Page 93 of Locked In Ice

“I believe you’re friends with the suspect.”

Lane glanced down at Ophelia.

“The texts came from a phone that we traced back to Beau LeBlanc.”

Ophelia shook her head.“That can’t be right.”

“I assure you,” Tameka said, voice sympathetic but certain, “our intel is correct.And when we located Mr.LeBlanc a short while ago, he was in the process of entering your PI office.”

“What?”Shock broke in Ophelia’s voice.

“He’s at the local station right now.”

“I want to talk with him!”Ophelia said quickly.“Now!”

But Pierce shook his head.“With a murder charge pending, I really think the rest of the investigation is best left to actual FBI agents and police officers.”

Lane’s stomach clenched.“Gerald Baldwin didn’t survive.”

“Died on the operating room table,” Tameka confirmed.

Chapter Eighteen

“I need to see my client,” Ophelia announced.

Lane slanted her a quick glance.He was vaguely curious to see if this would actually work.It was a little past eight a.m., they were at the Savannah PD, and Ophelia was hell-bent on getting an audience with Beau LeBlanc.

Meanwhile, Lane was hell-bent on having a one-on-one chat with the bastard.Unlike Ophelia, he wasn’t convinced the man was being framed.He just thought the guy was a dick.

“Your client?”Tameka’s brows rose.“Since when?”

“Since always.Beau and I have a long-standing arrangement.In return for getting a discount on my office rental space, I provide him with legal services.”

Lane was pretty sure that she’d worked a PI case for Beau in return for the discount, but he wasn’t about to correct Ophelia.After the Feds had left their doorstep, Ophelia had been stunned.

She’d also been convinced there was a mistake.

“You’re his victim, Ophelia,” Tameka corrected.She crossed her arms over her chest, and the move pulled her suit coat tight over her holster.“You don’t get to be both victim and lawyer.”

“Why not?”Ophelia asked.

“She likes to multitask,” Lane added.

Tameka cut him a disgruntled stare.“She didn’t mention this multitasking last night when I was on her doorstep.”

True.He waited for Ophelia to tackle that one.

“I was sleepy,” she said with a sigh of regret.“And so stunned.But I am ready to help my client today.”

Ophelia-speak for she’d figured out a way to get an audience with Beau.

Tameka’s stare hardened.“How fortunate.”

Lane shrugged.“She’s not going away.Trust me.I have personal experience in a situation like this with her.Allow Ophelia to talk to her client.”

“If you don’t,” Ophelia informed the agent sweetly, “I’ll contact Executive Assistant Director Ballard and make sure that he’s, ah, how did you and your partner describe him before?Pissed, I believe?I will make sure he is plenty pissed with you.I am pretty sure there was talk—from you and your partner, not from me, of course—about some threat of demotion if you didn’t fully assist me?”She tapped her chin thoughtfully.“I believe I recall something to that effect.”

“You think you can control the EAD?”Tameka’s doubt was apparent.

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