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I started to shake and grabbed the coffee mug to steady myself. “David Chen was shot in front of me. I know who killed him. Steven Colangelo. He’s an LAPD officer. I’ve met him a couple times—he patrols downtown.”
“You’re telling me that a cop killed Chen.” Her voice and eyes were flat. Did she not believe me?
“I didn’t recognize him at first—he had a face mask on, sunglasses—but then I saw his hands and I knew... He has this watch. It looks expensive, has a distinctive yellow face. I’d seen the watch before, when he was responding to a call at the Fifth Street Park. He looked at me, pointed the gun at me, and I ran. I thought he was going to shoot me, too.”
“When did you end up here?”
“Here? Um, late Monday night. After midnight. I didn’t come directly here because I was afraid someone might follow me.”
Kara frowned. What was she thinking? She looked upset and worried. Maybe...angry. But then her face cleared and she said, “And Will and Colton know you’re here.”
“Yes.”
“Colton knows that Chen’s shooter is a cop.”
I nodded.
“Where is Colton right now?”
“I don’t know,” I said. I wasn’t lying, though I don’t think she believed me.
She stared at me. “I’m going to get you someplace safe, then—”
“No. Please, Colton said I had to stay here.”
“He also told you to trust me, right?”
I nodded, but started shaking again. Everything had gotten so far out of control I didn’t know what to do or who to trust.
“Billions of dollars, you said?” Kara said. She was typing on her phone.
“Yes. There’s an entire business that will end when we solve the homeless crisis. That’s why it’ll never be solved.”
“I don’t know about fixing this kind of problem,” Kara said. “That’s way above my pay grade. But murder? That I can solve. We’re going to get you out of here, someplace safe, and then we’ll take down every single one of these people and find justice for Craig.”
“But I’m safe here,” I pleaded.
She stared at me, then said, “Maybe you are. But too many people are lying, and you are the only person who knows exactly how to extract the evidence.”
“Yes, but—” I stopped talking when I saw the look on her face. It wasn’t violent, but close to it.
Kara looked at her phone. “Okay, my boss is going to check the area, make sure there’s no one watching the house, then we’ll go out and meet him.”
“I don’t know...”
“My partner Michael was a Navy SEAL and my boss Matt was in FBI SWAT and I have street smarts, so between the three of us, you’ll be safe. Do you have anything here?”
I shook my head. “Colton loaned me these clothes,” I said, gesturing to my sweats and T-shirt, “but I’d like to change into my own clothes if I can?”
She looked at her watch. “Okay, you have five minutes. And I’m going to watch. My patience and my trust are wearing thin these days.”
29
Matt read Kara’s message.
Colton is alive. Will Lattimer knew Monday night that Violet was here but didn’t tell me when I talked to him yesterday morning. Violet said the shooter is a cop named Steve Colangelo and that Colton has this information. Did he tell Elena and she’s keeping that information from me? Or did he not tell her and why? Violet is getting dressed. We’ll be coming out in five minutes.
Matt forwarded the message to Michael and then to Ryder in DC so he could follow up on background for everyone involved.
