“Showme.”
I grabbed the copies I’d printed out and handed them over.Rhett flipped through the pages, the line between his eyebrows deepening until they nearly touched.He kept his head down as he started tospeak.
“Heath’s a competent cop.This isn’t even rookie work.I don’t know how his superiors didn’t kick him off the case forthisshit.”
“It doesn’t makesense.”
Finally, Rhett looked up, his mouth set in a grim line.“There are only two possible explanations.Either he was trying to help and stall the investigation, or someone didn’t want him closing the case and so he deliberately dragged it out as long as he could.”He skipped to the last report and held it out.“This is what they were using to arrest him, and this information could’ve been in the first report, over a year ago.It doesn’t make sense for Heath tosandbagthis.”
I glanced down at the sheet, and it sounded like an intelligent human being had strung together the sentences, which was at odds with the reports for the yearprior.
“Could Heath ...would he ...”I didn’t even want to voice the possibility that my brother could have been deliberately blocking the investigation for whoever it was going toimplicate.
“I don’t know.But we need to dig deeper into your brother and any possible motives.”Rhett looked pointedly at me.“Can youdothat?”
Disloyalty burned through my veins like acid, but if Heath had donesomething...
“If he’s the connection from the department to me, and then me to Carlos, then this all starts to make a little more sense.I havetolook.”
55
Rhett
Ari pulledHeath’s phone records and I spent hours going through them.The number of burner phones contacting him on a regular basis did nothing but raise the level of mysuspicion.
What the hell did you get yourself into,Heath?
While Ari dug for more information, myphonerang.
“We’ve got a package out at the front gate.Flower delivery van dropped it off, didn’t wait for one of us to get there forsignatures.”
A feeling of foreboding slithered over me.“What the fuck is it?Do we need the bombsquad?”
Ari’s fingers froze on the keyboard as soon as I saidbombsquad.
“One of the guys on the team worked as EOD for a couple months.He’s assessing it before weopenit.”
“I’m coming out.Don’t open it until I getthere.”
Still unmoving, Ari stared at me.“Abomb?”
I shook my head.“Not likely, but we’re not taking any chances.If someone is trying to get to you, they’re going to have to go through all of usfirst.”
She bolted out of her chair.“You are not getting blown up for me, Rhett Hennessy.Noway.”
I crossed the room and yanked her into my arms.“This fucker has already proven he’s resourceful and fucking dangerous.You’re not taking anychances.”
“What about you?I refuse to let him takeyoutoo.”
I grasped her shoulders.“We’re going to be careful.Wait inside.I’ll go see what the hell is going on out there, and I’ll tell you when it’s safe.”When she opened her mouth to argue, I put a finger over her lips.“Safe, Ari.Just let me keep youfuckingsafe.”
“Okay.Fine.”
I pressed a hard kiss to her lips.“Thankyou.”
As soon as I walked out the front door, I was glad I made her promise.The guys had created a perimeter around the box in the driveway outside the front fence, and one approached itcarefully.
When I shut the door, Carver turned toward me to ask, “Who else knew she wasstayinghere?”