Page 3 of Targeted at Christmas

Flashing his ID, Cooper responded tersely, “FBI. I’m here to speak with Horace Eckhart.”

Her shoulders slumped. “Just a moment…”

He watched as she got on the phone again and requested assistance. In a few moments, an attractive tall and slender woman in her early forties with brown hair with blonde highlights in a medium-length cut stepped out of an office. She moved toward him.

“I’m Gretchen Blanchett,” she said evenly, “the assistant director of inspections.”

“FBI Special Agent Reid,” Cooper said, meeting her gaze.

Gretchen narrowed blue eyes. “You’re here to see Horace Eckhart…?”

“Yes.” Cooper glanced at the receptionist and back, sensing that something was up. “Where can I find him?” he asked.

Gretchen’s brow creased. “At the morgue, I’m afraid.”

Cooper reacted to this unexpected news with a cocked brow. “Excuse me?”

The assistant director sighed deeply. “Horace was killed last night.”

Once he recovered from the shock, never mind the strange untimeliness of this revelation, Cooper gazed at her. “How…?”

“From what I understand, they think it may have been a carjacking,” Gretchen responded.

Carjacking, Cooper thought. What were the odds? He had to admit that they were at least even, knowing that this was a real concern in the Phoenix metropolitan area and, indeed, Maricopa County itself.

Still… The timing…

He wondered if this could have anything to do with the public corruption investigation in which the building inspector was the main focus—but by no means the only player in the game. Or, for that matter, if someone whom Eckhart owed money had come after him for payment with his life.

Cooper regarded Gretchen and said with real regret, “Sorry to hear about that.” Why hadn’t he heard before now? The Bureau had a pretty good working relationship with the local police—in spite of a major scandal that had forced the resignation of several officers after a federal probe into public corruption last year as part of an East Valley Task Force that included the Metro Phoenix Highway Patrol Bureau’s DUI Enforcement Unit—who had been informed about the current public corruption investigation, even offering assistance. Had they dropped the ball here?

“We all are,” Gretchen expressed sincerely. “Horace was an important part of our team at the PDD.” She paused, eyeing Cooper. “What did your visit to see Horace pertain to, if I may ask?”

Cooper paused for a beat. “A federal investigation that’s under way,” he replied, deliberately ambiguous. He didn’t care to get into specifics just yet. Certainly not while the Planning and Development Department’s Inspections Division was still being looked at. In spite of Horace Eckhart being let off the hook from having to face the music of suspected public corruption, by death, the case could well extend to other building inspectors being corrupt.

Gretchen lifted a brow. “What kind of investigation are we talking about?”

“Bribery.” Cooper decided it was worth noting for Gretchen to chew on in representing the division.

“Seriously?” Her jaw dropped as though the notion was absurd.

Cooper sought to downplay it for the time being. “It’s just part of the FBI’s broad look into public corruption in Maricopa County. Though Eckhart’s name came up, it doesn’t mean he was actually guilty of anything.” Cooper scratched his jaw. He was pretty sure that Eckhart was culpable, in fact, of collecting bribes. “Anyway, the case will most likely die with him now deceased,” Cooper told her falsely, which she seemed to accept.

Without further ado and needing more answers about Eckhart’s unforeseen demise from someone still alive to provide them, Cooper left it at that and headed for the exit to the stairwell, preferring the exercise to the elevator.

OUTSIDE, COOPER CALLED the special agent in charge to share the disturbing news.

“Horace Eckhart’s dead,” he told her when she answered the phone.

Amelia voiced anticipated shock as she blurted out, “What—?”

“Yeah, caught me off guard, too,” Cooper admitted. “He was killed last night, apparently in a carjacking.”

“Hmm…” She sucked in a deep breath. “That’s weird, even if not so much—”

“I was thinking the same thing.” Cooper started to walk toward the parking lot. “I’m headed over to the police department to get a better read on what went down and why we weren’t notified about Eckhart’s death.”

“Okay.” Amelia paused. “We can take it from there.”