AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“We’re not done here,” Beck insisted angrily.
“Yes, we are. Maybe you don’t have better things to do, but I have a business to run.”
I was honestly in awe of Savannah in that moment. She was so different from the skinny junkie I wanted nowhere near my brother. When I met her last year, Savannah was angry and broken, but now she was strong and confident, the perfect woman for Charlie to have at his side.
Back on the street, Beck turned to look at me. “Well, what do you think?”
“I think she answered what you asked.”
It wasn’t everything she knew about Mueller. I knew that based solely on what she’d already told Maddie, but she had answered Beck’s questions.
“Don’t tell me you believe that little girl lost routine, Ellison? I thought you were smarter than that, and if not smarter, not so damn naive.”
“Naive? Are you serious, Agent Beck?”
“I don’t know, am I?”
“I hope not. Whoever Savannah was before, she isn’t that woman anymore. Not that I knew that version of her by anything but reputation.”
“And was that reputation good?”
I shrugged. “Honestly? Some of the guys referred to her as the Ice Queen, but I know that her father and brother easily discarded her when she was kidnapped, not something you’d do for someone who was an integral part of your organization, right?”
“Maybe,” she said, her tone petulant. Beck was quiet on the way back to the car and for the first minutes of the drive.
“Maybe you’re right, Ellison. Maybe she’s not the same woman, but I don’t trust Savannah O’Connor or Rhymer or whatever name she chooses next.”
“You don’t have to trust her to take her at her word, Beck. Let’s not get caught up in tunnel vision, or we’ll both get stuck on traffic duty.”
That pulled a reluctant smile from Beck and she laughed. “Tell me, Rookie of the Week, what you found on Mueller.”
I took the dig without comment, noting I gave the experienced agent unsolicited advice on how to do her job. “Not much, honestly. The truth is Dietrich Mueller didn’t exist until twelve years ago. I’m still digging, but I’ll let you know what I find.”
There was something strange about Mueller, and now that I had a small piece of the thread, I wouldn’t stop tugging until I had all the answers. “What if Bonnie Ashby was just collateral damage?”
“It’s a theory. Maybe she went to Mueller for confession, but the fact that he was a known associate of the Ashby’s biggest enemy, it’s unlikely.”
She was right, and I wanted to share with her what Maddie had told me, but I didn’t trust her one bit, and I sure as hell didn’t want Maddie involved in this investigation if she didn’t need to be.
Instead, I asked, “So what do you think she was doing there?”
“I think she was either there to set up Mueller and got double-crossed, or she was feeding him information on the Ashby Organization and that got her killed. If I could figure out which, I’d know who to arrest.”
“Then I guess we better get some answers,” I said.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Madison
“This place is…nice.” I dropped two boxes in what would be the living room of Jameson’s brand new, never before lived in condo, taking in the details with a wistful sigh.
“Nice? You’re the only person I know who can make ‘nice’ sound like a bad thing. You don’t like it?” Jameson fisted his hands on his hips and looked around the two-bedroom condo with fresh eyes. “What’s wrong with it?”
“Wrong?” I threw my head back and laughed. “Nothing at all is wrong. This place is great. Hell, I’ve never lived in a place that nobody else has ever lived in before, with brand new appliances, brand new carpet. You did good, Jamie.”
I didn’t know how to explain it so I went for blunt honesty. “I just assumed you’d go for someplace bigger or flashier, I guess. I mean, you can afford it.”
“True and I thought about getting a house that I could grow into over the years with a big backyard, a grilling area, and a pool. All of that.”
“But?” I rolled my wrist for him to spit out what he was getting at.
“But…a rookie cop living in a big house in a nice neighborhood would draw the wrong kind of attention. It’d be a good way for a colleague with a grudge to fuck up my chances at a promotion.”
Jameson shook his head and raked a hand through his thick, dark hair, his frustration rolling off of him in waves.
“That’s a shitty way to live, Jamie. You sure this is what you want your life to be?”
He let out a bark of laughter. “I’m sure. It’s more political bullshit than I thought I’d have to put up with, but so far, it’s been worth it. And I have a small grill on the patio, a weight room and pool over by the clubhouse. It’s a gated community, so it’s all good.”
