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“So they killed Arnie Mays. Why?” Greer asked. “He was one of your own.”
“Mays was undercover. All that bullshit in the IAB files and the charges filed against him were all a set up. He slipped up and it was noticed. We’ve got too many ex-cops in our organization for a plant to not be caught. Mays managed to fly under the radar for more than ten years though. He was good. But we’ve got guys who are better. There was a reason Mays never warranted his own territory with that many years in. Why he was slow moving up the ranks. We never really trusted him.”
“So as a sign of good faith, you asked whoever gave you the orders to show they were serious by taking Mays out of the game?”
Grimm shrugged, but the smirk on his face was admission enough.
“Thanks, Grimm. You’ve been very helpful.” Greer left the interview room and a moment later he came inside the observation room.
“What’s the status on Paris Spencer and Grace Lieber?” he asked.
“They’re both en route,” Lauren said. “About another hour or so.”
“You going to try and shake them up a bit?” Jack asked. “Maybe they need to accidentally run into each other and see that the game is over.”
“Exactly what I was thinking, Sheriff Lawson,” Greer nodded. He turned to Lauren and said, “Go ahead and do what you need to do with Grimm and then call Agent Donaldson. Let’s make sure Paris Spencer and Grace Lieber see each other on their way in. I also want them to catch sight of Lester Grimm. They would’ve done their homework, so they’ll recognize who he is and wonder how much he told us. I want to see who rolls first. One of those women is guilty of ten counts of murder. The other is an accessory.”
***
“There’s got to be someone else to do this,” I said twenty minutes later. Jack had changed into a pair of black cargo pants and a black T-shirt that had been dug up from somewhere, and he ran his hands over the rifle in the case in front of him.
“I’m the best person for the job at the moment. I can shoot the long distances. I have the training.”
“Only you don’t work for the FBI and we’re not in the same state where you’re sheriff. Last time I checked, you need a badge for this sort of thing or you get arrested.”
Carver came in at that exact moment and slapped a piece of paper on the table in front of Jack. “Sign here. You’re authorized for temporary duty.”
“Nice,” I said, throwing up my hands in resignation. “If you’re going up there, then I am too. And don’t even try to argue about this with me.”
Jack took the rifle from the long black case and methodically checked it. “This is the perfect opportunity to catch Jesse Tydell. We probably won’t get another chance like it. We’ll have Grimm, Lieber, and Spencer on the front steps of the Federal Building. Tydell will want to eliminate Grimm because he already knows he’s had time to talk to us. Chances are he knows one of the women is the one giving him the kill orders. He’s very intelligent, and our profilers say he wouldn’t want to share any information he might find out on his quest to make General. He thinks he’s calling the shots, and he’s cleaning up loose ends.”
“We’ll have Grimm in a controlled environment,” Carver said. “This is on our terms. We’re presenting him with the opportunity. Jack will be invisible on top of the Federal Building, and he’ll have a perfect line of sight to all the buildings where Tydell might be hiding. All Jack has to do is spot him and let the teams know which building to block off.”
“What happens if Tydell shoots before the teams can stop him?”
“Jack will stop him first. Lauren only needs one of the Vagos alive.”
“You don’t have to go up with me, Jaye. I’ll be perfectly safe and it’ll be over before you know it happened.”
“I’m going up with you. If you can see Tydell through your scope that means he’ll be able to see you too, if he’s looking. It never hurts to have another pair of eyes.”
Jack nodded and his lips twitched a little. He was having fun. “Grab a pair of binoculars from Carver. You can be my spotter.”
***
I found myself on top of the Federal Building flat on my stomach, looking through the binoculars at the three buildings across the street that Tydell might be hiding in. The sun beat down overhead and my clothes melted into the rooftop while the back of my neck blistered.
“Are you sure he’d do something like this in the middle of the day?” I asked. “There are people everywhere. How’s he going to go unnoticed?”
“He’ll blend in. The buildings across the street are all businesses. He’ll be wearing a suit and have a briefcase hiding his rifle. He’ll have walked right in with the lunch crowd. He’s already found his place and is set up. We’ve shut down all of the empty offices that have windows. He’ll have to use the rooftop.”
Sweat snaked down my back as I looked for movement on any of the rooftops. We only had a matter of minutes before Grimm, Spencer, and Lieber had their run in on the front steps. If we didn’t find Tydell before that, someone was either going to die, or Tydell would be scared away for good.
“If it were you, where would you shoot from?” I asked Jack. I had no idea how he stayed still and focused for so long. All I could think about was the heat of the rooftop burning into my stomach and the dizzying height.
“The one on the far right. It’ll be a harder shot for him to make, but that doesn’t matter. He’s good at what he does. It’s the building that has the least security, and all of the angles of the roofline give good cover.”
“The car with Lieber is just down the street,” Greer said. I heard the drone of his voice through the listening device in Jack’s ear. “Grimm’s being brought out the front to the waiting police van at the curb so he can be taken to the courthouse for booking. You have a minute to find Tydell or this mission is aborted.”
