CHAPTER FOUR

The Kirk police station was a small building on Main Street across from the city hall and the courthouse. The parking lot was at the back with a few metered spots in front. The spots were all occupied. Sam pulled into the back.

Inside the station the entry was narrow, not enough for Sam to break into a sweat but enough for him to clench his teeth at the tight enclosure. Too much of his childhood had been spent in tight, airless closets.

The stocky woman wearing the Kirk PD uniform and seated behind bulletproof glass glanced up as Sam reached her.

He held up his ID. “Agents McKade and Carson. We’d like to speak with Chief Harmon.”

“Sorry, sir,” the woman said. “Chief Harmon is out having lunch but he’s expected back any time now.”

“Detective Orr, then.”

The officer buzzed them in then ushered Sam and Paige down a long hallway, past the prisoner processing room, and into the squad room made up of several desks in rows, and a whiteboard covered with photos and handwritten notes.

“We don’t know Orr,” Paige said. “Can you point him out to us?”

The woman lifted a bent and misshapen index finger. “That’s him. Last desk by the wall. Shaggy hair and beard.”

Sam thanked the woman and then walked beside Paige across the squad room. Orr sat facing his computer. He turned away from it and squinted at Sam and Paige over the top of small wire-rim glasses.

Sam held up his ID. “I’m McKade. This is Agent Carson. Has Agent Wingate been charged?”

Orr took off the glasses, hooking them onto the thin leather string he wore around his neck that held his detective badge. “Obstruction of justice.”

Sam raised a brow. “You expect that to stick?”

“To start.”

Sam knew the drill. Orr was holding Riley on a small charge to see if he could turn that into a big charge.

“Wingate will be here for the weekend,” Orr said. “He’ll be arraigned on Monday.”

Sam’s mouth firmed. “We want to see him.”

Orr nodded and got up from behind his desk. “I’ll take you.”

They reached an interrogation room. Orr unlocked the door then opened it and let Sam and Paige in. Riley hadn’t been handcuffed to the table. He stood pacing from one end of the small room to the other. Riley’s stride was long, quickly eating up the distance.

Orr left. Sam noted the glass window, two-way glass where no doubt Orr would be watching. Sam wanted this sorted and Riley out of here and he didn’t give a damn if the entire Kirk PD was watching.

But first things first. There was dried blood on Riley’s unbuttoned suit jacket and the white shirt and blue tie beneath. “You hurt?”

Riley stopped walking. “Blood’s Corbett’s, not mine.”

Paige released an audible breath. “We’re relieved to hear that.”

Riley looked to Paige and then to Sam. “Sorry you both had to come down here.”

Sam eyed Riley. “What’s going on?”

Riley ran an impatient hand over his buzz cut. “I got a call from Lonny Corbett. He’s Hailey’s brother.” Riley’s lips pulled back baring his teeth. “Her good-for-nothing piece-of-shit brother. He asked me to meet him in that alley.”

Sam frowned. A set up? Was this about Corbett or about Riley? Had someone with a grudge against Riley put Corbett up to making the call?

Riley resumed pacing. “I told him I wasn’t going to meet him, but he told me I needed to watch over Hailey for the next few days while he took care of something.” Riley’s mouth thinned. “He’d implicated Hailey in his shit before. Corbett was hooked on meth and got in deep with his dealer a couple years ago, told the dealer Hailey was good for the money. The dealer paid Hailey a visit. I was afraid that Corbett had thrown his sister under the bus again so I agreed to meet him to find out what the hell he’d gotten her into.”

“What happened in the alley?” Sam asked.

“Nothing. Corbett was dying when I got there. He was gone almost as soon as I reached him. Didn’t even have time to call for an ambulance. The knife was stuck in his chest—my knife. He dropped in at Hailey’s beginning of this week, at night, while I was in the shower. Told her he needed to use the guest bathroom and used the time to go into Hailey’s room. I had my wallet, keys, and knife on the dresser. Corbett took the cash and my knife.” Riley’s muscles tensed. “I let the fact that he stole from me go, but he wouldn’t think twice about hurting Hailey again and I couldn’t let that happen.”

Riley’s blue eyes sharpened. “That’s why I told Millhouse and Orr that I had to leave but I’d be back to give a statement. I have to check on Hailey, protect her. No telling what Corbett was mixed up in that’s going to hurt Hailey. They won’t let me out. Sam, you’ve got to get me out of here. I should be with Hailey. She needs me and not only for protection. Her parents retired to Florida a few years back. She’s all alone. She loved her brother. She’s going to be heartbroken.”

From what Riley had said, Sam couldn’t disagree with how Millhouse and Orr had handled things. Riley was at the scene of the murder. His knife was the murder weapon. He was acquainted with and disliked the deceased—more than disliked—and blamed him for hurting Hailey in the past.

Added to that, Corbett had told Riley that he’d placed Hailey in danger again which gave Riley a motive for wanting Corbett out of Hailey’s life. The way things looked, Millhouse and Orr had come across Riley before Riley had a chance to flee the scene. If Sam had been on the Kirk PD and caught the call about the murder, he would have acted as the detectives had and detained Riley as well.

Paige asked, “Did you see anyone else around when you pulled up to the alley? When you were making your way to Corbett?”

Riley rubbed the bridge of his nose that was liberally covered with freckles. “No.”

“They’re charging you with obstruction of justice,” Sam said.

Riley’s gaze went to Sam. “I’ve told them everything I know. It’s a bullshit charge, Sam.”

“It will buy them some time to build it into more if they can. They’re going to keep you until you’re arraigned on Monday.”

Riley let out a harsh breath. “I can’t stay here till then. I have to check on Hailey.”

“I’ll see that Hailey is taken care of.”

Riley looked like he would say more, then likely recognizing the futility of it, nodded. “I appreciate it, Sam. And thanks for not asking if I did it.”

“I know you didn’t do it. You have a lawyer to call for this?”

“No.”

Sam went to the door and knocked hard. “Harmon may be back from lunch by now. Paige and I are going to have a word with him. I’ll send a lawyer to you now. Paige and I will be back in the morning to meet with you both.”

A uniformed officer unlocked the door. Sam waited for Paige to precede him then fell into step with her as they made their way to Harmon’s office.

Paige said, “Orr and Millhouse are going to have to come up with something fast to continue to hold Riley. The obstruction charge will only buy them a limited amount of time.”

Sam grunted. “With the way this has already come together, they’re not going to need much time to make their case.”

The police chief was hanging a jacket on a coat stand by a bookcase when Sam reached the office. Harmon was as thin as a rail with skin that looked cracked and weathered. Sam entered the office. Paige came up beside him.

“Pete,” Sam said by way of a greeting.

“Sam.”

Harmon gave Sam a narrow-eyed look as he took a seat behind his desk. Sam and Harmon had clashed professionally in the past, most recently over jurisdiction concerning the Thames case. Harmon had resented that the investigation had been taken from him. Not at Sam’s initiative, but a state senator’s. Harmon had a chip on his shoulder as far as the Bureau was concerned. Sam was in no mood for Harmon’s attitude today. “I just came from seeing my agent. I’ve been told you plan to sit on him until an arraignment on Monday. That true?”

Harmon propped his feet up on his desk. He leaned back in his chair and brought his hands together in a light clasp over the striped tie on his flat stomach. “Yup.”

“Why not arraign him today? Get this done.”

“Your boy killed a man. There is no getting this done.” The corners of Harmon’s mouth widened a bit in vindictive glee.

Sam felt his own facial muscles pull into hard lines. “That’s not what he’s been charged with.”

Harmon puffed out his concave chest then exhaled slowly, drawing out the moment. “Not yet.”

“You know something I don’t about this?” Sam’s tone was now as hard as his expression. “Because all I’m seeing is an attempt to stall.”

Harmon’s face reddened. “We have enough to hold him. No reason to stall.”

“No reason to keep Wingate on an obstruction charge. He isn’t a flight risk. Kirk County is his home.”

“He should have thought of that before he used his knife on his girlfriend’s brother.”

That had yet to be proven and Sam countered with, “Speculation. Wingate is a distinguished federal agent who has been part of my squad for the last six years.”

“None of that means squat today.”

Sam knew he should tread more lightly, apply some diplomacy. He hated being forced into that role and had zero patience for it. Less than zero at this moment. There was a malice in Harmon that pushed all of Sam’s buttons but more, had him concerned for Riley. “I’m going to expect you to keep Wingate apart from the gen pop.” Riley was a cop. He could not be placed in a cell with other inmates. Nor would Sam tolerate Riley becoming injured in any so-called accidents. Sam eyed Harmon. “If anything happens to my agent while he’s in your custody, I’m going to hold you responsible.”

Harmon’s feet left his desk and hit the floor with a loud thud. His jaw bulged. “I know my responsibility.”

Sam didn’t let up one inch. “I’ll be back tomorrow to check on him.”

* * *

Thirty minutes later, Paige followed Sam into their Bureau office. Sam had been silent on the drive from the police station. He was angry and he was worried. The evidence against Riley—motive, opportunity, and means—was mounting. Paige was worried too.

As she’d told Riley, she’d been relieved to see that he was unhurt. One man had been killed and when Sam had told her about Riley on the drive over, she’d feared Riley may have sustained some injury as well from the person who’d committed the murder.

Though Paige knew that Riley was a few years older than she was, he looked young enough to be carded in a bar. Riley had been an agent several years longer than Paige, but his adolescent looks made her feel protective of him. Recalling her foot, she winced at the thought that she would be able to protect anyone, let alone a trained federal agent. Once again, she’d become the weak link on the squad. The truth of that disgusted her and she felt a rush of heat as her bitter hatred for Thames reasserted itself.

As they entered the building, Marian Hendershot, the sixty-ish office administrator, popped up from behind her desk in the lobby. She ran her hands over her short, perfectly combed gray hair.

“Sir.” Her voice was uncharacteristically strained. “You were going to call us before you returned.”

Sam rubbed his jaw and sighed. “Yeah. About that…”

Before Sam could finish speaking, Special Agents Harry Platt, Dominic DeLuca, and Mike Nunez charged in from the squad room and shouted, “Surprise!”

Harry, Sam’s second in command, broke away from the trio. He seized Paige’s hand. “What light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Paige is the sun.”

He drew her into his arms. He lifted her and twirled her slightly, balancing her expertly against himself and taking the weight off her injured foot, then lowered her in a dip before righting and releasing her.

Harry’s easygoing nature and good humor had lightened many a tense moment for Paige in the last months. When Sam had introduced Harry to her, he’d said that Harry had missed his calling in Hollywood. He would have certainly fit well there with his movie star good looks. But in lieu of Hollywood, Harry had found a place for his acting talent right here in Kirk. At the moment, he wore a small tin button pinned to his navy blue tie that advertised the local theater playhouse where he starred regularly in productions.

Dominic DeLuca, Harry’s partner, was built like a pro wrestler. He gave Harry a head shake over his demonstrative greeting to Paige and laughed. “Can’t top that so I’ll say simply, it’s good to have you back, Paige.” Dom’s huge frame enveloped Paige when he bent to hug her.

Mike Nunez, not as tall as his fellow male agents but as solid as a fireplug, kissed each of Paige’s cheeks. “It hasn’t been the same here without you.” The thick gold cross he wore over his tie lightly bumped Paige’s neck with each kiss.

Mrs. Hendershot, as she preferred to be called, came around her desk then and took charge, clapping her hands, herding the group like a general with her troops. At under five feet, Paige lost sight of her among the large men. Mrs. Hendershot directed everyone into the squad room that had been decorated with balloons, strung with streamers, and a “Welcome Back, Agent Carson” banner.

The woman disappeared into the break room and returned with a tray of paper cups filled with what looked like cranberry juice and a cake.

Sam smiled. “Paige, in case I forgot to mention it, you’ve been missed.”

Harry, Dom, and Mike let out a whoop.

Paige clutched the cup Mrs. Hendershot handed to her. Paige’s throat closed tight. “I’ve missed being here with all of you. Thank you. Thank you all so much.”

These people meant more to her than she could say. They were her family. Being here with them brought home to her yet again how much Thames and her injury had cost her.

Mrs. Hendershot had placed the cake on the nearest desk and held out the knife. “Agent Carson, if you please?”

Emotion left her shaky as Paige made the first cut as indicated by Mrs. Hendershot, then the other woman took over, slicing cake for all of them.

Sam set his uneaten cake on the top of a filing cabinet. “Sorry to cut this short. We have a situation. Riley has been arrested.”

Mike, Riley’s partner, broke away from Harry and Dom who flanked him and went to stand in front of Sam. “What? He told me he had a personal errand to run and would be a bit late for Paige’s party.”

Sam filled Mike, Harry, Dom, and Mrs. Hendershot in on what they knew so far, ending with, “We need to find out if someone used Lonny Corbett to set Riley up, or if Riley got caught up in Corbett’s mess. Mike, give us a rundown on what you and Riley have been working on recently. If someone used Corbett to set Riley up, that would take some planning.”

Mike’s dark brows rose high, crinkling his forehead and almost vanishing into his thick dark hair. “We’ve been working with the Florida office on the gang abduction and shooting of the young Thatcher boy.”

The Bureau didn’t normally investigate shootings unless requested by local law enforcement or a crime involved a minor who had been transported across state lines. It sounded to Paige like that was what had been done to the Thatcher boy.

Sam addressed Mike. “Mike, take a look there, and look back at anything you and Riley worked on. See if anyone looks good for wanting payback on Riley. Riley thinks Hailey Corbett may be in danger as a result of something her brother was into that got him killed. He thinks she needs protection. We’ll provide that until we can eliminate this perceived threat to Hailey. Kirk PD is going to notify her of her brother’s death, but I’d like you to go to her residence and let her know about Riley’s arrest and that we’ll be providing protection for her.”

“Rita and the kids love Hailey,” Mike said. “If it’s okay with you, Sam, she can stay with my family for now. If need be, we can move her to a safe house later. I’ll go speak with her.”

Sam added, “We need to know all we can about her brother and Riley’s connection to him.”

“I’d like her to be as comfortable as possible when we speak with her,” Mike said. “It would be better if we did that away from the office and my place. I can bring her by your house later today.”

“Fine.” Sam faced Harry. “I want us to coordinate with Kirk PD. We haven’t been asked to assist, but this is a special circumstance with Riley being one of ours. Harry, I want to know what they know. Detectives Millhouse and Orr are working this investigation.”

Harry nodded, his blond hair that he wore longer than regulation length, shone in the overhead light. “On it.”

Sam turned to Mrs. Hendershot. “Marian, Riley said that Corbett had been in trouble with the law. Get in touch with one of our analysts to do a background check on him.”

Mrs. Hendershot inclined her head. “I’ll bring the report to you as soon as I receive it, sir.”

As Mrs. Hendershot, Harry, and Mike left to their assignments, Sam said, “Dom, Paige, you’re with me.”

Sam led the way into the conference room where a map of Kirk County hung on one wall. At the map, he pointed to the alley. “I want to take a look around here. Riley said that Corbett was still alive when he got to him. The killer may have heard Riley coming and didn’t have time to finish the job. When Riley got there, he didn’t see anyone else in the alley with him and Corbett. Our unsub got away clean and fast. I want to know where our killer could have come from, and gone to quickly. Let’s go back to that alley.”