Promise Renewed (12 page)

Darin’s lawyer brother Douglas had seemed destined to die a bachelor until he woke up to realize he loved his sister’s best friend, Lisa Kane.

Dugan, the county sheriff, was the easiest to research. It seemed Oaktree was a hotbed of gossipy folks where everyone loved their sheriff, but were divided as to whether he should get involved again with Kate Maroney, the woman who had broken his heart when she left him at the altar.

They did get back together, seem to be living in marital bliss, and were expecting their first child any day.

But Darin didn’t know she knew any of this. The knowing had her turn her head until she could control the strong thud of guilt that hit her.

Darin chuckled before he answered her question. “I do have a large family. They’re wonderful, but sometimes too caring. They were on their way from Oaktree when they found out I got hit on the head. It took some talking to make them stay put.”

“You’ll have to tell me about them.”

“Someday. When we have lots of time.” He dropped his voice. “Right now I want to know if you felt any out-of-the-ordinary vibes today.”

“Not a one. I have good instincts. At least I thought I did. If one of them is a mole, I don’t know which one.”

“We need to find out. Fast.”

“I see Dwanda and her family tomorrow, Melanie and the female members of the squad, Friday night. I’ll get to the rest as fast as I can.”

“I’ll do what I can on my end. But I guarantee, if Bernie Peters can’t find anything untoward, nobody can.”

They sat back, enjoyed their glass of wine and listened as the voices quieted down at the end of the table.

Leaning on Maddy, Jake had fallen asleep. Hank and Maddy were still talking.

Gina couldn’t believe her eyes.

On paper, Henry Kenton seemed an upstanding member of not just the squad, but his church, and participated in school events with his son.

She’d had to dig deep into his bank records to find an account in his son’s name where he deposited varying amounts at different times of the month. They weren’t large, nothing like someone working with a drug dealer would earn.

He didn’t have another job. She’d already checked.

For the moment she put him in the suspicious column.

She stood and put her glass on the table. “We need to go.”

Gina wouldn’t see her sister hurt.

Never again.

“What’s your hurry? Maddy’s having a good time. Relax.”

Too good a time.

“No. We go to church early on Sundays. We need to get home.” She turned to him; saw the look of disappointment on his face. “This was a nice thing to do. I had a wonderful time.”

“Even if you had to work?”

She chuckled. “Even if.”

Going to Maddy, she touched her shoulder. “It’s getting late.”

Maddy looked at her watch and sprang from the chair. “I had no idea.”

Hank stood with her. “Maybe I’ll see you again.”

“Maybe,” she said. “It was nice meeting you all,” she called back over her shoulder as she hurried after her sister.

Chapter Nine

By the end of the next week, Gina had cleared Dwanda, Leya, Melanie, and Hank. A visit to each of their homes showed no overt spending. Dwanda had confided how she and her husband Jesse had a college fund set up for the children, but found it difficult to put much into it. Jesse was considering a second job.

Melanie’s condo was gorgeous, her furniture top of the line. Gina recognized some of the pieces from Ethan Allen and Kincaid. When she admired a piece, Melanie was eager to tell her when she got it, how much it cost, and that Jimmy paid for it. More info than Gina bargained for, but she’d take it.

It was a fun evening. They’d all let their hair down. Even Gina relaxed and griped about Houston’s weather and traffic.

Leya’s small apartment was clean and neat. She had a cat named Lucy and several cousins, nieces, and nephews she either encouraged or helped out financially. She wanted to see a successful generation coming up behind her. Gina couldn’t see Leya doing anything illegal.

Gina laughed every time she thought of Hank. The money he put in Jake’s college fund was money from his e-Bay account where he sold odd items he either didn’t want or stuff he found and fixed up. He told Gina it was amazing what you could sell. He was doing quite well with it.

While she was there, he asked about Maddy. Gina found herself asking him and Jake over for dinner. When Maddy found out she went into a tailspin. What to cook? What to wear?

Maddy’s response to the invite was so unlike her it made Gina wonder if her sister was smitten.

In the end, it didn’t matter. Jake monopolized the evening with his chatter. After dessert, they walked over to the neighborhood park.

Maddy was happy.

Gina turned her thoughts to her job. She still had a lot more legwork to do.

And Darin?

Though they would be working undercover and she trusted him, she couldn’t tell him she was with IA. Why? First, it was against protocol. Second, he’d be angry. Since they were working so well together she didn’t want anything to hamper their joint investigation.

That wasn’t all. More and more she found her thoughts straying to him. It was a distraction she didn’t need. She wondered how it would work out when they were thrown together to play their parts. Especially when they were face-to-face with a big-time drug dealer.

This was the biggest case of her career. So much rested on its success. Not the least of which was her future with IA, and Darin’s credibility with HPD.

It didn’t matter that her hormones were suddenly aroused. Their upcoming operation took precedence over everything. There was a killer out there they needed to expose—a mole in the ranks, and a drug cartel or two to bring down.

Just thinking about it made her wonder if they were out of their minds to even attempt such a dangerous undertaking.

According to Darin, they had no choice. The homicide division and their own narc squad had failed to turn up a single clue. Maybe he was right.

Besides, Gina Carlson wasn’t a quitter.

She and Darin had agreed they needed four people for backup. She’d already included Dwanda and Hank. Now she had to decide between Joe, Ernie, Leya, and Melanie. She’d dropped in at Ernie’s house a second time on the pretext she wanted to give the kids a batch of Maddy’s cookies since she had to be in the neighborhood anyway. If they weren’t home, she’d leave them with a note at the front door.

But they were home, and she was invited in for coffee. The kids were delighted with the cookies. Ernie and his wife Amy were gracious in their welcome. Melanie’s condo being the exception, their home, like the others she’d visited, showed no signs of wealth. If Amy didn’t work, they probably couldn’t make it.

As far as Gina was concerned Ernie was in the clear. And the more she thought about Leya, she cleared her as well.

After investigating Joe, her personal opinion was he hid behind jokes and good humor, but underneath he had issues. What they were she didn’t know. He did a good job, and had no extra money in his account. His small apartment was sparse. Still, she hesitated. Maybe it was just the jokes, but Joe was out.

Because Melanie was Joe’s partner, Gina gave both a thumbs down.

They had what they needed.

“It’s time to meet with those we picked and see if they’re willing to go along. If they turn us down, we’ll have to do it without them,” Darin said when they met up again.

Thank God, she’d convinced Darin it would be impossible to do this job without backup. “When and where do we meet?”

They were in the breakroom with the door closed. “What night is good for you?”

“I’m free anytime,” Gina said. “But the others may not be.”

“I’ll ask them.”

“Why don’t I send Dwanda in? I’ll wait a few minutes and send Leya to join you. I’ll keep it up until they’re all here.”

“You’re really getting into this, aren’t you?” He chuckled.

“We can’t wait much longer. We have word out on the streets about a buyer. We’ll get a hit soon. We have to be ready.”

“Let’s do it.”

“Okay. Here goes.”

Within fifteen minutes they were all in the breakroom except Gina, who was guarding the door so no one else could go in.

Sure enough, Melanie headed that way.

Gina stopped her. “Hey Melanie. Got a minute?”

“I was just going for a cup of coffee.”

“This won’t take a sec.”

Clearly put out, she went to Gina’s desk where she made a show of not understanding how to fill out one of the many forms the job demanded.

By feigning ignorance, she managed to keep Melanie occupied until Dwanda sauntered out of the breakroom.

A minute later, Leya came out with a cup of coffee in one hand, a bagel in the other.

Good! Darin was finished.

“Sorry I took so much of your time. But thanks.”

“Sure,” Melanie said. “Any time.”

As Melanie went through the door of the breakroom, Darin backed out. Before the door shut, she heard Hank and Ernie’s laughter.

Nothing suspicious looking as far as Gina could tell.

But she was a bundle of nerves. They had to find who killed Tom Hunter, and they had to find the drugs, hopefully before they hit the street.

They could be too late already.

But were they ready? Could they pull this sting off?

She went in search of the aspirin bottle.

****

They met at Darin’s that night at eight.

He didn’t know whether it was because of curiosity or whether they were as anxious as he was to find Hunter’s killer. Since he hadn’t had time to go into detail earlier, he told them what they were going to do. And why.

When he was finished there were dozens of questions. The biggest being: was the sting authorized?

Gina answered the question. “We, Darin and I, thought it best to keep it close. The captain doesn’t know. Neither do any of the other squad members. Not because we don’t trust them, but because the fewer who know what we’re doing the better. However, Chief Hamilton does know and approves.”

Since when?

Gina was too busy explaining the plan to the others to notice how upset he was. How could she pull this on him? She was supposed to be a team player. Maybe he didn’t know her as well as he thought.

When she finished, Darin asked, “If any of you have reservations, tell us now. It will be the first time we don’t have the captain issuing orders. Trust me when I tell you the reason to keep this between the six of us is imperative. So—” He looked at each of them. “—does anyone want to bail?”

Silence. “I guess that means no.”

Dwanda chuckled. “We want Hunter’s killer as much as you do. Just tell us what you want us to do.”

“Right now, nothing. Gina and I will go undercover some time next week. I’ve put in for vacation time. Gina will have a family emergency. When she’s out of pocket, the four of you will cover for her. If we get close—No. When we get close, we’ll let you know. You’ll be on standby in case we need backup and for the take down.”

“Doesn’t seem like much,” Leya protested. “Give us something juicy. Like be part of your gang or something.”

Darin laughed. “Not a bad idea. If I need anyone, Leya, you’ll be the first one I call.”

“Don’t forget me,” Dwanda said.

“Don’t leave out the guys.” Hank smiled his easy smile.

“Trust me, you’ll have plenty to do when this goes down,” Gina promised.

“We may have to put our lives in your hands,” Darin said seriously. “What you’re volunteering for is vital. Remember, we probably won’t know who we’re up against until the last minute. It could be Tony Ramiro’s cartel or Zeb Chavizi’s, or both. This entire operation could be the most dangerous we’ve ever undertaken.”

With assurances they were onboard, the team streamed out, telling both Darin and Gina they were one hundred percent behind them.

When the door closed, Gina gathered her purse. “Not yet, Gina. What’s this about the chief? And why did you get him involved without discussing it with me first?” He should have kept this a one-man job and not involved Gina or anyone else.

She hesitated, one hand on her purse, the other stilled in mid-air. What now? She looked a little flustered. She’d damn well better be able to give him a plausible explanation. This was a huge breakdown in communication.

“Let me explain. This operation is bigger than you seem to think. Without help from someone in authority, we could all end up losing our jobs, even our lives. We need his help, Darin. We need money and we need the chief’s stamp of approval.”

Yeah, but they were supposed to be partners. It seemed Gina was into doing her own thing instead of talking things over first. That wasn’t the way partners worked.

“I apologize for going behind your back. I’ve known Chief Hamilton a long time. He was the one who sought me out in Dallas and asked me to come here. It’s obvious we can’t go to the captain. The chief is another story. He’s a straight shooter. I trust him with my life.”

“Hope you’re right or both our lives could be in jeopardy.”

“I trust him,” she said firmly.

Reluctantly, he relented. She did have a point. “Okay. I respect your decision. This time. Just don’t make any more decisions like this without talking to me first.”

“Promise.”

They were sitting in the den in opposite chairs. Now what? “What about the captain? Have you checked him out?” Darin ventured.

Gina nodded, looking oddly grateful. “I did background on him, came up empty. His bank account is low, his savings almost nonexistent. If he has drug money he’s hiding it.”

“I asked Max to put his computer expert on it,” Darin told her. “He didn’t find anything either and he looked way past stateside.”

“Then Hunter must have been right. He’s having an affair.”

“Looks like. Want something to drink?” Darin finally figured out he was dragging out her visit. Despite being upset with her, he wanted her here. Sitting opposite him, she looked as if she belonged. He shook his head at the notion.

“No, thanks,” she said. “I’ve had enough coffee today to keep me awake for a week.”

“Then tell me when we’ll get our new identities.”