“A young police officer, and I feel guilty about his death. I want to make up for never saying anything. IfI had, that may have prevented his death. In that way, I’m no better than she is and I blame myself,” Eric said.
“Tell me more,” Kessler said.
Maya felt like this interview was like a poker match with high stakes. It was as if both Eric and Kessler had winning hands, but each was trying to figure out who was bluffing. Maya wanted Eric to trust Kessler, but if Eric was right and Abigail had a partner, someone she was close to and cared about, then that changed things. It meant they couldn’t trust anyone other than their inner circle, but maybe, if they could figure out who this partner was, they could use that person to give Abigail a taste of her own medicine and manipulate her. Someone had to make the first move. And like poker, either Eric or Kessler needed to fold. For the sake of the missing girl, Maya hoped the guys could figure this out.
“Under one condition,” Eric said.
“What’s that?”
“I know you trust those agents. I know you trust everyone you work with, but the reason Abigail got away with things the way she did was because she has people on the inside. I believe she’s had a longtime partner. Someone in law enforcement. I was working on figuring out who it was when Hope was kidnapped,” Eric said.
“You’re telling me not to fill my guys in?”
“That’s right,” Eric answered. “I will answer your questions, but I ask that you keep certain details to yourself and anyone in this room. I think my granddaughter’s life and Maya’s life depend on it. I know Ican’t control what you say or do once I tell you more, but I’d like to have you consider what information you give out.”
“Okay. I’m listening,” Kessler said. “Tell me about this murder for hire.”
Maya let out a deep sigh. She didn’t even know she’d been holding her breath. Eric hesitated as if he was trying to figure out where to start. Maya guessed that might be the case. Nothing was ever simple with Abigail. Would Maya always be looking over her shoulder when it came to Abigail? Law enforcement officers were like that anyway. When she and Josh went to the Black Bear Café, they had a reserved table where they could sit and see the front door. Now with Abigail out, that feeling would be heightened.
“Like I mentioned, Abigail was smart and kept her hands off the serious crimes. She had pawns to do her dirty work for her,” Eric said.
He continued to tell Kessler what he’d told Maya, Josh and Pops earlier. Even though Maya knew about the murder this time around, it still gave her chills. To have someone killed in the middle of the day in broad daylight was brazen to say the least. It showed the level of revenge Abigail was willing to go to and her mental state. By now, thanks to being in custody, her mental state most likely would be worse. Abigail probably sat in her cell planning this for the last few months and Maya had to admit that frightened her. How far would Abigail go? Was Hope still alive or had she already taken out her anger on an innocent kid?
“What did Drew do about her?” Kessler asked.
“He came to me and said he was going to go to the FBI. He knew the department was corrupt. Not just Abigail, but other officers as well. I told him to leave it alone. To look the other way. I was one of those corrupt officers and didn’t want anyone to know what I was doing. I told him that Abigail was a line he shouldn’t cross. She was gaining power and liked it. I think she also enjoyed the money. Like all of us, she was greedy. Now I wonder if I should have joined him, although I appreciated the extra money too.”
“Did he go to the FBI?”
“He did,” Eric said. “I wish I had gone with him, but I didn’t. I can’t take that back.”
“What happened after he went to the FBI?”
“I think they asked him to do things like wear a wire,” Eric answered. “He worked to also get some evidence. Anything that would prove the number of illegal things she was doing. He was careful. I was the only one in the department who knew that he’d become an informant for the FBI. But somehow, word got back to Abigail. I believe her partner is an FBI agent or in some other federal branch that would have known about this investigation. A few weeks later, Drew was out on his driveway washing his car when someone shot and killed him.”
“Was the person caught?” Kessler asked.
“Yes. It was a thug we all knew, Marcus O’Malley. I think he was also helping Abigail with the drug trade. He maybe even had some organized crime connections. But there was no reason for Marcus to come after Drew except for Abigail.”
“So, no connections? Drew wasn’t investigating him?”
“No. Drew wasn’t a detective. He was barely a patrol officer. All the kid wanted was to make his community safer and instead he lost his life,” Eric said. “Marcus claimed he just saw an off-duty cop and decided to kill him for the fun of it, but I always suspected Abigail was behind it all. No one investigated further because Marcus pled guilty and went to prison. I believed it was a murder for hire, but after I looked into it, I stopped. It wasn’t that long ago and my own son had started working for the marshals. I didn’t want an ‘accident’ to happen to him. I’d lost enough thanks to Abigail.”
“Were you able to trace any big payments sent to Marcus?” Kessler asked.
“No, but he had a girlfriend. She might know the truth and if there was money, I think she took it and left town. She disappeared a while ago and I’ve been trying to find her. I was getting close and then Hope was taken.”
“How did you find out Hope was kidnapped?” Kessler asked.
“I still have friends at the department. One of them sent an email to an address I check.”
“Did your friends know you were wanted?”
Eric shrugged. “Maybe, maybe not. I’m the least of their worries in the department. Abigail isn’t the only one who’s corrupt. You should investigate them further after we find Hope and Abigail—including the chief. The corruption starts at the top, although I think Abigail is the dirtiest.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” Kessler said, a slight edge of sarcasm in his voice. Then getting back to the task, he asked, “Were you able to find this girlfriend who disappeared?”
“I was getting close, but tracking someone down is hard to do when you’re on the run. I flashed my badge a few times since I still had it. Luckily no one ever asked more or asked for the number to verify that I really was an active officer.”
