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“Sure.” Rhy rattled off the number. It didn’t take long for Rhy’s brother Brady Finnegan to answer. “What’s up, Rhy?”
“Oh, sorry, it’s Steele using Rhy’s phone. I was wondering if you could search on a guy using the FBI database.”
“Got a name?” Steele could hear fingers tapping on a keyboard in the background.
“Neil Otterson. I don’t have a date of birth, but he’s been charged with first-degree murder for killing two young Hispanic men during a carjacking. It’s on the Wisconsin Circuit case website.”
“Alleged carjacking?” Brady echoed in surprise. “Typically, those types of scenarios don’t result in a charge of first-degree murder. Maybe reckless homicide, but not premeditated murder.”
“Yeah, but it sounds like there was no evidence of an attempted carjacking, and the two guys weren’t armed. I’m not privy to all the details on the case,” he hastened to add. “I’m curious if there’s anything else you can dig up on the guy.”
“Okay, I’ll see what I can find,” Brady agreed.
“One more thing.” He glanced at his boss, then decided there was no point in beating around the bush. “Do you have any intel on two ATF agents by the name of Bryon Perkins or Steve Banner?”
“You mean, like are they on the take?” Brady asked in surprise.
“Yeah.” He avoided Rhy’s gaze. “I’ve been protecting a witness for the past few days, and we keep getting found. I don’t like thinking they’re dirty, but I don’t know these ATF guys very well either. This case has been a struggle from the beginning, and it’s not getting any better.”
“There’s nothing on our radar that I’m aware of. Hang on a minute.” Based on the music in his ear, Brady put him on hold.
“You really think the feds wouldn’t have told us if there was something sketchy about those guys?” Rhy asked.
“I had to ask.” He didn’t like sounding defensive. “The rental car exploded, nearly taking us with it. Don’t you think it’s better that we cover all bases?”
“Yes, but if Brady had heard something about the ATF being sketchy, he’d call me.” Rhy looked exasperated. “I’m his brother. He’s not going to hold back on important intel that could impact the safety of my team.”
It was hard to argue Rhy’s point. A moment later, Brady came back on the call. “I checked with Marc Callahan and our DEA agent liaison, Doug Bridges. No one is aware of concerns around a bad ATF agent.”
“Okay, thanks for checking.” He refused to feel guilty for asking the question. Moving forward, he couldn’t afford to trust anyone. “Will you also let me know about Otterson? I’d like to make sure he’s not a possible suspect in this.”
“Yeah, I’ll get in touch if I learn anything.” Brady paused, then asked, “What’s your phone number?”
“Ah, hang on.” Brock strode toward the office carrying a bag. Steele waved him over, reached into the bag, and pulled out one of the disposable phones. He gave the number to Brady. “Thanks again.”
“No problem. I’ll be in touch.” Brady disconnected from the call.
“We may as well get these powered up,” Brock said. “It’s better to have a working phone while we’re out on the road.”
Rhy drummed his fingers on the desk. “What’s your next move?”
Good question. Too bad he didn’t have an equally good answer. “We could set a trap, using a female officer to pretend to be Harper.”
“Like Jina?” Rhy frowned. “Maybe, but I don’t like putting my cops in harm’s way.”
“I know, I don’t either. What about allowing us to use that safe house, the one with bulletproof glass?”
“Last I checked, it’s currently in use,” Rhy said. “I have Harper on the list, though.”
He scowled. “She should take priority.”
Rhy arched a brow. “I can’t move one witness out to make room for another just because she’s pregnant.”
“It’s okay, I understand,” Harper spoke up. “And I don’t think you should use Jina to impersonate me either.”
“We’ll talk about that,” Rhy hedged. Then he turned his gaze back to his. “Why don’t you head to the Timberland Falls Suites? We’ve used it before. And it’s nicer than City Central.”
Timberland Falls was roughly eighteen miles from the precinct. “It’s a little far.”
