Shepherd sighed again. “There are things at play in Richmond that we absolutely cannot become involved in. I declined the case after I made the referral to the Richmond IAB regarding the dead body and Donna Saxton’s eyewitness account.”
Everyone at the table was shocked by his statement.
“Who presented the case to you?” Burke asked.
“Manning. The dead man was one of his agents, been undercover with a major supplier for six months. Local police involvement was suspected. The UA confirmed it prior to going quiet.”
They all knew that the undercover agent had gone quiet because Davis had killed him.
“So is Davis involved with the drug ring and he killed the UA because they figured out that he was a Fed, or did he kill him just because he was a drug dealer?” Burke theorized aloud.
“Not our monkey, not our circus, team. You are all on leave. And we have a full lineup of cases beginning January second. I cannot rearrange leave time and maintain our packed schedule. That’s one of the reasons I declined this case,” Shepherd said.
“Were there other reasons?” Wilson asked.
Shepherd’s gaze went to Burke and then Laura Lee. “This information will not be shared with Dorthea or Donna Saxton. And Laura Lee,” he began, using her first name, which was ararity, “if you have any issues because of it, I expect you to reach out to Lassiter before you go to Virginia.” He was silent for a moment, his stare at her was intense. “It is believed that your father was killed because of his involvement with a career criminal who later rose in the ranks to lead this drug ring.”
“Involvement? No way!” Laura Lee erupted. “My father would never have been involved in anything illegal, certainly not drugs. He was a good cop!”
“Your father’s name was reported by this UA as an initial point of compromise within the Richmond P.D. to establish the longevity of the compromise within the department,” Shepherd said.
“Point of compromise? He’s been dead for over a decade! Why would his name even come up after all these years? That’s suspect in itself,” Laura Lee argued.
“Perhaps,” Shepherd agreed. “As I said, this is not our case, and you are not to insert yourselves into it in any shape or form. You go in, pack up the moving truck, and get the hell out of there.”
“Sir, I would gladly give up my leave time to help get to the bottom of this,” Laura Lee said.
The others at the table all nodded their agreement, several muttering, “Me too.”
“Denied,” Shepherd said. Then his gaze swept over the others. “That goes for all of you, too. You have your orders.”
“Was Leo Davis on the force before Charles Saxton was killed?” Burke asked.
Shepherd’s sharp gaze landed on him. “You have your orders,” he repeated.
“Shepherd, please hear me out,” Burke said. “If Davis knew Charles Saxton, regardless of either man’s involvement with this head of the drug ring, his interest in Donna might not be what it appears to be. Whether Davis is dirty or not, because of his connection to Laura Lee and Donna through their father, we’ve got an in with him that no one else Manning can send has. If he’s dirty, we can use him and maybe flip him with a deal. If he’s clean, we can gain his trust and help him bring the ring down. If there are officers from the Richmond PD working with or covering up this ring’s activities, they have to be shut down and prosecuted.”
“And if Manning doesn’t have anyone else currently on the ground there, how long will it take to get someone in and trusted?” Wilson added. “I agree. We have a unique opportunity to drop right into this case.”
Shepherd considered it. “There’s one more reason I denied this case.” His gaze went back to Saxton for a moment before he rose from the conference table. He retrieved a file folder from his desk and then returned to his seat. “It’s the identity of the head of the ring.” He pulled out a picture that was obviously a surveillance photo. It was a Black man with graying hair. “Do you recognize this man?” He held the picture up to Saxton.
She studied it. “No.”
He pulled another photo from inside the folder. “How about this one?” He held it up. It was a booking picture of the same man from twenty-plus years earlier.
Recognition came to Laura Lee, and she stopped breathing. She was transported back in time to a dark alley, the hot and humid night air thick with smoke. The gunshot echoed through her thoughts as she remembered the night her biological father, Denzel Lee, was killed in front of her.
“Laura?” Dupont asked, his hand taking hold of her hand under the table. “Who is it?”
“It’s the man who killed my birth father, Denzell Lee,” she said.
“His name is La Vonn Jefferson,” Shepherd said. “He’s believed to have killed both Denzell Lee and Charles Saxton.”
The room spun for Laura Lee. She grabbed hold of the table for stability with the hand that was not being held by Dupont. And under the table, that hand clenched his.
“Fuck,” Burke cursed.
“No fucking way,” Rogers said.
