Page 39 of Forging Caine

A shiver shot through me, and my gaze fell to Janelle’s police cap. Jimmy and I were friends from college, too, where all three of us had studied Criminal Justice.

She said, “There’s no way he could have avoided jail time, but a plea could have made the time he’d be serving easier.”

Dead. How did I even feel about that? Awful because one of my friends had died? Relieved because I wouldn’t have to testify against him in court?

Janelle stomped over to us and knelt to look me in the eyes, fury twisting her face. “Don’t you fucking feel sorry for him. He made his choices and nothing could have washed that stain on the department clean.”

He’d shot Antonio. Could have killed him. Would have killed me, too.

“He seemed genuinely upset about everything he’d done,” said Antonio.

Janelle turned her glower on him but didn’t say anything.

“It hardly absolves him, but it’s surprisingly easy to get caught up in things like he did.” Antonio spoke from experience. He’d fallen in with his uncle’s smuggling business and gotten himself shot for that nine years ago.

But Jimmy hadn’t been the only one caught up in the crazy web. He’d covered for Parker Johnson, who’d tried to kill Antonio and me more than once at Christmas.

“What about Parker?” I asked.

Her nostrils flared. “Also in Wayne County.”

“Is he working on a plea agreement, too?”

“No, he’s awaiting trial, but I hear he’s living the good life. Just got a new lawyer, too.”

Antonio let go of me and headed around the counter into the kitchen. “Can I get you anything to eat? I picked up some pastries this morning or I can prepare breakfast?”

Janelle shook her head at him, stood, and dropped back into the chair.

“New lawyer?” I asked. “I thought he had a public defender?”

She blew some steam off the coffee and took a sip. “This is fantastic.”

“Grazie.” Antonio nodded and busied himself with something on the counter, hidden by the breakfast bar.

“About the same time they moved Jimmy, some high-priced guy from Detroit waltzed in and took over Parker’s case. I wouldn’t have thought Parker had the money for that.”

“His girlfriend just sold her house.” Although that had taken months until the FBI cleared it after their investigation into Parker’s smuggling efforts. He’d hidden several paintings behind secret walls in the house, and the search for more couldn’t have helped her sale price.

“I’m pretty sure she’s out of the picture now.”

“His ex-wife, maybe? She works at Mason’s Gallery. Or his son, Cam-ron?” The last I’d seen him, Cam-ron was still living with his mother and rolling out of bed without a shower by noon. He wasn’t likely paying for any lawyer.

Janelle shook her head. “As far as I know, they haven’t been in contact. Cam-ron didn’t end up charged with anything—it was clear he had nothing to do with Parker’s attempts on your lives or the stolen paintings. He did work for his father occasionally, which is how he got roped into the original Chagall fraud, but his involvement was legitimate on that one.”

I leaned my elbows on the table. Something was off. Janelle was obviously upset, but there was something she wasn’t telling me. “What’s up?”

She sucked in one cheek, chewing on it. Yup. Definitely holding something back.

“You said they’recalling ita suicide.” I inched closer. “You don’t think it was, do you?”

“No.” She pushed back her chair again to pace. “Why did the FBI want Jimmy? Was he involved in something with Parker?”

“Yeah.”

Jimmy’s arrest had been a mess. The Brenton Police Department wanted to take him in, but Elliot had been on scene and took over, saying the local police would have to wait until the FBI finished with him. I didn’t know the full details, but Jimmy had been involvedsomehowwith the smuggling ring we suspected Fiori was behind. He confessed to Antonio and me that he’d done things for the people at the pawnshop. But that was all he’d said about it.

“So the two of them get moved to Wayne County at the same time. The one who keeps his mouth shut gets a new lawyer.” Janelle stopped, balling her fists on her duty belt.

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