“Would have been too easy,” Cassidy said, her lips curling up in a mirthless smile.
“True. Then again, I’m not entirely sure Trevor Baker would have been completely truthful even if he’d seen something.”
“I thought they were estranged?” Cassidy pressed.
“They are, but blood being thicker than water and all. I think Trevor feels guilty his brother’s life has been derailed.” Emma took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “But I have a hunch, and it’s strictly a hunch, that his brother may not feel the same way.”
“Why do you think that?”
“Because a police officer was attacked outside of Trevor Baker’s home. He may have been trying to set his brother up to look like the guilty party.”
“Trevor testified against Troy as part of his plea deal,” Cassidy murmured.
“Bingo,” Emma Parker replied. “And there’s your motive.”
Chapter Sixteen
The moment they ended the call, Jake radioed the colonel and asked him to meet them at the entrance to the RV lot. Minutes later, the man came striding down the hill, an assortment of uniformed techs following in his wake. “Tell me everything we know,” he demanded as they approached.
Jake smirked. “Not a tall order at all.”
But Cassidy didn’t hesitate. She launched right into “Troy Baker was the older brother of Airman Trevor Baker, the gentleman Agent Parker interviewed this afternoon.” She didn’t need to add anything about the attack. “I encountered the brothers one day when I was on duty at the base. We had the usual Sunday-afternoon backup at the gates to the base, so they called in extra Security Forces officers to help with clearance. I had a trainee working with me that day. I don’t recall his name, but I know he was green. Baker’s car was six or seven cars back from the checkpoint, but I could see one of the occupants was in uniform, so likely active duty coming back onto base. I thought it would be an easy pass, but I was wrong.”
The colonel nodded. “How did it go sideways?”
“They were arguing when we approached the car. Airman Baker wanted to get out and walk in, but for some reason his brother, Troy, was not having it.” She frowned as she cast her mind back. “I don’t recall his reasoning, but when we engaged with Airman Baker, it was apparent he was impaired.”
“Drunk?”
“We could smell alcohol, yes. But it was more his demeanor tipped us off. He was cagy. I’d even go so far as to say paranoid. He produced his identification and paperwork showing he had leave, but it ended at noon, and it was well past two when we spoke to him.”
“He was AWOL,” Aronson concluded.
“Technically, yes, he was. When I informed him of his status, he became defensive and belligerent. I asked him to step out of the vehicle. His brother finally spoke up, telling him he didn’t have to do what I told him to do, et cetera.” She waved a hand as if the rest of the exchange was not important. “We eventually placed Trevor Baker under arrest for various violations. When we patted him down, we found he was carrying narcotics onto base. The brother, Troy Baker, made noises about leaving, claiming we had no jurisdiction over him, he was on a public street, the whole nine yards. Jacksonville PD keeps a unit nearby for exactly these types of circumstances. I took Trevor Baker in. They took Troy, who was transporting a much more impressive array of drugs.”
“And you testified against Troy Baker in court,” Aronson confirmed.
“I did. But I think his beef with me may have more to do with the fact I recommended to the Advocate General’s Office that Airman Trevor Baker be given time served and a discharge if he testified against his brother as well.”
She met Aronson’s gaze then his. “Trevor took the deal, but Troy Baker blamed me for his brother’s betrayal.”
Jake scowled. “How do you know?”
Cass shrugged, then gave him a lopsided smile. “Because he told me as much that day in court.”
The colonel gave a short, jerky nod. “There you go.” He turned to survey the officers milling around them. “Let me digest this for a minute while I talk to the men.”
Cassidy sat with her eyes fixed on something in the distance. She was clearly deep in thought, no doubt trying to slot all the information and speculation into a narrative that made sense. Bitterness coiled inside him. She didn’t deserve this. She hadn’t done anything wrong—not then and not now.
“You okay?” He nudged her to rouse her from her reverie.
She startled, then flashed a sheepish little smile as she took the phone back from him. “Yeah, sorry, trying to see if there’s any other way to fit the pieces together.”
“Seems pretty cut and dried,” he reassured her.
Cass nodded quickly and turned her attention back to the screen. “Yeah. Maybe too much.” She tapped to open an email. “Oh, good. Bud sent a copy of the rental agreement from the amusement company.” She scanned the information. “Class C motorhome. Make, Windward. Model, Enterprise.” When her head popped up, she was smiling. “Says here it’s black.”
Jake turned to survey the lot. The majority of the vehicles parked there were beige, white or silver. When he met her eyes again, he returned the smile. “Excellent.”
