Read Online Liars, Cheaters & Thieves by L. J. Sellers - Free Book Online
Authors: L. J. Sellers
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and he rocked back.
“Why take on the apocalypse without a good buzz?” he joked. “They seem to have thought of everything.”
“What the hell do you suppose the dynamite was for?” Schak asked, scratching his nearly buzzed head.
“Blowing up bridges to keep outsiders from entering the county.” Jackson stood and stepped away from the closet. He’d been hearing rumors of such plans for decades but had never seen proof of it before now. They wouldn’t know for sure what these people had in mind until they questioned Sierra Kent again. Why hadn’t she warned them? He’d bet money the ice goddess knew about the explosives.
Evans walked up, and Jackson figured it was a good time to plan their next moves. “Once we leave here, we need to split up and cover as much ground as we can.” He looked at Schak. “I need you to find Prez, the transient who had his camp behind the parking lot. I have two patrol officers looking as well, so connect with them first. We need to know if Prez saw anything. Bribe him with food, and be gentle.”
Schak laughed. “You know I’m good with the subcultures.”
“Must be all that sensitivity training.”
“What’s my assignment?” Evans asked, sounding eager.
“Locate and question Cody Sawyer. He’s one of the victim’s friends who was at the tavern last night and apparently hung out with Mazari on a regular basis. Bring him in if you have to. This wasn’t a random act of violence, and someone knows what happened and why.”
“I’m on it.”
Jackson nodded. “I’ll track down and question Jake Pittman, the other friend who was drinking with the victim. We’ll meet back at the department at six and start the whiteboard. After that, we’ll head to the tavern to question everyone who was there last night.”
“What about the wife?”
“I’ve got a patrol officer following her, and the DA’s office is writing a subpoena for her fingerprints.” Jackson dug the syringefrom his bag. “The animal clinic where she works uses this exact type, so I’m dropping it off at the crime lab to dust.”
“You think she drugged him, then cut his throat?” Evans asked.
“It’s the most likely scenario.”
“Why a public parking lot?” Schak added.
“To throw us off and make it look like a transient or an angry drunk did it.”
They heard the big EDU unit pull up outside, so they grabbed their carryall bags, stuffed full of small evidence containers, and headed outside. The overcast sky had started to drizzle, and Jackson considered grabbing his coat from his car. But the EDU sergeant and his team weren’t wearing rain gear over their steel chest plates, so the group of them stood on the sidewalk getting wet while Jackson briefed the bomb squad leader on what he knew about the explosives, the whiskey kegs under the house, and the padlocked shed in the back. Around the perimeter, the EDU team was pounding on doors and telling residents to leave the area, eliminating their chance to interview the neighbors that afternoon.
“After we transport the known devices, we’ll search the property for more.” The sergeant was ready for the detectives to leave so he could get a team member suited up and into the house.
“Be safe.” Jackson turned to his task force. “Update me if you learn anything significant. Otherwise, I’ll see you at six.”
Jackson pulled into the crime lab, a two-story gray-brick building with no signs to identify it and no windows on the first floor. The size and newness of it looked out of place in an otherwise run-down area near the train tracks. The Eugene Police Department’s facilities were spread out over the city’s core, and driving from one place to another was a pain in the ass sometimes. The city had just bought a new building for their headquarters, whicheveryone was excited about, but it would need to undergo nearly a year of renovations and wouldn’t resolve the spread-out issue.
He flashed his ID at the gate camera, parked
“Why take on the apocalypse without a good buzz?” he joked. “They seem to have thought of everything.”
“What the hell do you suppose the dynamite was for?” Schak asked, scratching his nearly buzzed head.
“Blowing up bridges to keep outsiders from entering the county.” Jackson stood and stepped away from the closet. He’d been hearing rumors of such plans for decades but had never seen proof of it before now. They wouldn’t know for sure what these people had in mind until they questioned Sierra Kent again. Why hadn’t she warned them? He’d bet money the ice goddess knew about the explosives.
Evans walked up, and Jackson figured it was a good time to plan their next moves. “Once we leave here, we need to split up and cover as much ground as we can.” He looked at Schak. “I need you to find Prez, the transient who had his camp behind the parking lot. I have two patrol officers looking as well, so connect with them first. We need to know if Prez saw anything. Bribe him with food, and be gentle.”
Schak laughed. “You know I’m good with the subcultures.”
“Must be all that sensitivity training.”
“What’s my assignment?” Evans asked, sounding eager.
“Locate and question Cody Sawyer. He’s one of the victim’s friends who was at the tavern last night and apparently hung out with Mazari on a regular basis. Bring him in if you have to. This wasn’t a random act of violence, and someone knows what happened and why.”
“I’m on it.”
Jackson nodded. “I’ll track down and question Jake Pittman, the other friend who was drinking with the victim. We’ll meet back at the department at six and start the whiteboard. After that, we’ll head to the tavern to question everyone who was there last night.”
“What about the wife?”
“I’ve got a patrol officer following her, and the DA’s office is writing a subpoena for her fingerprints.” Jackson dug the syringefrom his bag. “The animal clinic where she works uses this exact type, so I’m dropping it off at the crime lab to dust.”
“You think she drugged him, then cut his throat?” Evans asked.
“It’s the most likely scenario.”
“Why a public parking lot?” Schak added.
“To throw us off and make it look like a transient or an angry drunk did it.”
They heard the big EDU unit pull up outside, so they grabbed their carryall bags, stuffed full of small evidence containers, and headed outside. The overcast sky had started to drizzle, and Jackson considered grabbing his coat from his car. But the EDU sergeant and his team weren’t wearing rain gear over their steel chest plates, so the group of them stood on the sidewalk getting wet while Jackson briefed the bomb squad leader on what he knew about the explosives, the whiskey kegs under the house, and the padlocked shed in the back. Around the perimeter, the EDU team was pounding on doors and telling residents to leave the area, eliminating their chance to interview the neighbors that afternoon.
“After we transport the known devices, we’ll search the property for more.” The sergeant was ready for the detectives to leave so he could get a team member suited up and into the house.
“Be safe.” Jackson turned to his task force. “Update me if you learn anything significant. Otherwise, I’ll see you at six.”
Jackson pulled into the crime lab, a two-story gray-brick building with no signs to identify it and no windows on the first floor. The size and newness of it looked out of place in an otherwise run-down area near the train tracks. The Eugene Police Department’s facilities were spread out over the city’s core, and driving from one place to another was a pain in the ass sometimes. The city had just bought a new building for their headquarters, whicheveryone was excited about, but it would need to undergo nearly a year of renovations and wouldn’t resolve the spread-out issue.
He flashed his ID at the gate camera, parked
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