Page 43 of Take Me to the Valley

Jack has a commanding presence on the phone and a calming one when talking to us. It’s the first time I’ve had a chance to relax, and my brain is racing. Evan is on one side, and Kaylee is on the other, but I don’t see a way to bridge that gap right now. I really hope Jack has better luck.

Chapter 22

Evan

Watching Calista walk out the door, it feels like my heart is going with her. Hopefully, I can make this right because I’d never ask her to pick her best friend over me. At the same time, I’m not ready to walk away from my job either. But I have always believed in doing what is right, and unless they uncovered something big they are keeping from me, it’s not right to list Kaylee as a suspect.

“What the fuck is going on?” Cody asks as he helps me get back to the couch, not that I need his help.

“Let me call Rick first, then we can talk,” I say, pulling out my phone.

“I was waiting for your call,” Rick answers.

“What the fuck is going on?” I echo Cody's question. “You really think Kaylee is a suspect?”

Cody’s head snaps up at that and looks at me. I can see on the questions on his face, but he keeps quiet.

“Listen, I don’t know what to think. My gut says no, but Calvin flipped on her. He told us where in her house to find the drugs, and when we looked, they were there. Also, he says she knew and was even getting a cut of the money,” Rick says.

“Did you subpoena her bank account?” I ask.

“Yes, no unexplained deposits. She still owes on her car, credit cards, plus she has a student loan. Normally, that’s the stuff that gets paid off when they get money. It’s doesn’t add up, and we didn’t find any extra cash at her place either,” Rick says.

“You don’t think Calvin planted that stuff for exactly this moment?” I ask.

“I don’t think he’s smart enough, but I think whoever he is working for told him to do it and they had this plan in place before he was ever caught,” Rick says.

“We just can’t prove it,” I sigh. “Why didn’t the drug-sniffing dogs find the drugs when they were in the house?”

“They were placed in a frozen TV dinner box at the back of the freezer with meat stacked on top of it.”

“He had drugs stored in the freezer?”

“Yeah, that’s a new one for me, too. They brought her in for questioning and she wouldn’t answer anything. Didn’t ask for a lawyer, but just kept saying she knows better than to answer that question,” he says, making me smile.

She is smart, and that right there might have saved her ass.

“Listen, there are a lot of coincidences in this case. They conveniently broke up days before the raid, and all this happened while she was at work. But that day, she was at home. Then you’re wounded, and her story of not feeling good is forgotten as she was at Calista’s side all day,” he says.

“Well, she is meeting with Jack now. He’s going to call you for the details and also going to ream your asses for keeping her out of the house this long. This isn’t a murder case. Anything past two days is excessive, and that could botch this whole thing. With how long you’ve kept from her house, and then drugs show up, can you prove they weren’t planted?” I say.

“Fuck, whose side are you on?” Rick grumbles. “Most everyone headed to the hospital when you were shot, and we have been buried under paperwork and petty crime call-ins, and we are down. Another guy’s mom died across the country and is on leave.”

“I don’t know what is going on there, but the department is fucking this one up and is about to look really bad. Get your shit together and stop letting those young bucks walk all over you,” I say, hanging up.

Leaning my head back on the couch, I close my eyes.

“Calvin is trying to say Kaylee knew about the drugs and was even getting a cut of the money. They are still holding her place as a crime scene, which is not normal under the circumstances. Then, conveniently they found drugs where Calvin said they would be. But on the days this happened, we had dogs in there to clear it, so it’s not adding up. I don’t have a good feeling. I’m on leave, but still being kept in the loop on the case. Honestly, something is off, I can feel it in my gut.”

I won’t admit it out loud, but I wonder if someone at the station is involved with Calvin. Though I have no way to prove it right now. Nor will I throw any of my guys under the bus without a load of proof. Yet my gut is screaming and I’ve always trusted it.

The argument I heard before we burst in was full of pain and anger, not the kind someone can fake. Plus, let’s be honest. I’ve seen Kaylee's acting skills, and she is horrible and stiff. You can tell she is reciting lines. My gut says she is innocent. Her best friend was in a panic mode because of me, so of course, she pushed through not feeling good.

“When you brought in Kaylee after I was shot, how was she feeling?” I ask Cody.

He stops to think before he answers.

“She was pale, and wanted nothing to eat. She stayed in the waiting room with us and fell asleep with her head on Calista’s lap at one point while we waited to hear about you. When shewoke up, her color was back and she ate a bit. Whatever it was, she needs to sleep it off,” he says.

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