Based on how curiously quiet the chief had been so far, he’d been as in the dark as anyone else on this. Kerri had never seen him so subdued during a major briefing.
As if she’d said the words out loud, Falco glanced at her. She and Falco understood something was off with this situation, and it was a hell of a lot more than mere territorial issues.
Kerri surveyed the others present. If Sadie Cross was telling the truth and Asher Walsh had thought someone in a position of power in Birmingham was involved with the cartel, then it could be someonein this room at this very moment. Special Agent in Charge Cross, the chief, and the LT—Brooks looked over his shoulder at her as if he, too, was aware of precisely what she was thinking. Maybe she was just too easy to read. The mayor sat next to DA Lockett. Seated behind the Jefferson County sheriff were three other DEA agents. Any one of these people could be wearing that mask Sadie had mentioned.
Kerri’s attention shifted back to the mayor. Emma Warren was sixty. Attractive. Long dark hair that lay in waves around her shoulders. Being married to one of the wealthiest financial geniuses in the Southeast allowed her to wear a high-end designer wardrobe and live in a multimillion-dollar mansion. Warren donated her salary as the mayor to support a brand-new endeavor: the Women of the Future mentoring program. Three students, grades seven through nine, were chosen in January each year for the program. Mayor Warren would mentor one, while two other prestigious and powerful women of Birmingham would mentor the other two.
It was an exemplary program, and frankly Kerri had no reason not to like the woman beyond her public decision to ensure a task force investigated this case rather than merely the BPD. Kerri supposed she should be grateful the investigation into the murder of a high-profile citizen wasn’t on her and Falco.
Except she wasn’t.
Agent Cross continued to drone on about the terrifying statistics of drugs and human trafficking and how the cartels were the main drive behind those ugly crimes. Kerri attempted to stay on task, but her thoughts drifted to her daughter and Brighton Academy. She’d sent a text to Tori at lunch and asked how her day was going. Her daughter’s response had been a thumbs-up. Kerri hoped that was the case, but she knew too well how these things went. Rumors would be rampant. Fingers pointed. Accusations thrown about.
She closed her eyes and tried to view the situation objectively. Tori and her friends had been the ones huddled with the Myers girl whenshe’d fallen. Of course, they would be the center of gossip and innuendo. Kerri forced her eyes open. How could something as seemingly simple as a disagreement between middle schoolers have evolved into something so devastating? The four girls had been standing on the landing. Based on the security camera angle, the leopard-print flats worn by Brendal Myers had been heels toward the camera, which confirmed she’d stood with her back to the descending steps. The other three, including Tori’s black Converses, had been toes toward Myers in a sort of semicircle.
The only conclusion could be that the three had ganged up on Myers somehow. Even as Tori’s mother, Kerri couldn’t deny the way it looked—at least from the perspective of the shoes the girls had been wearing.
It looked bad. No question.
But the video surveillance showed Myers’s right foot coming out behind her as if she’d taken a step back and hit air rather than lost her balance due to being pushed. The movements hadn’t been frantic or clipped. Right leg had swung back ever so slightly, and then she’d tumbled down. The other three sets of shoes had remained exactly as they were for several endless seconds. Then, Tori in the lead, the three had rushed down the stairs. As the girls came into view, the camera captured the stunned expression on Tori’s face. Sarah’s and Alice’s faces had been tilted more downward, so deciphering their expressions was basically impossible.
“You ready?”
Kerri pulled free of the troubling thoughts. The briefing had ended, and folks were filtering out of the conference room. Falco stood over her, his face showing the concern she heard in his voice. He was all too aware of her dilemma.
“Yeah.” She stood. “Look, do you mind if we drop by your place to get your Charger? There’s something I need to do, and then I’ll catch up with you.”
They were working on the list of Kurtz’s friends that George Caldwell had provided. Based on what the employees, includingCaldwell, had stated so far, the list likely comprised customers with whom Kurtz had associated more than others or for a longer period of time. There appeared to be no friends outside his employees, customers, and business associates.
“No problem.” Falco eyed her speculatively. “But I would like to know where you’ll be.”
They were partners. No secrets. They’d come to that agreement after their first big case together. With the caveat that they wouldn’t discuss the distant past. Meaning Falco’s undercover days. No reason to, she supposed. Whatever he’d done in the past, good, bad, or indifferent, she trusted him completely.
“I’ve been trying to check in on Sarah Talley, but her mother isn’t returning my calls. I thought I’d stop by. I need to look her in the eye and get her take on what’s happened.”
“You know Sykes and Peterson won’t like it.”
“This is about my daughter. I don’t care how they feel.”
Falco nodded. “Got it. I’ll carry on with that list.”
His face told her he wasn’t particularly happy about their going in separate directions. He was worried. Hell, she was worried, and she damned sure didn’t like anything about this.
In the corridor outside the main conference room, the chief and the mayor were in deep conversation with Cross and a couple wearing visitor’s badges. Kerri was too far away to read the names written on the badges, but the stark pain on the woman’s face was telling enough even before Kerri recognized her.
The mother, Lana Walsh.
The man was the father, Leland Walsh. There was some resemblance to the murdered DDA in his profile. The sharpness of the nose, the thick eyebrows.
“Walsh’s parents arrived last night,” Brooks said quietly as he moved in shoulder to shoulder with Kerri. “The chief will be giving them a full update. As will Agent Cross, apparently.”
The LT’s tone hinted that he wasn’t too thrilled with Cross, either, but he was far too diplomatic to say as much.
“Everyone is watching.” Brooks looked from Kerri to Falco and back. “Stay inside the lines on this one.”
Kerri nodded. Falco did the same.
It wasn’t until they were past the painful huddle in the corridor that Kerri could breathe again.