The Greatest Good

  “I wanted you to ask about Mick’s family being threatened.”

  I thought for a second, then sighed. “Of course, I should’ve questioned her about that. I should’ve asked about Gates, too.”

  Karla nodded. “Eva’s explanation of everything, or close to everything, makes sense. And she didn’t hesitate to explain anything or stumble over any facts.”

  “It does appear the kid’s guilty. She made a convincing case.”

  “But Mick’s family being threatened doesn’t make sense. It makes me question her entire story.”

  I nodded. “I agree. If Stanley chose Mick because he believed Mick wouldn’t follow through with the orders, how does the coercion of Mick’s family make sense? That doesn’t follow, not at all.”

  Karla looked at me. “Exactly.”

  “My other problem is whether Stanley Tuchek could pull this off. Is he really capable of all this? I understand he has amazing computer skills and could break into an NSA mainframe and Eva’s computer and download stuff from the TV network. I don’t have a problem believing that. My problem is with him drugging and threatening Mick’s family, which led to Labonte being shot. Not to mention sending his own kill order. Really? I suppose he has the money to hire people to do anything, but is the kid that vindictive that he would go to these lengths? I realize I’ve only known him a day or two, but this is a maniacal plot I’m having a hard time believing he’s responsible for. Plus, where would Stanley get arms evidence to frame Eva with? What did you think?”

  Karla leaned back. “The main problem I have with Stanley is the lying. He’s lied a lot to us. I don’t trust his version of events either.”

  “You think Stanley just lied to us about everything?”

  She thought for a moment. “Possibly. Think about it. The kid lied to you about MIT; he’s been lying to us all along about the network and the death threats; he never told us a thing about his involvement with the NSA; he even lied about texting his dad in the car, a few times. The list goes on.”

  “You’re right. I really have no idea who Stanley is.”

  “So what’s going on? Whose story do you believe? Stanley or Eva?”

  “Honestly, I don’t know. I do know I have to speak with Stanley again. Ask him about spying on the network and blackmailing Eva. How about—”

  Headlights suddenly flashed in the rearview mirror. The beams lit up the inside of our car. Karla glanced quickly at me. Her eyes popped. We both slinked down in our seats, hoping the lights would disperse.

  They didn’t.

  We kept still. The muffler of the idling car behind us burbled away.

  “It’s probably a cop car,” Karla whispered. “Could be running our plates, which don’t match this vehicle.”

  “Could be,” I whispered. “Could be anybody.” As discreetly as I could, I put my hand behind my back, slipped out the Smith & Wesson, and placed it on my lap.

  “That’s not going to help if it’s a cop.”

  I eyed her. “But it will if it’s not.”

  We waited in silence. After a minute, I said, “You’re right, it must be a cop.”

  Karla nodded. “Probably having a hard time reconciling the plate and vehicle description.” She reached across, took the .50 caliber from my lap, and eased it under her seat. Just as she finished, the car’s high beams flashed quickly, then red and blue lights flipped on and started circulating. The car filled with a dizzying array of colored lights.

  “We’re finished,” I said.

  “Let me do the talking,” Karla said. “Maybe I can talk my way out of this.”

  The cop car’s speaker crackled on. “Driver, put your hands on the steering wheel. Passenger, put your hands on the dashboard. We’re approaching the vehicle. No sudden movements.”

  I wasn’t positive, but it sounded like Officer Palmer. I slowly sat up and put my hands on the wheel. “I think I know these guys.”

  Karla put her hands on the dash. “Is that a good thing or bad thing?”

  “I’m not sure.”

  Now that I was sitting up I could see everything in the rearview mirror. I was right. Officer Kowalski struggled out of the passenger seat. Palmer was already out of the vehicle. Both cops had their weapons out, but not drawn. The guns were pointed straight down at their sides, not threatening, but ready for quick action. Palmer approached my side of the car, while Kowalski took Karla’s. They moved cautiously. I waited for instructions.

  Palmer stopped four feet from the driver’s door. He raised his pistol. “Slowly, with your left hand, driver, open the door and get out.”

  Kowalski gave similar instructions to Karla.

  I turned, just slightly, so Palmer could see my face.

  He reacted, lowering his gun a bit and taking a step forward. “Agent Chase? What are you doing in this car? Shots have been reported in the area and—”

  “Officer Palmer, we’re not armed,” I said. “Take a peek inside if you don’t believe me. I’ll get out slowly and explain everything. Not sure that there’s a need for your drawn weapon.”

  “I’ll determine that,” he said.

  Palmer shuffled closer. He checked out the back seat, then peeked in the front. He ordered Kowalski to do the same. When Kowalski was finished, he stepped back and holstered his weapon, then he actually opened the door for Karla.

  “I take it you’re Special Agent Dickerson?” Kowalski said.

  “I am. Appreciate the courtesy, Officer.” Karla stepped out and Kowalski brought her around to my side of the vehicle.

  Palmer wasn’t as courteous. He lowered his gun, but didn’t holster it. He commanded me to get out slowly. I did. Karla was to my right and Kowalski stayed by the front hood.

  “What the hell is going on?” Palmer asked. “There’s an APB on you, Chase, and I think this car has been reported stolen. The plates don’t match, so I assume you switched them. Plus, two gunshots were heard. We got a tip they came from this general location. What are you up to?”

  “I can explain,” Karla said.

  “I asked Agent Chase,” Palmer said, without looking at Karla.

  “It was one shot, actually,” I said. “The other bang was our tire popping, on the passenger side. Check it out.”

  Palmer motioned at Kowalski. Kowalski waddled around and checked. “Looks to be the case,” he said.

  I told a modified, quick version of the events. “Someone’s been trying to kill me and the governor’s son. To make a long story short, we think it may be an inside job, so the two of us have gone off the radar because we don’t know who to trust.”

  “A crooked cop?” Palmer said. “Is that what you’re saying?”

  “No, likely someone in government intelligence is dirty, not the cops. We didn’t want to communicate with our superiors until we’ve figured out who’s behind the conspiracy. We knew our own vehicles could be tracked easily so we stole this one and switched the plates.”

  “What’s the APB about?” Palmer said.

  “I’m not sure,” I said. “I imagine because the dirty intelligence officer is trying to find us and stop us.”

  “What about the shots?” Kowalski said.

  “It was Stanley—”

  “Stanley Tuchek has a gun?” Palmer said, interrupting. “And he shot out your tire? The governor’s son?”

  I didn’t want to tell the cops our theory that perhaps Stanley was behind everything, so I said, “Let me explain, Stanley gave us the slip because he didn’t want to endanger our lives any more than he already had. We obviously didn’t agree with him on that point, so we’ve been trying to track him down and we finally did. We met him here to discuss what to do next. After we talked a while, Stanley, in all his juvenile wisdom, shot out our tire so we couldn’t follow him. He gave us the slip again because he thinks he can figure this out on his own. He doesn’t want our help because he thinks we’ll be in danger. Which is crazy, I know.”

  “Where’d he get a gun?” Palmer asked.

  I
didn’t want to admit it was Karla’s gun, so I shrugged.

  Palmer eyed Kowalski to see if he had any thoughts. Kowalski didn’t.

  “I don’t know,” Palmer said, sighing. “I’m not sure what to believe.”

  “Makes sense to me,” Kowalski offered.

  Karla jumped in. “Why don’t you call the governor himself? Besides us, he’s the one person who knows about the inside job. We just visited him. He can vouch for our story.”

  “I’ll call him right now,” I said, fishing out the cell from my pocket.

  Palmer didn’t respond. He did ease his stance, though, and holster his weapon. I hoped he didn’t take me up on the offer.

  After a moment of eyeing us, Officer Palmer walked over to Kowalski. They whispered back and forth for a minute. Finally, Palmer turned toward us. “You two want us to let you go. Is that what you’re going to propose next?”

  I stepped forward. “It’d be a courtesy I wouldn’t forget.”

  Palmer rubbed his head. “So we pretend this whole interaction never even happened, I guess?”

  “You never even saw us,” Karla said.

  “It’s fine by me,” Kowalski said.

  “That’s a surprise,” Palmer shot back. He looked at us. “So our stories are straight. We never saw you. We investigated the shots and found this abandoned car. And you never saw us either. Got it?”

  We both nodded.

  “You guys have to get out of here now, on foot,” Palmer said, pointing at us. “If this comes back to bite me—”

  “It won’t,” Karla interjected.

  Palmer nodded and walked toward the cruiser. Kowalski waddled behind him. Before reaching the cruiser, the radio on Kowalski’s hip squawked. “All duty officers, we have an update on the APB for Garrison Chase. Consider the suspect armed and dangerous.”

  Palmer turned in our direction.

  The radio continued. “A warrant has been issued for his arrest. Apprehend the suspect on sight.”

  Kowalski turned to face me.

  I held out my hands.

  Kowalski unclipped the radio from his belt and pushed the side button. “This is Officer Kowalski. What’s the warrant for Agent Chase concerning?”

  “We’re pulling a body from his ’86 Chevy Caprice as we speak. It’s in the trunk, two bullets to the head. It’s Agent Anfernee Gates. Witnesses spotted a tall, bald man by the trunk earlier.”

  Kowalski cleared his throat. “So the warrant is for murder?”

  “Affirmative.”

  Palmer came toward me with his hand on his weapon. Kowalski just looked at me with disappointment in his eyes. I stood with my mouth open, unable to respond.

  “It’s a mistake,” Karla blurted. “The same person on the inside is trying to frame Chase. We’re trying to figure out who, guys.”

  “Please,” I said. “I had absolutely nothing to do with this. I have to figure out who’s after me.”

  “You can explain that to someone else,” Palmer said.

  “I’m his alibi,” Karla said. “I’ve been with Chase all night. We were at the governor’s house before this. Call him, please.”

  Palmer scoffed. “You could obviously be in cahoots with Chase, couldn’t you, Agent Dickerson?”

  “You’re making a big mistake,” Karla said.

  “Maybe so,” Palmer responded. “But we can’t walk away now. I’m not turning my back on a warrant for murder. If you guys are innocent, then everything will work out. That’s how I see it, and that’s how it’s going to play out.”

  I could tell that Palmer had his mind made up and wouldn’t crack, so I turned to Kowalski. “Give me the benefit of the doubt. You know I couldn’t kill a federal agent like Gates, right?”

  Kowalski shrugged. “Honestly, I don’t know what to believe, Agent Chase.”

  “Kowalski,” Palmer snapped. “We’re taking them both in. No more talking. Take Agent Dickerson.”

  Palmer pulled out his cuffs. “Let’s not make this difficult, Chase.”

  I held my hands out in defeat. While Palmer loosened the cuffs, I glanced at Karla.

  “Officer Kowalski,” she said. “Let me grab my badge from under the car seat. I can’t leave it in this vehicle obviously.”

  Kowalski hesitated, but then shrugged and said, “Sure.”

  I tried to make eye contact with Karla to stop her. I knew what she was going to do and I didn’t want her in more trouble than she already was, but Karla didn’t look my way. She went straight for the seat.

  Kowalski didn’t stand a chance. After grabbing the gun from under the seat, Karla stood and suddenly spun around Kowalski’s body. She kept the gun hidden from sight during the spin. The move reminded me of a running back spinning around a tackler. Before Kowalski knew what was happening, Karla was behind him with the gun pressed into the middle of his back.

  “I’m sorry, Officer Kowalski,” she said. “You guys gave us no choice.”

  Palmer looked at Karla. In doing so, he failed to finish cuffing my right wrist, so I raised my left hand and whapped him in the face with the dangling cuff. As soon as his hands went up to grab his face, I relieved the officer of his weapon and pointed it at his chest.

  “Karla’s right,” I said. “You’ve left us with no choice. I’m sorry, Officers.”

  Palmer rubbed his eye and blinked a few times. His face was redder than Kowalski’s.

  “I’m sorry, Palmer,” I said. “I really am.”

  Palmer glared at me. “You’re already wanted for murder. Now you want to do this? Are you sure?”

  “Add it to the list,” I said. “I have to clear my name on worse charges than assaulting an officer. I wish it hadn’t come down to this. I’m being set up. I hope you guys believe me.”

  I grabbed the key from Palmer, undid the cuff on my left hand, then cuffed Palmer’s hands behind his back. Karla relieved Kowalski of the radio and his service piece, then cuffed him as well.

  “I can’t believe you guys are doing this,” Kowalski said. “Agent Chase, I brought you your guns back.”

  “You’re a good officer, Kowalski. I promise, when everything comes to light and I clear my name, you’ll understand why we had to do this.”

  I looked at Karla. “What’s next in your plan?”

  She motioned toward the cruiser.

  “All of us?” I said.

  “I was thinking just you and me.”

  I looked at Kowalski. Feeling bad for him, I said, “We can’t leave them here. It’ll be embarrassing for them. We have to extend a little professional courtesy. We’ll take them with us. I’ve got an idea.”

  Karla eyed me. “So we steal a cop car—”

  “Borrow,” I corrected.

  “So we borrow a cop car and put the cops we’ve handcuffed in the back seat? And a man wanted for murder drives them around. Tell me that’s not your idea.”

  “My idea is to help the officers save face. Let’s go. We’ll chat about it when we’re on the move.”

  I prodded Palmer toward the cruiser. Karla sighed, but did the same with Kowalski.

  As I pushed Palmer’s head down and positioned him in the back seat, he said, “This is your idea of professional courtesy?”

  “Do you want me to leave you here?” I said. “Is that a better option?”

  Neither Palmer nor Kowalski responded to the question.

  I hurried to the stolen car and retrieved Stanley’s laptop from the trunk. I climbed back into the driver’s seat and fired up the cruiser.

  Turning to Karla, I said, “We’d better figure out this conspiracy. If not, we’re screwed.”

  She nodded. “Otherwise, no doubt we’re going to jail for this.”

  CHAPTER 28

  Ibacked out of the parking lot in the cop cruiser. Kowalski stared at me in disbelief through the rearview mirror. Palmer looked like he wanted to get personal and drown me, or strangle me, not sure which way he was leaning.

  I grabbed the mirror and pushed it straight down
so I couldn’t see anything behind me, then I headed to Compton.

  “This is bad,” Karla said.

  I laughed. “It was your idea to stick a gun in Kowalski’s back. What did you think would happen?”

  “No, I mean your situation is bad. The arms evidence on your computer frames you as a traitor. Now you’re being framed for the murder of a federal agent.”

  I glanced at her. “Bad is a severe understatement.”

  “So who killed Gates? What do you think?”

  “Not sure. Who are our suspects?”

  Karla leaned back into her seat. “Obviously not Mick or us. That leaves Eva or Stanley.”

  “Maybe Stanley is more sinister than we think. Maybe he actually did hire someone to threaten Mick’s family. Maybe the kid is super vindictive and wanted to pin that on Eva, too.”

  Karla nodded. “Maybe, but I doubt it. Even more so now that Gates is dead. Why would Stanley want to frame you for that?”

  “I have no clue. Even though he’s dead, we have to find out about Gates. Exactly how and why he was involved in this. He’s key.”

  “Maybe the governor will come through for us.”

  “You think he’ll call me if he finds out something?” I looked at her. “Now that I’m wanted for Gates’ murder?”

  “Maybe, maybe not. He does know about the conspiracy and that you’re being framed. Maybe he’ll see these new allegations as another attempt at framing you.”

  I shrugged. “Maybe.”

  The snapcell in my front pocket buzzed. I dug it out and looked at the screen. “Got a text.” Since I was driving, I gave it to Karla.

  She read it. “Pier 42 tonight. 03:00 a.m. Be sure to bring my laptop. Everything will be cleared up then. Stanley.”

  “That’s it?”

  She nodded.

  “Text back and say we need to meet before then. It’s urgent.”

  Karla tapped out the message and pressed send.

  While I drove to Compton, we waited in silence for a return text. Every few seconds Karla glanced at the phone, but ten minutes passed and there was no response. At the outskirts of Compton, I pulled off the road and into the parking lot of an abandoned Foster’s Freeze restaurant. We were about three blocks from our motel.