“I’m not sure I everwillhave it figured out, though.” Wade’s smile seemed a bit more genuine now. “That’s one of the things I like about you.”
No, Jericho couldn’t let himself fall back into the trap. “Wade. Cut to the chase.”
Wade took a long swallow of his beer. “You probably already know all this. But in case you don’t, or in case you’re just looking at it from one perspective—there’s trouble coming. Out-of-state players coming in, upsetting the bikers, trying to do business in this territory. Obviously the first battle went to the bikers, but it’s not over, and the next time the out-of-staters won’t underestimate their enemy. It’s going to get bloody.”
“And would you be willing to testify to any facts that could support this idea?” Jericho watched Wade’s expression turn from incredulity to amusement. “No? Because, otherwise, you’re right. I probably already knew that. What we need now is proof, ways to stop further violence, possibly by arresting and convicting anyone involved. If you can’t help me with that, I’m not sure there’s much else to say.”
“The point of this conversation is that you don’t need to be involved. You’re here to clean up some police corruption. That’s important work. You should stay focused on that, and leave the other stuff to the feds. Cross-border issues are their business, right? Nothing you need to be in the middle of.”
“We should write this down. On this date, for the first time in history, Wade Granger agreed with federal law enforcement.” Jericho set his empty bottle on the counter. “I’m not in the middle of it. The feds aren’t letting me in, not at all.”
“Well, if that’s true, I’m very pleased. But are you sure it’s true?” Wade shook his head. “Scotty told me about the little scene at the garage. The feds making it clear they have no use for you. Seems a bit unprofessional of them, doesn’t it? Unless they had a reason for it.”
As usual, Wade’s thoughts were on the same path as Jericho’s, but way the hell further along. “So what was their reason?”
“To build your cred with the bikers. To help you get deeper inside their operation, so you can report back whatever you find. But the feds are pushing the wrong guy into the job.” Wade smiled fondly. “You’ve never been a good liar. You probably never did any undercover work, right? You’re too straightforward. Too honest. It’s one of your greatest weaknesses, Jay.”
“I’m sure I seem honest in comparison to you and your crowd, but that doesn’t mean I’m a bad liar, not compared to the rest of the world.”
“But that’s my point. You’re not in the rest of the world, now. You’re in Mosely. And you’re poking your nose into the business of people who—yeah, whoaremy crowd, more or less. People like me. You’ve been out swimming in the ocean for way too long, and now you’re crawling back into the shit and you think you’re going to be able to float. But they’ll—” He stopped himself. “We’ll. We’ll pull you under. And your federal friends don’t care, as long as you can give them some useful intel before you drown.”
“That’s quite a metaphor. You thought about maybe dropping the whole life of crime and becoming a poet?”
“You thought about maybe dropping the whole law-enforcement thing and staying the fuck alive?” Wade was intense, now. Real. His eyes had caught Jericho’s and wouldn’t let go. “The feds are trying to get you in with the bikers. They’ve worked you out, and they know how hungry you are to prove them wrong. They’ve been poking at you, accusing you of being dirty? So you’re dying to show them you’re a good cop, and they know you’ll take risks to make that happen. The fuckers are playing you, Jay. Absolutely.”
“They’re playing me to make me do my job?” Jericho tried to stay cynical and remote, but it wasn’t easy. Not when everything Wade was saying fit together so well. “They don’t have to do that. I would have done my job anyway.”
“But your job isn’t getting in tight with bikers. Is it? Your job is to help Kayla manage her department, and help her sort through all this corruption crap. The feds don’t want you doing that—” He held his hands up quickly to forestall Jericho’s words. “Not because they’re dirty. They’re not worried about what you’re going to find. They just want to use you for their case, not for Kayla’s.”
“You think they’re that manipulative? Seriously?”
“Yeah.” Wade finished his beer. “I think they are. But the thing is? Manipulating you really isn’t that hard. It’s not a sign that they’re master puppeteers or anything. You’reeasy. You wear your heart on your damn sleeve, your reactions are predictable, your damnconscienceis practically visible to the naked eye.” He stepped a little closer. “You’re a good guy. That’s the problem. Being a good guy in a mess like this? It’s going to get you dead.”
Jericho tried to swallow. He didn’t want to see himself in Wade’s words, but he couldn’t deny the basic truth of them. Wade had always been crafty, the perceptive one who sat back and watched and understood as Jericho flailed around. And that had been when they were just kids. In the years since, Jericho had spent all his time in jobs where he’d been required to follow orders and procedures, where thinking for himself had been generally discouraged. Even as a detective he’d worked homicide, where the crime had already been committed and all he’d had to do was prove what had happened.
Wade, on the other hand? Wade had been in Mosely, wading through shit. Figuring things out, and probably getting even better at it than he’d already been. Jericho couldn’t ignore his opinion. But he couldn’t trust him, either.
“You’ve got no ulterior motives, here? You came over as a concerned citizen, wanting to help protect a public servant?”
“I don’t think of you as a nameless public servant. You know that. You can think what you want about my business, my character, any damn thing. But don’t be stupid enough to think I don’t care about you.”
Jericho should have had a response. A defense, an attack—something. Instead, he just stood there, and so did Wade, mercifully silent for a change.
They were still staring at each other when Jericho’s cell buzzed. He half turned, enough to not be looking at Wade when he answered the call.
“Crewe,” he said, trying to keep his voice level.
“Are you working with the feds now?” Kayla demanded loudly enough to carry to Wade’s ears. “Jesus Christ, Jay, I did not authorize this, and I don’t think it’s a good idea.”
“Wait, what?” Jericho needed a second to catch up. Wade’s theorizing was one thing, but Kayla was talking like it was already accepted fact. He tried to form a coherent response. “I don’t know what they’re up to. I didn’t agree to anything. They’re—” Well, it was stupid to try to deny it. “They’re playing some game, yeah. But you’re my boss. I work for you, not them.”
“You’re goddamn right you do.” She sighed. “Okay. So if I go yell at them for involving my under-sheriff without my permission, they’re not going to have any comeback for that? They can’t make it about me not having proper control over my department?”
Jericho tried to put himself into Hockley’s mindset. It was a creepy place to be. He thought back to the confrontation at the fire site, the way Hockley had been pushing for a fight. Pushing, or testing Jericho? “They might say I involved myself by poking my nose into their business. But again, I can’t know what their businessiswithout them telling me. They never explicitly said to stay away from Scotty Hawk’s place or the bikers.”
“Yeah.” Then she added, “Look, if they’ve already done this, I can maybe use it. Do you want me to? Like, should I say that they’d better not do it again, but what’s done is done, and you’ll go along with whatever they’re planning, as long as they let you right into the investigation. If you want, I can say they can go ahead, as long as you’re a partner, not a pawn. Do you want me to do that?”
Jericho knew Wade was probably right. He wasn’t made for this sort of delicate situation, hadn’t learned to interpret and use the subtle shifts in Mosely criminal power. He was in over his head, and didn’t know how to swim. At least, not how to swim in shit. Still, he said, “Yeah. If you can do that, it’d be great. I want in.”
