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“Hey—I heard Randy was dead. Is that true?”
“Just a rumor. He’s with his mom in Wisconsin.”
“Oh God. That’s a relief. I’ve been trying to call him for hours.”
“Thanks again for your help.”
Gonzo went back out into the pit. “Randy’s roommate confirms that someone named Aaron came by to get some of Randy’s clothes earlier and specifically asked for his student ID, which was found in the pants pocket of the body, and a pair of the red Vans that Randy likes. The roommate let him in.”
The Patrol officer who’d been assigned to the congressman’s interrogation room came into the pit. “The lawyer says they’re ready to talk to you.”
“Shall we lay some wagers on the congressman offering us a deal?” Gonzo asked, buzzing with adrenaline after putting together the pieces of this strange and baffling case.
“I’d wager if I didn’t agree with you,” Malone said.
Faith returned to the pit. “Forrester’s wife and daughters are safe in FBI custody. They haven’t heard from Tom.”
It was a relief to know Forrester’s family was safe. “Let’s see what the congressman wants,” Gonzo said.
“Mind if I tag along?” Malone asked.
“Please do.”
“I’ll be in observation,” Faith said.
They entered the room to find the congressman looking much less cocky than he had earlier, which gave Gonzo tremendous satisfaction. “This is Captain Jake Malone. You asked to speak to us?”
“My client would like to make a deal,” Fallow said.
“What kind of deal?” Gonzo asked.
“The kind in which he tells you what he knows about the Forrester family and his son’s death.”
“Oh, well, we’ve already rescued Forrester’s wife and daughters from the Hilton, and we know who killed his son. It was your pal, Aaron, who’s being picked up as we speak.”
Watching that news land on Bryant was among the more satisfying moments in Gonzo’s career.
“How… how do you know that?”
“Your guy Sanders helped us fill in the blanks.”
“He’d never!”
“Oh yes, he would. When you offer someone immunity in exchange for information, you’d be surprised how chatty they get. So as you can see, your offer is of no use to us. We’ll be charging you with numerous felonies, including kidnapping, unlawful detention and contracting murder, to start with. I’m sure there’ll be much more before we’re finished, because Sanders also told us about the guns, prostitutes, gambling and drug dealing. Not to mention the campaign finance case Forrester has built. Someone has been averybusy boy.”
Bryant’s jumped to his feet. “Wait a minute! You can’t prove anything!”
“Sit down, Damien,” Fallow said, “and stop talking. Now.”
“You might want to listen to him before you make it worse,” Gonzo said as he followed Malone to the door. “Oh, and, Mr. Bryant? Your son’s not dead.”
Epilogue
On Saturday morning, Sam received word from Cameron that Gigi had been returned to full duty by an IAB vote of two to one.Offenbach fought hard to have her busted down to Patrol and suspended without pay for ninety days, but Andrews said Gigi never deviated from her original story and declared the shooting self-defense. We’ve also decided to countersue the Patrick family in the hope that they’ll drop their suit against us.
All good news,Sam replied.I’m so relieved.
Us, too. Thanks for all the support.
