Chapter 45
FORTY-FIVE
Eric stood outside of Sergeant Medina’s doorway collecting his thoughts. There were the optics to consider, such as what other cops might whisper behind his back. How they’d accuse him of betraying the brotherhood, but if anything, he was fighting to protect its honor. He took a steadying breath.
“Anyone tell you it’s not polite to linger in doorways?” Medina waved Eric inside.
Eric entered and shut the door behind him.
Medina leaned into his chair, back straight, shoulders squared. “What have we got?”
Eric set the evidence bag that held the manila envelope on Medina’s desk and dropped into the visitor chair across from him.
“That’s from Levine’s safe deposit box. Everything is in there.
Untampered eyewitness statements, the original crash report from Levine and the Major Crash Investigation Unit, and photos from the accident scene.
There was also this…” He held up the silver recorder.
“I haven’t listened to what’s on it yet because I thought you might like to be present when I did. ”
Medina rolled his hand for Eric to hit play.
“What’s your problem anyway? Just let it go.”
“How am I supposed to do that? This isn’t what I signed up for. I keep seeing her face.”
Eric broke into a sweat at the sound of Todd responding to Dean. No matter how many times he was hit in the face with the fact his old mentor took a bribe to cover up a murder, it never got easier.
“Go see a shrink, talk about your feelings if that’s what you need to do, but I can’t be meeting up with you talking about this. Lucy’s getting in my face about all the OT I’ve been putting in already.”
“Lucy?” Medina asked, and Eric paused the playback.
“Dean Finley’s wife.” It was something that Eric had seen in Finley’s background.
Medina nodded, and Eric hit play again.
“Have you thought for a second how destroyed she’s going to be when what we did gets out?”
“It’s not going to get out. Just calm down.”
“Don’t tell me to calm down. The truth has a way of coming out.”
“Todd, you’ve always been dramatic.”
“Dramatic?” Todd’s voice hit another octave. “We facilitated a cover-up for a murder. A woman was killed.”
“We were told that was possible.”
“Her young son was in the car.”
“Not our fault.”
“He could have died too. How can you be so blasé about all this? And Simms. What are we supposed to do about that?”
Eric hit pause and sat back, drawing his sergeant’s eye. “Just to remind you. Roger Simms was the photographer with the Major Crash Investigation Unit. His report and photos are in that envelope.”
“Huh. And this Simms fella just happened to die in a hiking accident within a week of Crawford’s crash. That’s what you told me before, right?”
“That’s what his background told me.”
Medina said nothing as he scanned Eric’s eyes. “Resume playing the recording.”
“Simms died in an unfortunate accident,” Dean hurled back.
“We both know that’s not true.”
“Do we? Or did you…?”
“Don’t be an idiot. I actually thought you did something.”
“Me? Nice that you think that of me.”
There was a stretch of silence. No noises in the background. Wherever they had met up, it must have been isolated. Also at night given what Finley had said a moment ago.
“If it’s anyone, it’s likely Hanson’s guy cleaning up loose ends. Simms wasn’t willing to play along. We tried to talk some sense into him. The photos he took would have ruined everything.”
“He didn’t cooperate because he was a better man than us. He wanted us to just come forward and admit to everything, including taking his photographs—”
“He would have destroyed our lives. Do you want to go to prison?”
“I’m not sure if I care anymore. Roger Simms was murdered. Just say it, Dean.”
“No, I’m not going to do that. I wasn’t there. Were you?”
“Of course not.”
“Then as far as I’m concerned we take the ruling. Simms died in a hiking accident.”
That was where the recording stopped.
Medina was rubbing his face, and Eric was speechless while he assimilated what he’d just heard.
A few seconds later, Medina said, “Todd Levine recorded this conversation for mutually assured destruction. Then he put it in a safe place. Levine wasn’t going down on his own. He wanted to make sure that Finley came with him.”
There was something from Todd’s letter that rose to the surface.
The bit about clearing his conscience not being enough.
That there would be repercussions. Was Todd referring to more than legal ramifications?
Was he in fear of retribution from Dale Kramer?
“Is Kramer down at HQ?” That was where holding cells were and where interviews were held with suspects.
Medina’s brow pinched. He was seemingly thrown by the change of direction. “Yeah, waiting on his lawyer, last I heard.”
“Okay.” But Eric was distracted by one word repeating in his head. Repercussions. Come on, Todd, what are you talking about?
“You’re making that face again.”
His thoughts might be spiraling like a new detective, going down a rabbit hole without reason, but he couldn’t ignore his instinct either.
“I think Todd might be in danger.” Eric sat up straighter with the epiphany there was one other person who could pose a threat to Todd.
“In his letter he hinted he was going to set the record straight, but there would be repercussions. Then this recording, what you said about not wanting to go down alone… What if he wasn’t willing to just toss Finley under the bus?
What if he wanted to give him an ultimatum—confess or he will?
When I showed up to talk to Finley, it didn’t go over well.
That was just asking some questions.” And I might have showed him his signature on the destruction request for Crawford’s vehicle…
“So if Levine went over there, threatening to expose everything… Then you just might be right. Levine could be in danger.”
“Yeah. I’ve gotta go.” Eric stood, grabbing the bag and the recorder.
“I’ll have a unit sent to Finley’s house just in case we’re right about any of this.”
“Thanks.” Eric stormed from Medina’s office. This was one time he prayed he was wrong.