I didn’t believe her, but I couldn’t bring myself to threaten someone who’d been caught in a mess that was out of their control. I started to walk out the door.
“What did you do to piss them off?” she asked.
I turned back. “Why do you think I pissed them off?”
A grim smile twisted her lips. “I may just be the accountant, but I’ve heard things. They had cops on the payroll to look the other way or help things along, but every so often, there’d be a cop who asked too many questions or refused to go along with what Simmons wanted.” She paused a beat. “They usually didn’t last long.”
“He got them fired?” I asked.
“Or killed.”
I stared at her, then shut the door. This wasn’t a conversation that should be overheard. “I can’t see how they could get away with killing a cop in the line of duty.”
She released a bitter laugh. “Harper, that would be too suspicious. They usually took care of it when they were off the clock. A heart attack or a car accident. I’m pretty sure one guy ‘accidentally’ fell off a ladder.” She used air quotes around accidentally. “When I heard about your case, I instantly thought you’d pissed someone off. Maybe it wasn’t planned, but they sure saw an opportunity and took advantage of it.”
While I’d come to believe that I’d been set up, Natalie Crowe’s evaluation threw me.
“What?” she asked with a bitter laugh. “You don’t believe me?”
I shook my head as I came back to my senses. “No. I believe you. I’m still trying to wrap my head around it.”
“This seriously never occurred to you?” she asked in disbelief.
“Not the way you put it.”
“Girl, you better watch your back,” she said. “As big as Gerald Knox is, he’s bound to have cops on his own payroll—probably the same ones Simmons used. If they find out you’re trying to bust the source of their bonus money, they won’t stop until you do.”
A shiver ran down my spine. “Thanks. I think.”
She folded her hands on the desk in front of her. “I’ll see if I can dig up some of the cops’ names, but it might take me a while. I hid Simmons’s involvement with the police from the Feds. That information may not be readily accessible now.”
“Why didn’t you hand it over?”
“Because there was every chance the agents I was dealing with were dirty. Maybe they weren’t on J.R.’s payroll, but they could have been on Knox’s or someone else’s. It’s hard to trust anyone with a badge when you realize how many cops are working for drug czars and crime lords.”
I grimaced. “How many are we talking about?”
“Depends on if you’re talking about street cops or detectives. The higher level? I’d say five to ten percent.”
I gasped. “No.”
She made a face. “I’ll try to get access to those records. We’ll see if you recognize any of the names.”
“Thanks,” I said, still shocked at her admission.
“Yeah. I’ll pass this info on to Carter too.”
I nodded in acknowledgment, then left her office to catch up to James, my mind still reeling.
Chapter 16
I found James on the sidewalk in front of the building, his phone pressed to his ear. He glanced up at me with a frown and said into the phone, “Keep me updated.” He lowered the phone and ended the call.
“Was that Carter?” I asked.
“Yeah. He says he’ll have two guys here within the hour, with twenty-four-hour surveillance. They’ll be unobtrusive, so they shouldn’t hinder her movement, but she’ll have a panic button to press should she need them in her office or home.”
“That can’t be cheap.”
