Chapter 23 – Evelyn #2
“The director’s involvement, for one. He never gets involved in cases like these unless they’re high profile, and no offense, but the existence of a vigilante organization in a city doesn’t count.”
I smirked. “No offense taken.”
Dominic rolled his eyes, but I could see a smile playing on his handsome face. “And then there’s the evidence that mysteriously appeared. Recorded by a witness who vanished.”
Luke Jones. Did Dominic not know what happened to him? But the director had been the one to have him released. I decided to share a bit of what we knew and see what Dominic said.
“Luke Jones was released because Director Keller sent an email and said he was a confidential informant.”
Dominic stared at me and then cursed, rubbing a hand over his face. I wanted to trust him. An ally at the FIA would be huge for us. But I needed more.
“Why do you care that this seems strange? Shouldn’t the existence of a vigilante organization and taking it down be your focus? Not how the investigation started?” I pushed him.
Dominic’s jaw tightened, and he stopped pacing.
He heaved a sigh. “My father was a cop,” he said quietly.
“A beat cop who cared…too much, probably. I was in high school. There was this call—well, multiple calls, actually—to this one house. Four times in one month. Each time, the woman refused to file a police report. The fifth time…” He closed his eyes tightly, and I braced myself for the rest of the story.
Unfortunately, I knew where this was going.
“Their six-year-old daughter had called the police because her mother wouldn’t wake up.
Her husband beat her to death and then only served six months for it because his uncle was a local judge.
That case…” He scrubbed a hand over his face.
“That case broke my father, and he spiraled into alcoholism for ten years before he got sober.”
“The reason I don’t care about the existence of a vigilante organization even when I should?
I can’t help thinking if an organization like that existed, if my father had known of them, if they could have helped where he couldn’t…
If they could have helped where the system failed…
Maybe that six-year-old never would have had to make that call, and my father might have been spared the years of self-loathing.
If only someone could have just stepped in where he hadn’t been able to… ”
His eyes were tortured with memories, and my heart ached for him.
I sagged against the table. His words were real and honest, and any worries I had about this being an elaborate plan to catch me and the Archers faded.
Dominic Hayes was a good man. He cared. He wanted to make a difference, and so did I.
“I’m so sorry he went through that,” I said softly.
He nodded, staring at the floor. “I’ve suspected there was corruption in the FIA for a few years now,” he confessed quietly.
“Cases have shown up out of the blue; agents killed in action on cases they shouldn’t have been on.
There’s only so many leads I can follow without raising suspicion, but it goes… ”
Ice slid down my spine. “It goes where?”
“All the way to the top.” His eyes were serious and his voice steady as he confirmed what we suspected. Director Keller was dirty.
Everything clicked. The memo from the director’s office to open the case. The director showing up at my interview with the recording from Luke Jones, and the director ordering Jones’s release. Too many pieces were falling into place, but things were still missing.
“What do you know about Luke Jones? And an organization called Kingfisher?”
Dominic frowned. “Not a ton on either. I’ve requested the file but haven’t received it yet.” His eyes widened. “What if…”
“What if the director is involved with the Kingfisher organization somehow?” I asked quietly.
“It would make sense. From what we’ve been able to find out, the Kingfisher organization is powerful.
I thought it was just because they were a powerful organization, but what if that means they have powerful people in powerful places? ”
“The director and the judge,” Dominic said slowly. “Fuck, that sounds crazy, but I think you’re right.”
“We need proof,” I said. “We can’t go after the director without proof.”
“And that’s why you’re here,” Dominic surmised.
I nodded, but didn’t confirm it. “Can you get us everything the FIA has on the Kingfisher and Luke Jones? Including the FIA’s CI list.” Having the FIA’s Confidential Informant list could help us rule out Luke Jones as a CI.
Dominic crossed his arms, staring out the window as he thought. “The CI list, yes. The Kingfisher file? Maybe. If we’re right, I don’t want to trigger any flags in the system by submitting an official request. There’s a guy in records who owes me a favor and would do it on the down low.”
“Do you trust him?”
If this guy spilled the beans, we were fucked. We could kiss any hope of catching the director goodbye, because he would bury everything and go to ground.
“Yes,” Dominic said. “He’s a good guy. He won’t ask questions, and he’ll keep his mouth shut.”
I bit my lip. I didn’t like it, but it was the only way. Maybe we could uncover some more information from the judge’s files if that didn’t work.
“Okay.” I exhaled slowly. “Do it. We can meet up and discuss after you get the information.”
“How should I get in contact with you?”
He was right. His communications were probably monitored.
I furrowed my brow as I thought. Wait, we had something for this.
“Go to the gas station on Fremond and Sixth Street. Tell them you need a phone to get in touch with an old friend from home. They’ll give you a phone, and I’ll contact you on it. ”
“Just who are you, Evelyn Harper?”
I smiled, slow and deliberate. “Answer the phone and find out.” I straightened and moved past him.
His gaze flicked to the doorway, then back to me. “I thought you might be dating Alexander. Or maybe Adrian. But you’re here tonight with Marcus.”
I stopped mid-step.
“Is there a question in there?” I asked, glancing over my shoulder.
“Which one are you dating?” he pressed.
“All of them,” I said simply. I didn’t flinch when the words left my mouth. I was tired of hiding. Hiding them and hiding myself away. Everything was about to come to a head. I could feel it in the air. And I was going to face it with the people I chose by my side.
I expected shock or disgust when I said that. What I didn’t expect was the interest in his eyes or the way he straightened.
“Interesting,” he murmured.
“Any other questions?”
“Do you need me to cause a distraction so you can break into Judge Jefferson’s office?”
Sebastian’s voice crackled through my ear. “Mission successful.”
“Bold of you to assume I’m not the distraction.” I winked at him, sashaying out of the room.
I was learning to lean on my men. Letting them handle the breaking and entering while I played the distraction was a good place to start.
I exited the room, heading back to the party.
The door to the first powder room opened as I passed, and Donna Keesecker, a former client of SDS’s, stepped out.
“Evelyn, darling.” Her curly white hair bounced as she enveloped me in her arms and a cloud of Chanel Noo5. “It’s so good to see you again.”
“Mrs. Keesecker,” I greeted warmly.
The older lady was a firecracker and ran several charities around the city dedicated to ending food insecurity.
She hired SDS to outfit her charities with security after a series of break-ins happened.
The police ended up arresting a young man for the break-ins.
Mrs. Keesecker decided not to press charges when it was revealed the young man was just trying to provide for his younger siblings after their parents had died in a car accident.
Detective Patel had given me a heads-up in case we could intervene, but Mrs. Keesecker stepped in instead and took temporary guardianship of the kids, providing them with food, shelter, and love.
She was a treasure, and the world needed more people like her.
“Please, Evelyn, call me Donna.” She waved her hands. “How are you? I saw you come in with Marcus Stone.” She waggled her eyebrows at me while she looped her arm through mine. “You have to give me all the details. I need to live vicariously through you young people.”
“From what I hear, a certain Mr. Dennis Eli is courting you, so not sure how much you’re missing out on,” I teased her softly.
The older gentleman was a wealthy widow, and the two had been spotted around the city together.
She laughed. “Maybe we can compare stories instead. If young Marcus needs any assistance, Dennis would be happy to talk to him. The things that man can do…” She trailed off and waggled her eyebrows at me as we stepped into the crowded room again.
Laughter bubbled out of me as she led me to a table with a few of her friends.
I scanned the room for Marcus. He was chatting in the corner with a few men, one of whom looked like Nathaniel Drake from the groundbreaking that Alexander and I had attended.
It made sense that he would be invited as it really was a who’s who guest list.
I chatted with Donna and her friends for a few more minutes before Marcus cut across the room to me.
Dominic had slipped back into the room at some point and gave me a discreet nod as we made our rounds.
His gaze was a heavy weight. He had promised his help, but in this room, surrounded by all of the judge’s connections, it felt like an insurmountable battle. Would his help be enough?