Page 45 of Judgments of Fire and Desire

She smiled slightly and took another bite of her link. Deciding to pick with her, I said, “Plus, I know you’re nosy. You won’t be able to sleep tonight if I don’t give you a hint of what’s going on.”

“Hush your mouth,” she said, then laughed. “You’re right though.”

I chuckled slightly, doing my best not to laugh too hard to cause me pain. I ate more of my food then closed the container to save the rest for later. I drank a bottle of water and finished it off just as the doorbell was ringing. Genesis helped me get situated and removed my food from the bed table. Once she was done and about to take our leftovers to the kitchen, there was a knock on the door.

When she opened it, my mama was standing there with a seemingly frazzled Detective Johnson. She had a folder in her hands, and when I glanced at it, I could see her hands were trembling. My mama took the leftovers from Genesis and left the room, giving us privacy.

Detective Johnson glanced over at Genesis, as if waiting for her to leave as well, but I said, “It’s okay, Detective Johnson. She can stay.”

“I told you to call me Stephanie. Are you sure?”

I nodded. She nodded in return and began by saying, “It’s not Lieutenant Gamble.”

I frowned. “That was his handwriting.”

“I thought so, too, but I had it analyzed by an artist. The person who did this wanted their handwriting to look like his. They wanted to take him down unjustly, making it look like he was the one forging Darlene’s signatures.”

“Who would want to take him down?”

She glanced at Genesis again, and I knew this wasn’t about to be good. “Samuel Farris.”

Genesis stood from her seat and started pacing then went to the en suite bathroom and closed the door. “How did you figure it out?” I asked.

She handed me the folder. I opened it as she answered my question. “So while I was analyzing the signatures, he came to my desk to sign off on documents regarding an arrest he made. When I grabbed the paperwork, something in his signature stuck out to me. Gamble’s first name is Scott. They sign their S’s similarly, but Samuel’s has an extra curve where Scott’s is a little more pointed. I tried to ignore it, thinking I was overthinking things.”

Looking through the folder, I could see that he and Gamble didn’t have the greatest relationship. Samuel had been disciplined quite a few times, mostly for insubordination. There were complaints in his file from other cops as well as citizens, but somehow, he still had a job. I didn’t understand why he hadn’t been fired a long time ago.

I looked up at Stephanie as she said, “My gut won, so I gave his signature to the artist to analyze, and he said that it matched all the records that we thought Gamble had signed. Samuel is a low man on the totem pole though. He’s only part of the battle. If I can get a warrant, maybe he will start talking.”

“Maybe. So why did he get Grandma Jean involved in his foolishness?”

She slid her hand over her face as Genesis came out of the bathroom. She probably should have stayed in there for this, because it didn’t look like Stephanie had any good news at this meeting. “She knew he was in trouble, as far as getting in trouble at work and financially as well. She asked him if there was anything she could do to help him get back in the department’s good graces. I don’t think she knows about the corruption, but I can’t be sure just yet.”

Genesis glanced at me, and I could tell she had been crying. “Is there anything I can do to help things along?” Genesis asked Johnson.

“If something comes up, I’ll let you know. In the meantime, I’m still handling Gamble gingerly. While we cleared him on this, it still doesn’t mean he’s totally innocent. I don’t want him to know more than what he has to know. That’s why I came over versus calling. I think my phone may be bugged.”

I slowly shook my head. “Is there anything else I can contribute?”

“Do you remember the case where the ex-marine assaulted a cop? I think you gave him like thirty years.”

“Yeah.”

“Well, I have reason to believe that someone connected to him is helping out too. I think he’s the one who was leaving notes on your car and sending text messages. As soon as the phone company cooperates with us, I’ll be able to track it down. Have you connected any dots on your end?”

“No. I was actually trying to exonerate Samuel. So basically, he’s involved in this mess because he was having money issues.”

“Yes. His dedication to sabotage Gamble is personal, and technically, has nothing to do with this enterprise. I’m almost afraid to find out who else may be involved. Oh, and the goodSamaritan got a plate number from the SUV that hit you. That car is registered to someone by the name of Brad Coler.”

I frowned slightly. “Why does that name sound familiar to me?”

Genesis’s eyes widened. She clearly knew who it was. “Who is it, baby?” I asked.

“The man that introduced you at the memorial in New York.”

I frowned hard. “What? He’s from Beaumont?”

“No. He lives in Virginia. I think Alexandria,” Johnson said.

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