CHAPTER
TWELVE
The next morning, Hunter still couldn’t believe the turn of events. He and Layla were at his office, waiting for Mason to arrive. She’d been visibly shaken after witnessing the shooting, but he had been as well. One minute Keith Hammond had been standing in front of the coffee shop—unassuming, waiting for what he believed was just a routine meeting with an Agency colleague—and the next, he was violently gunned down in cold blood.
“Do you think the cartel killed him so he couldn’t speak to us?” Layla asked.
“That seems like a plausible explanation, but how could the cartel have found out about it?” Hunter asked.
Layla bit her bottom lip. “Maybe he was under surveillance, and they heard our phone conversation. I identified myself to him. That would’ve been enough for the cartel, even if I didn’t bring up the reason I wanted to meet with him.”
Hunter hadn’t slept much last night as he replayed the events in his head. “If he was dirty, why would the cartel have wanted to kill him? Wouldn’t they have wanted to keep him in play?”
“That’s a good point. Unless they thought he was about to turn on them, and they decided to take him out.”
Mason walked in a few minutes later. “How are you two doing?”
“All things considered, okay,” she answered. “Unfortunately, we can’t say the same for Keith Hammond.”
“FBI is taking the lead on the murder, but we’re being read in because of the suspicions raised about Hammond’s allegiance.”
“Any updates?” Hunter asked.
“Good thing you got the license plate, Hunter. We were able to run that, and it was a stolen vehicle. Given the tactics used, we are operating under the assumption that this was a cartel hit, but we can’t say at this juncture whether Keith was working for them and what the motivation was for the hit. FBI is going through all his electronics now, and if they find anything, we’ll be notified.”
“If he was the mole, that would mean the cartel has lost their inside man,” Layla said.
“That would be a good thing,” Mason responded. “But I’m not ready to call this open and shut. For one, we’re not sure he was the mole, and on top of that, we can’t guarantee that he was working alone if he was. That’s why I wanted to talk this through. Hunter, keep doing your work. If Keith wasn’t involved and just got caught in the crossfire, then we still have someone out there working against our interests. There’s too much riding on this one to be wrong.”
“No cutting corners,” Hunter said.
Layla cleared her throat. “If Keith wasn’t dirty, given his extensive time in the region, he still had to be a known player to the cartel. When I reached out to him, maybe they got spooked.”
Hunter hated to think about that, because he knew Layla would obsess over her role in his murder even though it clearly wasn’t her fault.
Mason frowned. “That’s one of the many questions the FBI will be looking to answer. We can’t do anything about their investigation. The process has to unfold, but we can make sure that we’re doing everything we can to identify the true traitor.”
“Understood,” Hunter said. “There is still a list of people I’m working through on the DEA side.”
Mason nodded. “Keep up that work, and I’ll let you know if I hear anything from the FBI. And be extra vigilant. Layla, you still have Agency security at your condo, right?”
She nodded. “Believe me, they aren’t going anywhere. They’re watching me like a hawk.”
“Good. I’ll be in touch.” Mason exited the room as abruptly as he’d appeared.
“I guess we have our marching orders,” Layla said.
Izzy was trying her best to hold it together. It helped that Piper had a death grip on her arm as they walked toward the main precinct for Arlington PD late Thursday morning. She’d known she would have to deal with the assault forever, but now that the sergeant had been killed, it put a whole new spin on things. She was just trying to take it one step at a time, but her footing was uneasy.
At least she’d never have to face that brute again. He was dead. He couldn’t hurt her, but his memory still threatened her entire well-being.
“Keep doing the deep breaths,” Piper reminded her.
They walked through the front doors that she’d been through many a time. But as her foot crossed the threshold, she flashed back to the last time she’d been here. The sergeant winking at her. Touching her shoulder. She had recoiled in disgust . . . and wished him dead.
“Izzy, did you hear me?” Piper asked.
She hadn’t heard a thing. “No. I’m sorry.”
“I asked if you wanted to go to the restroom before we head into the meeting.”
“No. Let’s just get it over with.”
They were greeted by two detectives in the main lobby. “I’m Detective Stewart,” the tall, older woman said. “And this is Detective Bryant.” A shorter, younger man with a shaved head offered his hand.
It didn’t surprise Izzy that they had a female detective involved in the questioning. That had to be by design. To Izzy, though, it didn’t matter whether the detective was male or female—the pain was still the same for her to have to relive. She understood more than ever why victims of sexual assault didn’t come forward. Being questioned and prodded about the most personal and intimate details of your life came at a huge price. But given that this was a murder investigation, she didn’t really have any say in the matter.
“Thank you for coming in,” Detective Stewart said.
Before Izzy could answer, Piper jumped in. “My client is here purely as a courtesy. I hope you’ll keep that in mind.”
“Of course,” Detective Stewart said.
They didn’t take Izzy to an interrogation room but instead led them into one of the conference rooms. Izzy had wondered how they were going to play it, and so far they were following the good-cop routine. How long that would last was the big, open question.
Everyone took their seats around the large conference room table. Piper sat next to Izzy, as she had expected. Piper was her lifeline and had made it clear that she was going to be her protector today. Izzy couldn’t imagine for one second doing this alone.
Detective Stewart’s beady brown eyes homed in on her. “You understand, Agent Cole, that you’re here regarding the murder investigation of Sergeant Henry Tybee. We’ve got some questions that we’re hoping you can help us with. Okay?”
“All right.” At hearing his name, apprehension filled Izzy’s body. She kept trying to take deep breaths like Piper had instructed. She worried that soon all her preparation was going to fly out the window.
“Let’s start at the beginning. Do you have any idea why you’re here today?”
Izzy remembered Piper’s instructions. She wasn’t supposed to speculate. “It would be helpful for you to tell me.”
“What do you know about Sergeant Tybee’s murder?”
She paused as she’d been taught, but when Piper didn’t interject, she answered. “All I know is that he was killed. That’s where it stops and starts.”
Detective Stewart shot Detective Bryant a look before she turned her attention back to Izzy. “Sergeant Tybee was shot. It appears a struggle ensued, based on wounds on the sergeant’s body, and he was killed with his own weapon. We think maybe he was killed in self-defense.”
Ah, and they were looking into women who might fit the bill—Izzy included.
Detective Stewart looked at her notepad. “How did you know the sergeant?”
“I worked with him.” Short, simple statements. Just like she’d practiced with Piper.
“Did you leave Arlington PD because of him?”
Talk about not much of a windup. But Piper had also instructed Izzy that she had to be truthful at all costs—even on the difficult topics—because if they caught her in a lie, they would use it against her. “Yes.”
“Why?”
She sat silently, not sure how to answer.
Piper touched her arm. “Detective Stewart, let’s not dance around the issues here. If you have a direct question to ask my client, then please do so.”
Detective Stewart nodded. “Very well. What I’m about to tell you is disturbing, but it’s not my intent to upset you. Do you understand?”
A wave of unease rushed through her in anticipation. “Yes.”
“When we searched the sergeant’s home, we found these.” Detective Stewart opened a manila folder and slid it across the table.
Izzy leaned in and scanned the pictures spread out in front of her in bright vivid color. Pictures of her. Candid shots—her at the grocery store, coffee shop, jogging. Her breath caught as she started to see dancing stars in front of her eyes. She might be sick.
Piper noticed her reaction. “Take a deep breath, Izzy. Here’s some water. I think she’s going to need a minute.”
Detective Stewart nodded. “Of course.”
They sat in silence that hung in the air like a heavy weight as Izzy tried to think through what she was seeing. How long had the sergeant been watching her? When he’d confronted her, she’d had no idea that he’d been lurking in the shadows. Finally, she spoke up. “Obviously I didn’t know about these.”
Detective Stewart leaned in. “I know this is difficult. Just please bear with us for a few more minutes, okay?”
Izzy nodded.
“We’re still combing through a lot of evidence, including electronics, but there’s something I have to ask you about.”
She knew it. This was about the text messages.
“Agent Cole, were you violently assaulted by the sergeant?”
Izzy sucked in a breath. “Yes.”
“Sexually assaulted?”
“Yes.” It was like she wasn’t even sitting there answering the questions. Her whole body turned numb as she tried to fixate her gaze on the clock behind the detective’s head. Anything to avoid eye contact during this topic.
The detective jotted down a note. “So that’s why you left Arlington PD, right?”
“Yes.” She shifted in her seat, waiting for the next question. They still hadn’t brought up the text messages. Was it possible they hadn’t found them yet?
“Who did you tell about the alleged assault?”
This time she didn’t wait for Piper, and she looked right at Detective Stewart. “It wasn’t an alleged assault, Detective. It was an assault.” Her nails dug into her hands under the table.
Detective Stewart cocked her head. “Regardless of the terminology, who did you tell about it?”
“And that’s relevant how?” All of a sudden, any desire she’d had to cooperate had left. Those photos had rocked her to the core.
Piper leaned toward her ear. “Izzy,” she whispered. “You can answer this. They already know the answer, most likely. Remember everything we talked about.”
“I assume you’re asking for those people who knew before the murder?” Izzy asked.
“Yes,” Detective Stewart said.
“My Navy counselor, plus Jay and Aiden Graves and Bailey Ryan.”
“Anyone else?”
She shook her head. “Not before the murder. No.”
“Were you aware that Jay Graves confronted the sergeant?” Detective Bryant finally spoke up.
“I didn’t know specifically, but I had my suspicions when I found out the sergeant took early retirement. Jay and I never spoke about it.”
“You and Jay are close, right? You’re dating his son?” Detective Stewart jumped right back in.
“We formed a bond while working a case earlier this year. That’s how I met Aiden.”
“In fact, Jay is like a father to you?”
“If you’re asking that, then you already know that my father was killed. Shot dead in the line of duty, and yes, Jay is like a father to me. But I’d prefer to cut to your ultimate question. Do I think Jay killed him? No way.”
“Why?” Detective Bryant asked.
“Because Jay is a man of honor and integrity. He’s not a murderer, even if someone deserves it.” As those words came out, Izzy realized her mistake.
“And you believed the sergeant deserved to die, didn’t you?” Detective Stewart asked.
Piper grabbed Izzy’s elbow. “Don’t answer that. Detective, as I said, we are here as a courtesy. Do you have any evidence tying my client to this murder?”
“Not at the present time, no,” Detective Stewart said. “And I apologize. We’re just trying to gather all the facts, and the sergeant appears to have had a fixation on Agent Cole. An obsession. When was the last time you saw him?”
Izzy looked at Piper, who nodded. She couldn’t lie about this, because if she did and they found out, it would make her look guilty. “A couple of weeks ago, the sergeant showed up while I was jogging.”
Detective Stewart frowned. “What happened?”
“I told him to leave me alone,” she whispered.
“Had you seen him recently before that?”
She nodded. “Yes, at a coffee shop in town. I thought that might have been an awful coincidence, but when he turned up on my jogging route, I realized that it had to be intentional.”
“And I assume that frightened you?”
“I didn’t want to have anything to do with that man,” Izzy shot back.
“Have you ever been to his house?”
She shook her head. “No.”
“Are you certain of that?” Detective Stewart asked.
“Yes. That isn’t something I’d forget.” The thought of being at his house sent another round of chills down her back.
Piper stood. “I think we’ve done enough for today.”
“Are we done?” Izzy asked, unsure what to do.
Detective Stewart’s expression softened. “Yes. I know this is extremely hard for you.”
She was about to say something, but Piper jumped in. “We’re not trying to be obstructionist here, but my client has already been through enough.”
“Just one more quick thing. I need to ask where you were four nights ago.”
“At home,” Izzy answered softly.
“Alone?” Detective Bryant asked.
“Yes.”
“And did you stay at home all night?”
“Yes. I left the next morning for a jog around five thirty.”
“All right,” Detective Stewart said. “Agent Cole, we’re not the bad guys here. As much disdain as you may hold toward Sergeant Tybee, his murderer still deserves to be brought to justice.”
“That’s easy for you to say,” Izzy blurted.
Detective Stewart quirked a brow but didn’t say anything.
Piper took Izzy by the arm and led her out of the room.
“Sorry.” Izzy turned to Piper once they were down the hallway. “I couldn’t hold my tongue any longer.”
Piper patted her on the shoulder. “You did as well as could be expected under the circumstances.”
“What do you think?”
“Let’s get outside.”
A minute later, they were walking to the car. “So?” Izzy wanted Piper’s perspective.
“They clearly don’t have any actual evidence against you at this point, but the fact that the sergeant was so obsessed with you isn’t great.”
“Tell me about it.” Izzy considered what had just happened back in the conference room. “Do you think they have anything on Jay?”
“You sound concerned. If you’re convinced he didn’t do it, then everything should be okay.”
“I know he didn’t do it, but I’ve seen enough to know that sometimes the facts and the law get all twisted up.” It was yet another reason she was tossing around the idea of law school and ultimately being a prosecutor. “Can I ask you a totally unrelated question?”
“Sure.” Piper started up her car, and they pulled out of the precinct parking lot.
“Why criminal defense? You seem like the search-for-justice type.”
Piper laughed. “I am, and that’s exactly why I do criminal defense. As you just said, not everything is always so clear-cut. Of course, not every client I have is innocent, but they all deserve their opportunity to be heard—or not heard, as the case may be. The right to take the Fifth, to have qualified counsel. Those things are important to me, because I believe in the integrity of the justice system as a whole.”
“I guess I never thought of it like that.”
“Then maybe something good can come out of this bad experience.”
“Maybe so.” Izzy had a lot to think about. “Do you think we did the right thing by not volunteering the information about the text messages?”
Piper frowned. “I wanted to see how it went in there before offering up additional information. Let’s sleep on it, and depending on how things proceed, we can make a decision about the texts.”
Izzy had to trust Piper on this. She was the expert. “I’m just relieved she didn’t make me relive the attack blow by blow.” She’d stayed up all night worrying about that.
“I am too, but this was just the first interview. I don’t want you to think you’re in the clear, as far as that is concerned. It could quite possibly come up again, and she might be much more aggressive with you.”
Izzy groaned.
“Are you going in to work?” Piper asked.
“Yeah. I can’t just sit around and mope all day. I also have to talk to Marco and let him know what’s going on.”
“Yes. I’ve been dreading having this conversation, but now I have no choice. For all I know, they’re going to want to question him, too, and I need to be the one to tell him about all of this.”
“The less you tell him about the history, the better. Got it?” Piper asked.
“Understood.” Although right now, she didn’t feel like she understood anything.