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CHAPTERTHIRTY-SIX
Arnett wouldn’t meet Jo’s eyes as they walked silently back to the car.
Once Jo slid into the driver’s seat, she checked her phone. “Search warrant hasn’t come through yet. Hopefully it will by the time we get back to HQ. God only knows how long it’ll take us to search, and I want Ossokov off the streets and unable to kill again well before the sun sets tonight.”
Arnett nodded.
She started texting. “How likely do you think it is Murphy will remember that conversation even by tonight? No matter what, this changes everything. Murphy and Ashvilledidplant evidence, and that means Ossokov has a legitimate foundation fueling his rage. I’m going to request a surveillance team for him.”
“Hopefully you won’t need it. You’ll have the warrant in hand momentarily.”
“I wouldn’t put it past him to disappear while we’re waiting.”
Once she finished up the text, she fired up the car and pulled out, grappling with what just happened. In all her years at the SPDU, she’d never had a case of police misconduct dumped directly in her lap, let alone one that potentially implicated her partner.
Arnett stared out of the windshield. “I need you to know I’d never have been party to that.”
“I do know.” She paused, taking a deep breath before continuing. “But I have to report what he said to Hayes and Barbieri.”
He nodded again. “Without a doubt. You want to go alone?”
She knew what he was asking. If they went to report Murphy’s confession together, she’d be showing support for Arnett, passively declaring she believed he did nothing wrong; if some disciplinary action came down on him, part of the stink would indelibly stick to her. If she went in alone, it would be her way of distancing herself from Arnett, of effectively saying she wasn’t willing to take the chance that he’d behaved inappropriately.
She kept her eye steady on the road. “I say we stop off and talk to Hayes now, while we’re waiting on the warrant.”
In her periphery, she saw Arnett’s acknowledgment.
They drove the rest of the way in silence, with Jo trying to banish the insistent nagging of Murphy’s accusation.
* * *
Hayes waved them in as soon as they reached her door. “I just got off the phone with Barbieri. He agrees with you that surveillance for Ossokov is a good measure. And I just got word that the warrant came through. Hopefully in a few hours’ time, you’ll have him in custody and have inculpatory evidence safely logged in the locker.”
“Hopefully.” Jo’s stomach clenched at the thought of what she was about to do. “There’s another issue we need to talk to you about.”
An oddly hostile curiosity flickered on Hayes’ face as she glanced from Jo’s face to Arnett’s. “What’s that?”
Jo turned to Arnett. He cleared his throat and summarized what Murphy had just told them.
Hayes sank back against her chair, her face slack with shock. “Son of a bitch. You have to be kidding me. And you knew nothing about this?”
“Nothing,” he said.
“Because I can’t have this happening among my people.” Hayes pointed at Arnett. “So say it again, for the record.”
“I knew nothing,” Arnett said.
“Murphy himself admitted he never told Arnett what he was doing,” Jo added.
Hayes pulled over a pad and started jotting notes. “Right. Okay. Shit. Well. In terms of fires to put out, I already have you staying away from Ossokov, so that’s good. With that statement and Fournier as a witness you weren’t involved, I think we can keep you active. I’ll need to talk to the state lawyers about Murphy, and they’ll want a statement from you about it. And Ashville’s dead, so there’s no point in bringing in the BBO on it.”
“Should I be the one executing the warrant, or should Goran and Coyne do it?” Jo asked. “Ossokov now has me associated with Arnett, so given this information and the lawsuit, it may be better to keep me away from the search.”
“You’re worried you’ll come under suspicion.” Hayes’ eyes narrowed into a calculating grimace. She took a long moment before responding, then her mouth curved into a smile. “If we pulled detectives off investigations every time a suspect claimed they weren’t being treated right, we’d have nobody left to investigate. If anything, you came straight to me with the information about Murphy, so I don’t see how anyone could try to claim you’re covering anything up. And you’re the one who knows all the background on this case. Unless the problem is you balk at handling difficult situations when the unit needs you?”
Jo held her gaze. “No, ma’am. I only want what’s in the unit’s best interest.”
Hayes made another note on the pad and waved toward the door. “Good. Then let’s get on this. Update me when you arrive, and once you’re finished.”
