Hugo’s growl is silent, but I don’t need to hear it to know of its existence. I can see it rumbling in his heavy chest. “I don’t know. His ex-girlfriend assisted the ADA, but Vincent’s name wasn’t on any documentation.”
For a short reply, it opens a truckload of questions. I start with the most important. “If Vincent isn’t cited on any forms, how do you know he was the DA assigned to Jorgie’s case?”
Hugo points to a single paragraph in a witness statement that would usually be blacked out. If he hadn’t sought Hunter’s help, it would still be blacked out. “My records are sealed. No one but those involved knew I was charged with rape.” His blue eyes lift to mine. They’re not the least bit suspicious. “Besides you.”
He reads out the section of the statement he’s referring to. It mentions the victim’s brother has a criminal record with aggravated assault and first-degree rape cited as convictions.
“After reading that, I dug a little deeper.” Hugo spins my laptop around to face me. It has an article on the recently appointed district attorney for New York. “He jumped ship so it would better his chances of becoming an elected government official. It worked. Six months after Jorgie’s death, he announced he was running for governor. His campaign was funded by corporations no one has ever heard of, foreign entities who should have no interest in American politics.”
This isn’t the first time I’ve heard of this happening. That was Lucas Marco’s plan. He worked with criminals long enough as a lead prosecutor in Las Vegas to know there was more money on the right side of the law—if you’re willing to dabble in corruption.
Lucas learned the errors of his ways when he tried to prosecute Isabelle for murder.
No one has yet to teach Vincent the same lesson.
Recalling the first half of Hugo’s admission, I ask, “Could Brandon’s ex have shared this information with him?”
“Melody…” Hugo takes a moment to think. “I don’t know. Before Izzy asked Brandon to reach out to Melody to gain access to Jorgie’s files, we didn’t unearth any contact between Brandon and Melody for years. They knew each other well in high school, but have lived separate lives since.”
“Back then, but what about now?”
Hugo’s eyes reveal he’s confused as to where I’m going with this. I cure his idiotism. “Brandon was a key witness for the prosecution in his brother’s latest rape charge. Melody was also a witness for the prosecution.”
Hugo sits a little straighter in his chair. “Madden McGee was charged with rape again?” When I nod, he gasps in a sharp breath. “Then why wasn’t it splashed across the media? He’s the governor’s son, surely that’s front-page news!” He sounds frustrated. Justly so. Madden is the reason his record is sullied with a heinous act.
“That’s my point. The McGees have sidestepped prosecution many times and used the justice system for personal gain, but they’ve yet to face the wrath of the media. Someone is keeping their stuff private.”
Hugo finally clicks on. “Like Brandon did for Izzy.” He leans back in his chair, his hand coming up to scrub the thick, dark stubble on his chin. “I thought he did that to protect her. I should have trusted my gut. I didn’t like him from day one. Now I know why.” His brows pop up when I move to my coat rack. “Where are you going?”
“We’regoing to unearth the real Brandon.”
The shock on his face doubles. “Then why are you leaving? You have servers capable of doing the job here.”
“But I don’t have the man I need.”
My lips curve into a smirk when the man I’m referencing enters my office. My smile doesn’t linger for long. Hunter looks rattled. Not even his thick beard can hide the sweat beading on his top lip, and his plaid shirt is as askew as it always gets when he lets Paige behind the wheel of his Hellcat.
I realize my intuition is still on-point when Paige enters my office on his heel looking just as ruffled. “Did you tell him?”
“Tell me what, exactly?” My accelerated pulse is heard in my question.
Hunter’s throat works hard to swallow before he says, “Enrique is in Ravenshoe. He’s with Izzy.”
20
Isabelle
Family is anyone who loves you unconditionally.
Istare at the two-way mirror, certain the person I think I’m seeing isn’t really sitting cuffed to a table with his lips sealed and his eyes narrowed. Enrique’s persona is the same dark, tormented one I faced in a hospital room months ago. His eyes don’t hold an ounce of hope, and his arrogance can be felt through the bulletproof glass separating us. He’s dark and dangerous, but all I’m seeing is a dirty-faced little boy playing with rusted toy cars on a filthy floor.
Benny and Nate thought they had hit the jackpot when they pulled over a car for a broken taillight to discover one of the country’s most wanted criminals behind the wheel. Enrique didn’t attempt to hide his identity. He put up no protest during his arrest. Bar exerting his right to remain silent, he’s acted like an upstanding member of society.
“He wasn’t arrested for no reason. Men like Enrique wouldn’t drive around with broken taillights.”
I jerk up my chin, agreeing with Ryan, who’s standing at my side, eyeballing Enrique with as much interest as me. “There’s more going on here than either of us realize. We’ve just got to work out what it is.”
Ignoring Ryan’s silent warning for me to stay out of a case we’ve yet to be assigned, I rack my knuckles on the door of the interrogation room—the same room Isaac and I have both been holed up in previously.
