“Hey,” Scarlet said, “it’s over. It’s really over.”
“There’s going to be huge fall-out at L.A.P.D. and the district attorney’s office,” Krista said. “Did you see the headlines this morning?”
“You mean the one about Deputy District Attorney Matt Hamilton arrested for attempted murder and conspiracy? Yeah, couldn’t miss it.”
“You okay?”
“I will be. I’m not going to lose any more sleep over something that happened three and a half years ago.”
“About Matt.”
“I know what you meant, and the statement still stands.”
And it did. She’d probably have to talk about it at some point, but not now. Matt survived his wounds and would be going to jail. He was under guard at a different hospital, and he wouldn’t be walking away from this.
Scarlet and Krista made it outside, where Alex had waited for them. He helped Scarlet into the passenger seat of his sedan and Krista slid into the back seat.
“I’m supposed to take you to Richardson,” Alex said, “but I can pretend I forgot.”
“I don’t know why he wants to talk to me. I gave him my statement.”
“So did I,” Krista said from the backseat.
Alex turned into traffic. “Ben Vartarian resigned this morning and is in a conversation with the feds to turn state’s evidence against Hamilton, his cousin, and a host of other people. Richardson thinks the feds will give him immunity.”
Scarlet hated that part of the process, but she understood it. If they could take down everyone who had been working for Vartarian, they could clean house. They had to. The citizens of Los Angeles needed to have their faith in the system restored.
She didn’t realize she’d fallen asleep until Alex gently woke her when they arrived at the main L.A.P.D. headquarters. “We don’t have to do this now,” he whispered.
“Let’s get it over it,” she said. “And then… shit.”
“What?”
“You said my apartment was trashed. I don’t know…. You can take me to my dad’s.”
“You’ll stay with me,” Krista said.
“You and your annoying parrot who hates me?”
“He’s a Macaw.”
“I’m taking you to my place,” Alex said. “It’s not up for discussion.”
“Okay,” Scarlet said happily. “Does the visit include a neck massage?”
He glanced at her and winked. “If you’re really, really good.”
Alex dropped Krista and Scarlet off at the main entrance of police headquarters and told them to go up to Richardson’s office. “I’ll wait for you down here,” he said and watched them go into the building.
Krista glanced over her shoulder as the doors closed behind them. “Alex is a good guy,” she said. “I’m glad you forgave him.”
“Yeah, well, he’ll make it up to me, I’m sure. He gives great back massages.” She glanced at Krista. “And what about R.J.?”
“What about R.J?”
“Come on, don’t keep me in the dark. You slept with him, didn’t you?” Scarlet said.
“Yep.”
“And?”
“And it’s none of your business.”
“I’ll get you drunk. You’ll tell me everything.”
Krista laughed. “Maybe I will.”
John rounded the corner. “I’m glad to see you both in a good mood. I can’t believe they released you this early.” He frowned. “You had a concussion. A broken ankle. Two cracked ribs.”
“I’m patched up and I accepted pain meds so I’m not hurting.” She was hurting, but she wasn’t going to tell her brother that.
“Everyone’s in the conference room.”
“Everyone?”
John didn’t respond. He led the way down the hall and into one of the more formal conference rooms in headquarters. In additional to Kyle Richardson, Brozik and FBI Supervisory Special Agent Faye Clarke were there.
“I’ve already given my statement,” Scarlet said. She gratefully accepted the chair John pulled out for her.
“Yes,” Faye said, “but I wanted to personally thank you for all your help. And apologize. I told Detective Richardson not to bring you into our investigation. I still think that I was right in that call—I didn’t know you—but I should have debriefed you myself after we arrested Mercer in September. I would have learned a lot from you and we wouldn’t have wasted so much time. But I have to think about my agents and how to best protect them. We had two agents in deep cover. One of them you met two days ago, and because you were able to contact John on your own, his cover wasn’t blown. He would have saved Detective Bishop if it came down to it, but fortunately, he didn’t have to. And he wanted me to pass on that he was sorry you were hurt, that he would have intervened if necessary to save your life. He was the escape driver who would have taken Hamilton and Vartarian from the house, and he was prepared to find a way to leave you on a road somewhere.”
Scarlet didn’t think that was a good plan. They’d intended to kill her at the house—not take her with them—until the police showed up and changed their plans. But she decided not to say anything.
“The point is, we still need his cover,” the fed said. “Even now, none of Vartarian’s people know who my agent was.”
“So you’re saying I was never in any real danger?” She didn’t believe it. Jim wasn’t inside Diana’s house. He wasn’t in the room when they’d drugged her, interrogated her, and planned on killing her.
“No—that’s not it.”
Scarlet’s sarcasm must have shined through because Kyle Richardson cleared his throat and said, “Ben Vartarian is cooperating and we’ve already started the warrant and indictment process for the corrupt officials and the jurors who were blackmailed or bribed. Not to mention conspiracy—the murder of Officer Gina Perez, the attempted murders of you and Ms. Hart, your kidnapping, and a host of other felonies.”
“What about Gabe Stone?” Scarlet asked.
“He’s cooperating as well. We haven’t decided what charges we’ll be filing against him, but he won’t come out unscathed.”
Krista said, “He did help even knowing his life would be in danger.”
“We’ll take that under advisement,” Faye said.
“Scarlet,” Richardson said, “I have permission from the Police Chief to offer you back your gold shield, working for Special Operations. You would be working on a different team from me and John, but the chief wants you back. You should never have been railroaded out in the first place.”
Scarlet was stunned. She couldn’t speak.
Krista said, her voice very quiet, “You’re a cop at heart, Scarlet. You always have been. Your blood runs blue.”
Scarlet looked from John to Richardson to Krista. Then back to Richardson. “Krista’s right—I am a cop at heart. But I have a job with a partner I trust with my life. I couldn’t go back, even if everyone welcomed me with open arms.” She snorted. That wouldn’t happen. It didn’t matter that she helped take down a bad cop like Mercer or a bad prosecutor like Matt. Half the force would hate her. “I like what I do. I like the freedom. And mostly, I like the fact that I have a partner who has never once doubted me.” She took a deep breath. “But thank you. Seriously—thank you.”
Richardson nodded, but it was Brozik who said, “Your file has been cleaned. The I.A. investigation is no longer a black mark. If you ever want to come back, all you have to do is call.”
“Thank you—but I won’t. Unless it’s to invite you all to my dad’s house for a barbecue one Sunday.” She looked around the table again. “So is that it?”
Richardson nodded. “And I would enjoy a barbecue.”
Out of all of them, Richardson was her favorite—though Scarlet still wasn’t happy about being kept out of the loop, even if it was the feds who insisted.
Faye said, “Be available, both of you, for follow-up questions. You’ll also be contacted about depositions and testimony, should any of these indictmen
ts lead to a trial. This situation isn’t going to disappear overnight, but we’re hoping to resolve it as quickly as possible.”
“You have our number,” Scarlet said.
She pushed herself up and Krista handed her the crutches. “And don’t forget,” Krista said, “we’re licensed private investigators who are happy to work with law enforcement or the district attorney’s office on any cases that you need expert help with.” She dropped a stack of cards on the table. Scarlet almost laughed. Krista, always looking for the good assignments. She loved her enthusiasm.
They walked out alone. Krista said, “Scarlet—you don’t have to turn down the job just because of me. I’m not going to hold you to your promise.”
Scarlet stopped walking and turned to face her best friend. “I didn’t turn it down because of you. I turned it down because I don’t want it.” She took a deep breath and thought about how she realized that truth. Because a week ago, she would have sold her soul to get back on the force. “My blood may be blue, but I’m no longer a cop. I can’t go back. I meant what I said—I need someone I trust to have my back. I trust you. I really love being a P.I.” She hesitated. “Most of the time.”
Krista smiled. “We’ll get a lot of publicity since we helped the L.A.P.D. and the FBI on a major corruption case. It’s a new year… a new beginning. I think this is a start to a beautiful—”
“Don’t. You. Dare.” Scarlet shook her head and barely contained the laugh that threatened to burst. “I can’t drink while on these pain pills, so let’s convince Alex to take us for ice cream. Not quite the same as a cold beer, but it’ll have to do.”
###
The Moreno & Hart series:
CRASH AND BURN (#1)
HIT AND RUN (#2)
FROSTED (#2.5, a novella)
LOST AND FOUND (#3)
ALLISON BRENNAN
Allison Brennan is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than two dozen thrillers and numerous short stories. She’s been nominated for multiple awards, including the Thriller from ITW and the RITA from RWA, and she won the Daphne du Maurier award in 2008 for Fear No Evil. Her next release is POISONOUS, book three in the Maxine Revere cold case mystery series. She lives in Northern California with her husband, five children and assorted pets. For information, excerpts and more, visit her website http://allisonbrennan.com.
ALLISON BRENNAN Booklist
By Series
Maxine Revere Series
Maximum Exposure (novella)
Notorious
Compulsion
Poisonous (4.12.16)
The Ex-Wife (Spring 2017)
Lucy Kincaid/Sean Rogan Series
Love Me to Death
Love is Murder (novella)
Kiss Me, Kill Me
If I Should Die
Silenced
Stalked
Reckless (novella)
Stolen
Cold Snap
Dead Heat
Best Laid Plans
No Good Deed
Untitled #10.5 (Summer 2016, novella)
The Lost Girls (Fall 2016)
Don’t Say a Word (Winter 2017)
Moreno & Hart Mysteries (with Laura Griffin)
Crash and Burn
Hit and Run
Frosted (novella)
Lost and Found
River City Mysteries
Killing Justice (3 short stories)
Murder in the River City
Aim to Kill
Seven Deadly Sins Series (supernatural thrillers)
Original Sin
Carnal Sin
Ghostly Justice (novella)
Mortal Sin
FBI Trilogy
Sudden Death
Fatal Secrets
Cutting Edge
Prison Break Trilogy
Killing Fear
Tempting Evil
Playing Dead
No Evil Trilogy
Speak No Evil
See No Evil
Fear No Evil
Predator Trilogy
The Prey
The Hunt
The Kill
LAURA GRIFFIN
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Laura Griffin started her career in journalism before venturing into the world of romantic suspense. She is a two-time RITA Award winner as well as the recipient of the Daphne du Maurier Award. Laura currently lives in Austin, where she is working on her next book. Visit her at www.LauraGriffin.com or www.Facebook.com/LauraGriffinAuthor.
LAURA GRIFFIN Booklist
By Series
Tracers Series
Deep Dark (Spring 2016)
Shadow Fall
Beyond Limits
Exposed
Scorched
Twisted
Snapped
Unforgivable
Unstoppable (novella)
Unspeakable
Untraceable
Alpha Crew Series
At the Edge (Spring 2016)
Edge of Surrender (Spring 2016)
Glass Sisters Series
Whisper of Warning
Thread of Fear
Borderline Series
One Wrong Step
One Last Breath
Standalone
Far Gone
Moreno & Hart Mysteries (with Allison Brennan)
Crash and Burn
Hit and Run
Frosted (novella)
Lost and Found
Lost and Found Page 22