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“And they just found that ballistics match now?” Steele asked incredulously.
“Yeah, that’s the downside. Apparently, there was a mix-up at the lab. Some paperwork got misfiled, either by accident or on purpose.” Brock shrugged. “The bottom line is that there’s a new federal warrant out for Neil Otterson’s arrest.”
“That’s good news,” Steele agreed. Although he didn’t like hearing about sloppy police work. Or a possible mole in the lab. This was why many people didn’t trust the police. These kinds of errors shouldn’t happen. “Although I don’t know that it’s going to help the case of the dead agent as much as they hope it will. Trent Gibson, Otterson’s defense lawyer, is going to have a field day about the mix-up at the lab. They’re going to claim that the reason the match was misfiled or misplaced was because they’re framing Otterson for the crime.”
“I hear you,” Brock agreed. “It’s not great for the feds, and Rhy is not at all happy about it either. However, I’m not going to complain about the feds putting Otterson behind bars for a while. This time, because he’s being accused of murdering a federal agent, he will not be granted bail. Sitting behind bars for the next few months might be enough to convince Otterson to make a deal.”
“Maybe.” As he thought about it more, he wondered if having Otterson arrested on federal capital murder charges would impact Trent Gibson’s case. The feds often pulled rank over local legal proceedings. He didn’t anticipate this would be any different.
Would Trent Gibson make more money as a result of these new charges? Or would Otterson cut him loose and find another attorney? It wouldn’t surprise him if Otterson wanted to start over, yet that would also take lots of cash. From the glimpse he’d gotten over Harper’s shoulder, Otterson had already paid Gibson more than twice a cop’s annual salary.
Normally, he couldn’t care less what happened to a defense attorney. He wasn’t fond of lawyers who were paid big bucks to keep criminals out of jail. But Trent Gibson was Harper’s employer.
And he cared deeply for her. His heart must have decided it was time to move on from Monique. All he could think about was Harper. He couldn’t stand the idea that she could lose her job. That she might be forced to start over someplace new this far along in her pregnancy.
Yeah, he cared far more than was good for him. Which was why he’d blurred the line between them. And that idiotic move had contributed to her being here in the hospital.
He blew out a heavy sigh and tried not to think about Harper’s role within the law office. Gibson had other clients. She’d be fine.
“Any update from Raelyn on the address Feldman gave us?” Steele asked.
Brock shook his head. “Not yet. They have found some fingerprints, so it’s possible they’ll match Tommy Grotto. But that alone won’t help us find him.”
“I’m not sure who is masterminding these attempts on Harper,” he confided. “It’s either Neil Otterson or Tommy Grotto.”
“Or both,” Brock said. “I know, I’ve been going over the possible scenarios too.”
“We don’t have proof Otterson is involved in selling guns.” Steele frowned. “But there’s just something about the fact that he killed two young men that is nagging at me.”
“We know Tommy Grotto is involved with gunrunning,” Brock mused. “But he and Waylon Brooks are in the wind.”
The case was maddening. He checked his watch, then stood. “I’m going to check on Harper again. See if the OB has examined her yet.”
“Yeah, okay.” He had turned away, when Brock said, “You’re in pretty deep water there, Steele.”
He turned to Brock, knowing exactly what he meant. “I know. I didn’t mean to let you and the rest of the team down. I never should have agreed to let her meet with Feldman.”
“See, that’s exactly what I’m talking about.” Brock stood so they were face-to-face. “I think it’s good that she met with him. We needed to know for sure if she was involved or not. You’re thinking like a concerned boyfriend, not a cop.”
He winced. “Yeah, okay. I’ll do better from this point on.”
“Maybe we should switch things up,” Brock suggested. “Have Raelyn or Grayson stay with Harper for a while.”
Every cell in his body rejected that idea. But he could tell Brock was pushing his buttons on purpose. “I’m fine with a staffing change.” He wasn’t but tried to hide his true feelings. “However, I don’t want to add more stress to Harper. The doc pretty much told her stress was causing her symptoms. I’m all for maintaining a professional distance, as long as it doesn’t impact her unborn child.”
Brock stared at him for a long moment. “Okay, we’ll discuss this further with Rhy later.”
He nodded in agreement and turned to head back to Harper’s room. He had to be let back by a security guard, as the hospital had tightened their security measures after a gunman had gotten inside and dressed like one of the staff doctors last month.
Striding to Harper’s room, he could hear voices inside. He hung around outside the room to give her privacy.
A moment later, a doc who appeared to be in his midfifties emerged. Steele poked his head around the doorway. “Harper?”
“Come in.” She smiled at him. “Dr. Webb has assured me everything is fine.”
“That’s great news.” He couldn’t stop himself from reaching for her hand. It was obvious Harper needed a friend. “How much longer are they going to keep you?”
“It sounds like I’ll be discharged soon.” She clung to his hand for a moment. “Thanks for bringing me in, Steele. I feel so much better now that I’ve spoken to the doctor.”
