Hell Is Burning (19 page)

The man stared at him. “I’ll take it that you were told to share? If not, why the hell are you here?”

“I’m here because we both lost a good detective. You seem to forget that Brynn Westmore-Briggs was one of mine too, Gary.”

He didn't forget.

“Oh, I’m aware. I just didn't plan on letting the all mighty homicide roll over our rights. She is ours now, and we want to investigate it.”

Chris kept moving toward him, refusing to be intimidated. Part of his job was to be tough, and the rest was to stand up for his people.

“I’m coming here to ask for your cooperation. It’s out of the spirit of the brotherhood.”

Ford heard comments about Emma Croft but had to let them go. He gave the vice cop a dirty look. While the world thought the Crofts were on the take, he knew the truth. They were sacrificing their lives to help clean up this city.

That deserved his loyalty.

Right to the end.

Finally, Sherwood relented. “Come on in and we’ll discuss this in my office,” he stated, closing the door behind the man. Once inside, the mood shifted. “Chris, I’m sorry about that, but I had to play tough,” stated Gary Sherwood. “You know how it is.”

The man took a seat. “Yeah, I do. I completely understand, Gary. This is one hell of a shit mess, and it’s on both our doorsteps.”

“What can you tell me?”

“Off the record?” Ford asked.

“Yeah, it will be. You know I have your back. We’ve been friends a long time.”

That was good enough for Chris.

“One of your detectives was having an affair with a married woman, we have three dead females, and no idea where to start this investigation.”

“Who’s running it out of your house?”

“Croft.”

“Is that wise? She’s married to a dirty Fed.”

“He’s not dirty, Gary. You have to trust me on this one. Would I ever back people who were on the take?”

He thought about it. “No, you would kick their asses.”

“I hate the Feds, but Greyson Croft is a decent man. He’s my friend. You know I don’t take many on in my life. You have to prove yourself to me, and then I let you in. I call Greyson and Emma Croft my friends.”

It spoke volumes.

“Okay. I’ll trust you.”

“You have to. They’re damn good as a team. They’ll find the person who killed Brynn.”

“Which of my people was having the affair?” Gary Sherwood asked.

“Her partner. We have DNA confirmation, so before you tell me that’s not possible, we have him locked down.”

“Oh, come on! McGuire knows better. This is a mess,” Gary Sherwood said.

“Yeah, I know.”

“The second we saw her name come up on the news, we knew there was going to be a hot mess. Then my detectives saw who was working it, and it practically exploded.”

“She’ll stick and finish this,” he reassured.

“It’s hard to put your faith in someone who owns more property than God. That’s why my men are riled up. For Christ’s sake, she owns my apartment building!”

Ford understood. “The Crofts are good people, and they own mine too, but that’s not her fault. She inherited Mason’s mess. We have to look at her spotless record, and trust that she’ll hold up under the task at hand.”

He knew his friend was right. “Okay, what do you need from us?”

“Emma and Greyson went over to interview your detective. We both know he’s going to cry representation.”

“I would if I was him.”

“As would I, but we want to keep this quiet. Brynn’s got a husband, and this sucks for him too. He may be a Fed, but if he finds out that your guy was jumping Brynn’s bones, we’re going to have a bigger mess. Someone’s going to get hurt. I don’t think that’s what we want or need right now.”

He had a point. “What can I do?”

“We need all the files for the cases that they were working on, even if they closed them in the last month or so.”

“You think she crossed paths with the killer while on the job?”

“Yeah, we do, Gary. How else did she fall into this?” Ford kept what he knew close to the vest. His allegiance lay with his detective and head Fed, even though he and Gary went way back.

“Okay, I can do that. In exchange, I want something back from your department.”

“You know we can’t give you the case, and I can’t let your team in. It’s conflict of interest. We have a serial killer, and Brynn got in the crossfire. The FBI is assisting now that we have three victims.”

He was aware.

“I want to question my detective. I’ll get a whole lot more out of him, and then we can avoid this IAB mess. We don’t need the internal affairs cops in on this. My house had some issues in the past, and I’m working on cleaning it up. You know me, Chris. I run a tight ship, and I’ll play fair with your detective if you bend a little.”

He was good with that. “Okay, but don’t pull punches. If my cops have to go at him another round, it’ll be no holds barred.”

Gary laughed. “Have I ever gone easy on someone?”

He supposed not. “Thank you, Gary. We have a deal.”

They shook hands.

“On the way out, look pissed and like you didn't get your way, okay?”

Ford laughed. “Sure thing. Want me to kick someone on my way to the door in a temper tantrum? There was that cop that made the comment about Emma Croft. I’d like to wipe the smirk off his puss.”

Gary grinned. “No, that’s okay. I’ll get you the interview transcripts as soon as I can.”

Chris went to leave.

“Ford?”

“Yeah?”

“Get the SOB who killed my detective. I need his head on a silver platter in order to keep my men from going rogue and getting in Emma Croft’s way. I can only hold them back for so long, and you know it.”

Chris knew there’d be justice. By the time the Crofts were done with this killer, there wouldn’t be much left.

He’d bet on it.

* * *
  Croft & Croft  * * *

Wednesday Afternoon

When the Crofts arrived in the conference room at the FBI building, the team was already working. They had a whiteboard set up and were adding all the details from the victims’ lives.

It made their jobs a lot easier that their team knew the routine. Paris was working on the profile, Tessa and Mace were digging into the dead women’s pasts, and it looked like they were making progress.

Greyson was about to offer to buy them lunch when his phone began ringing. Glancing down, he saw it was his brother.

“Yo, Dante, what’s up? We’re about to start working on the case. What’s wrong?”

“He’s gone!”

“What?” Croft asked. “What do you mean he’s gone? You were supposed to be babysitting Curtis!”

Everyone looked up.

“I know!”

“Then how the bloody hell did you lose him in our freaking living room?”

“He wanted Chinese, but they don’t deliver to this place, so I had to walk around the block to get it. He was in his room when I left and I figured it was okay. I mean…I was only gone fifteen minutes, and he bailed.”

“Shit!”

Greyson didn't know where he’d go.

“It gets worse.”

He didn't like that at all.

“What do you mean by that?”

“I went into his room, and he had one of your work tablets. It was open, and logged into your email.”

That was a very bad thing. All the reports were in his email. “Shit! He took my spare from our bedroom! I’m going to kick his nosey ass!”

Emma began looking more and more worried.

“He read the autopsy reports, and he boosted Emma’s Navigator. I checked and security said he rolled out with it a few minutes ago. It’s gone.”

Emma was watching her husband.

“He stole your ride, honey.” It was official. He was going to kill the man when he got his hands on him.

“Is the safe locked up? I placed his sidearm and clutch piece in there.”

Dante looked. “Yes. I don’t think he left here armed, but who knows if he robbed a gun shop at this point. He’s already hacked the FBI server and stole a cop’s car. What wouldn’t he do?”

Dante had a point.

“Okay, I can find him. Stay there and if he comes back, let me know. You have my permission to knock him out and handcuff him to a chair.”

“Will do.”

Croft hung up. “Tessa, find my wife’s vehicle.”

She grabbed her tablet and began searching. When the tablet sounded, she read off the address.

Emma stood there staring. “You lo-jacked my ride without telling me? Are you freaking kidding me, Grey? You had me GPS’d? I’m a cop for Christ’s sake!”  She was horrified.

“Sue me. We had people trying to kill us. If it’s any consolation, my vehicle is tagged too. It was a precaution in case either of us went missing--AGAIN!”

He had a point.

It calmed her down.

Tessa wanted to laugh. She loved working with the Crofts. They were entertaining as hell. “I have it boss. It’s just pulling to a stop outside a house.”

She rattled off the location.

“Shit!”

He knew that address because they’d just been there to do an interview. Curtis was going to do something so stupid unless they stopped him.

Running from the room, Emma was right behind him. They didn’t have a lot of time to save their loved one from ruining his life.

Curtis Briggs was a dead man when he got his hands on him.

When they finally arrived at the address, there was Emma’s Navigator. It was up on the curb, nearly decapitating a fire hydrant. Obviously, Curtis had been in one hell of a hurry to get there.

Before he could get angry over her vehicle’s treatment, Greyson heard one hell of a commotion from inside the man’s house.

They were just in time for round one.

Great!

Racing up the stairs, Emma had her gun pulled just in case. Instead, Greyson planned on beating some sense into the men. As they pushed open the door, someone slammed into the wall.

The whole place shook.

It looked like Curtis had lost his mind. Apparently, being a suspect wasn’t enough, but now he wanted to toss in assault on a cop to it too.

Croft jumped the flipped couch and raced headlong into the mêlée. He already had a busted up nose. What was a few more bumps and bruises.

It was a shitty week anyway.

He dodged a punch, and under his breath he began swearing up a storm. If Curtis didn't get his ass kicked, he was going to be doing it.

There was no doubt in his mind.

Greyson plowed into Curtis, pulling him off the bleeding cop. He could see his wife from his peripheral doing the same to the detective.

Fortunately, Detective McGuire wasn’t as far lost in the anger. As soon as Emma jumped in, he stopped fighting.

“I want him arrested! He assaulted me!”

It looked like he’d gotten in a few shots too. Both men were a bloody mess.

When he spoke, Curtis lunged again, and Greyson managed to keep him back.

“You were fucking my wife behind my back!” Curtis shouted. “You’re an asshole and ruined my marriage.”

“Hey! You couldn’t keep your wife happy. That’s on you, not me!”

Curtis went to reach for him, and nailed Greyson in the face again. Emma had enough. Since the detective was calmed down, she went to help her husband.
‘Accidentally’,
she nailed Curtis in the groin. He went to his knees.

Greyson tasted blood. “You’re not filing a report,” he stated, directing it at the other man.

“Why not? He assaulted me in my own home!”

Greyson played his favorite card. “If you do, your name is coming out in the media, and you’re going to look like the scumbag you are. You were shagging some man’s wife. You think there’s going to be a nice spin on that.”

Curtis gasped from the ground.

“He’s going to have everyone’s sympathy, and you’re going to be judged by the world as the jerk diddling a married woman. Do you want to go to your favorite bar and have everyone know you because of that?”

He closed his mouth.

“Good choice.”

“Get him out of my house. If he comes back, I don’t care what you say. I’m having him arrested. This was his one shot at me. From here on out, I shoot intruders who come into my house. It’s my right.”

It was the best outcome they could hope for at that point. At least they saved Curtis’s ass.