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“Troy, what’s wrong? What was on your phone?” Jenny asked, needling my arm as we walked out of the police station.
“I’ll tell you in the car,” I said as we passed a group of officers in riot gear heading back into the station. They all looked tired, battle-worn from dealing with the events of the last few days. Although things seemed to have calmed down, there were still pockets of protests throughout the city that these men and women had to deal with to protect people and businesses in the city.
Tanner also gave me a look of concern as she eyed the phone still in my hand. I was carrying the box containing my weapons and inventoried items, but I hadn’t released the grip on my phone since reading the texts. It was now little more than a paperweight until I could get to a charger, but the texts I had received from Hyatt had my mind racing. How the hell had it come to this?
We made it to Tanner’s SUV, but this time I accepted Jenny’s offer to ride shotgun after placing my effects in the cargo area. I was still holding the dead cell phone in my hand as Tanner started the vehicle and the two women waited for me to explain.
“Well?” Jenny asked, out of her seat and leaning on the center console. “Out with it!”
I dropped the dead phone in the cupholder and turned toward them nervously, making sure no one could overhear us before I began.
“In my...previous life...Jason Hyatt was one of the deputies on my shift.”
I paused, looking for acknowledgment from both of them that I was talking about my life as Corporal Alex Shepherd with the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office – a life I had given up after going to Syria to fight ISIS and joining Odin. Tanner nodded.
“Go on,” Jenny said impatiently.
“Well, he’s a detective now. After I brought you back to the airport, he happened to be working the crime scene and recognized me. We had coffee and caught up and he promised to keep my identity a secret. When I was looking into the church, I had him run some information for me, which led me to Cynthia Haynes.”
Tanner’s eyes widened. “Oh no,” she mumbled as she realized where this story was heading.
“Wait, the woman everyone thought you murdered?” Jenny asked.
I nodded. “Hyatt ran a few people for me, and I got her address. Apparently, someone found out because while I was in the hospital, Hyatt sent me a dozen texts and left a few voicemails. I didn’t get a chance to listen to the voicemails before my phone died, but apparently someone discovered him searching NCIC for me and giving me the information. He also said they had wire transfers from me to him, which is not true.”
“Jesus, Troy,” Tanner said, shaking her head.
“What? What does that mean?” Jenny asked.
“I’m surprised they never added that to your charges,” Tanner said.
“Troy, what does that mean?”
“The last text I got from Hyatt was that they were pulling him into a meeting with internal affairs and he wanted to know what I had done. It was sent while I was in the hospital and there’s been nothing since. It means someone was trying to implicate him in the murder of Haynes.”
“But why?” Jenny asked.
“Guilt by association, I’m guessing,” I said. “I had been convicted of killing Cynthia in the court of public opinion and tying it to another corrupt cop was the obvious icing on the cake.”
“Well, you did break the law, Troy,” Tanner said.
“I didn’t pay him off. And it’s more of a policy violation than anything. Someone knew I was getting too close and wanted to bury me with charges. And take Hyatt down with me.”
“How? Were they following you?”
“I don’t think so. I was careful.”
“I’ll look into it. The field office here may be able to help,” Tanner said.
“This is my fault. I shouldn’t have asked him to help. I can’t just let him hang like that.”
“What are you going to do, Troy?” Jenny asked.
I stared at my phone as Tanner and Jenny waited for my reply. The right answer was probably to go home and let Tanner do her job, But I couldn’t leave Hyatt hanging like that. He had gotten caught in the middle of something that was obviously my fault.
“Troy, no...” Tanner said, seeing the apparent look in my eye. “Don’t even say it. You and Jenny need to get in the rental car and go home.”
“Let’s go to the rental car place,” I said to Tanner.
“So, we’re going home?” Jenny asked with a raised eyebrow. “That’s it?”
“That’s first.”
“Whatever you want to do, sweetie, I’ll support you,” Jenny said as she squeezed my hand. “But I’m staying with you.”
“I hardly think that’s a good-” Tanner was interrupted by her phone vibrating. She pulled it out of her pocket and read the message. “...idea.”
“Let’s go get the car and then we can figure it out after,” I said, watching Tanner as she reacted to whatever the message was. “You okay?”
Tanner scrolled through the text and put the phone away before slamming the column-shifter to Drive. “I’ve got to get you to your car and head to the airport.”
“What happened?” Jenny asked.
Tanner looked at me and shook her head. “Looks like they’re going after me too.”
“Going after you? For what? How?” I asked.
“My guess is the same reason your detective friend is in hot water.”
“What did the text say? Can you tell us?” Jenny asked.
“There wasn’t much to it,” Tanner said. “It was my boss telling me to get on the first commercial flight back tonight because OPR wants to have a chat with me at 9 a.m. tomorrow about my involvement with you.”
“What’s OPR?” Jenny asked.
“Office of Professional Responsibility,” Tanner said. “It’s basically internal affairs. It means they think I did something wrong or have allegations against me.”
“Shit!” I hissed. “Dammit, I’m sorry to drag you into this.”
We passed a group of protesters squaring off with police in riot gear as we headed for the interstate. “You didn’t do any of this,” Tanner said.
“I know, but I called you down here. And now you’re possibly in trouble.”
“I’ll be fine,” she said.
“You’ve got a good attitude,” Jenny said.
We stopped at a red light. Tanner turned and accelerated before the crowd could approach. They were chanting something that I couldn’t make out.
“That doesn’t seem off to you?” Tanner asked me, nodding toward the crowd as we passed them.
“Off?”
“Yeah. As in, not quite right.”
“I’m gonna be honest here, nothing has seemed right in a long time,” I said and then quickly turned to Jenny in the backseat. “Except you, sweetie.”
“Nice save,” she said with a smirk.
“I’m talking about everything going on down here – the ambush on your friends, the protesters, the money transfers with Hyatt. Something just doesn’t sit well with me about it.”
“People are pissed at cops,” I said. “It’s not the first time. And of course, the media stokes the fire.”
“Yeah, I know,” Tanner said. “But this is different. I was looking into your attack that happened when you were going from the hospital to the jail. The people that were killed or injured were all from out of state. In fact, a lot of people have been bussed in from other states. And not nearby states either – some as far as New York.”
“Do you think it’s related to the attack they were planning?”
“Hard not to. But it all sounds so familiar to what they were doing with Helios.”
“But we destroyed it in Russia,” I said.
“And the billionaires are all dead – I know,” Tanner said. “I’m just saying, I don’t believe this is all unrelated.”
“Shit,” I hissed as I considered the possibility that Helios might have fallen into the wrong hands again. “Fucking Helios.”
“What’s Helios?” Jenny asked.