greatest asset was that he simply didn’t give a damn
about what happened in Darkwater Bay. He used his influence to make
sure it wasn’t easy for the cops who did care. He created the
perfect storm for the criminal element. This place became a haven,
the safe harbor for all things illegal.”
“I agree.”
“If Terrell Sanderfield sees the benefit in
rewarding Jerry with a cushy sentence at Dunhaven, even though he
could never possibly return to his former position in the police
department, it says a lot.”
“It says that Sanderfield is more than a
little tainted.”
“Exactly. Plus, I can’t stop thinking about
Gillette’s cocky belief that he was untouchable. A man of status
like Sanderfield might’ve been why Gillette believed he’d never be
captured.”
“Why did you keep this from me, Helen?”
This particular tip of the iceberg was
either insurance or the piece of the puzzle that could lead Johnny
to the real revelation that Gillette made. “I have no proof, only
suspicion.”
“Your instincts are enough for me. We’ll get the evidence. At least now I’ve got some idea where to
look.”
“That still doesn’t offer up a plan to find
proof, Johnny. Sanderfield has OSI in his sights. Anything you do
will be criticized and scrutinized like crazy.”
“Which is why it’s time to move the
investigation into someone’s hands who won’t be on Sanderfield’s
radar,” Johnny said.
“And who might that be?”
Johnny grinned. “Well, he was recently
bitching that OSI spent too much time excluding the feds from the
human trafficking investigation. Wouldn’t it be a brilliant coup if
it turns out the case was never really closed, that we just put it
in the very capable hands of our friends at the FBI?”
“You want to call David and ask for his
help?”
“I can’t think of a better way to move this
forward, Helen. Can you?”
About ten trillion ways. The last thing I
needed was David Levine looking over my shoulder while I tried to
figure out if my father was part of the human trafficking ring we
uncovered too.
Another thought rippled through my brain.
Maybe this was why Dad was determined to drive a wedge between
Johnny and me. Darkwater Bay was probably the last place on earth
he wanted me to live.
“Helen?”
“Hmm. Make the call, Johnny. David can get a
team on Sanderfield so fast it’ll make your head spin.”
If I could keep them focused on Sanderfield
and based in Montgomery, it would at the very least buy time for
the investigation that had to begin in Darkwater Bay.
Chapter 7
Tears sprang to my eyes the instant that the
Doppler probe touched my belly. Johnny’s hand gripped mine tightly,
not the source of my tears. No, it was the sudden echo of the
whoosh of our baby’s heartbeat.
“Let’s see if we can’t get a picture of this
little guy – or girl,” the ultrasound technician grinned.
“Is that his heartbeat?” It was the first
time Johnny assigned a gender preference to our baby.
“Strong and healthy,” she said. “About a
hundred forty beats per minute.”
“Is that normal?”
“It is for a growing baby, Mr. Orion. Let’s
see here.” The heartbeat faded for a moment before jumping back
through the speaker on the ultrasonic machine. “Well,” she
exclaimed. “This is a surprise.”
“What is? Is something wrong?” My worst
fears leapt from my throat. That bastard Gillette – if he’d done
something to hurt the baby, I wouldn’t rest until I found everyone
in his family and tortured the shit out of them.
“Nothing wrong at all, Mrs. Orion.”
Johnny squeezed my hand, let his thumb roll
over the ridges of my knuckles. Today was the first time I used my
new name publicly. He hadn’t stopped grinning about it.
“I am curious,” she said, while she turned
the monitor to our line of sight. “Do you have a history of
fraternal twins in the family? They tend to increase the likelihood
of multiple births in women
about what happened in Darkwater Bay. He used his influence to make
sure it wasn’t easy for the cops who did care. He created the
perfect storm for the criminal element. This place became a haven,
the safe harbor for all things illegal.”
“I agree.”
“If Terrell Sanderfield sees the benefit in
rewarding Jerry with a cushy sentence at Dunhaven, even though he
could never possibly return to his former position in the police
department, it says a lot.”
“It says that Sanderfield is more than a
little tainted.”
“Exactly. Plus, I can’t stop thinking about
Gillette’s cocky belief that he was untouchable. A man of status
like Sanderfield might’ve been why Gillette believed he’d never be
captured.”
“Why did you keep this from me, Helen?”
This particular tip of the iceberg was
either insurance or the piece of the puzzle that could lead Johnny
to the real revelation that Gillette made. “I have no proof, only
suspicion.”
“Your instincts are enough for me. We’ll get the evidence. At least now I’ve got some idea where to
look.”
“That still doesn’t offer up a plan to find
proof, Johnny. Sanderfield has OSI in his sights. Anything you do
will be criticized and scrutinized like crazy.”
“Which is why it’s time to move the
investigation into someone’s hands who won’t be on Sanderfield’s
radar,” Johnny said.
“And who might that be?”
Johnny grinned. “Well, he was recently
bitching that OSI spent too much time excluding the feds from the
human trafficking investigation. Wouldn’t it be a brilliant coup if
it turns out the case was never really closed, that we just put it
in the very capable hands of our friends at the FBI?”
“You want to call David and ask for his
help?”
“I can’t think of a better way to move this
forward, Helen. Can you?”
About ten trillion ways. The last thing I
needed was David Levine looking over my shoulder while I tried to
figure out if my father was part of the human trafficking ring we
uncovered too.
Another thought rippled through my brain.
Maybe this was why Dad was determined to drive a wedge between
Johnny and me. Darkwater Bay was probably the last place on earth
he wanted me to live.
“Helen?”
“Hmm. Make the call, Johnny. David can get a
team on Sanderfield so fast it’ll make your head spin.”
If I could keep them focused on Sanderfield
and based in Montgomery, it would at the very least buy time for
the investigation that had to begin in Darkwater Bay.
Chapter 7
Tears sprang to my eyes the instant that the
Doppler probe touched my belly. Johnny’s hand gripped mine tightly,
not the source of my tears. No, it was the sudden echo of the
whoosh of our baby’s heartbeat.
“Let’s see if we can’t get a picture of this
little guy – or girl,” the ultrasound technician grinned.
“Is that his heartbeat?” It was the first
time Johnny assigned a gender preference to our baby.
“Strong and healthy,” she said. “About a
hundred forty beats per minute.”
“Is that normal?”
“It is for a growing baby, Mr. Orion. Let’s
see here.” The heartbeat faded for a moment before jumping back
through the speaker on the ultrasonic machine. “Well,” she
exclaimed. “This is a surprise.”
“What is? Is something wrong?” My worst
fears leapt from my throat. That bastard Gillette – if he’d done
something to hurt the baby, I wouldn’t rest until I found everyone
in his family and tortured the shit out of them.
“Nothing wrong at all, Mrs. Orion.”
Johnny squeezed my hand, let his thumb roll
over the ridges of my knuckles. Today was the first time I used my
new name publicly. He hadn’t stopped grinning about it.
“I am curious,” she said, while she turned
the monitor to our line of sight. “Do you have a history of
fraternal twins in the family? They tend to increase the likelihood
of multiple births in women
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