AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I felt Eubank’s scrutiny and met her gaze. She lifted a brow and I nodded.
Eads laughed. “Really?” He looked at the camera mounted in the corner. “Is that why you’re hiding behind two women while they do your dirty work for you, Chief?” he yelled.
Remington managed to wrestle him out the door. I balled my hands into fists and barely managed to resist confronting him in the hallway, which, of course, was what he wanted. Alyssa switched off the recording devices, then reappeared in the AV room to return the earpiece.
“Do you have a minute to talk?” she asked me.
“Of course. Let’s head to my office.”
We both thanked Eubanks before heading out into the hallway. Neither of us would utter a word about Eads or his investigation outside the privacy of my office, but walking in silence felt awkward, so I told her about Earl’s passing.
“I hate to hear that,” she said. “Please give my love to Abe.”
“Will do. Abe is having a small gathering at the cabin this weekend to celebrate Earl’s life. Would it be okay if I picked Alex up on Sunday night instead of Friday? I want to be there for him.”
“Of course. Abe is family.”
Once alone in my office, I gestured for Alyssa to have a seat. “I understand there’s a lot you can’t share with me right now, but I’m dying to know about the stuff you mentioned in the interview.”
“As you know, we look at officers’ lifestyles and financials when we suspect them of being dirty. Eads’s wife is a schoolteacher, and nothing about their home or vehicles looked suspicious, but we hit paydirt when we subpoenaed the bank records. As you heard, there was a big cash deposit during each of the seven investigations. The money didn’t land at the same time, but it usually came after Eads had formally handed the investigation over to Savant’s office. The money usually lined up with witnesses recanting or changing their statements or evidence going missing before it could dispute the new narrative.” She shook her head. “The guy isn’t very bright. I wouldn’t have much to work with if he hadn’t deposited the cash.”
“What about the family connection? You said he’s related to Eads’s wife through marriage. A cousin?”
Alyssa nodded. “A stepcousin. Savant’s wife is Larissa Eads’s stepdad’s niece. One of my investigators found the connection through Larissa’s social media postings. Larissa hosted a bridal shower for the future Mrs. Savant. There were additional photos of Dylan and Larissa at the wedding a few months later, looking pretty cozy with Mr. and Mrs. Savant. There were several other images of the two couples on vacations and at other outings before and after the wedding.”
I laced my fingers behind my head and leaned back in my chair. “Interesting.”
“Larissa Eads, or someone with her passwords, deleted those photos right after I pulled Dylan in the first time. He must’ve called her as soon as he left my office, but it was too late. We’d already made the screen grabs.”
I gestured toward her messenger bag. “What else do you have in his file?”
She quirked a brow, and I shrugged. “Can’t blame a guy for trying.”
“I believe you said the same thing when you hit on me the first time, and I refused to give you my phone number.”
I laughed at her wry expression. “Okay, so I need new material.”
She tilted her head to the side and considered me for a moment. “It’s probably why you and Abe are still dancing around the obvious after all this time. You idiots are so right for each other, and yet…” Alyssa’s exaggerated sigh expressed her annoyance more than words could.
“Hey now,” I said. “I don’t interfere in your love life.”
Alyssa crossed her arms over her chest and quirked a brow. “Really? You’re the one who introduced me to Russ.”
“Oh, yeah,” I said. “And you’re welcome.”
Alyssa giggled and stood up. “I need to get going.”
“Before you do, I promised to ask if you would give a lecture at the Explorer academy.”
“Tell Sergeant Locke I’d be happy to talk to his cadets. He can email me with available dates, and we’ll pick one that works for both of us.” She tilted her head to the side. “You do know Alex is planning to apply to the academy once he’s old enough.”
“I do,” I replied.
“And you’re sure Locke is the best fit to mold these young kids? Don’t they call him a wildcard?”
“There’s no one better for the job,” I replied. “You have the same access to Locke’s personnel file as I do, and I’m sure you’ve already checked him out after Alex first started making noise about the academy.”
“Guilty,” Alyssa admitted.
