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“Sweet.”
Shadow’s eyes shift to me. “The attorney general called in a favor, and I’d like you to take it. Requires some research and maybe tweaking a few databases. Boone has a task there too, so get together on it.”
“Got it.”
Boone nods at me.
The conversations return to normal but I notice Bellamy leaning close to Shadow, whispering something. I hope they’re back together. Bellamy makes the boss happy.
“Sure, Bell,” Shadow says. “That’s fine.”
“Guys,” Bellamy says. “I have an update.”
We give him our attention.
“I’m going to be spending a lot more time at Crestvale House. Because…” He looks at Shadow with a big smile. “This guy here has finally given me permission to work on updating some of the spaces.”
“What does that mean?” Wraith asks.
“Some of the rooms could use a freshen up. New paint, maybe some fixtures. That kind of thing. I thought about going to school for interior design, but my dad made me study business. So anyway, I’m gonna practice here.”
“That’s amazing.” Colson smiles at his friend. “I’m sure you’ll do great.”
“Thanks. If anyone has any specific ideas, please let me know. I’m going to work on a plan of which spaces I can tackle and I’ll update you all so you know.”
“I’d like to be involved in any kitchen changes,” Rue says. “If that’s okay.”
“Of course,” Bellamy says. “I would never mess with it without discussing it with you. With everyone.”
Shadow smiles, actually fucking smiles, with something that looks like pride on his face, and when I turn my gaze to Stealth, he’s watching the boss. He looks kind of happy too. For him, anyway.
I’m still curious about the dynamic between the three of them, and I hope this is a positive sign. When my eye catches Specter’s he raises his eyebrows and I offer a half shrug in return.
As Rue finishes breakfast, I open my email on my phone and read over the details of my assignment. Oh, now this is interesting. A police misconduct case. I can get down with that.
I read further. The target, a decorated police officer of more than fifteen years, is suspected of some pretty dirty dealings, from gun running to turning a blind eye to certain narcotics transactions, and has a history of being accused of sexual misconduct when he arrests sex workers and other vulnerable individuals.
The problem is he’s done a damn good job of hiding any evidence that could be linked to him and they’ve run out of legal ways to look. He’s also a flight risk, so they’d like a clerical error to happen to his passport and ID. I can go further than that and lock down his finances.
“This is gonna be fun,” Boone says. “Huh, Whisper?”
“Yeah. Let’s get together after breakfast and make a plan.”
While we eat incredibly fluffy pancakes, I notice Ghost and Phantom speaking quietly to each other. It seems amicable, which is good. Those two have something complicated going on, but I hope it works out.
After breakfast, I spend a few hours with Boone researching Officer Pedretti. With our resources, we’re able to find a shit ton of dirt on him, including a hidden bank account under an alias. From there it’s easy enough to lock down his finances, identification, and to send alerts to the airport and train station under both the names he uses. He won’t be able to buy more than a ten-dollar coffee before he knows he’s been found out. The only problem is we don’t know how much cash he has, and that can be a challenge. He still can’t fly anywhere, but depending on how deep his connections go, he could find other ways out of town.
So we need to act quickly.
“I’m thinking tonight when his shift is over,” I tell Boone. “I don’t want him to die in the line of duty. No hero worship for this asshole.”
“What if we lure him with one of his favorite vices?”
“Like?”
“He’s made several arrests in the old Lark District. A lot of sex workers and drugs over there. I could text him like I’m one of his contacts or an associate. We get him there, get him in a compromising situation, and end it. He gets exposed for what he is.”
“I like it. Let’s run it by Shadow and make sure he’s good with a public hit.”
