Page 89 of One Final Target

“He was in trouble before the allegations,” Sam noted.

“Things piled up. Progressive discipline with each violation... firing was inevitable because he never changed his behavior.”

“Yet, in the last twenty-five years, he’s kept his nose clean, with the exception of two messy divorces and one DUI.” Public records painted a picture of Bennett’s turbulent personal life. But no other arrests, just one or two speeding tickets.

“His business is strong,” George said. “He’s got a high rating with the Better Business Bureau.”

“I found a couple of complaints,” Sam said. “Some people think he’s unethical.”

George shrugged. “I’d be surprised if there weren’t any complaints. It’s hard in business to please everyone. Especially in real estate. I’ve got a couple of complaints in my file as well.”

“Then looking over his background, he seems to have cleaned up his act, except where his wives are concerned.”

“Yeah, he certainly has never been accused of anything as heinous as rape in the last twenty-five years.”

Sam tapped on his hand with a pen as he considered this. “Corson is an unknown. I can’t find any issues. I know she came to the task force from violent crimes. She must have had a good record, or they wouldn’t have sent her. She doesn’t post much on social media. Her Facebook isn’t public, and I only found a couple reposted pro-cop videos on her TikTok.” Sam frowned as he looked at what they had on Corson.

“Maybe I’m a Neanderthal sexist, but I can’t see a woman behind all of this death and destruction,” George said.

“Anything is possible. Which brings me to my next search. Mike King.”

“Her uncle?”

“We need to look at everyone.”

George chuckled. “Aren’t you the dogged investigator.”

“It’s important. I want Jodie safe. She was a good cop and I hope she will be again.”

They found nothing out of the ordinary about Mike King. He was what he appeared to be: a hardworking cop. It was curious Long Beach allowed him to be so involved in Jodie’s investigation, considering she was his niece. Every department had their own policies concerning such matters. The only other item of note was King’s marital status. He’d never married. Police work could be hard on marriages. Maybe King didn’t want to take a chance.

They continued to probe, searching for anything incriminating or exonerating in their minds. Ian was an interesting issue. Sam didn’t like the guy, true, but his gut told him Ian wasn’t the bad guy, even though he was on the list. Who was?

He pushed on with George, ignoring the fatigue stalking him.

CHAPTER48

JODIE INTENDED TO GO TO BEDbut after talking to Ian, she couldn’t sleep. Framing someone was never as easy as the movies made it look. If Ian was being framed, Jodie was certain there would be holes. She didn’t know much about hacking—computer crimes had never interested her—but if Collins was able to hack her email, read and erase stuff, then she wouldn’t put it past him to make it look as if Ian was the killer.

How could he get the AR-15 into the trunk of Ian’s car? The PD lot is gated, and Ian has a garage at his house.Another cop could have done it. All officers parked in the same lot, and Ian had been on the job long enough. People knew who he was and what he drove.But why now?

Jodie felt a headache starting with all the contradictions.Collins’s house being left to blow up made it seem as if Collins planned to disappear. Was that because he’d expected to kill her when he’d shot at her in the mountains? If so, when Sam saved her, it upset his plans.

Why frame Ian now? Were they trying to cover their tracks because the police were getting too close? She didn’t think they were close to anything, so framing Ian didn’t compute.

She checked her phone, hoping Estella would call back. She saw the red line indicating her battery was at less than 5percent. She dug inside her bag for her charger and came across a manilla envelope with Dennis Collins’s name on it. Frowning, Jodie didn’t remember where the envelope had come from.

Then it came to her. This was what the man who’d purchased Collins’s house had given her to give to Collins. His mail. She’d shoved it into her backpack and it had been there ever since.

Jodie opened the envelope and dumped everything out, hoping there would be some clue. Most of the mail was junk, advertisements addressed to Collins. The last thing she picked up to scrutinize was a flyer from the local gym. Jodie had enjoyed going to the gym before the IED. She and members of her team often worked out together.

“Ahh.” Jodie brought a hand to her forehead as a memory started to surface. It was from a while ago, but she couldn’t remember exactly when. She’d gone to the gym with Ian, Tiny, and Gail. They couldn’t scan their membership cards because the computer was down. They had to show ID. Ian noticed techs working on the problem. As usual, Jodie was simply focused on getting in and getting out. She had so much going on, and she was in a hurry.

“Hey, is that Corson from violent crimes?”

“Huh? Who?”She’d turned to see the back of Tara’s head. Shewas talking to one of the computer techs. In her mind’s eye Jodie couldn’t see the tech’s face.

“Flirting with a computer geek. Her efforts won’t end well,”Ian had said.

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