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CHAPTER10
Gabe rubbed tired eyes as his headache pounded. He’d reviewed most of the riot—protest, as his boss would say—footage of the last couple of weeks, including Instagram and Facebook posts and any news interviews with Johnston, trying to pinpoint all the people he’d interacted with on a consistent basis. Derek Ellis was one name on his list. And no surprise. Ellis was a local reporter with a known hatred of the police. His op-eds were frequently published in the Tribune and they helped stoke the rioting. Ellis had a talent for melodrama and for twisting statements to fit whatever fire he was trying to fan. His reporting was often filled with a bit of truth and a whole lot of half-truths or outright misrepresentations.
Included on the list was Ira HoffmanJr., another cop hater. And unfortunately for Gabe, Ira also happened to be the new mayor’s brother. He would have to tread lightly where Hoffman was concerned. Besides White’s position, Ira HoffmanSr., the family patriarch, had a lot of pull in the city. He was well-known; the whole family was. Already wealthy, Senior had struck more gold with an Internet company at a time when unemployment in the city was high. As his fortunes rose, so did the city’s. He became a big employer, bought the local paper, added to his empire.
Ira and Elise were his pride and joy. When Elise married Trevor White, himself a successful lawyer, IraSr. retired and divided most of his assets between his two children. He turned the reins of the newspaper and the Internet company over toIraJr., who had pushed his holdings further into the black,makingalot more money. The Internet company was now the largest employer in LaRosa. Senior also left Elise alargetrust fund which put her in the very, very well-off category.
For all his money and supposed obligations, Ira HoffmanJr. never seemed to work. Gabe considered him a twisted social justice warrior. He complained about the police, wanted them abolished, yet lived in a gated community with around-the-clock private security.
In the video footage and in the online Twitter conversations Gabe had found, Hoffman seemed to be egging Thomas on. “All cops are bullies with a badge,” one post said. “You’ll be a hero if you’re the catalyst who gets rid of the PD.”
Likewise, Ellis, who wrote an article praising Johnston for his community activism, carried on one online conversation with Johnston. “Keep the pressure on. Cops don’t deserve any peace or goodwill. All of them need to be fired. People like you can take better care of the community.” He’d also encouraged the group responsible for running Jess and his family out of their home. “They don’t deserve rest. They need to be gone.”
The whole idea of getting rid of the police hit Gabe sideways. The only people in the community who would benefit from no police were criminals.
Hoffman and Ellis were both on Gabe’s list to interview. He shut the monitor down. He, Marrs, and Diamond were scheduled to visit Barton Plaza today, the first time since the shooting. While there were still signs proclaiming it a cop-free zone, Estes and enough citizens had complained loudly to city hall to make Whiteout relent and let the PD take the area back. The miscreants hadn’t been arrested, but the PD had made a show of force and regained access to the area. It was just recently deemedsafe to return. Gabe could only shake his head at that news. Since when did cops wait until a situation was deemed safe?
Oh, well. Apartment 6, where Thomas had lived, still needed to be inventoried. Hopefully no one had broken the seal on the door. There were also three other apartments where no one had canvassed yet. Detectives needed to know if anyone had been there the night of the shooting and observed anything. Additionally, any resident contacted but not questioned that night because of the hasty exit needed to be recontacted.
He met Marrs and Diamond at the police station, surprised when he saw them waiting with a black-and-white. He recognized one of the uniformed officers.
“Hey, Yen, how are you doing?”
“Foxy! I heard you were working this case. I’m doing okay, here to babysit you suits.”
Gabe chuckled. “Aren’t you the salty one.”
“In the age of daily riots, everyone is salty.”
“No doubt.” Gabe cocked his head, saddened. Salty meant “seasoned,” and in an environment where daily you were met with violent demonstrations, it stood to reason a cop would get seasoned—salty—quickly. He couldn’t help but notice Yen’s partner, Mel Howard.
“What’s this? The odd couple? Been partners long?”
“Since the unrest,” Mel said with a wink. “Yen keeps me safe.”
“I’ll bet.” Gabe started to say something else but Yen cut him off.
“Don’t bother yourself with any long and short of it jokes; we’ve heard them all.”
Gabe laughed.
Marrs and Diamond joined them and outlined their next moves.
“Things have been quiet for a few days,” Marrs said. “However, snitches are telling us there’s hired muscle staying in and around Barton Plaza, so trouble could spring up on a moment’s notice.”
“Hired muscle?” Gabe raised an eyebrow. “I know the early rioters were out-of-towners—they still hanging around? You have proof?”
“We have snitches—which is a long way from proof. And we have a lot of fear. No one, and I mean no one, wants to go on the record.”
“With all the screaming about ‘defund the police,’ cops have backed off a little. It’s no wonder people feel less safe,” Yen said. “No one is being proactive.” Yen cast her gaze on Gabe. “Why should we risk our lives making an arrest if your boss isn’t going to prosecute?”
“Yeah, what’s going on with her?” Diamond asked.
Gabe shrugged. “I can’t say.”
“She’s got you investigating this shooting with us while the rumor mill is going crazy saying she’s already drafted charges against Jess.”
“What?” Gabe stared at Diamond, hating how predictable it was for false rumors to spread fast. “I’ve heard no such thing.”
