Page 73 of Barron

“Guys, I remember her from the trial.” Johnny G turned to Barron. “You should too, dude.”

Barron swallowed. The scene came to him in a rush. The wild redheaded woman who’d screamed and threatened the judge and everyone else she thought was involved with her brother’s arrest and trial.

“Yeah, I do,” he said. “This chick gave the judge one hell of a difficult time. The judge fined her and sent her to jail for contempt of court. But she came back the next day stronger and more determined than ever to express her views. I sat several rows behind her and could never catch her full face. Her hair covered her features, or she glanced at the floor. She had a way of avoiding direct eye contact and the courtroom camera.” Barron paused, studying the expressions of everyone in the room. His description of the woman’s behavior revealed she was putting together a plan of action. He just hadn’t noticed at the time. Knowing glances flew from person to person.

“This woman is an experienced player.” Captain Weaver dropped his elbows on his knees and leaned forward, staring at the computer screen. “She knows how to move under the radar.”

“She’s experienced, all right,” Barron said. “You should’veseen her tonight. She was just one of the guys, hanging out and laughing with Killer and the cartel men.”

“Betty went to Nightshade?” the captain asked.

“Not Betty, exactly,” Yoanni said. “She was in her Iris personality.”

Weaver frowned. “Iris personality?”

“Plus, she was best buds with Killer and cozy with one of Los Emes at the club,” Barron insisted “I mean, one guy had his arm around her.”

“And at the trial she vowed to take revenge,” Weaver said.

“That’s right,” Johnny G said.

“I see a line here,” Captain Weaver continued. “The Sons of Chaos and the Oquendo cartel failed in their bid to take over the Port of Savannah. Nails was sent to prison for his involvement. Evidently, Analise has joined forces with the Steel Wolves and Los Emes to finish what her brother couldn’t. This way, she gets back at me and the Spawn. If she could, she’d strike at Cutter and Emily, the two people directly responsible for her brother’s arrest. But going after them out of state isn’t so easy. In Garden City, she has the big prize.”

“Landing the position of junior assistant at the police station was a real coup,” Shifter added. “Right under your nose, with access to files and information.”

“Not quite. I was in her way,” Yoanni grumbled.

“Holy crap, Nugget, you’re right.”

She nodded. “Things are falling into place, one by one. The empty desk, my missing calculator, and the return of the bag. All malicious behavior. I thought she wanted to be friends. What a joke.”

“Don’t forget the hanging doll and the circles,” Barron said.

“Oh, yeah.” Shifter laughed. “I researched the drawings and the religion. At one time, dolls and symbols were used to threaten people, frighten them with dark magic and spells.”

Captain Weaver scowled at Yoanni. “Dolls, circles? What are they talking about, Miss Sanz?”

Barron clasped her shoulders. “You didn’t tell him?”

“I forgot, okay? I had too much on my mind.” She turned to the captain. “A doll made of tied cloth and stained with blood was hanging in my kitchen. My neighbor found a paper on my door with strange drawings. Betty or Analise did her homework. She learned about my Cuban roots and tried to scare me back to Miami with Santería. But since I don’t believe in any of that stuff, it didn’t work. Forgive me?”

“For now, Miss Sanz.”

“There’s more,” Yoanni said. “Analise confronted me in the locker room at the club. She wanted me to go with her…somewhere.” She rubbed her forehead. “I said no, and she lost it. She yelled that it wasn’t her fault and she had to do it. It’s all very confusing.”

“I’m glad you didn’t go,” Barron said. “Alone with her? She could’ve hurt you.”

“Thoughts, Captain?” Shifter asked.

“I can’t make sense of this. The feds have to know right away. My jurisdiction is limited to Garden City, but the DEA can squeeze their informers. They’re the first to hear rumors about deliveries and would know where to find Killer and Los Emes. Locally, I could use the Spawn’s help.” He glanced from biker to biker, waiting for a response.

“What do you need?” Barron asked right away.

“I want a couple of guys to take turns watching Betty’s home. I have her address on my phone.” He spoke and scrolled through his phone. “I’m sure she turned rabbit, but if she comes back for any reason, we follow her. The stakeout men should be new.”

“Pilot is our latest prospect, and we just patched Chains. They’re perfect for the job,” Barron said.

Weaver stood from his chair, tapping on his phone. “I’mtexting Betty’s address to Blade with an explanation and a time to meet tomorrow at our regular place. I want to pick your brain too, Barron. What in the world made you take a photo of Betty? Time is our enemy, if Blade could send out one of those two guys right away, I’d appreciate it. Thanks for keeping me in the loop, Shifter. And now I have to go home to my wife. Good night, gentlemen. Miss Sanz.” He bent his head and walked out.

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