Page 101 of Diamonds in the Mud

My heart leaped in my chest as I leaned in closer, studying the screen intently. “Do you think they could contain evidence of Quincy’s involvement?”

“It’s possible,” Jasmine admitted, typing furiously. “But it’s going to take some time to decrypt them. We’re going to need all the help we can get.”

I glanced around the office, my mind racing as I considered our options. We couldn’t afford to waste any more time, not with the charges against each of the Reapers and Wyatt looming on the horizon.

“How about calling in reinforcements,” I suggested. “And in the meantime, I’ll see what else I can dig up on Quincy’s connections. I know a team went through his place last night, after…” I took a deep breath. “I’m going to head over there myself and see if I can find anything.”

Jasmine nodded, her expression determined as she turned back to her computer. “Got it. Keep me posted.”

Half an hour later, I stood outside Quincy’s modest residence, the midday sun beating down on me. Fall was in the air. I could see the leaves changing with each cooler night we had, even though the days were still so very hot and humid.

I pushed open the front door and stepped inside. The air was heavy since the air conditioning unit had been shut off sometime in the night.

The house was small, cramped, with furniture that looked like it had seen better days. Not at all what I’d expected for the head of a massive drug cartel.

As I made my way through the rooms, I couldn’t help but feel a pang of sadness for the man who had once lived here but was now gone in such a tragic way.

If he’d remained alive, we’d have all the answers we needed. So far, everyone in custody was talking to us. They had been booked into the federal prison a few counties over. Each of their interview transcripts were sent over as they were being held.

I began my search in the living room, rifling through drawers and cabinets. I knew the place had already been searched but something told me I could find what they couldn’t. Aside from a few unpaid bills and a collection of dusty knick-knacks, though, there was nothing of interest to be found.

Frustration gnawed at the edges of my mind as I moved on to the bedroom, my footsteps echoing in the empty silence of the house. It was there, amidst a clutter of old clothes and discarded magazines, that I spotted it: a framed photograph that had tipped over and had fallen into the rest of the mess.

My heart skipped a beat as I picked up the photograph, my fingers trembling slightly as I studied the image of Quincy and Rayne smiling together. It was from when they had still been dating, long before everything had fallen apart. Before she’d found him cheating on her. Stupid idiot.

But as I turned the photograph over, my breath caught in my throat. Tucked behind the picture was a piece of paper, yellowed with age and creased from being folded too many times.

With trembling hands, I unfolded the paper to find a ledger. I began to read. It appeared that Quincy was in deep with a large sports gambling collector. So deep, I cringed at the numbers on each line.

Each time a payment was made, there was a date beside the amount with the new balance underneath.

Several other letters from a debt collector were behind that, all of them demanding payment for an outstanding debt owed to a local sports bookie. My eyes widened as I read on, my mind racing with the implications of what I was seeing.

Quincy was in serious debt, far more than I had ever realized. And if he was willing to go to such lengths to hide it, who knew what else he was capable of?

I’d wager every payment date coincided with a money drop or a drug deal. Still, this didn’t prove he was in charge. After all, the amount I’d seen on the pool table at the Nest could have cleared most of this debt away. There wasn’t any proof of payments to any of the Reapers on the sheet either.

Had his debt been the reason he’d started the drug ring in the first place? We’d already found proof that when Felix and Ben were first arrested years back, Quincy had been the arresting officer.

As I was about to put the paper in my pocket and replace the photograph, I tensed as I heard footsteps approaching. I instinctively reached for the gun at my waist. But as the figure stepped into the room, I relaxed slightly when I recognized Rayne’s familiar silhouette.

“What are you doing here?” Rayne’s voice was sharp with concern as she took in the scene before her. “And what’s that you’re holding?”

“I came here for the same reason as you. To search for evidence,” I admitted, holding up the ledger for her to see. “I think Quincy may have been involved in more than we realized.”

Rayne’s eyes widened as she read through the ledger, comprehension dawning on her face. “Sports gambling,” she murmured, her brow furrowing in thought. “That could explain a lot. This is a lot of debt.”

I nodded. “I think Quincy’s debts may have driven him,” I said grimly. “And if he was willing to resort to criminal activity to pay off those debts, who knows what else he might have been involved in?”

Rayne’s expression hardened with determination as she met my gaze. “We need to find out everything we can about Quincy’s connections,” she said firmly. “If he was involved in the deaths of Mayor Taylor and the Dupont brothers, we need to know.” I nodded in agreement. “I’m here to look for evidence to tie him to the stabbings.” She glanced around. “It appears your guys already tossed the place.”

I realized suddenly that, even though we both wanted to prove Quincy’s guilt, we would have easily overlooked any evidence tying Quincy to the mayor’s death or that of the Dupont brothers. Since we had Declan in custody and were almost positive that he was the one who had killed the brothers, did that mean we believed he’d killed the mayor as well? Why? Had he been told to do so by Quincy or Felix?

“I can help you look?” I suggested.

I watched her bite her bottom lip for a second, then shrug. “I suppose you’re probably higher up than I am in the whole law enforcement scene. I don’t really know the rules, but I can’t see that it would hurt anything.”

I smiled. “Trust me, if we do find anything, it will benefit both our cases.”