Lucas waited for us at the elevator as Maddox and I stepped out onto the agency's floor. Garrett was making a lot of noise about not leaving the station, but I couldn't stay still a moment longer. The hit man was in custody so Garrett's argument that I wasn't safe seemed to lose most of its power. "I got everything I could find on Damien Solomon," he said.
"Tell me the short version."
Lucas opened the file he carried and began to read. "His career was good. He's been a cop for eight years, made detective three years ago. He spent some time undercover a couple years ago and that's when things seemed to go wrong. His captain in New York thought he'd gotten in too deep, and was losing himself in his role so he insisted he be pulled out. He was offered therapy and the therapist later signed him off as fit to work. He has a good close rate, and no trouble. Then he transferred to Boston PD around a year ago, very suddenly."
"Was there any reason given?"
"To be closer to family," said Lucas, glancing down.
"We know that's not true! I haven't seen him once and Solomon never mentioned him either."
"It's a stock answer for not giving an answer," said Maddox.
"I think he's right," said Lucas. "Damien got into some financial trouble after the undercover gig. Poker mostly. Won a lot of money, lost a lot. Won some more, lost even more and he was on a losing streak after that. He's struggling to pay his bills. Took a loan out, and it looks like he lost that at the table too. Then the slate gets wiped clean. He's suddenly got lots of money in his account again."
"Did he win it?"
"I don't think so. I traced the deposit back to a shell corporation that is owned by the firm that owns those unoccupied but strangely financially successful buildings here and in Boston."
"A bribe!" I said.
"I'm guessing it is, but I'd like Maddox to take a closer look," said Lucas, handing the file over.
Maddox flicked through it, running his forefinger down the sheets as he hastily scanned the highlights. "I think that's a good theory."
"There's more," said Lucas. "I correlated gang activity with the payments Damien received and I found something interesting. There was a case against Eric Dutka, a gang boss in Boston. A murder charge. They had plenty of evidence except for the bodies but the police planned a raid of a property Copley owned. There was talk about a tip-off, however, because when the police got there, they found nothing. A day later, Damien got a big payment."
"Oh, no," I groaned.
"Yeah," said Lucas.
"But what does that have to do with the Copleys?"
"Eric Dutka's mother is the older sister of the Copleys' mother. It looks like Damien made a deal to get his payments cleared."
"But he's still in debt," I said, frowning.
"At least we know how he's probably connected to the Niners now," said Maddox.
"He was too stupid to see making a deal with the devil was a one-time only thing. Or maybe by doing that, it meant the Boston gang had something on him and he couldn't get out. They probably encouraged him into running up a new debt and then had him working as a mole so they could evade detection," said Lucas.
"He's not the first cop to get into something over his head," said Maddox.
"If he'd told all of that to Solomon, I'm sure Solomon would have helped," I said.
"Damien probably thought he could handle it, but his debt got too big, or he didn't want to do any more favors, and they called in the marker," said Maddox.
"And Solomon was the final warning. Do what we want, or we go after your family," I said. My legs felt weak and I reached for something to grab hold of, but barely managed to clutch a ficus tree before my hand connected with a wall.
"Solomon was the closest family member they could go after," said Maddox. "They had no idea what they did when they went after him."
"We need to find Damien before he does something else stupid," I told them. "He knows his time is about to run out. He already panicked when he picked up the file from you, Lucas, so he must be desperate for the cash if he thinks he's clean out of warnings. Any idea on how much he owes?"
"No clue. It's not like anyone writes a receipt for this stuff."
"I'm going to guess it's that figure," said Maddox. He flipped the pages and tapped the figure deposited into Damien's account, and now gone. It was an eye-watering amount.
"I can cover that," I said as both men turned to me. "Solomon had an insurance policy. That is, he arranged for a check to reach me if anything happened to him so I would be okay," I explained. "I never cashed the check. If I take it to the bank, I can give the money to Damien and he can use it to pay off those people. Solomon will be safe. So will Damien."
"What makes you think they won't just shoot Damien the minute he gives them the money?" asked Maddox. "He's caused them a lot of trouble and we already have three of their men in custody. They have to know someone is going to sell out sooner or later."
"I think I know how to facilitate a meeting," I said. I hated to ask Duncan O'Malley for another favor but he'd already helped out, and so quickly and rather spectacularly on the past two occasions.
"You can't ask O'Malley again," said Maddox.
"How did you know?" I gasped.
"I figured his private meeting with you at the hospital wasn't to deliver grapes. Seeing that Mooch was later served up on a silver platter only confirmed it."
"Oh."
"Plus, I saw you talking to him outside the police station earlier after the second hit man magically appeared strung up on the flagpole."
"Why didn't you say something? Or arrest him?"
"He wasn't my top concern at the time. I figured you'd say something eventually."
"I'm lost," said Lucas. "What does Duncan O'Malley have to do with anything?"
"I'll explain it all another time," I said. "Let's go to the bank and cash the check."
"There's no way they'll give you that much money and let you walk out with it," said Maddox.
"Why not?"
"For a start, they probably don't have that much cash in the whole bank. There is a strict protocol and legal procedures for ordering such large quantities."
"Then what are we supposed to do?" asked Lucas.
"We need to find Damien and persuade him to help us," I said. "It's the only other option. If he tells us everything, Garrett can go after everyone who was involved. No more hit men."
"I agree," said Maddox. "So where do we look?"
"He might have gone back to my parents’ house. Maybe he wasn't running. Maybe he went to pick up a sweater. Or he could have gone to the hospital."
"And switched off his phone?" asked Maddox, shaking his head in disbelief. "You call your parents to make sure. I'll call Delgado."
"I need a phone," I said.
"Solomon has a bunch of burn phones in a bin in his office," said Lucas.
"I'll go get one." I turned and charged up the stairs, running to the shared office with Maddox and Lucas on my heels. As I pulled open the doors and sprinted to Solomon's office, I noticed it was unusually quiet. Normally, someone was in here working but everyone except me was currently out of the office. I opened Solomon's door and made for the bins that took up the lowest shelf of the bookcase that occupied one wall. The third bin held a variety of cellphones, still in their packaging. "They're not charged," I said, tossing the one I picked up back into the bin. "This does not happen in the movies!" In frustration, I grabbed the desk phone and dialed my parents, already cross at the delay.
"Hello," said Dad.
"Dad, it's me, Lexi."
"What happened? Where are you?" he asked, automatically alert at my hurried tone.
"I'm fine. Is Damien there?"
"No, he's with Garrett," he said.
"Are you sure?"
"That's where he said he was going this morning after he took Anastasia to the hospital. I offered to take him but he hired a car for a few days."
"He hasn't returned back to your house at all?"
"No. I've been here all day. What's happened? Is Damien okay?"
"I'm sure he's fine. I'm just trying to track him down."
"Are you at the hospital?" Dad asked. "Is there any news about Solomon?"
"Only that he's stable and under twenty-four-hour guard. Yesterday's incident doesn't seem to have caused any damage. Dad, I have to go now. I'll call you later, or if you see Damien, please have him call me."
"Okay," agreed Dad.
I shook my head at Maddox. "No sign of Damien at my parents' house. What did Delgado say?"
"Just that he and Anastasia were at the hospital. No one's seen Damien but they're looking for him. We need to think of someplace Damien would go."
"There isn't anywhere. He doesn't have any friends here that I know about, and there's nowhere that he frequents. He's staying at my parents and aside from the hospital and police station, there's nowhere else I can think of where he could be. Unless —" I paused, realizing there was one other option. "Maybe he's at my house."
"If he's desperate, he's probably looking for cash. A lot of it."
"My parents don't have any cash lying around. Mom is thrilled if she finds a ten-dollar bill in the laundry basket."
"What about Anastasia? Does she have money?"
"I don't think so. Not the kind of money we're talking about."
"Solomon, then? He's done pretty well in life."
I thought about the uncashed million dollar check again. "He keeps some money in the gun safe and there's some petty cash here at the agency. Sometimes, it's a few thousand for payoffs and expenses but I don't know how much is here right now." I turned back to Solomon's desk. There was a cash box in the bottom drawer. I pulled it open. "The lock's been smashed," I said as I pulled the heavy case onto the desk and opened it. "It's empty!"
"Did you tell him about the secret compartment at the house?" asked Maddox.
"No, but Solomon could have told him. I don't remember seeing any cash inside. Could he want what's inside?" I asked, while avoiding telling Lucas what I found in Solomon's closet.
"Maybe to sell on the black market," said Maddox. "Would he know how to get inside?"
"He would need keys and the access code to the house."
"Where are your keys and Solomon's?"
"Mine are in my pocket. Solomon’s are at the hospital. Damien could easily have lifted them," I realized with a gulp.
"Would he guess the alarm code?"
"Solomon's keys have a fob that can be tapped against the alarm keypad. It switches it off without any need for the code. Lucas, you stay here and do everything you can to find Damien. Get everyone looking for him. Maddox, we need to get over there. Now!"
We parked at the end of the street, jogging to the house. Nothing looked different. The drapes hadn't moved, and the windows remained shut. No one had scribbled "maniac brother hiding inside" on the door. Yet my nerves fizzled uncomfortably as I took the steps. This time, however, it wasn't because the shadow of that terrible night still lingered.
"What if he's not here?" I said to Maddox.
"Then we have to find him."
"What if he is here?"
"Then I'd go back in time and not answer the first question."
"Very funny."
"Yeah, I thought so." He shifted his jacket back and reached for his gun. "Let's go inside. Stay behind me. If Damien's here, I don't want him to panic."
I readied my keys and decided I really didn't want to go inside. I really didn't want to find Damien rummaging in my home or turning it over in the hopes of finding cash. If I saw him doing that, it would be so awful. It would mean every horrible supposition we had was real, which made me feel terrible. I didn't want to believe it could be true, and I hoped it wasn't, but the facts were real. He was suspended from the force and connected to crimes both here and in Boston. Damien hadn't returned to the police station and his still switched-off phone went directly to voicemail. Wherever he was, he didn't want anyone to know about it. There was no denying that wasn't normal.
"Let's go get some cheeseburgers," I decided.
"Cheeseburgers?" Maddox raised a questioning eyebrow.
"A nice, fast food meal, somewhere across town. Maybe a milkshake."
"Are you hungry?"
"I'm procrastinating."
"We could have picked up food on the way."
"We decided it was imperative we came here immediately. Plus, I was nauseous on the way over. Now I realize I'm hungry." Hungry and nauseous. It wasn't my favorite combination.
"We can get cheeseburgers after."
I stuck the key in the lock. "Okay," I said. "But it has to be super-sized and I need fries." The door opened without my turning the lock and my stomach lurched. "And I want some donuts after," I decided. If this was going to be a terrible day at the end of a terrible week, I might as well indulge.
"I will take you to every fast food joint in town," said Maddox. "You can go nuts."
"The door was unlocked," I said, pushing it. We stepped into the lobby and I kept my eyes up so I didn't have to see the site where Solomon was slumped. Would I ever not see it? I wondered, or would I think about that moment every time I walked in the door? Would Solomon mind if I bought new paint? Or ripped up the floor? Or burned the house to ashes?
"Let's do this quietly," said Maddox. "Remember, we don't want to panic him."
A loud thud came from upstairs, then another one, and a ripping sound. "It sounds like someone's tearing down the drywall," I said before I gulped. "Solomon's secret closet?" I whispered.
"I hope not." Maddox crept forward, stepping onto the first stair. "Any creaks I need to know about?" he whispered.
"No." I followed him as he moved stealthily, keeping low as we reached the top. He bent on one knee and took a quick look before moving back to where we were both concealed. Banging came from my bedroom, then footsteps that moved from the bedroom into the guest room. I listened to the sound of someone rifling through the closet and opening up all the drawers. There was a grunt of frustration and the feet began moving again, returning to the bedroom.
"It's just one person," I whispered and Maddox nodded.
"Stay here," he said, holding his gun up. "I'm going to confront him. Anything happens, you run and don't look back."
"But..."
"No buts. You don't have a gun and I do." He waved for me to be quiet then stepped up, straightening as he walked onto the landing and raised his gun.
I edged up two steps and, with my head close to the ground, watched his progress. He made it three steps before he stopped.
"Don't move," said another male voice. "What are you doing here, Special Agent Maddox?"
"Looking for you, Damien," said Maddox. "What are you doing here?"
"This is my brother's house."
"Put down the gun and let's talk."
"What is there to talk about?"
"Let's start with why you have a gun in your hand that you're pointing at a federal agent?"
"You're pointing a gun at me. I'm defending myself from a trespasser. Not exactly a strange thing to be afraid of since my brother was shot here only days ago."
"You know that wasn't me, and we both know you're involved in that shooting. Your own brother? That's cold, Damien."
"No, what's cold is my brother not bailing me out when he knew I was in trouble. Are you here alone?"
"Yes," said Maddox without missing a beat.
"Where's Lexi and Garrett?"
"Back at the police station, interviewing the guy that was previously suspended from the flagpole."
"Huh?"
"You didn't see that when you left?"
"A guy on a flagpole? I’m sure I would have remembered that."
"A few minutes after you left, someone dumped the shooter from the hospital in front of the police station. We considered that great news. Garrett went to interview him with Lexi watching. Then I spoke to someone from Boston PD who said you were suspended. You didn't come back so I came looking for you."
"Did you drive here?"
"Yes."
"Good. Toss me your keys. Slowly."
Keys hit the floor with a jangling thump. "That's your idea?" scoffed Maddox. "You're going to steal my car?"
"That's right. I need wheels unconnected to me."
"Do I even want to know what you think you're going to do with me?"
"That depends on how well you behave," said Damien.
I gently backed down the stairs, careful to ensure my feet hit every tread so I didn’t slip. I didn't need to hear anymore of Damien's plan. It was obvious he would come downstairs at some point and Maddox had been careful to say I was somewhere else. With the two men pointing guns at each other, and me without a weapon, there was nothing I could do. Except, I knew where the gun safe was. Two against one sounded like good odds to me.
I counted the steps, listening to Damien's cool voice as well as Maddox's. Neither sounded agitated but it could only be a matter of time before one of them decided to end the standoff. As my foot hit the floor, I pushed myself up and tiptoed across the lobby and into the kitchen.
It didn't look like Damien had been in here. The cabinets were all closed. I popped open the false front concealing the gun safe, entered the code and reached inside for a weapon. My gun was with Delgado at the hospital but Solomon left his gun inside the safe. I used it before with Solomon at the firing range and there was a fully loaded clip. I wasn't completely comfortable with it yet but I felt more secure than not having it. I slid the clip into the gun and pressed the safe door shut, looking around for the best place to conceal myself until Damien came downstairs. If I could catch him unawares, perhaps I could end this.
Instead of a hiding place, I spotted the house phone. I grabbed it and dialed Garrett's cellphone. "Pick up, pick up," I whispered into it, hoping he was out of the interview. After ten rings, he answered.
"It's Lexi," I whispered.
"Why are you whispering?"
"We found Damien."
"Where is he?" asked Garrett, his voice suddenly sharp.
"At my house. He's got a gun and he and Maddox are having a standoff. He's talking about taking Maddox's car. Send everyone."
"On our way," said Garrett. "Do not engage. Lexi. Do you hear me?"
"I can't hear you," I said.
"I mean it. This could get ugly. Let Maddox handle it. He's trained for this."
"Okay," I agreed. "But if he can't handle it, I'm stepping in."
"Do you really want to risk shooting Solomon's brother?"
"More than I want him to shoot Maddox," I said, not even taking a second to decide. "They're coming down. I have to go."
"Lexi..."
I hung up and pressed my back against the wall as two sets of footsteps moved down the stairs and hit the lobby. Something dropped onto the floor.
"Lexi must have told you if Solomon kept more cash in the house," said Damien. "Where is it?"
"If there is any money here, I don't know about it. Lexi didn't tell me. What are you planning to do anyway? Steal as much as you can, sell it to some creep you know is up to no good, make a payoff and all will be okay? Or are you going to live your life on the run, looking over your shoulder every single day?"
"I have to make a payoff or my brother is going to die. I got two warnings and the next one won't be just a warning. They'll kill Solomon, or me, or my sister. Maybe even Lexi. I have to do this."
"No, you don't. I can help you."
"No one can help me! I owe too much."
"We can help. We can take down the people you owe the money to."
Damien laughed. "You think going to jail will stop these people? I pay, my brother lives. I sell them out, we all die."
"Put down the gun," said Maddox.
"I can't."
I took a deep breath and stepped out from the kitchen, quickly finding my target. Damien had his back to me, his gun aimed at Maddox. Maddox stood at the front door with his hands on his head and his gun nowhere to be seen. "Do what he says, Damien," I ordered. "Or I will shoot you and then it really will be all over."