AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Dean came up to her. “What is it, O?”
“I don’t know. Maybe something, maybe nothing.”
Benny took his last breath as the ambulance came rumbling around the corner and stopped at the curb.
* * *
The whole thing with Benny couldn’t have gone worse, Dean thought. They agreed to brainstorm ideas, especially now. The guy who had killed Benny was just a hired gun and had no idea who employed him. It was all done through a burner phone.
After the interrogation, he and Jessica found Ophelia in the conference room, staring out the window.
Dean felt the energy and anger simmering through her. “We’ll get them, O.”
“I feel like we’re running out of time, Dean.” She turned her face away, staring out the window. After a moment, he rubbed his face hard, moving closer to her. Benny’s death was a tragedy for both him and their investigation. The man they had in custody was a dead end. They needed to get creative.
“I think I have a lead. Jessica, can you get Gage and Logan and meet me in the command center?” she asked.
Ophelia had a hunch. He could tell as they walked to her command center and pulled up cameras on the corner of Boden and Clyde.
“Here.” She pointed to the big screen. “This car. It was going past when we caught Benny in the vacant lot. He had a distinct reaction to the sound of this car…like he’d heard it before, and it spooked him. That’s why he ran.”
It was unfortunate that they hadn’t gotten a license plate number, nothing but a make and model. The color was a deep midnight blue.
“A Nissan 350Z,” Gage said from behind them. He was leaning against the wall with his arms folded, watching the footage. “Relatively inexpensive for a ride that comes equipped with a rear-wheel-drive and V6 engine. It’s a workhorse, easy to fix, and can be fitted with massive amounts of tuning parts without breaking down.”
“What are you saying?” Ophelia asked, a subtle strain in her words, a slight trembling to her lip. Dean was aware of what stress looked like on a person who was trying to minimize it. He immediately remembered how she had been at the shooting range. This was the first time she had discharged her firearm at a suspect since she’d been shot. It must have affected her.
“That’s a street racer if I’ve ever seen one.” He gestured toward the screen. “What is the interest here?”
“This car drove by twice during our investigation. Once when Logan and I were trying to get the name of the seller from Benny, and once again after he was shot. I don’t believe in coincidences,” Ophelia said.
“So, someone who’s involved in street racing is behind the sale of the illegal weapons, C4, and missiles?” Gage pushed off the wall and walked to the console.
“Trying to make a buck on the side?” Dean suggested.
“Maybe,” Gage said. “Street racers aren’t usually interested in anything but racing cars, but if they needed cash…possibly.”
There were too many people in this room. People they couldn’t control. Unknowns. Jessica didn’t like unknowns. “Guys, can we take this conversation to the shop?”
Gage turned toward the door with Logan following, “Let’s go. Donner needs a walk outside and his dinner.”
“I’ll print out these photos and we can go over them back at your shop,” Ophelia said.
As they all left Metro and traveled back to Logan’s building, Dean was convinced that Ophelia was onto something. She was a good cop, responsive, observant, and good at her job. But something had happened when she’d returned fire today. The things a cop needed to be in any kind of shootout. Calm, deadly accurate, and confident. Something was missing. He worried that O hadn’t gotten enough rest after her shooting. She might be pushing too hard.
They pulled up in front of the building and headed toward the stairs, Dean just behind Gage with Donner on the leash. The minute they got to the front door, Donner sat down, and Dean frowned. Gage unlocked the door, but when he tried to enter, Donner pulled at the leash and wouldn’t budge.
“What is going—” Gage turned to them, his eyes wide.
“He smells—” Dean said at the same time.
“Everybody out! Explosives! Go!” Gage ordered.
“My brother and sister are inside,” Logan shouted from the back of the group.
“I’ll get them. Run,” Dean said.
There was a fast scramble as Dean pushed through the front door. “Kurrie! Jack!” He called out. He ran into the living room and both teenagers opened their doors.
