Goddess of Justice by Dwayne Clayden (mobi ebook reader TXT) 📕

to meet to get messages to Brad.” Annie winced. “Today might screw that up, though.”

“I thought Steele and Zerr were meeting him?”

“It worked last night because they ditched their tail. They got called in today by IA and asked questions about where they were for the hour last night when the surveillance team lost sight of them. Our homes are under surveillance and we’re followed everywhere. They even follow Sergeant Briscoe when he’s at work.”

Sadie stared out the window. “Did they follow you here?”

Annie grinned. “I hope so.”

“Why?”

A man dressed in black clothes, a black ball cap and hoodie slid in beside Sadie and pushed her over.

Sadie pushed back. “What the—”

“Sadie, quiet,” Annie said.

The figure grinned at Sadie.

Her eyes went wide. “What are you doing here?”

“I just have a minute and then they’ll be here,” Steele said. “There was another murder last night. A drunk fell down the stairs.”

“How is that a murder?” Sadie asked.

“They found a police Billy club under the couch. It’s Brad’s. They’re keeping it quiet. Archer doesn’t want Brad to know.”

Sadie’s hand flew to her mouth. “Oh, god.”

“What do you want us to do?” Annie asked.

“Find Brad.”

“You don’t know where he is?” Sadie asked.

“No.”

“Brad needs to know this,” Annie said. “When are you supposed to meet him?”

Steele chewed on his lip. “Tonight, after nine.” He leaned across the table. “Think, Sadie. Did he say anything when he was with you about his plans?”

Sadie shook her head. “No, he … the note—”

“What?” Steele asked.

“He left me a note yesterday. It talked about visiting the Central Library today.”

“What time?”

Sadie shook her head. “The note didn’t say.”

“Shit.” Steele’s eyes widened. “That’s where he can do research where no one would recognize him.” Steele pulled out a portable radio. “Central Library.”

The front and back doors opened, there was a clanking sound, then an explosion and bright white light.

Annie was disoriented and blinded. She knew voices shouted at her, but she had no clue what they were saying. Then she was dragged off the bench and thrown to the floor. Her arms were wrenched behind. Her hearing returned. She heard the handcuffs clip into place. She was lifted from the floor and shoved back onto the seat. Her eyes cleared. The coffee shop was overrun with tactical cops and guys in suits. She recognized two of the suits—it was the Internal Affairs Detectives Genereau and Harker.

Assholes.

While a few cops kept their eyes on her, most were focused on the dark-clothed, facedown figure on the floor. One tactical cop had his knees on Steele’s back while another cinched up handcuffs. They shoved Steele into a booth.

“Thought you could hide from us, huh, Coulter,” Genereau said. “It’s with the greatest pleasure I read you your rights.”

Detective Harker reached over, flipped the hood back, and removed the ball cap.

“Bradley Coulter—” Genereau paused. “Steele?”

“Did we forget to pay our bill?”

Zerr was driving south on Fourteenth Street. He glanced in the rearview mirror. Four cars back, the dark sedan followed. Zerr had led them on an extensive tour of southwest Calgary. If something didn’t happen in the next couple of minutes, he’d pull into the A&W and get a burger.

As he crossed Seventeenth Avenue, his cruiser radio came to life. “We’ve got something in the alley. A tall guy dressed in black just entered the back door. He appears shady.”

A voice replied, “What the hell does shady look like?”

“Head down, shoulders hunched. For sure he didn’t want anyone to see his face.”

“You think it’s Coulter?”

“Right size, right build.”

“Roger that. Detectives and TSU, move in.”

Zerr glanced in his rearview mirror again and watched the dark sedan slide sideways in the intersection and head east toward the coffee shop.

Zerr passed the A&W. A burger would have to wait. Steele’s voice came over the secure tactical portable radio. “Central Library.”

Zerr skidded his truck to the curb outside the library. He tossed a sign that read “Police Business” on the dash and jumped out. That sign might buy him five minutes before they towed the truck. Rush-hour traffic did not like obstructions.

He raced into the library and up to the reception desk. He flashed his badge, then slid a photo of Brad onto the counter. “Have you seen this man?”

The librarian set her pencil down, closed the book she’d been writing in and glanced at Zerr. “Can I see the badge again?”

Zerr slid his badge out of his back pocket. As he pulled the badge away, the librarian grabbed his hand, and with her other hand slid on her glasses. Satisfied with the badge, she glanced at the photo, then back at Zerr. She released his hand.

“This is a police emergency.” He pointed at the photo. “Have you seen this man?”

She picked up the picture and held it close to her eyes. “We get a lot of cops in here. We have a problem with the homeless.”

“Right, uh, he wouldn’t have been in uniform.”

“Then this picture isn’t much help.”

“Check his face, not the uniform.” Zerr was still surprised that people he dealt with daily when he was in uniform didn’t recognize him out of uniform. He remembered every face, not the clothing.

“Maybe,” she said. “A homeless guy was on the fourth floor. I was going to kick him out, but he was quietly reading newspapers.”

“When was this?”

“About ten this morning.”

“Have you seen him since?”

“No.”

“You didn’t see him leave?”

She slid off her glasses. “I believe I answered that when I said I hadn’t seen him again.”

“Right. Fourth floor?”

She nodded.

Zerr raced to the elevator. The librarian saw Brad over six hours ago. Zerr had a sinking feeling in his gut. He was too late.

Chapter Fifty-Five

Griffin, Genereau, and Harker sat silently at the conference table in Deputy Chief Archer’s office. Griffin’s jaw was clenched so hard his teeth ached. Every muscle in his body was tense. He’d need a four-hour massage to loosen the tension. Working with Genereau and Harker was all he expected, and a lot less. Their assignment had been to follow Annie Sutton. Griffin