“What happened next?”
“I panicked. There was so much blood and I didn’t know what else to do. I couldn’t call the police. They’re so corrupt, they would’ve arrested me on the spot. They’re all corrupt. I couldn’t trust them.”
“What did you do?”
“I wrapped him in five trash bags, and put him into my freezer.”
“You put your dad in the freezer and covered him with ice. That’s why you bought the bags of ice.”
“After a week, he started to smell. I had to get rid of his body, but I didn’t have my car. It was in the workshop. When Chow paid me to take his car, I knew it was my opportunity to get rid of his body.”
“And you drove the Jaguar to your apartment, put your father in the trunk, and then drove it to the reserve.”
“Li picked me up afterwards. She said she was proud of me. That all our troubles were now gone.” Rhys shook his head. “Chow didn’t know I burned the car. He thought someone else did it. That it was a coincidence.” He wiped his eyes and looked up. “But it was self-defense. Sid tried to attack me. Sid wanted to attack me. I was defending myself. I didn’t do anything wrong.”
“Rhys McCann, the time for lies is over. You called your father to your apartment, punched him, and then dumped his body in the river a week later.” Hunter stared at the man on the witness stand. “That’s not self-defense. That’s cold-blooded murder.”
Hunter had a killer. He had an arsonist. A fraudster.
But he didn’t have a dirty cop.
Not yet.
Chapter 43
Joy filled the room in the Italian restaurant off Halsted St.
The restaurant was the Steele family’s favorite—it was the place that had seen so many celebrations for their family, so many successes. The restaurant owner was a good friend, and he heartily filled their plates with pasta and cups with wine, joining in on the success of the court case. Nathan was louder than usual, unable to contain his excitement, Mary-Ann couldn’t wipe the grin off her face, and Esther’s broad smile lit up the room.
Satisfaction was the strongest feeling for Hunter—satisfaction that he had kept Mary-Ann out of prison, satisfaction that Nina Aisha was soon to be freed, and satisfaction that the house of justice, the house he had faith in, still stood strong.
“We cannot thank you enough,” Nathan Steele shook Hunter’s hand again. It was the fifth time in the past hour. “What you did in the courtroom was amazing. We have our lives back. We were set-up by that creep, and now he’s the one in prison. That’ll teach him to mess with good people.”
“Well, at least teach him not to mess with Tex Hunter.” Mary-Ann smiled, reaching across to rub his arm. “Thank you so, so much, Tex. I can’t thank you enough. All this stress, all these worries, I’ll be able to put them behind me and move on.
“So what happens now?” Nathan drank more of the red wine. “Apart from more celebrating, of course.”
He clinked his glass with Esther’s, smiles beaming across the room. They were unable to contain it, unable to hold it in any longer. The drops of red wine spilled on the red table cloth, but it didn’t matter. For the four people at the table, this was no time to think about the little things.
“All the charges against you have been dropped, and you’re free to go and live your life. Rhys McCann admitted to setting you up for the arson attempt, and to dumping his father’s body, and he’ll be going away for a very long time.”
“And Chow?” Nathan asked. “Tell me he’ll be joining him behind bars.”
“He’ll be charged as an accessory to the fraudulent activity; however, I have a feeling that Rhys will spill everything he knows about Chow and his operations. If Rhys does talk, Chow will be in prison for a long time as well. But even without those charges, with a criminal record for fraudulent behavior, Chow will be banned from running another business in this country. He’ll have his directorships cancelled.”
“Yay!” Mary-Ann clapped her hands together. “It won’t bring my son back, but it’s worth celebrating.”
“And for the girl? Nina?”
“The paperwork for her release is being processed as we speak.” Esther replied. “She’ll be out of prison soon, but the confession is still going to be hard to overturn. She should be out within the month.”
For the next few hours, they laughed, they smiled, and even sang together. The buzz of winning a case, the joy of taking victory against the odds, was a moment Hunter enjoyed immensely.
As they said their goodbyes, hugs abounding on the sidewalk, Mary-Ann had tears in her eyes, a chapter of her life now closed. After the Steeles left in their cab, hangovers sure to follow them in the morning, Hunter waved goodbye, before turning on the dark street to stare into nothingness.
“What is it, Tex?” Esther stood beside him on the quiet sidewalk as the sun started to dip behind the skyline of their city.
“Sorry?”
“I’ve seen that look so many times before, and I know exactly what it means.” She crossed her arms as a cold wind blew around them. “It means there’s something in your head.”
“It’s the connection between McCann and Nina that’s bugging me. We’ve looked at all the cases, all the things that could tie them together, and there’s nothing. Nothing. Even though Nina thought it was because of Mr. Bishop, there’s nothing that ties McCann to her. He had nothing to do with the school. So why was he looking for her that night? Why was he saying sorry?”
“Who knows? Sidney McCann was a corrupt cop. He could’ve done anything. Maybe he shot Nina’s parents in a drug bust, or maybe he hit them with his car? Maybe Sidney McCann’s the reason Nina doesn’t have any parents, and that’s why he went to say sorry.”
“Of course.” Hunter turned to the street, hailing a cab. “Of course, Esther.”
“Tex?” Esther turned. “Where are you going?”
“To finish this.”
CHAPTER 44
The fried chicken always tasted better on a Tuesday night.
John Yates wasn’t sure what it was. Maybe it was the cook that was scheduled on, or maybe the chicken had soaked in batter that extra bit longer, after the weekend’s rush, but late-night Tuesday was always his favorite. The floor beneath his stool was dirty, with small pieces of food littered all over it.
His younger detective partner stood in front of the car, eating her vegetable wrap. She wouldn’t even step into the chicken joint, too greasy for her. That, and she had a great disgust for anything Yates did. He was sexist, a pig, a man whose attitudes were stuck in the seventies. He knew why they assigned her to him—she was watching him like a hawk, making sure he didn’t step out of line in the year before his retirement.
She didn’t want to share dinner with him, she even struggled to share a car with him, but he didn’t care.
It was that moment of crispy chicken, that moment of divine joy, that he was craving. She insisted that they needed to run another interview on the case they were working, but he couldn’t take another step before he refueled.
His moment of joy was interrupted by the car that parked in front of the shop.
He knew that car.
He knew what it meant.
It wasn’t a coincidence, and it wasn’t by chance that the car pulled up directly outside his dinner spot.
Onto the sidewalk stepped First Deputy Superintendent John Steven Whaler. The man stood tall as he nodded to his partner, who then pointed to the chicken shop. She’d ratted him out, told Whaler his whereabouts. But he expected that.
What Yates didn’t expect to see was the man that stepped out on the other side of the car—defense attorney Tex Hunter.
Yates subtly checked his gun. Unclipped it. Readied himself for what was to come next.
Another car pulled up on the street. He knew the two detectives that stepped out of the car.
Both men were from the Internal Affairs Division.
They knew him well, and he knew them. The two tall men from the
first car led the IA detectives into the quiet shop, staring straight at Yates. Not a good sign.
“John Yates.”
Yates didn’t respond, not even looking up, keeping his eyes on his dinner.
The four men kept their distance at the end of the long red counter, standing strong as they stared at him.
“Yates.” First Deputy Superintendent Whaler repeated. “We have to talk.”
“The way I see it; the talking has already been done.” Yates licked his fingers, cherishing the flavor. “And I guess a lot of the talking has been done by the defense lawyer there. And when someone like that does some talking, he convinces everyone of his lies. But you shouldn’t listen to him—he’s a killer’s son. The son of a criminal.”
“Tell us what happened when you won the bravery award.” Hunter stepped forward. “The day you and Sidney McCann rescued the girl from the burning building.”
“The award? That’s what this is about?” He scoffed, shaking his head. “Of course. Sidney McCann.” He shook his head in disbelief, picking up another piece of chicken. He picked at the skin again, his favorite punch of flavor. “Even from beyond the grave, his little turnaround in life is still making a difference. His legacy, eh?”
“You lit the fire, didn’t you?” Hunter stood tall, next to the First Deputy Superintendent and in front of the two Detectives. “The fire that you got an award for, you started it. The building was owned by a consortium that Kenneth Chow was a part of, and he paid you to light the fire.”
“Chow?” He scoffed again. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“He’s in custody right now.” Hunter continued. “He’s trying to do a deal to save his own skin. The time is up.”
“You’ve got Chow in custody? Well, that’s it then.” He was sarcastic, throwing his hands up in the air. “Come and arrest me right now.”
“How about you put your gun on the table first.” Whaler was firm.
Yates slid off the stool.
“You think I’m going to prison for this? This was all Sid’s idea. Take the money for the burning building, take the money from Chow. It was how it was all supposed to work. The buildings were losing money, and they were supposed to be empty worksites. That’s what Chow told us. The family wasn’t supposed to be in the building. They were squatters.”
“Squatters?” Hunter questioned.
“The building was supposed to be empty. Chow told us it was going to be empty, so we lit the fire. But the screams for help, the screams, they…” He shook his head. The years of nightmares had gotten to him, eaten away at his resolve. “They never leave you. You hear them at night, when you try to go to sleep, whenever you close your eyes. The building was supposed to be empty.”
“So you ran into the burning building to save them?”
“We both did. We could only save the little girl, who was sleeping in a different room from the rest of the family. We took her out, and tried to go back in, but the fire was too strong. I pulled Sid back, I had to stop my partner from being burned alive. If it wasn’t for me holding him back, he would’ve died in the fire along with the family.” He rested one hand on the bench. “And then Chow paid us double the payment, five thousand each. Five thousand to Sid McCann, and five thousand to me. That’s all we got for it. Five grand.”
“Three people died in the building fire for your money.”
“Three died and one girl survived. The stupid girl that Sid went looking for. Nina. As if saying sorry to her was going to make a difference. As if saying sorry to the girl was going to change anything for her.”
“Three people died in a building fire, one girl was left with nothing, and you got five thousand dollars, and a bravery award.”
“We started the fire. What’s brave about that?” Yates paused for a long moment, spotting one last piece of crispy skin chicken. “You know, I’m glad you found me here.” He picked at the chicken, closed his eyes, and relished the zest. “Because for a last meal, this chicken is perfect.”
He turned. Reached for his gun. Pulled it out. Lifted it towards Hunter. The defense lawyer.
If he was going down, he would take Hunter with him.
Before he could pull the trigger, five shots powered into his torso.
John Yates fell for the last time.
A dirty cop on a dirty floor.
CHAPTER 45
The residential apartment building on the edge of Chinatown was fifteen years old. The trees next to the sidewalk had grown tall, the waist-high brick fence around the yard was recently replaced, and the building had been given a new coat of paint. There were five levels of apartments, each with different curtains, each with their own seemingly unique character. The building had been through an extensive renovation in the past year, required after it failed a routine City Council building inspection, providing the complex a fresh look. Next to the building was a park, a small green space to contrast the concrete jungle beyond the street.
Tex Hunter’s BMW pulled up to the sidewalk, parking only a few feet from the entrance. Hunter exited the car and walked around to the passenger door, opening it and waiting for the nervous girl to exit.
“Is this it?” Nina Aisha stepped out of Hunter’s car, holding a bouquet of flowers.
“It is.”
Tears filled Nina’s eyes as she looked at the building, the one built on the ashes of her family. Quietly, slowly, she placed the bouquet of flowers at the foot of the fence in front of the building, leaving them on the sidewalk, and then made the sign of the cross.
It took her a long time to write the words in the card.
She wasn’t sure what she should write, if anything. No words seem fitting. Finally, after hours of contemplation, she settled on the words: Mom, Dad, Reginald. Rest in Peace. Love, Antonina. Leaving the flowers and the card on the edge of the sidewalk, she stepped back, crossed her arms, and held back the tears that threatened to pour out.
“Fifteen years ago, this is where my father, my mother and my brother died. All because two corrupt cops wanted more money.”
“Yates, McCann and Chow had run the racket for a while—they would burn the buildings down, and then sign off on the insurance report, despite what the fire department had stated. This was the last of them. They never did it again after this one.” Hunter leaned against the car. “And now, they’ll never have the chance to be corrupt again.”
“Thanks to Sidney McCann.” Nina added. “I forgive him. I really do. I hold no anger or hatred for his actions. He tried to redeem himself. He even found me and said sorry. That’s worth something.”
Nina walked forward and rested her hand on the wall, tears welling in her eyes.
“Bye Mom. Bye Dad. Bye brother.” She whispered. “I love you.”
She stayed there for ten minutes, barely moving, staring at the brick fence, a moment to connect with the family she never knew. She had found their photo in a police file about the fire, and they looked exactly like she’d imagined—strong, proud, and smiling. Her brother’s first school photo, at five years old, was the cutest thing she’d ever seen.
When she finally took her hand off the fence, she moved back to Hunter’s car, leaning next to him.
“One of the guards said you only took my case because you could get your father out of prison. Can you do that now?”
“It’s complicated, Nina.” Hunter responded. “There’s a culture of silence, a culture of looking after each other, and they won’t look into dead cops.”
“So he’s got no chance of getting out?”
“I don’t know.” Hunter kept his hands in his pockets. “It’s not likely, he’s only got another year to live, but you never know what the future holds. You never know what can happen. That’s what hope is—the ability to wish for the best even when faced with the worst. And hope is all I have at the moment.”
“At least I’ve come out of this with hope for the future. The bribe money certainly helps.”
Hunter smiled. “From
what we’ve found, the money was a cash deposit into your account by a citizen of Mexico. Most likely the money came from the top, or it could’ve even come from Yates. We don’t know, but what I do know is that they won’t be coming after it. It’s too risky for them.”
“So the cops won’t come after me?”
“Not a chance. The web of lies spun by McCann, Yates, and Chow is starting to be unraveled, and there are many more people going down with this case. We’ve destroyed a corruption racket. Chow was paying off a lot of people, and those names are being arrested as we speak. We’ve done good, Nina.”
“What about the man that paid the cops to burn the buildings down?”
“A number of people have turned over on Chow, including Rhys McCann. They spilled the beans on who Chow was paying, what he was paying them for, and the reports have been brought before the courts. He may even be charged in relation to your family’s deaths, but already, with just the fraud charges, he’s going away for a very long time.”
Nina smiled.
Not for revenge or retaliation, but because the memory of her family wasn’t forgotten.
It took Hunter a month to overturn Nina’s confession, even with Rhys McCann’s admission of guilt. It was a slow process, a mountain of paperwork, but the courts couldn’t charge two people with the same crime and different theories. The evidence was against McCann, and he struck a deal for ten years, exposing everything he knew about his father and Chow in the process.
“I’ve got more good news. They’ve found Mr. Bishop, the man who abused you.”
“How’s that good news?”
“He’s currently serving a five-year sentence in prison in Chile for abusing another teenager, and I’ve heard he isn’t having a good time. Chances are he won’t make it to the end of his sentence alive.”
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