Oath of Honor

by Lynette Eason

  “Yep.”

  Izzy shook her head. Her CI was now dead due to being involved with Tony Bianchi.

  Not good.

  Her phone rang. “Hello?”

  “You have a minute?”

  Izzy’s fatigue fled at her mother’s voice. “Of course. Do you have some news?”

  “Brady is awake and chomping at the bit to get out of the hospital and back to work.”

  “And Derek?” Silence.

  Then a sigh like her mother was gathering her strength.

  Fear slashed through her. “Mom?”

  “He’s still alive, but he’s hurt pretty bad. Apparently he was one of the ones closer to the blast. Right now, it’s touch and go with his left leg. They’re working to save it, but—” Her voice broke and Izzy’s throat tightened. “But,” she said, her words stronger. “He’s hanging in there. Where are you?”

  “I’m still at the blast site.”

  “Any updates?”

  “One. My CI was one of the men killed.”

  “Your CI?”

  “Yes. It’s a long story, but he and Kevin connected. Anyway, he’d given Kevin the information about the warehouse, he tried to meet with me to give me pictures he’d stolen from Bianchi and I got shot at, and now he winds up dead? I don’t think that’s a coincidence.”

  “No. I don’t either.”

  “So I’m going to stay here and see what else floats to the surface.”

  “Keep me posted.”

  Izzy bit her lip and let her gaze take in the organized chaos still going on. “I will. And let me know if I need to come to the hospital.”

  “Praying that won’t be necessary.”

  “Yes. Me too.”

  Izzy hung up with her mother and said a prayer for her brothers before focusing back on the scene. Truthfully, she’d done everything she could here. Ryan caught her eye and she noted the fatigue on his face. She was sure hers looked the same.

  He walked over. “Are you ready to go?”

  “Yes.”

  “Bianchi got away.”

  “Again.”

  “He knew we were coming.”

  “Yep.” She followed him to the car and noted that the two men with the SUV were gone. She wondered if Linc had managed to pick them up. She sent him a text and asked.

  Got them. Questioning them. Will be in touch.

  Okay. I’d appreciate being kept in the loop.

  If I can.

  Izzy tucked her phone away and dropped her chin to her chest and closed her eyes. God, I hope you’re here. Somewhere. Because I sure don’t see you.

  Tuesday

  28

  Izzy’s phone buzzed, waking her out of a light doze. At first she couldn’t figure out what she was doing in the recliner, then remembered Ryan had followed her home to Chloe’s. Chloe had already been in bed, so she and Ryan had stayed in the den talking. That’s the last she remembered.

  She’d fallen asleep. Mid-sentence probably. Ryan had crashed on Chloe’s couch. Probably too tired to drive home. Or too worried about Hulk showing up.

  Izzy sat up with a gasp and grabbed her phone. “Derek.” A quick glance at the screen dispelled her initial fear.

  Ryan rolled off the couch with a thud and rubbed his eyes. “What is it? What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing. It’s David.” She lifted the phone to her ear. “Hello?”

  “I need you to come in when you can. I might have something on that video from Kevin’s phone.”

  “Okay, but I just woke up. Can’t you just tell me what it is?”

  Silence.

  “David?”

  Ryan’s eyes met hers and he raised a brow. She shrugged.

  “I’m thinking,” David said. “And no. I think this is something you need to see for yourself.”

  She frowned. “Okay.”

  “And I need you to come in now if you can. I’ve been here since last night and today’s my day off. I’m beat.”

  “I understand. I’m on duty today at noon. It’ll have to be now.” Polls closed at 7:00 p.m. The winner’s speech wouldn’t be until nine o’clock in the evening. It was going to be a long day.

  “Good, I’ll be waiting.”

  “All right, I’ll get there as quickly as possible.”

  “Fine. See you in a bit.” He hung up.

  “What was that all about?” Chloe asked from the doorway. She had her hair in a towel but was dressed for the day. “Is Derek okay?”

  “That wasn’t about Derek. As far as I know, he made it through the night. Can you call Mom and find out?”

  “Sure.”

  Izzy turned to Ryan. “David got something off the video from Kevin’s phone. He wants us there quickly so he can show us and leave.”

  Chloe pulled her phone from her pocket. “There’s another shower in the guest room if you want to use it.”

  Ryan nodded. “Thanks. I need a change of clothes too. How fast can you get ready?” he asked Izzy.

  “Give me ten minutes.”

  True to her statement, she was ready in nine. She followed Ryan out of Chloe’s house and waited while Ryan gave his vehicle a thorough inspection. “All clear,” he said.

  She climbed into the passenger seat. “Let’s go.”

  Thirty minutes later, Izzy’s rubber-soled shoes made very little sound on the tile floor that led to David’s office. He’d sounded so odd, as though he wanted to tell her something, but … didn’t want to.

  She knocked on the door and stepped inside. Ryan followed her. “What’s up?”

  David turned from the monitor. “Tell me what you think about this.” Izzy perched on the edge of the chair opposite the monitor while Ryan took up a spot behind her. David hit the play button on the remote and the footage began to roll.

  It was the same thing they’d seen in Ryan’s home, but magnified, the details clearer, sharper.

  “There,” David said. “See that person in the office? Watch.” He let the footage play.

  Izzy leaned in as though that would help. The video was taken through the glass from where Kevin crouched behind the crates. She could make out Tony Bianchi standing with his back to the glass. Every so often, he’d move slightly and she’d get a glimpse of someone seated in the far left corner.

  “It gets a little grainy when he zooms in,” David said, “but just keep watching.”

  Finally, Bianchi moved aside, leaving a clear view of the woman he’d been talking to. Izzy let out a gasp. Ryan’s hand came down on her shoulder like a vise. The woman stood and snatched an envelope off the desk and looked inside. She pulled out a sheet of paper, examined it, then returned it to the envelope with a nod. She picked up her purse and headed toward the office’s exit door.

  Bianchi walked out of the office, conversed with the three men on the warehouse floor. David stopped the video and Izzy turned slowly to look up at Ryan, whose hand still rested on her shoulder. “What is she doing there?”

  “What does it look like?” he asked through tight lips.

  “So it’s who I thought it was?” David asked.

  Izzy nodded. “Yes. That’s Melissa Endicott’s campaign manager and my friend, Gabby Sinclair.”

  29

  Izzy stood. Her pasty white face scared Ryan. “Izzy, sit back down.”

  She didn’t seem to hear him.

  “What is she doing with him? Taking money?”

  “Izzy—”

  “What are we going to do? What am I going to do? I have to turn her in. I have to tell someone. I have to—”

  He gripped her upper arms and jerked her to a halt. Her mouth snapped shut and she swayed. If he hadn’t been holding her, she would have toppled over. Her eyes met his and the anguish in their depths nearly stopped his heart. “She was there. She was there when Kevin was killed,” she whispered. “She was there and she ran and she knew all along who shot him. How could she?”

  Ryan shot a look at David. The color in his face was nearly identical to Izzy’s. “You co
uld have given her a heads-up, man,” Ryan said.

  “I—I wasn’t sure what to do. I wasn’t even sure if I was seeing it right and I wanted her confirmation.”

  “I guess you got it.”

  “Yeah. So, what now?” David asked.

  “Derek,” Izzy said. “I have to talk to Derek. He was there. He saw her. He had to have seen her.”

  “Iz, we need to keep this quiet for a bit. This is all just circumstantial. We don’t know why she was there. And besides, Derek’s not in any condition to talk right now.”

  “Well, it’s quite possible,” David said, “depending on his location in the warehouse, that he never would have seen Ms. Sinclair.”

  “What? How?” Izzy said.

  “You didn’t finish it,” David said. “She actually left through the door that is attached to the office. She wasn’t in the building when Kevin was shot. That happened a few seconds later.”

  “But she had to have heard it,” Ryan said.

  “And she left,” Izzy repeated.

  Seeing her best friend in Bianchi’s office had been a massive blow for Izzy. He suspected she might even be suffering from shock. He gave her a light shake. “Don’t jump to conclusions.”

  She shook her head, but her eyes never left the screen where her friend stayed frozen, the evidence undeniable. “I’m not. Now. No, that’s not true. I’m jumping to conclusions because there’s no reason other than criminal behavior for her to be meeting with Bianchi. I was—am—just shocked. But there’s got to be an explanation.” She turned her eyes back on Ryan. “But why would Kevin want me to hide the phone? Was he trying to protect Gabby for some weird reason?” She shook her head. “No. It had to be Derek. He was protecting Derek.”

  “No, I don’t think he was trying to protect anyone,” Ryan said.

  “What do you think then?”

  “I think by telling you to hide the phone, he knew you’d find a way to look at it to see what he wanted to hide and find this. Exactly what you did.”

  “Maybe.”

  “No maybe about it.”

  “Why didn’t he just tell me?”

  Ga-ga-baahhhh …

  Kevin’s last sound echoed in her mind. She didn’t need to see it on screen to remember it. “Actually, maybe he did try,” she said softly. “At the end. I just didn’t know what he meant. I thought he was just trying to breathe and he was really trying to say ‘Gabby.’”

  “His first priority was to make sure the phone didn’t fall into the wrong hands. Once he realized you had it hidden, he may have figured he would die, but he wasn’t going without a fight—and without making sure you’d look at his phone.”

  Sobs crowded her throat. “He said to tell you he was sorry. That he was stupid and that he was sorry.”

  Ryan stilled. “You didn’t tell me that.”

  “It’s actually on the video,” David said quietly. “I just didn’t play that part for you guys.”

  “Let me see.”

  “No,” Izzy said. “Maybe later. Don’t relive it right now.” She couldn’t. It was all too much. She rubbed her eyes as waves of despair, anger, and confusion rolled through her. “I have to talk to her.”

  “Yes. But let’s wait until after the election.”

  “Why?”

  “It could be she’s got nothing to do with him. Could be the new wannabe mayor sent him a message via her campaign manager. Could be a lot of things.”

  “Or it could mean the new wannabe mayor is in bed with the Mafia, and once she’s in power, so to speak, things will go Bianchi’s way and more cops will die.”

  “Could be. Let’s keep looking into this. Like Sinclair’s financials. As well as Endicott’s.”

  “We don’t have time to wait on the financial stuff. Gabby is in the video no matter what information comes back on the money. I say we go find Gabby and see what she has to say for herself,” Izzy said.

  “I have to admit, that’s my first reaction too.” Ryan rubbed his chin. “We’ll have to be careful about how we approach this.”

  “Yeah, as in you can’t be investigating this. Charice and I can do it.” He shot her a baleful glare. “Seriously, Ryan. You don’t want to jeopardize this.”

  “I know that. And I won’t. I’m not investigating Kevin’s death, I’m going after a man who’s killed a lot of cops and is passing money to political figureheads. But that’s not what I meant.”

  “So what did you mean?”

  “I meant that the election is today. If Endicott had no idea that her campaign manager was cozying up to Bianchi, then we don’t want to do anything to sway the election.”

  “But if she does know, then we sure don’t want her elected!”

  He sighed. “I think we need to bring Linc in on this.”

  “Linc?”

  “Yeah. He’s got a lot more resources than we do and can get information a lot faster. Let’s go ahead and ask him to get Gabby’s financial information—as well as Endicott’s.”

  Izzy nodded. “That’s a good idea. I’ll call him.”

  She stepped out of the room and dialed her brother’s number. He didn’t pick up, so she hung up and tried again. Still no answer. “Linc, this is super important. I need you to call me ASAP.”

  Her phone buzzed in her hand. She lifted the device to her ear. “Hey.”

  “What’s up, Iz?”

  She told him what they’d found on the video.

  “I’ll see if I can get a warrant rushed through for her bank, any other financials, real property, and phone records. If she’s been talking to Bianchi, that may be the opening we need to find him. Get your guy to send the video over to me.”

  “Can you track him through his cell if Gabby’s been talking to him?”

  “Possibly.”

  “Let me know.”

  “I will. Good work, Izzy.”

  She hung up and told the guys what Linc had said. “Now what?”

  “We pay Gabby a little visit,” Ryan said.

  “Now?”

  “Yes.”

  This time Ryan’s phone interrupted them. “Yeah, Charice?” he said into the device. “Uh-huh.” More listening. More frowning. “He’s got what? Yeah, yeah, I heard you. Okay, thanks. Keep me updated with anything else.” He hung up and shook his head. “Things just keep getting more and more confusing.”

  “What was that about?” Izzy asked.

  “Charice said they watched surveillance footage to see who might have visited Timmons in prison. The only one who came to see him was one of his buddies who was at the warehouse when Kevin was killed. Peter Leahy.”

  “What was he doing there?”

  “Interesting enough, after he finished talking to Timmons, he had a little visit with a guy by the name of Spike George.”

  Izzy frowned. “Who’s that?”

  “A member of the Bloods in prison for murder.”

  “But Timmons is a member of the Crips. Why would he visit his ene—” The light went on. “He got George to kill Timmons.”

  Ryan nodded. “Looks that way. What self-respecting Blood would turn down the opportunity to kill a Crip?” He held up a finger. “But there’s more.”

  “What?”

  “Charice got a tip on Leahy’s location. She and Harry and a couple of others went to see him.”

  “They get him?”

  “Yeah. And when she put the cuffs on him, she found fake Bloods tats on his arms.”

  Izzy simply stared. A gang member would never put another gang’s symbols on his or her body. “That’s just … what? I’m so confused.”

  “Tell me about it.” He rubbed a hand over his head. “He didn’t want them to be permanent. They’re henna tattoos so they’ll fade in a few days.”

  “But why?”

  “Charice didn’t know, but it means something, that’s for sure.”

  Izzy rubbed her head. Her brain hurt. “So, Leahy went to visit Timmons, who is a Crips member. Then he goes to visit George, who is
a Bloods member. George kills Timmons … did George think Leahy was a member of the Bloods? Because of the Bloods tattoos?”

  Ryan sighed. “It’s very possible.” He scrubbed his chin. “We may not get an answer for that, so let’s go back to what we were working on before that popped up. Charice is keeping in touch with the gangs division, so she’ll fill me in if she gets an update—or if Leahy decides to talk.”

  “Right.”

  “Yeah.” He rubbed his hands. “Now. I think we both know who’s going to win the election,” Ryan said.

  “Yes … and?”

  “What time is it?”

  Izzy looked at her watch. “10:15.”

  “Do you think Gabby would be at home? Or at the campaign headquarters?”

  “I don’t know. I can text her and ask if she’s home.” She paused. “No, wait. If we’re going to do a face-to-face, I don’t want to go to her house. Let’s get her to meet us somewhere for coffee or something.”

  “I’d rather not. We don’t need an audience.”

  “Then I’ll ask her to come to Chloe’s place.”

  Ryan sighed. “Why are you being so difficult? What does it matter?”

  “Because Mick is at her house!”

  “Who’s Mick?”

  “The man who kidnapped me and held me hostage at knifepoint for four hours!”

  The stunned look on Ryan’s and David’s faces would have been funny if she’d been going for shock value. She hadn’t been. She’d just lost control of her filters for a split second and blurted out that piece of news she and her family had worked so hard to keep quiet, out of the media spotlight, and … truthfully, out of her mind. And now she’d just announced it to the two men standing in front of her, who still hadn’t moved or closed their jaws.

  She sighed. “So, can we meet somewhere else?”

  Ryan finally managed to close his mouth and find his voice. “Uh, sure. Wait a minute. What? What do you mean he kidnapped you at knifepoint? Why didn’t I know that?”

  “Drop it for now, will you? Let’s focus on what we need to get done. I can tell you that story later.”

  He wanted to argue, but she was right. They needed to talk to Gabby. “Fine. Where does she live?”

  “Off Summit Parkway.”