wore was unimportant, relatively speaking, but she’d made a promise to Phoebe, and now the dress was ruined. It was the last straw. With a peek back out the window, she headed for the back door.
“D ID YOU FIND ANYTHING inside the house?”
EJ had called Ian to the scene as soon as he’d called for an ambulance, and he shook his head.
“Not yet. We didn’t really have time. I came back out to get Charlotte, and then all hell broke loose.”
“Any idea who was in the car?”
“Hell, no.”
“Will she know?” Ian tipped his head toward Charlotte, who was peeking out through a shade. EJ knew he was walking a thin line on this one—to say his behavior was unprofessional didn’t even begin to describe it. Ian would want to take Charlotte in forquestioning, but EJ had a gut feeling that wouldn’t get them anywhere.
“I don’t think so. She seems pretty clueless about the entire thing.”
Sarah stepped forward. “Are you making that assessment with your big head or your little one?”
EJ’s temper flared, his emotions stripped too thin to put up with Sarah’s shit tonight, and he stepped forward, toe-to-toe with his colleague. “Don’t push it, Jessup.”
Ian sighed. “Though badly phrased, I think it’s a fair question, EJ. Not that I don’t normally trust your instincts, but it could have been you getting loaded into that ambulance tonight. If you’re off on this one, for whatever reason, you need to be straight about it.”
EJ took a deep breath, neither he nor Sarah breaking their standoff, and he answered Ian. “I’ve seen her house, spent time with her, asked her straight on about what’s going on—she could be lying, I’ve played out the scenarios, but I don’t think so. There’s a better chance her brother’s been using her to run his own scams. He sounds like trouble waiting to happen, and probably got in over his head.” He took a step back, watching as Charlotte stepped back from the window. “She didn’t stay down. When Nate went down, she came and sat with him. Held his damned hand.”
“That’s hardly—” Sarah’s comment was cut short by a look from Ian.
“Okay. They’re at her place now, brushing for prints, and we’ll do the same here, though it doesn’t look like anyone was here. We’ll go with your gut for now. Though whatever she’s involved in, it’s gone way beyond theft,” Ian concluded.
“Agreed.” EJ paused for a moment, then added, “How’d they know we were here?”
“Huh?” Ian said.
“The shooters. How’d they know where we were?”
“A bug maybe. A neighborhood snitch. Could be anything,” Ian said, shrugging.
“Could be a leak,” EJ said, blowing out a breath.
Ian’s eyes widened. “You think someone at the station told them you were here?”
“I called in for backup, for someone to come to the house, then this happens. It’s not impossible.”
“Shit,” Ian said.
“Yeah.”
“That would put a whole new spin on things—who could have their hands in something that reached that far?” Ian asked.
The question settled between them, and EJ rubbed his hands over his face, shaking his head.
“I have to get in there. See how’s she’s doing.” He looked Ian in the eye. “You know I can’t bring her in if there’s a chance someone on the inside set this up.”
“So what are you going to do?” Ian asked.
“I don’t know, but I’ll be in touch.”
“This won’t go down well. She’s involved, even if she’s not guilty—with one of our men down, there isn’t going to be much patience waiting for her to tell what she knows, even if it’s not much. They’ll want to know why she hasn’t been brought in.”
“Tell them I’m on it.” EJ met Ian’s doubtful glance solidly before turning and walking back into the house.
C HARLOTTE QUICKLY WENT to Ronny’s bedroom, looking for something less obvious to wear, and found his clothes thrown around, and his one beat-up suitcase gone. He’d taken
“D ID YOU FIND ANYTHING inside the house?”
EJ had called Ian to the scene as soon as he’d called for an ambulance, and he shook his head.
“Not yet. We didn’t really have time. I came back out to get Charlotte, and then all hell broke loose.”
“Any idea who was in the car?”
“Hell, no.”
“Will she know?” Ian tipped his head toward Charlotte, who was peeking out through a shade. EJ knew he was walking a thin line on this one—to say his behavior was unprofessional didn’t even begin to describe it. Ian would want to take Charlotte in forquestioning, but EJ had a gut feeling that wouldn’t get them anywhere.
“I don’t think so. She seems pretty clueless about the entire thing.”
Sarah stepped forward. “Are you making that assessment with your big head or your little one?”
EJ’s temper flared, his emotions stripped too thin to put up with Sarah’s shit tonight, and he stepped forward, toe-to-toe with his colleague. “Don’t push it, Jessup.”
Ian sighed. “Though badly phrased, I think it’s a fair question, EJ. Not that I don’t normally trust your instincts, but it could have been you getting loaded into that ambulance tonight. If you’re off on this one, for whatever reason, you need to be straight about it.”
EJ took a deep breath, neither he nor Sarah breaking their standoff, and he answered Ian. “I’ve seen her house, spent time with her, asked her straight on about what’s going on—she could be lying, I’ve played out the scenarios, but I don’t think so. There’s a better chance her brother’s been using her to run his own scams. He sounds like trouble waiting to happen, and probably got in over his head.” He took a step back, watching as Charlotte stepped back from the window. “She didn’t stay down. When Nate went down, she came and sat with him. Held his damned hand.”
“That’s hardly—” Sarah’s comment was cut short by a look from Ian.
“Okay. They’re at her place now, brushing for prints, and we’ll do the same here, though it doesn’t look like anyone was here. We’ll go with your gut for now. Though whatever she’s involved in, it’s gone way beyond theft,” Ian concluded.
“Agreed.” EJ paused for a moment, then added, “How’d they know we were here?”
“Huh?” Ian said.
“The shooters. How’d they know where we were?”
“A bug maybe. A neighborhood snitch. Could be anything,” Ian said, shrugging.
“Could be a leak,” EJ said, blowing out a breath.
Ian’s eyes widened. “You think someone at the station told them you were here?”
“I called in for backup, for someone to come to the house, then this happens. It’s not impossible.”
“Shit,” Ian said.
“Yeah.”
“That would put a whole new spin on things—who could have their hands in something that reached that far?” Ian asked.
The question settled between them, and EJ rubbed his hands over his face, shaking his head.
“I have to get in there. See how’s she’s doing.” He looked Ian in the eye. “You know I can’t bring her in if there’s a chance someone on the inside set this up.”
“So what are you going to do?” Ian asked.
“I don’t know, but I’ll be in touch.”
“This won’t go down well. She’s involved, even if she’s not guilty—with one of our men down, there isn’t going to be much patience waiting for her to tell what she knows, even if it’s not much. They’ll want to know why she hasn’t been brought in.”
“Tell them I’m on it.” EJ met Ian’s doubtful glance solidly before turning and walking back into the house.
C HARLOTTE QUICKLY WENT to Ronny’s bedroom, looking for something less obvious to wear, and found his clothes thrown around, and his one beat-up suitcase gone. He’d taken
Similar Books
