AllFreeNovel
Share Us
His attitude grated on Matt. He asked, “What did you know about the apartment building where Chen housed his workers?”
“Nothing.”
“You knew where it was.”
“Sure.”
“Did you know that Chen received a government grant for the building?”
“Really? What a great scam.” He grinned. “The guy had friends in high places.”
“Who?” Matt asked.
When Steve hesitated, Matt said, “You agreed to fully cooperate. Ten years is nothing for two cold-blooded murders. Who are his friends in high places?”
“I didn’t socialize with him,” Steve said dramatically. “The guy was a prick. But, he claimed to have a politician in his pocket. I thought it was the mayor for a long time, but I overheard him talking with his bodyguard once about ‘she’ in context of a land deal he was trying to get approved through one of his shell corps. He also had a fed.” Steve smirked. “That probably irks you, doesn’t it, Costa?”
“Do you have a name?” Matt said, keeping his voice calm.
He shook his head. “All I know is that he thought she was a bitch and he told Xavier—the bodyguard Quinn killed—that he would have to remind ‘the bitch’ that they had ‘a partnership, not a dictatorship.’”
“How do you know the comment was about a federal agent and not the politician or someone else?”
“Context. This fed had wanted him to postpone a shipment of women coming in because of a planned FBI raid in Long Beach. Chen didn’t want to, but agreed to hold them out at sea for three more days. She wanted ten. He said it was a partnership, and this was his compromise. Apparently, they worked it out, because there were a lot more—and younger—women who came in a week later. Older teens. They work hard, aren’t sick, still believe they’re going to earn enough to get out in a few years.” He shrugged.
Matt barely restrained himself from hitting the bastard.
“When was this shipment?”
“Late February.”
“Before the raid?”
“A year before. I don’t remember the exact day, but it was the last week of the month.”
Matt made a note. That would be easy to verify with FBI records.
Elena said, “Do you know who killed Craig Dyson?”
“No. Look, I may have broken a few laws, but I wouldn’t take out one of my own people. Chen was a criminal, no one cares that he’s gone. Dyson was a good guy. I’m sorry he’s dead.”
“So this Conrad didn’t mention anything about Dyson or a grand jury investigation?”
“No. Just Chen. I kill Chen, the file is mine. I did, it was. If I knew who killed Dyson, I’d tell you.”
Elena read an incoming text message. “The sketch artist is here.”
The lawyer said, “My client has been in custody for nine hours straight. He is entitled to a meal, sleep.”
“He can have a meal while the sketch artist sets up, then sleep when he provides us with a face.”
“I will have to object—”
“It’s fine,” Steve said. “I don’t care. It’s not like I have anywhere else to be.”
The sketch artist was good. An hour later he had a sketch Steve said was near perfect.
Elena had Steve taken to the jail. He would be in solitary until he was transferred to federal prison next week. They’d debrief him again before then, but Matt didn’t know how much more the cop knew, and he didn’t think Steve intentionally held anything back.
