Page 105 of Critical Doubt

"What's up, Jax?"

"I just left the mortuary in Dobbs. After applying some pressure, I got the truth. There were no bodies brought into the mortuary. No one was cremated. Chief Tanner asked them to provide an urn with ashes. They were not the physical remains of anyone. The ashes were from a fireplace."

"I can't believe the chief did that."

"I got the feeling from the staff at the mortuary that Tanner runs Dobbs like his own personal business. He's the boss. They do whatever he says."

"I don't doubt that. But what was in it for him?"

"I'm trying to figure that out. However, when I stopped in at the police station, I was told Chief Tanner had had a family emergency and left town last night. I checked with his family, which includes a sister in Omaha and a brother in Des Moines. Both said there was no emergency they were aware of and that they hadn't spoken to Tanner in days. In fact, his sister hadn't spoken to him in a couple of years. She didn't seem to like him much. She said he was controlling and egotistical and sometimes a little creepy where women were concerned. Apparently, when his first wife left him years ago, she confided in Tanner's sister that the chief had a porn addiction."

"Bingo."

"Addiction is always a weakness to exploit. And an addiction to porn when you're the chief of police could be very upsetting to the local community. Especially if that porn extended to underage girls. Anyway, that's it on my end. I just spoke to Parisa before I called you. She filled me in on the weapons grab. It's quite a plan. She says she has one of the guys in custody."

"Yes. Todd Davis. He seems to be out in the cold now, so he's definitely not the mastermind, but hopefully when he realizes he has a chance to make his sentence easier, he'll start talking."

"That's usually the way it works. First one to talk gets the deal."

"That's what we told him."

"I should be back in DC tonight, depending on when I can get a flight. I don't think there's much more to find here in Dobbs."

"I would agree. In fact, if you want to just head back to LA, you can do that, too. Parisa is getting her entire team involved in this."

"Well, if you're covered, then I will head back to Los Angeles. Although, it might be fun to come to DC just to annoy your new boyfriend," he said with a laugh. "Damn. I'm not on speaker, am I?"

"No, you're not. And I'm hanging up now. Thanks again for your help."

"Good luck with the rest of it."

"I'll see you back in LA." She ended the call.

"Want to fill me in?" Ryker asked.

"I'll give you the details when we get to the office, but there were no bodies at the mortuary, and it looks like Tanner was involved in the coverup. He's now disappeared."

A gleam entered Ryker's eyes. "Interesting."

"Well, at least Tanner's reign is over now. My dad always thought Tanner was such a wonderful guy. He used to rave about his discipline, his control, his unwillingness to bend the rules just because he was watching over a small town and not a big city. It gives me a little pleasure to know my father was wrong. I'm sure I'll never hear him admit it, but it's true."

"Your father was wrong about Mason, too. Didn't he get him the job at Spear? Didn't your dad put Mason in a position to steal from the company? From what I know, he talked Colonel Vance into giving Mason a shot."

"That's right. Another check mark against him." She paused, frowning at the reminder that her father was involved with Spear. But there was no way he could have had anything to do with this. She forced that thought out of her head as the cab pulled up in front of the FBI office.

Chapter Twenty-Five

After they were clearedto enter the offices, Ryker was escorted into an interrogation room where Todd was waiting, while Parisa took Savannah into the room next door where they could monitor the interview through the one-way mirror. Todd was handcuffed to the desk and he looked bad. His hair was wild. His eye was swelling from his fight with Ryker, but it was his nervous tension that was really noticeable. He was tapping his fingers on the desktop and his feet on the ground, shifting in his seat every other second.

"I wonder if he's high," she muttered.

"Seems like it," Parisa said. "He's been begging for a cigarette since he got here. But he wouldn't talk to any of us. Hasn't asked for a lawyer, though. That's something."

"I don't know what he thinks Ryker can do for him."

"Maybe he just needs to look into the eyes of someone he trusts."

"Does he trust Ryker? Who knows? Their relationship has gotten very complicated." She paused as Ryker started to speak.

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