“I talked to the head of our drug squad already. Got nothing from him, but I planned to interview the guy in my department after I reviewed the folder.”
“What about Junior’s phone list?” Reed asked.
“Haven’t had a chance to even look at it yet.” Ian grabbed the stapled papers and glanced at the spreadsheet that Londyn had created. She’d highlighted the calls that went to untraceable prepaid phones.
He skimmed the list. “Looks like calls to his parents’ landline—quite a few the days before and the day he died. And his mother’s cell. The parents didn’t mention that. Give me a second, and I’ll give them a call to ask about it.”
He dialed the Flaggs’s home phone and was happy when Karen answered.
“It’s Detective Blair,” Ian said. “Do you have time for a few more questions?”
“Of course,” Karen said. “I meant it when I said, ‘whatever you need.’”
“I’m going to put you on speaker so my colleagues can listen. Is that okay?”
“Sure.”
“On the day Junior was shot and a few days prior, he called your home and your cell quite a few times. You didn’t mention that.”
“I didn’t, did I? Guess that’s because I didn’t think it mattered.” She paused for a long moment. “Junior went through dark periods, and he called me a lot during those times. I was on a plane on my way back from visiting my sister in New York, and couldn’t answer his calls. But I called him back the minute I landed.”
“And what did he have to say?”
“He told me again that he was going to have to make things right, and he was sorry if it impacted me negatively. He was a sensitive guy, and he always cared about how I felt.”
Malone shook her head, and Ian almost snorted. The Junior he’d known had never been sensitive. More like mean and demeaning. Maybe like his dad, but he could’ve been different deep down. Could’ve been the person his mother knew him to be when he was with her.
“But he never told you what this thing was that he had to make right?” Ian asked.
“No. And believe me, I asked. He said, when he had everything in place, he would tell me.”
“Did you have a guess?”
“I thought he’d found a way to get out from under that Olivo guy’s thumb. At least that’s what I hoped. Maybe he planned to testify against Olivo. I worried he would have to go into hiding if he did, but at least he would be safe.”
Ian knew that wasn’t the case and looked at the list again. “One of the calls to the house was answered, and Junior had a conversation with someone for ten minutes.”
“Had to be Gilbert, but he never told me about it.” Anger rang through her tone.
Something for Ian to ask Flagg Sr. “Have you come up with anything else you think might be helpful?”
“No, and trust me. I’ve been thinking about it nonstop.”
“If you do come up with something, please call me.”
She agreed and ended the call.
Ian set his phone on the table. “That wasn’t much help, but it seems Junior had two sides to his personality.”
“Would be difficult to grow up with a dad like his,” Malone said. “Has to form who you are, even if you don’t want it to.”
Ian worked hard not to let his mouth fall open. She as much as said he could be like his dad, no matter how much he tried not to be. Earlier, she’d suggested he could be a good husband. So, which did she believe?
“What about the other calls?” Reed asked.
“Restaurants, a drug store, and Tim Richardson, the friend Blake is interviewing.” Ian turned the page. “More texts than calls, and they’re the basic everyday things like arranging to hang out with the friend or about a woman they saw at a club. And ones to his mom that have the emotional tone she mentioned.”
“Makes sense that, if he was conducting drug business, he would use a burner for that.” Ian looked at Malone. “Is it possible the shooter took two phones that night?”
