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“For a start.” Jarrod just looked at her. He would never forget how she looked in that moment. “We still will. Just have to get the keys from that goon and grab enough food for a week.”
“Yeah. You do that, Foster. Treat her right. I didn’t hurt her. Wilson is the one who hurt her. The blood isn’t hers, boys. Costovia’s, most likely. Or Naylor’s. Costovia ambushed that Naylor boy. Damned trap, you know. Naylor—the younger, not the older. He was alive when we left, but I don’t know how long he’ll last out there.”
“We found him. He’s on the ambulance now—we diverted the ambulance to County now, though.”
“Where is Detective Costovia?” Jarrod asked.
“Costovia’s dead, at least. At the spot where the Finley Creek spills into the reservoir. Left him there to rot, after what I found that boy trying to do to little Madison. I killed that bastard myself. He was ripping at her clothes when we got there. Damned coward. Shooting people in the back. Costovia shot little Madison in the damned back after that concert. He couldn’t even look her in the eye when he did it. Costovia liked to shoot people in the back. Well, he got what he deserved. I made sure of it—two right to the back. So damned tired of the bad winning out over the good lately.”
“And Wilson?” Daniel asked. “What did he do tonight?”
“Why do you have Wilson like that, Kimball?” Jarrod asked. “Draw me a picture here. What is he involved in?”
“He’s dirty as fuck. That’s why. Pushing that damned OPJ. Distribution captain, they call him. They got job titles in the organization and everything. A person works hard, they can even move up. Get promotions and everything. Like damned loyalty cards. Employee-of-the-month type shit. Make even more money. Like Wilson here moved up and everything. He has connections, he said once. From Mexico to Canada. Was even on good terms with Victor Scott and his boy. Been friends with the younger for years. Partied with Scott Junior all the time. That made him important. He’s just a sick fuck who likes power. That’s all he is. Me, I was known as a damned camel. Driving it here and there. Until it got my kid. She OD’d on OPJ back at Christmas. OPJ I probably brought to Finley Creek. How is that for karma paying a man back for his sins?”
“I’m sorry that happened.” Jarrod took another step closer.
“Heather’s with you, somewhere, isn’t she? I know she was in the bullpen.”
“Heather is behind me somewhere. She rode in with Daniel. Why?” Jarrod risked a look at the small crowd of civilians. Madison’s mother, Dom’s father, Lake’s brother. And two women he couldn’t see from where he stood, both partially hidden by Lake’s brother’s larger body and a small sedan. Dr. Lake was stealthily moving those women back even further. He almost had them where they could shelter down behind the car now.
His eyes met Jarrod’s for a moment, as he shifted again. The women backed up even more. Murdoch’s brother wouldn’t panic, at least. Vince Acardi—the older version of Dom—was keeping his hands visible, and his wife protected behind his own body, up against a SUV. Cool and calm—just like his son. Vince wouldn’t panic either. But he was still not protected himself. Neither was Dr. Lake.
Or Heather’s sister.
Heather’s twin sister stood right there fifteen feet directly in front of Kimball and Steve Wilson, hands in front of her. Just standing there. Exposed. So damned vulnerable and exposed. She was the one most likely to be hurt in any cross fire. He could see that knowledge on Heather’s face. “Can her sister put her hands down yet?”
“Sure she can. Don’t need to have them up in the first place. We were just talking until y’all got here. Little doll doesn’t have a gun. None of them do, now. Acardi Senior there put his weapon down a few minutes ago. He’s a cagey one, I bet. Just like his boy. Dom? I know you are here, too.”
“Yeah, I’m here. You want to talk to me, Kimball?”
“You make sure little Madison knows—I just drove the van. Never meant to hurt her that night. Didn’t know they were going to do that. Lake, MacNamara, I am so damned sorry for my part in what happened to those beautiful girls you married. We were just supposed to scare them and send a verbal message. I didn’t know they were going to shoot those girls until they were dragging your girl outside, MacNamara. I didn’t even see them shoot the bodyguards either. I was watching the parking lot and those girls running around. I was just making sure that blue-haired girl and her friends didn’t realize something was going on and get in the middle of it.”
“You were there the night of the shooting,” Jarrod said. It wasn’t a question. “Were you one of the ones who took Haldyn two weeks ago, too?”
“Yeah. I was. And I am so damned sorry for that. I never would have hurt Gordon’s girl on purpose. It just happened. They called me to drive. I didn’t know they were going for her until they had her.”
Like hell, it had just happened. Everyone made choices. Jarrod shoved the rage aside. Anger never helped in these situations. And…Kimball had answers they needed now. “Why were Haldyn and Powell Barratt targets?”
“People in Wichita Falls don’t want that realtor poking her head in Scott’s business, I think. His property businesses. I’m not sure why. They heard she was buying his place at the last minute, couldn’t stop her—she’d already signed on it, I guess. And with this girl here being in charge of the lab—too easy for her to make connections if they found something in Scott’s old place, I think. I’m not too clear on everything—but I’ve been trying to put it together. Their connections. And because of you boys. The big boss has a real problem with Major Crimes, more than anything. Heard mention of it before. But mostly, I think that realtor was messed with just to keep Erickson occupied, really. Toyed with. Out of the way. That OPJ thing he’s working. Going after his girl keeps him out of the way—sorry about that. I really am. Erickson has pissed off some people in the Wichita Falls crew. Higher up the ladder. Made that girl a target. She didn’t deserve to be used that way. Same with McKellen and Gordon’s little Hallie here. But Hallie’s not his girl now, is she, Foster? Not any longer anyway. She’s yours.”
“I’m trying to convince her to be mine forever. Can you let Haldyn go? Let her walk over here to me. So I can take care of her. We both want Haldyn safe, don’t we? Her cheek is bleeding. Did you do that?”
“No, Wilson did it. When she jumped over him and pushed the other two girls out of the van. Costovia was in on all of it, too.”
“Costovia was angry at Dom,” Haldyn said, her voice slurring slightly. “He was going to hurt Madison to hurt Dom.”
Kimball looked straight at Jarrod. His expression darkened, tightened. He reached out, kicked the man at his feet. “I want to talk to Heather now, Foster. Not you. You just stay there, Foster. I’ll let your girlfriend go in a minute. But there are things I need Heather to know first. Specifically. Then you and me are going to talk about what’s going on in the TSP. So you can tell Marshall, got me?”
“I understand.” Jarrod lowered his weapon. Kimball wanted to talk to him, Jarrod was going to be as unthreatening as possible. He trusted the rest of Major Crimes to keep his ass safe while he did it. And more importantly, he trusted them to do what they had to do to get Haldyn away and safe. They were a team—he wasn’t doing this alone. He would remember that.
“Good. You are a damned good cop. All of you boys—and girls—are in Major Crimes. Much better than me, that’s for damned sure. I have so many regrets, Foster. More than I can ever say. Just…make sure you don’t end up alone someday, son. It’s a hell of a way to end. Where’s Heather?”
“I’m here.” Heather stepped around Daniel. And toward her sister. “I’ll talk to you as long as you want me to. But can my sister and Dom’s parents go inside while we do that? My nieces? That’s my niece Samia and my niece Cashlyn right there, too. I know they are afraid right now. Joy needs to call home. Let her five kids know she’s running late. I need her to tell my sister Bonnie to tuck my daughters in for me tonight. Bonnie’s going to be worried about Cashie and Sam. She’ll freak if they are too late getting home without calling. She watches over the younger girls closely now, since what Eastman did. Can they go inside?”
She was trying to humanize the crowd for Kimball. Jarrod understood that. And now he recognized those two women behind Lake’s brother. Two more of Heather’s family. Shit. Heather had to be beyond terrified right now.
“You are a very beautiful mother, Heather. I saw that before. The first time we met.”
