, Inc. Ryan said he had detectives digging deeper into the corporation, but so far there was no paper trail back to the seller. At least not one easy to find, but it had to be there somewhere.

  “I want to know who owns Bricks & Sticks,” she’d told Ryan.

  “Me too, and we’re working on it, but it looks like it might be a dummy corporation for something. Charice is tracking down Gill’s family to see if they have any helpful information.”

  About an hour after tha
t, Ryan had called her to let her know that the prints on the dead guy in the warehouse belonged to a career criminal named Spencer Elmore. He’d texted,

  He’s got ties to organized crime around here, surprise, surprise. Tats for the Bloods are all over him. He’s been arrested on some minor stuff, but has always gotten off.

  Must not have been in the gang long enough to build up his rap sheet.

  Maybe not. Hopefully it won’t take long to run down his associates and nab the one who killed Kevin.

  She sure hoped so. And then Derek had texted her back. Finally.

  I can’t explain everything right now. I really need you to keep quiet about anything you think you might have seen. Please, Izzy.

  So, it had been him.

  The three-quarters moon cast shadows all over the area and she shivered, debating what she should do now. Her phone buzzed in its clip, distracting her. Chloe checking on her. Again.

  U okay?

  I’m fine. Well, as fine as I can be.

  Stay with me tonight?

  Izzy thought about it. Chloe wouldn’t expect her to talk and it might be nice not to be alone. Then again, she didn’t know when she’d be finished here. She grimaced and answered,

  No. I wouldn’t be good company.

  Don’t have to be.

  Thanks anyway.

  Want me to come stay with u?

  No.

  Sigh … okay. If you change your mind, let me know. Love u.

  U too.

  She replaced her phone and drew in a deep breath. Yellow crime scene tape flapped in the light breeze, and she tugged her jacket closer around her neck. Flashes from the shooting pinged across her mind, and she let them come. She was desperate to remember some detail that would be helpful. A face, a name that someone might have shouted, anything.

  But all she could remember was Kevin. Hearing the shots, seeing him lying in a pool of blood, his life slowly draining away.

  Grabbing his phone, she pulled it from her back pocket. Why would he tell her to hide it?

  Because there was something on there he didn’t want anyone to see. Duh. But could she handle scrolling through his selfies right now?

  She checked her own phone. Nothing more from Derek. Why hadn’t he called her back? Or at least acknowledged her other texts? Telling her he couldn’t explain wasn’t acceptable. If he was truly undercover, that would make sense. But her mother said he wasn’t. So … was she lying for some reason? Izzy’s instincts said no.