AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“No.” She settled more heavily into her seat. “You should’ve told us in the beginning what you do. Your vagueness only made us more curious about the nature of your corporate consulting. Digging into your career history turned out to be quite an adventure. We ran into roadblock after roadblock. Why? Because your clients are bound by a nondisclosure clause.”
“For reasons I’m sure you understand.”
“Yes, I do. The specialized consulting you do could generate hard feelings, deep-seated resentment, and, if someone took it to the limit, reprisal.”
Made uneasy by that observation, Calder said, “What are you getting at?”
“Do you have any enemies?”
“Not that I’m aware of.”
“Modesty doesn’t suit you. Mr. Hudson. Considering your success, isn’t it more probable that the number of people holding grudges against you is in the hundreds? Perkins and I think so. Consequently, we believe your business records of the last few years warrant a thorough review.”
He opened his mouth, but she cut him off. “We anticipated your reluctance to share, Mr. Hudson, so…” She took an official-looking document from her briefcase and held it up. “We got a court order that allows us to review the files on your laptop.”
It wasn’t lost on him that he was back to being Mr. Hudson.
Chapter 21
Since this morning’s broadcast, Shauna had been fielding calls one right after the other. Therefore, she didn’t first check the ID before answering the incoming call by pressing the button on her steering wheel.
“Shauna Calloway.”
“You threw me under the bus.”
It was her sleazy source, Billy Green. “I did no such thing, and I won’t.”
“No, but you’ve created a shit show in this precinct, in the whole damn department. If anybody finds out that I’m the one who fed you that information—”
“They won’t find out unless you panic, behave like a moron, and give yourself away.”
“Yesterday, there was a handful of personnel from other agencies working with Compton and Perkins,” he said rapidly and furtively. “All part of the task force investigating the shooting along with our CID. Now the place is crawling—crawling, I’m telling you—with DPS troopers, Texas Rangers, you name it. The attorney general’s office was on the phone with the sheriff, who’s gone apeshit, on the verge of a stroke, someone said, and—”
“Calm. Down.” She could imagine him sputtering, spraying spit, wiping the greasy sweat off his high forehead.
“Calm down, she says.” Lowering his voice to a creaky whisper, he said, “The whole goddamn department is on edge. Everybody’s suspecting everybody. All because of you.”
“No, all because of you wanting to get up my skirt. Right? There wouldn’t have been a story causing the havoc you describe if you hadn’t given me those names yesterday.”
He admitted no complicity. “You did yourself no favors, you know.”
“I bagged the big story. That’s my job.”
“Yeah, but now your Mr. Jaguar with the full head of hair has a bull’s-eye between his broad shoulders. Did you think of that?”
“He’ll be protected. All of them will be.”
“Says you.”
“What do you say?” She laid the trap subtly, betting that he would step into it, and he did.
“They were rounded up. Lickety-split.”
She deliberately downplayed that. “Naturally they would be. That’s hardly a headliner.” She waited, listening to him breathe while he weighed his options and considered whether impressing her was worth taking another risk.
Finally, he said, “They’ve moved them somewhere. Your dickhead boyfriend, the lady whose kid died, and the woman you interviewed in the hospital.”
“What about the other two?”
