Page 60 of Operation: Reckless Angel

“Someone needs to be when the system is that fucked up,” she retorted.

“Where were you going to bring Amanda Elsworth? Certainly, with today’s digital footprints being so trackable, you know that if she used the same name, he’d find her,” Jackson baited.

Briana knew they had no proof she would provide her client with a new identity. She smiled at Jackson, knowing he was trying to trip her up. “I have friends who will gladly help a woman in trouble, provide them a place to stay while things cool off at home and they get their legal ducks in a row.”

“Do these friends have names?” Jackson asked.

“Not that will be given to you,” she shot back with no hesitation. “People trust me to keep them safe.”

“So, these friends are previous clients?” Jackson asked.

“Maybe, maybe not. Maybe there are people that are just willing to help others who are in a jam.”

“The thing I don’t understand is how you’re getting paid from this,” Jackson said. “Aren’t most women in these situations in tight financial circumstances?”

“Some are, some aren’t. It might take a woman a few years to financially get back on her feet after fleeing an abusive relationship,” Briana said. And that was all she said. Was that part of his issue? She wondered. Did he think she was doing something illegal to fund her business?

Roth understood that to mean that she took payments from those who couldn’t afford to pay her upfront for her services, maybe for years after the fact. She was most likely in contact with all the women she’d helped. He judged from her reaction that Jackson had been correct. Previous clients provided a safe haven, temporary or permanent, for her new clients. She probably had an extensive network of people set up. She never ceased to impress him. She wasn’t doing this to get rich. Her and her brother’s bank accounts proved that. She truly was helping people who needed help.

Jackson breathed out heavily. She was not willing to share any details regarding her business. She may have called Roth for help, but she didn’t trust them. “As Roth said, we’re not your enemies. We want to get this guy for killing his wife and any other crimes he may have committed. That’s why we’re here.”

“Good,” she said. “And thank you for not asking me if I’m sure what I saw. I appreciate that.”

“There’s no doubt in my mind you saw him dump his wife in the lake,” Jackson said. “And I get why you couldn’t go to regular law enforcement to report it.”

She breathed easier now that his tone was lighter. “I appreciate your team’s help. So, what’s the plan?”

“As I said, we’ll hook you up with BT to start digging deeper into the sheriff. While you’re working with him and the Digital Team, we’re going to take a drive to Winthrop and take a look around,” Roth said. “I’m going to bring up a map of the area. We need you to show us where the residence is and the boat house.”

“I mapped it. You can too,” she said, disappointed they didn’t want her to drive with them and show them in person.

“Humor us,” Jackson said.

Uniform

“Hey,” Roth said with a nod to the screen of Briana’s laptop where BT was displayed from his office at HQ. “I’m glad you were assigned to work on this. BT meet Briana Woods, Briana, my teammate, BT.”

“Hello, it’s nice to meet you,” Briana greeted. She sat beside Sebastian at the desk in the hotel room.

“Nice to meet you, too. I’m glad you had no problems installing our video meeting room program,” BT said. “This will make it much easier to work together.”

She nodded politely.

“Jax, before you and Roth head out, Big Bear requests you give him a call,” BT said to Jackson, who stood behind Roth and Briana.

“I’ll step into the other room and call him now,” Jackson said. He sealed himself inside the bedroom.

“Another team member is perusing the Boston P.D. employee files and Internal Affairs investigations. She’ll join us after she’s gleaned all she can from them,” BT said. “Unfortunately, even if he was into some shady things there, there may not be an official record for her to find.”

“Yeah, I know police protect their own until the behavior is so bad they no longer can,” Briana said.

“I want to start by going over all you were told by your client and what you were able to check out,” BT said. “It’s not that we don’t believe you. We just need to re-verify and use our channels, which may give us more access to get deeper into this guy’s dealings. I’m hoping we can find more things that will stick to build a stronger case against him.”

“I’d think murder would be the worst he could do, but sure,” Briana said.

“It’s building an airtight case. The more charges we have against him, the less chance there is of him getting away with murder,” BT said. “Unfortunately, at this point, it’s your word against his.”

Briana nodded. She regretted she hadn’t recorded what she saw on her phone. The truth was, it had happened so fast. She didn’t have time. “And until they find the body, there’s no proof she’s even dead. I get it.”

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