This Love Hurts

8. Delilah

With the suspect Herman dead, Claire didn't fight me when I said I wanted to get back to work. She did say I had to see the department psychologist first though. Luckily, he cleared me.

He doesn't know about Marcus and Claire doesn't either. That is, nothing apart from the incident in the parking garage and the suspicion that it may have been Marcus. The leading theory now is that it was someone hired by Herman. At least that's one of several.

Cody's on board to keep quiet about what happened between Marcus and me, plus the flash drive. It's not like we could use it in court anyway. It's inadmissible evidence because of how it was acquired. The kid IDing Herman we can use, though. Now it's just a matter of tying Herman to Brass.

The terminology "rot" is all I've got to work with and that's not enough for a warrant. I don't need a warrant to know that Herman worked closely with a man named Harrold Reynolds. He owns a dry cleaning business on Thirty-fourth Street. He was never a suspect in any case, but he was brought in countless times for questioning. His lawyer is familiar to our firm. He represents the mob.

It doesn't make sense. Or least it wouldn't without the bank accounts and proof of laundering. His former secretary is one of the women I suspected was murdered by Ross Brass, although I never did know why.

And there's the connection, if only I can find new evidence that wasn't tampered with that would lead Ross back to the secretary's murder, which connects him to Reynolds who is already connected to Herman. It could be my way in. My mind spins, going through everything just as it has all morning and afternoon well into the evening. Glancing at the clock in the upper right corner, it's already 8:00 p.m. It's time to go.

But the case doesn't quit.

Ross Brass committed a series of murders and got off on evidence tampering. The man whose release got me so worked up that I fell into a PR nightmare. I know he killed those girls... the laundering part is new, though.

Maybe Ross was the first man for hire. He isn't the starting point, so we'll have to look back further. I'm not sure, but the evidence on the flash drive files isn't enough. There are deposits to a number of bank accounts, but none can firmly be traced. Not without a warrant and I don't have evidence I can submit to get that warrant.

The theory: The mob hired Ross to launder. Ross used the money and Harrold Reynolds to commit other crimes, eventually leading to murders. When he got caught, he hired Harrold's buddy, Herman, to get him off. It worked, but I pissed off Ross with my comment and Herman was hired again. Maybe I would have been murder number five. Maybe I still will be.

It's only a theory with weak connections. Still, it's a theory. My tired eyes stare at the white computer screen. There are so many pieces, so many crimes and only so much information I have that can go toward motive.

I click my phone on, wondering if I asked Marcus, would he tell me? Does he already know? Staring at his phone number listed under just the letter M, it feels like I have a direct line to the devil. It's unused. Not a message has been sent back to him since the first text two nights ago... But I have it. I could use it. I could nail that son of a bitch if only I had more to go on. If I could get my hands on something definitive that no judge can dismiss.

A ping from my phone catches me off guard, my anger waning at the sound.

Are you doing all right?

The text from Cody stares back at me.

Am I all right? No.

Cody can tell I'm not and I hope he thinks I'm off because I came in close contact with Marcus. He's got a hired man outside my door and it's... at best, distracting. At worst it's causing rumors and could be a potential lawsuit. "If the DEA allowed someone to come back to work while under protection..." Claire's warning from earlier today echoes in my head. Telling her my boyfriend is just being protective earned a laugh and then a stern, "That better be all this is."