Page 55 of Chasing a Kidnapper

Their task force was after the bigger fish behind the gun trafficking. Benson was a minnow in a shallow pond, likely far removed from the real brains of the outfit.

But they would take what they could get.

“How do I know you’re not lying to me?” Benson demanded.

“I don’t care about your burglary charges,” Dan said with a shrug. “I want the guy who sold you the weapon. After all, you paid him, didn’t you? So where’s the gun? Isn’t that what you were thinking when you stepped outside?” Slater leaned forward. “He took your money but didn’t leave the gun. Why be loyal to a scumbag like that?”

There was another long pause, as Craig Benson considered his options. “Yeah, okay. I’ll make the deal.”

“Great,” West spoke up for the first time. “Tell us who sold you the gun and we’ll get the DA here to sign off.”

“First the DA, then I’ll talk.” Benson’s face settled in a grim line.

West rose and headed out to make the call to the DA’s office. ADA Sharon Walsh came over right away, eager to help them with the gun trafficking case.

West and Sharon returned to the interview room. After discussing the parameters of the deal, ADA Walsh nodded. “Okay, I’ll abide by those terms.”

Craig Benson sat up straighter in his seat. “Petey Pawners sold me the gun.”

West inwardly groaned. Petey was dead. This guy wasn’t going to be able to help them much at all.

A flash of disappointment darkened Dan Slater’s eyes, too. “Okay, how did you know to contact Petey Pawners to get a weapon in the first place?”

Benson darted a glance at the ADA, then said, “I know a guy who bought a Glock off Petey. Petey bragged about how he could easily sell any type of weapon for the right price.” Benson shrugged. “I figured I might need some protection, so I got his name and number from my—uh, buddy.”

“Are there other rumors on the street about Petey Pawners and the types of guns he was able to sell?” Slater pressed. “Don’t hold anything back.”

Benson nodded slowly. “Yeah, word on the street was that Pawners could get anything you wanted, included assault rifles and other high-powered guns if you were willing to pay top dollar. I only wanted a handgun,” Craig Benson hastily added. “Just for my personal protection.”

West didn’t believe that for a minute, suspecting Benson had intended to use the gun to make it easier to rip off more innocent people. If Craig Benson walked out of here today, West would make sure to let the patrol officers know to keep an eye out for him.

It was only a matter of time before Benson broke the law again.

“We need the name of your buddy,” Dan said.

“I don’t want to drag him into this,” Benson protested.

“You promised to cooperate and to be honest with us,” Slater shot back. “That includes the name of your buddy. If you don’t tell us, the deal is off.”

Benson began to whine about how that wasn’t fair, but Slater ruthlessly cut him off.

“We already know about Pawners. We need more. If you can’t help, we’ll find someone else.”

With great reluctance, Benson gave up the name of Kurt Adams. “Don’t tell him I gave you his name,” Benson begged. “You gotta promise you won’t rat me out.”

“We’ll do our best,” Slater said with a nonchalant shrug. “I can’t make promises, though. Besides, it’s likely Adams will figure out you were our source anyway.”

Benson slumped in his seat. “He’s gonna come after me,” he muttered.

“We can make sure that you’re protected,” Slater said. “We will let Adams know if anything happens to you, he’ll be our primary suspect.”

“Yeah. Whatever.” Benson did not look reassured. West couldn’t blame him. Street justice was no joke. And even threatening to arrest a guy didn’t mean he wouldn’t seek some sort of revenge.

He rose to leave, anxious to get back to the safe house. He pulled out his phone and frowned when he noticed Trisha had left a voicemail. Something about Laurel maybe?

Before he even finished the message, Ross emerged from his office.

“West? Trisha called 911 to report a fire at the safe house.”

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