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

“We haven’t heard about this,” Steele said. “We should be working on a hostage rescue plan.”

“Kearse wants this kept quiet,” Jackson said.

“No way Archer agrees with this,” Steele said.

“He doesn’t, but he hasn’t figured out a game plan yet.” Jackson sipped his coffee. “Keep in mind we learned about this thirty minutes ago.”

Steele stirred some cream into his coffee. “What does the kidnapper want?”

Jackson sipped his coffee again.

“Well?” Steele said.

Jackson didn’t meet his eyes. “The four kilos of heroin.”

“No shit,” Steele said. “They know there’s no way we’ll turn the drugs over to them.”

Jackson nodded. “True.”

“Who is the kidnapper?” Zerr asked.

Jackson shrugged. “Best guess is the kidnappers are the drug dealers that Michael was carrying the drugs for.”

“Are we talking about the bikers?” Zerr asked. “Pickens and the Hells Angels? Pickens controls a lot of the crime in this city.”

Jackson shook his head. “No, not local dealers or the Hells Angels. Those drugs were part of an international drug smuggling ring. He smuggled the drugs from Mexico, but no telling for sure where the heart of the operation was.”

“What if it’s a new gang?” Zerr asked.

“Possibly,” Steele said. “The guys at the tattoo parlor were Russian. The hookers are Russian. It’s possible the pimp and his chauffer were working for the Russians.”

“No one will take on the Hells Angels,” Zerr said.

“They might if they had backing, say a Russian mafia,” Steele said.

“Oh shit. Another street war.”

“I like your idea that it’s the Russians,” Jackson said.

“We can start checking into this,” Steele said.

Jackson held up a hand. “Archer will get the drug squad and Tommy Devlin working on that side of it. You two need to find Brad.”

Steele took a quick peek at Zerr.

Jackson peered at Steele, then Zerr. “You two assholes know something, don’t you?” Jackson’s face went from red to purple. Veins pulsated at his temples. He chewed a bottom lip and shook his head. “I’m stupid. I should have known. Tell me, now.”

Steele swallowed hard. He told Jackson how they’d met Brad at Bowness Park and gave him supplies.

Steele swallowed hard and avoided eye contact with Jackson.

“Sometimes Brad contacts us through Annie and Sadie.”

“Sadie Andrus, the reporter? Are you two insane? A reporter?”

“Look, Sarge, she hasn’t used any of this information to her advantage. She could have.”

Jackson shook his head. His lips moved, but no words came out.

“It was the only way,” Zerr said.

Jackson nodded slowly. “If I needed to get a message to Coulter, Ms. Andrus could do it.”

Steele shrugged. “It has worked in the past.”

Jackson downed the last of his coffee, grabbed his parka and stood.

“Where do I find her?”

“She’d be at the CFCN station on Broadcast Hill,” Steele said.

There was a knock at her door. Sadie glanced up. The receptionist stood in the doorway, eyes wide and flustered.

“There’s a sergeant here to see you. He’s quite insistent.”

A tall, lean man with salt-and-pepper hair and a bushy mustache pushed past the receptionist. “I apologize, Ms. Andrus, but this is important.”

Sadie nodded to the receptionist, who hustled away. “Please have a seat, Sergeant—?”

“Jackson.” He slid off his blue parka, set it on one chair, and took the other across from Sadie. “Staff Sergeant Kent Jackson, Homicide.”

Sadie clasped her hands on top of her desk. “How can I help you?”

“I need to talk to Coulter.”

Sadie leaned back, eyes wide. “Why are you coming to me?”

Jackson leaned forward, large hands on the desk, and glared. “Ms. Andrus, I don’t have time for bullshit. Steele told me about you and Coulter. I don’t care about what is or isn’t happening between the two of you. But I need to talk to him, urgently. Not to arrest him. I need his help.”

Sadie frowned. “I don’t contact him. It doesn’t work that way. Steele and Zerr see him every night. That’s how the information is passed.”

“Tonight will be too late.” Jackson sat back in the chair. His shoulders sagged and confidence practically dissipated out of him.

Sadie sighed. “There might be a way. But a lot of things need to line up for it to work.”

Jackson glanced up and cocked his head. “Anything is worth a try.”

Chapter Sixty-Two

After they left the truck stop, Steele and Zerr drove in silence, each lost in their own thoughts. Steele parked on Crescent Avenue overlooking the city.

“Jackson has me wondering if Brad has lost it,” Steele said.

“I might understand Brad losing it if Wolfe were still free, or even in jail.” Zerr sipped his takeout coffee. “But now? What reason would Brad have to randomly kill criminals?”

“It’s not that random.” Steele watched a group of joggers dash past. “He has a connection to a few of them.”

“Maybe they’re individual murders, not linked at all,” Zerr said. “Maybe Brad sees conspiracy in everything.”

Steele glared at Zerr. “He was right about the snipers.”

“That’s my point. He’s trying to link things that don’t go together.”

Steele took a deep breath, then exhaled slowly. “Brad’s theory makes sense. Everything fits. Different murder styles, some needing a specific skill set. All criminals, all released from custody to do as they please on the street.”

They sat in silence, working on their own theories.

Steele stared at his coffee cup. “You realize all we’ve eaten for the last couple of days is takeout?”

“I like burgers and fries,” Zerr said.

“We work, we eat. It seems like weeks since I’ve seen Emma.”

Zerr winced. “She’s due anytime, right?”

“Yup, and I’m not around.”

“I hate to say it, buddy, but this isn’t the last time you won’t be around for a special event—birthdays, Christmases—it’s the job.”

Steele peered out the window. “Yeah, I know, and she knows, but I should be there.”

“Take the rest of the day off. I’ve got this.”

Steele snorted. “Right. A couple of things wrong with that. First, if I leave you alone, you’ll get in trouble. Second, do you think I can go home when Brad is in this mess?”

Zerr laughed. “I’d love to be there when you explain that to Emma.”

Steele rubbed his