“Plausible,” Chase responds. “Before we go there, how is Andrews coming with the girlfriend?”
“Didn’t look like it was going well,” I answer, while trying to tug on the clue threads we’ve got.
SSA groans, no doubt frustrated with the delay. “What did you get for forensics?”
I answer this one. “We found a handgun in a lock box under the bed. Most likely unrelated to the murder. Aside from the signs of struggle and the dead body, there isn’t much else to go on. Based on ERT’s remote analysis, all the fingerprints we’ve lifted thus far are of the vic or his girlfriend. What about you or the others? Find anything good?”
“Carson is seeing some connections between the vic and the casino shit, which is why I’m not a fan of the rival gang theory.”
“What did she find?” McBride prods.
“The victim’s cash flow doesn’t match his income, for starters. Not by a long shot. Significant deposits into his bank account, followed by a handful of large purchases for jewelry and electronics. Those deposits coincide with the times of each home invasion. Hemsley just texted me to say he’s found more video footage. So it’s looking like this case is giving us more leads than we’ve had on all the others combined. We’ll go over everything as a team back at the rig.”
I rub my palms together, eager to return. “We’ll be back as soon as Andrews wraps up with the girlfriend.”
She sighs, the heavy sound crackling the phone line. “As much as it pains me to say this, don’t rush him. You know I sent him for a reason.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Luke answers for me.
“One last thing,” SSA Chase starts, her tone oddly unsteady. “Hayes, you need to find out whether your contact is involved or not. Her life could be in grave danger. I know you’ve been playing it easy with her, but it’s time to turn up the pressure. If Troy Hartley was involved in the casino ring, perhaps he was a loose end and had to go. Lila could be another person ripe for pruning.”
All I can manage is a one-word response. “Understood.”
Pressing a metaphorical dagger against my chest, she adds, “Carson checked Lila’s phone records again. She sent a text to a burner phone last night.”
“What did it say?” I ask, teeth beginning to grind.
“It was vague. She asked for a meeting, and the mystery person on the other end replied that they’d be in touch soon with details. Nice and cryptic.”
“But suspicious as hell,” McBride replies for me, casting a concerned look my way.
I close my eyes, reluctantly asking, “Anything from Oak Winds on her yet?”
“Yeah.” Chase sighs loud enough to crackle the phone line. “Her table is one of the hot spots. They’re going through footage from the eye-in-the-sky cameras. She made the short list. All signs point to her involvement. Sorry, kid.”
Words fail me, but Chase thankfully isn’t waiting for my response. “See you back at command.”
Throughout this entire conversation, my little cloud technique has kept me protected from heavy emotions.
But my soul is clawing to get back inside me. Grudgingly, I tug that vapor back into my chest and sense my body become one with my emotions.
No longer cold and detached, I’m instantly socked with a paralyzing fear.
Lila’s face comes to the front of my mind.
At the end of our date last night, I gave up most hope of her innocence. Now, I’m faced with the realization that she’s mixed up with people who could do something as heinous as this murder.
If SSA Chase is right about the ring tying up loose ends, could Lila become the next victim?
Suddenly, the need to solve this case isn’t only about justice or preventing further violence. Now, I need to protect the woman who rarely escapes my thoughts. The woman who’s always held the broken scraps of my heart in her hand.
Even if those hands aren’t clean of wrongdoing.
I planned to let the dust settle a bit before contacting her again, especially considering how shitty last night’s date ended. Unfortunately, I don’t have the luxury of time anymore.
I check my watch. It’s barely eleven, which means I have time to set something up with Lila for this afternoon, assuming she’s off work today. And I’ll have to pull out all the stops to get her guard the rest of the way down.
Should I be direct and tell her precisely how dire things have gotten? Tell her I know she’s involved and that I’ll help her out of it if she’s honest with me. And can I do that and uphold my oath?
