Bang Switch Read online

  Rex rolled his head back against the hard seat. “God, I hate holding cells.”

  “Am I going to find priors or anything when I run your license?”

  Rex looked up. “You’ll find just enough to make me plausible. Don’t forget to grab my phone first and call your partner.”

  “I’ll be honest, I’m not the trusting kind. I don’t know why I believe any of your story, except you know things. Things your average street hustler wouldn’t know.”

  Zane opened his car door and got out. He unlocked the trunk and opened it, looking for the original cell phone he’d taken off Rex. Where the hell was it? He looked in the duffle, but knew he hadn’t put it there. Then he lifted up the bag, and saw it, an old flip phone. He had to look in his own phone to get Trevino’s number, since he had it on speed dial and wouldn’t have remembered it even if he’d called him ten minutes ago. He dialed the number and waited.

  When he answered, Zane said, “I’m glad you picked up. It’s me, Gwilly.”

  “Why you calling me from a blocked number?” Trevino asked.

  “Long story. But look, I need you to keep a lid on everything you may have gotten today. Don’t write your reports just yet, and keep your notes to yourself.”

  A pause before Trevino said, “What’s going on?”

  “I can’t go into detail right now. Mostly because I’m still working things out. But believe me when I tell you to wait. Got it?”

  “Is that an order from my superior?” Trevino sounded like he wanted some sort of verification this wasn’t a joke.

  “That’s an order, Trevino. We’ll talk soon enough.” Zane hung up.

  He put the phone back under the bag, shut the trunk and walked over to get back in his car. He had the door opened, but didn’t step in right away. Instead, he looked around, looking for anything out of place. Was he being followed, watched?

  From the back Rex yelled, “Hey, what’s the hold up?”

  Zane got in the car and headed toward the station.

  “What did your officer say?” Rex asked.

  “He’ll keep quiet for now.” Zane hoped.

  Rex explained specific contacts in his cell phone, and told Zane the safe word he used. It was more like a password, and it would be burned as soon as they realized Rex had been compromised.

  Not waiting to get back to the station, Zane ran Rex through the database. As he’d said, just a few priors: possession of drug paraphernalia, a failure to appear, and traffic warrants. Nothing to write home about.

  “Your record is as close to squeaky clean as you can get for a dealer,” Zane said.

  “I don’t even have a traffic ticket under my real name. But don’t run that, it will flag me. And I don’t want to end up like Sousa.”

  As he escorted him to the cell, he said, “Keep your ears open. I’m not sure you can hear much from here, but I got you as close to our main workstation as possible.”

  “There could be lots of chatter when you have a cement wall between you and the ‘guests’ in holding. It’s easy to forget they might hear you,” Rex said.

  “I never really thought about it, but I doubt you’ll hear much,” Zane said. “It’s worth a try, though.”

  Zane locked Rex in the cell, then went to a computer station to log him in. That’s when he remembered the drugs in the car. He needed to test them. Why hadn’t he done it in the parking lot? Better to do it with another officer present. He pulled out his own phone from his pocket and sent a text to Trevino to meet him at his car in the station parking lot.

  Zane made a trip to the bathroom, checked his phone for a call from Kate, then walked outside. He knew Moore wanted him back out on the street, but he needed to talk to Trevino first.

  Trevino drove up a few minutes after Zane walked outside. He got out of his car and walked over to Zane, looking nervous. “What’s going on?”

  Zane waved him to the back of his car. “I just wanted you to be here when I tested the drugs I found on a guy earlier. I should have tested them at the scene, but I wanted to have a witness.”

  “Will this be able to be used as evidence? I mean, since by now you could have planted the drugs?”

  Zane smiled. “Not sure what I was thinking. You know, because I make it a habit to plant drugs on felons.”

  The thought had crossed his mind. He should have had his chest camera on, and he should have kept Moore there while he tested the substance in the baggie. But he didn’t and he didn’t care, because the charges likely wouldn’t stick either way.

  Trevino hit the button on his chest and watched as Zane pulled the test kit from the toolbox in the trunk of his Charger. Zane pulled on gloves, then pulled a small amount of powder from the baggie, dropping it into the test packet, sealing it, and giving it a shake. Within seconds, the contents of the test kit turned a pale blue. “Well, I’ll be damned.”

  “What? You expected it to be drugs, didn’t you?” Trevino asked, confused.

  “Yep,” Zane said. He couldn’t believe the DEA allowed this guy to travel with enough meth for distribution. “Wow, Rex played a dangerous game.”

  “Rex?” Trevino asked.

  “That’s the guy I arrested. Possession with intent to distribute.”

  “Okay, well, are we done here?” Trevino pressed the button on his chest again. Camera off. “Now, what was that phone call all about, sir?”

  “All I can say is, we’re in deep shit. This goes way beyond a homicide investigation.” Zane didn’t know how much to share. Trevino could be dirty for all he knew. He doubted it, but hey, it could happen.

  “Yeah, that doesn’t help me,” Trevino said.

  “What if I told you Sousa’s murder may be related to Kate’s incident with Silva?”

  Trevino frowned. “That doesn’t even make sense. Did Sousa even know Darby?”

  Zane told Trevino about his conversation with Rex.

  Trevino stood staring at Zane with his mouth open. “No way.”

  “Way,” Zane said.

  “But I already sent everything to the state lab.” His skin prickled with beads of sweat.

  Zane wanted to reassure him. “That’s good. Directly to the lab, right? You didn’t give it to the lieutenant or chief? You sent it directly to the lab?”

  “Directly, and they have my contact information and yours. You know since this is an officer involved homicide, they aren’t going to give two shits about us. They’re going to give every bit of information to Moore and Rambone, then they’ll relay it to us.”

  “Preaching to the choir, my man, preaching to the choir.” Zane knew what he was saying was true. So did Rex. Where did they stand now? Zane had to keep looking forward, try to find Sousa’s killer. Then he’d work on finding out who the dirty cop was.

  Zane had phone calls to make, but Moore wanted to talk, and he needed to get Rex out of the holding cell. That wasn’t going to happen soon. He went straight to Moore’s office to see what he wanted to talk about, and on the way, a large envelope was slapped against his chest. Zane looked up to see Assistant Chief Tira Dixon standing in front of him.

  “This just came for you,” she said and walked away.

  The envelope was marked with a case number and bright red letters, telling the world this file was confidential. It had come via interdepartmental mail from the state lab. But it was too soon for anything to come from the lab. He opened it. Photos. Footprints.

  Looking at the photos, he noticed they’d enhanced the photos he’d taken, then enhanced the prints, too. Wow, things moved much faster when an officer was killed. But he figured after his conversation with Rex, it had more to do with Sousa’s real identity. Someone higher up had pushed this through, he knew it.

  Looking around, he pushed the pictures back in the envelope and resealed the opening. Heavy footsteps came from around the corner.

  “Gwilly, my office, now.” It was Moore.

  Zane followed him to his office.

  “Have a seat.” It sounded like an or
der.

  Moore didn’t sit, he walked around to his side of the desk and stood, towering over Zane as if to intimidate. It didn’t work.

  “This asshole is a CI. Did you know that? You arrested a CI?”

  So? “Okay? It’s not like CIs don’t get arrested.”

  “I’m looking at the items you took from his vehicle. Did you have probable cause for the search?”

  What the fuck? “Are you kidding me?”

  “Come on, now.” He leaned forward, his fists resting on the desk.

  And the shit just got deeper.

  “I’m not a rookie, sir. I know how to do my job.” Zane felt his face getting hot.

  “Really? Let me see your chest camera.”

  Oh, that son of a bitch. Zane said nothing.

  “The dash camera?” That douche bag fucked him. And the worst part, he knew better. But if Rex was who he said he was, it didn’t matter anyway. He wasn’t a lowlife getting away with anything, just an agent getting out of a bogus arrest.

  “That’s what I thought. You know this is going to be a waste of taxpayers’ money, and now he’s wanting a ride back to his car.” He slammed his chair into the wall. “Gwilly? You’re not an idiot. What the hell were you thinking?”

  Not good at eating crow, he thought about Kate and Sousa and wondered if Rex was helping him or trying to screw him over. “I guess I was pissed at the cell phone company because I wasn’t able to get a history on Sousa’s phone.”

  Now Moore’s face went crimson. “What? You gotta be shitting me? What is going on? You have the warrant?”

  Even though he didn’t mean it, Zane said, “Sorry, sir. I do have the warrant, but there just isn’t any history. I’m working another angle; I just need to get back out there and start working.”

  Moore straightened his chair. “I’m gonna see what I can do to keep this guy overnight. I’m gonna have him transported to county. Maybe we can keep him until morning. Did you test the powder you found?”

  “Positive for meth, sir,” Zane felt more confidence as he said this. “CI or not, he’s got amounts for distribution in his possession. He’s not going home tonight. He’ll have to see the judge to bond out.”

  “Fine, that’s good then. I’m still pissed off about your camera not being on.”

  “With all due respect, Lieutenant, I worked for years without wearing a camera, and I’ve never had an issue. It’s not like the guy has bruises or a broken arm. It’s just a drug charge. And if he’s a good boy, he’ll rat someone out and get the charges dropped.”

  Moore wiggled his nose like he had a booger that itched. “Get me something on this Sousa case. The chief is breathing down my neck, and I have nothing. I’ll take care of this Williams guy, get him transported. Call me with anything. I’m going to do some investigating of my own.”

  Zane got up and walked out. So far, he had nothing. Just Rex Williams’ phone numbers. They were all local numbers, which made him even more skeptical. He needed a place to go that was quiet. A place no one would look for him. He got in his Charger and radioed in a Code 7, and drove toward Code 7.

  On the way there, he pulled over on a neighborhood street and parked. He had the extra phone from Rex in his pocket. Never turned it in. Rex gave him permission to copy his contacts, but that was off the record. If it ever went to court, that was a bust. Not having his camera on may have given Rex an out, but that didn’t mean his case wasn’t good. He was a good cop, and there was no reason for anyone to think he’d plant drugs. It was the oldest complaint in the books. “Hey, your hand was in my pocket, you put those drugs there.” How many times had he heard that in his career? That was fine in this case, because he was a good guy. But in the case of the bad guys, they needed all they could get, because the courts favored criminals these days, not victims.

  The list of numbers in hand, Zane grabbed Rex’s phone, not the phone he’d called from earlier, but the phone he’d found in the car. He flipped it open and turned it on. Dead. He had an iPhone, so his connector wouldn’t charge it, but the charger to his Kindle might work.

  Reaching behind his seat, he pulled out a messenger bag. Disconnecting the cord from his Kindle, he inserted it into the cell phone. Boom. He plugged the USB into the police issue laptop. He almost told it to recognize the device to start charging the phone. Then he remembered, it was possibly a DEA burner. He pulled the USB from the laptop. Opening the hatch on his center console, he plugged the phone in there instead.

  Pulling off the curb and back onto the road, he headed to the bar. He’d talk to his dad. It might clear his head while the phone charged. Then he’d see what else good old Rex had. Or if he was full of shit.

  Chapter 18

  Kate thought talking to Newton’s aunt would set her mind at ease, but now she wasn’t so sure. She leaned back in her chair and listened as Abby talked.

  “You know, this is the first time I’ve ever talked about what happened. In detail, I mean. It’s not like my friends want to hear about how my drug dealing nephew was murdered in my house. As it is, my neighbors stopped talking to me after the ambulance and police swarmed the neighborhood that day. Especially when they found out who was killed.” She sighed.

  “Why would they care?” Kate asked.

  “Because this isn’t a neighborhood where you hear sirens. And there were a lot of sirens that day. A lot. It’s not like they were warning anyone, and Geo was dead, so no hurry, but they came in guns ablazing. It will take forever to get back in the good graces of this community.”

  “I can’t believe you care what they think,” Kate said, knowing full well she’d care.

  “I don’t care all that much. It’s the new neighbors who are so up in arms. The people who’ve lived here for decades, like me, have been supportive. But it is difficult to drive down the street and people who used to wave now avoid me.” She laughed. “But now that I say it out loud, it’s so petty and stupid. They should feel bad for me; I lost my only nephew.”

  Kate wanted her to get to the day of the murder, but she waited her out, not wanting to sound too eager to get to the good parts. The parts that would give her answers.

  “But you don’t want to hear about the neighbors. You’re here about Geo. And I’m so glad you stopped by, really. Someone who doesn’t hate him, or want to arrest him. It’s nice to know he did some good.”

  “I’d say better than some good. He literally saved my life. I’ve never felt so vulnerable. That punk Silva got the better of me, and if Geo had just kept walking, I’d have been brutally raped before Silva killed me. I owe it to Geo to find the truth, and to be honest, before you start telling me your side, I don’t think he was killed by a Bario Azteca gang member. I think the story was convenient.”

  Abby’s eyes welled with tears and she blinked them away, but they dropped onto her cheeks. “I never really mourned him, you know? I always wondered if he brought it on himself. He told me he was part of something big. But then, he was always gonna move on and be better, the next big thing. Never happened, because selling drugs was easy money.”

  “I never understood that. So many people who are in the drug business aren’t rich. They barely get by, and they’re always watching their backs. And I hate to say this, but they’re stupid. I can’t tell you how many times I pull a car over for a broken taillight and when the driver rolls down the window, I smell weed, or see a baggie of meth on the passenger seat.”

  Abby nodded. “But Geo had something going on. When he showed up at my door, he was driving a Range Rover. Not an old one, but not brand new, either. And I let him park it in the driveway, so people would be impressed by my nephew. I never told them what he really did. I said he worked for private companies. And I guess he did; I wasn’t lying.”

  “Don’t take this the wrong way, Abby, but I don’t think Geo was high enough on the food chain to afford that car. I could be wrong, but I don’t think I am.” Kate hated to be a Debbie Downer, but she didn’t want Abby to be disillusioned.

>   “Oh, I know it wasn’t his. In fact, sometime in the middle of the night, after the body was taken away and the crime scene people were gone, someone came and took the car. I woke up and saw two men in suits open the car with a remote key, get in, start it, and leave. Then I saw another car, a dark SUV, pull away from the curb a few doors down. Whatever Geo had been involved in, I think that’s what got him killed. I absolutely know he wasn’t caught in a gang war. Gang bangers don’t use silencers. They want everyone to know they have a kill.”

  Kate’s mouth opened, but no words came out. She closed it, swallowed, then tried again. “How do you know the killer used a silencer?”

  “Please, I was upstairs in my office, working. I’d taken the early part of the day to drive to Greenville to go shopping, so I had to work late. I do bookkeeping work from home, so I can set my own hours as long as the work gets done.”

  “I’m so sorry, I didn’t know you were home when it happened,” Kate said. “In fact, I was in the hospital, recovering from my attack and no one told me anything.”

  “I’m pretty sure no one knows I was home. I didn’t tell them I was. I’ll be honest, I’m terrified.”

  Kate leaned forward and put her hand over Abby’s. “I could see that when I came to the door. What are you afraid of?”

  Abby pulled her hand away. “I’m afraid if they know what I know, they’ll kill me, too.”

  Kate tried not to raise her brows. “Then why are you talking to me?”

  Abby crossed her arms, hugging them tight to her middle. “Because I’m tired of being afraid. I don’t go anywhere. I have my groceries delivered, and even then, I make him leave them on the back porch. I put in a better security system. I know it’s crazy, but when the police asked, I said I just got home and found Geo. I couldn’t even tell them the truth. I’m sorry I lied to save my ass, but Geo was dead and I couldn’t do anything to help him. So I had to think about me.”

  “I’m still not clear on why you’re afraid for your life,” Kate said, trying not to sound condescending.