Chapter Twenty-Four
When she and Freddie were back in the Secret Service SUV, following the FBI vehicle south on the Baltimore-Washington Parkway, Sam decided she wanted to see Avery.
“Let’s go to GW first,” she said to Vernon.
“Will do.”
She saw him glance at Jimmy. “Do you have to report all our movements to the higher-ups?”
“Yes, ma’am. In case we ever need backup, they’ll know where to find us.”
“Ah, I see. Not sure why I didn’t notice that before.”
Vernon smiled at her in the mirror. “Your job is to relax and enjoy the ride while leaving the details to us.”
“I’ll let you know when I start to relax and enjoy the ride.”
“We need to ramp up the beverage service, Jimmy.”
“A little vodka might do the trick.”
“So noted.”
“I’m kidding.” To Freddie, she said, “They know I’m kidding, right?”
“I sure hope so. She’s a wicked lightweight.”
“Shut up! That’s not true!”
“Yes, it is.”
“Not.”
“Yes.”
“Children…”
“God, he reminds me of my dad when he does that.”
“Me, too.”
“You couldn’t pay me a nicer compliment.”
“I was really wishing he was there to see us hosting a state dinner last night. He’d have been losing it.”
“He was there,” Vernon said. “He’s always right there.”
“You really think so?”
“I’m sure of it. I didn’t know him, but I feel like I do from your stories about him. That’s why I’m so sure he wouldn’t want to miss a minute of your time at the White House.”
“Well, I hope he’s not watching all of it.”
After a heartbeat of silence, the other three laughed.
Freddie scrubbed at his ears. “I want to unhear the last thirty seconds.”
“What? I’m just saying that if the ghosts are watching, I hope they’re being selective in their viewing. Are there parental controls or something we could employ?”
“You’re too funny, Sam,” Jimmy said as he wiped his eyes.
“Don’t encourage her.” Freddie’s tone dripped with disdain. “That’s how she got this way.”
“This is the most fun I’ve ever had at work,” Jimmy said. “I tell my wife every night how funny y’all are.”
“I hope you tell her I’m funnier than he is,” Sam said as Freddie rolled his eyes at her.
“You’re at your funniest when you’re with him,” Jimmy said.
Freddie sent her a smug smile.
“He’s my favorite victim.”
“If that ain’t the truth.”
“I’ve made you into the man you are today.”
“Sometimes I think she honestly believes the nonsense she spews.”
“All fact. Make yourself useful and get me some info on the people who were convicted along with the Peckhams.”
“Yes, dear.”
A thought occurred to her as they got closer to where they would peel off from the FBI vehicle to head to the hospital. “Do I need to be worried about the Feds taking her somewhere other than our place?”
“Crap,” Freddie said. “I hadn’t thought of that.”
“Ask for a Patrol escort from the District line,” Sam said.
Freddie got on the phone.
“Tell them to direct the car only to our place. Nowhere else.”
He nodded and passed along her request to the Patrol commander.
“They’re on it.”
“If the Feds kidnap her, they’re gonna be sorry they ever met me.”
Sam texted Shelby to get Avery’s room number.
Is it okay if I stop by for a minute on official business?
He says he’s fine and to come on down.
Sam was deeply relieved to know Avery was doing well and sounding like himself through Shelby. “It’s amazing how things happen, isn’t it?”
“Which things are you referring to?”
“How Avery, who was once the biggest pain in my ass, has turned into such a treasured friend and colleague.”
“That is amazing when you think about how he used to go weak in the knees over you.”
Sam cringed. “He did not.”
“Yes, he did. He was crazy about you. I thought Nick was going to have him killed.”
“That was another lifetime ago.”
“Like two years?”
“Shut up! We got past that, and now…”
“Now you love him like a brother, and it was devastating to hear he’d been shot.”
“Yeah, that. All I could think of was Shelby losing him days after having the baby they both wanted so much.”
“Thank goodness that didn’t happen.”
“For sure.”
At the hospital, Vernon escorted them inside to the fifth floor. They were met by FBI agents who asked for ID, even though they recognized Sam.
“He’s in five thirty-five, Lieutenant.”
“Thank you.”
Another agent was positioned outside Avery’s door.
They showed her their IDs, and she let them into the room. As annoying as the delays were, Sam was glad her friends were being well protected with his shooter still on the loose.
Shelby and baby Maisie were keeping Avery company. He looked pale, but otherwise much better than Sam had expected. He had a huge bandage over his right shoulder, and that arm was in a sling.
“Come in,” he said when he saw Sam and Freddie.
“Thanks for seeing us.”
“No problem.”
Sam gave Shelby a one-armed hug as she glanced at the baby and melted. “My goodness, Tinker Bell, but that baby is gorgeous.”
“Isn’t she dreamy?”
“The dreamiest.”
Sam forced herself to tear her gaze away from the baby and focus on why she’d come. “I need to talk to you about the Peckhams.”
Both Shelby and Avery tensed at the mention of that name.
“I’m going to find a quiet corner to feed the baby.” Shelby grabbed the diaper bag, kissed Avery and headed for the door.
“Sorry to upset her.”
“She wants to know who shot me as much as you do.”
“I know. I met them earlier at Jessup.” Sam shuddered. “I can’t imagine Shelby being confronted by that guy and fearing for her life and Noah’s.”
“Right? He’s the worst of the worst. You’re looking at him for me and Tom?”
“Your bullet matches Tom’s. You were both involved in their case. He and his new wife broke into your home, threatened your wife and son. We’re taking a hard look.”
“They were locked up again when both of us were shot.”
“The rest of their crew wasn’t. Our theory is once they heard that Willy had failed to get to you, one of their people tried to finish the job.”
“Jesus,” he whispered. “When I first heard about Tom, I was sure it would lead right back to Damien Bryant.”
“Me, too, and that’s where we were focused until ballistics told us your bullet and Tom’s came from the same gun.” Sam refilled his cup of water, handed it to him and took a seat next to the bed. “We’ve had Amber Peckham transported to HQ and are offering her some leniency in exchange for telling us what she knows. We got her out of jail because she feared Willy would have her killed for talking to us.”
“She’s right to be afraid of him. The DV history with his first wife, Justice, goes back years. Police were regulars at their house.”
“Why wasn’t he ever put away for that?”
“She always refused to testify.”
“Ah, I see, and I guess I understand why. I’d be afraid of him if I was married to him.”
Avery grimaced. “Every time I think about it, my whole body goes hot with rage at the thought of that son of a bitch being anywhere near my precious family.”
She took out her notebook and pen. “Talk to me about who they are and what they did. I want the details of the investigation from your point of view.”
Avery took a sip of water and then handed the cup to Sam to put on the table. He rested his head against the pillows piled behind him. “It was early in my career, like the second year with the Bureau. They asked me to go undercover for up to six months. I moved to Corbin, got a job pumping gas, was a regular at the local hangouts and eventually infiltrated the Peckhams through one of their guys. Lonnie Marsden, one of Willy Peckham’s many first cousins, sat next to me at a bar one night, bought me a beer and got to talking, the way guys do. ‘Where you from?’ ‘What’d you do for fun?’ ‘What teams do you like?’ That kind of stuff. He invited me to a cookout at the Peckham’s ‘farm,’ which was really a run-down collection of buildings that housed their extended family.”
“I’m trying to picture you assimilating with these people.”
“I grew my hair out, didn’t shave, let my hands get dirty—and stay dirty—at the station.”
“Are there pictures of dirty Avery?”
“Focus, Sam.”
She laughed. “Sorry, but I’d love to see those pics.”
“You might find them in the file.”
“Can George get that for me?”
“Yeah, I’ll ask him to send it to you.” He reached for his phone and winced.
Sam got it for him.
“Thanks.” He sent the text to his deputy. “He said he’ll take care of it right away.”
“Appreciate the cooperation.”
“If it was them, I want them taken down as much as you do.”
“Tell me about what happened after you became friends with Lonnie and the Peckhams.”
“We started hanging out on the weekends. They’d have bonfires and shooting contests, and one of the cousins had a boat we’d take out on the lake to go fishing. I got the sense for that first month or so that they were trying to get a read on me and whether I could be trusted.
“All I knew going in was that they all had lengthy records, going back to when they were juveniles, and it was suspected they were into bigger things. The HHS inspector general had identified irregular Medicaid activities in Whitney, Knox and Laurel Counties. Corbin touches all three, and the Peckham family ties ran deep in that area.”
“What did these irregular activities entail?”
“Excessive billing for routine services, hospital bills that were five times what they should’ve been, people who’d been dead for years, including Willy’s parents, receiving medical care that was billed to the government. They threatened local doctors, forcing them to participate or their families would be harmed. They got away with it for years until President Harrigan came into office, vowing to crack down on fraud, waste and abuse. His HHS secretary and IG were the ones who uncovered the operation in Corbin. The doctors were our star witnesses.”
“If they’re gunning for the people who put them away, those doctors’ lives are in danger.”
He made a call and put it on speaker. “George, I’m with Sam at the hospital, and she just made a good point. The doctors who testified against the Peckhams need to be warned they might be killing, or trying to kill, people involved with putting them away.”
“I’ll alert our office in London, Kentucky, and get some agents out to talk to them right away.”
“Tell them it’s an emergency,” Sam said.
“Will do.”
Avery pressed a button to end the call.
“Who else do we need to be worried about protecting?”
“I’ll have George work on that from our end.”
“Who would they send to do their dirty work with you and Tom?”
“Probably their son Harlan.”
“Freddie, can you call up the video from Tom’s shooting?”
He went to work on his phone and then brought it to the bedside so Avery could see it.
“Could this be him?”
“He’s the right height and size. Willy used to bust his balls about being such a small guy. It made Harlan ruthless. He worked out like a demon and could kill a man with one hand around his neck.”
“Did you see him do that?”
“Twice.”
“Jesus. Why isn’t he locked up?”
“He got off on a technicality when the rest of their crew went to prison.”
“What kind of technicality?”
“He was able to prove he was never read his Miranda rights when he was arrested.”
“For real?”
“Yep. One of the local agents was his best friend from high school and torched his career with the Bureau by ‘failing’ to do the most basic part of his job.”
“Was he in on the scheme?”
“We were never able to prove that, but he buckled to threats from Harlan and screwed over the rest of our team by letting that fucking rat skate free.”
“Has the FBI monitored Harlan since then?”
“I mean, I’d like to say yes, but we’re stretched thin everywhere. I wouldn’t be surprised if more pressing priorities have pushed him to the back burner.”
“So he’s running free and doing God knows what.”
“Possibly.”
“What do you think about a deal for Amber?”
“I wouldn’t be opposed, especially if she can give us Willy and Harlan. From what I know about Willy, she probably felt she had no choice but to marry him and do his bidding.”
“How does a wedding even happen when he’s in jail?”
“Prisoners have rights, you know.” He rolled his eyes. “They got married about a year ago. I’m sure she didn’t know what he had planned when she picked him up when he got released. I’ll bet he threatened her to make her go along with the plan to come after me.”
“Did you ever see his first wife, Justice, commit other crimes?”
“Never. The rest of them? Yes, and most of them were charged with the stuff I saw, but she was only charged as a participant in the Medicaid scheme.”
“What I don’t get is why they’d seek revenge the minute he got out.”
“They’re always angriest at the people they feel betrayed them, and that was me. I’ll never forget the way he looked at me when he found out I was a Fed. Like he wanted to murder me in the most painful way possible. He nearly succeeded when he had my family…”
Sam reached out a hand to him. “I know it’s hard not to let your mind go there, but they’re safe and well, and you’ll be back on your feet again in no time. Everything’s okay.”
“As long as Harlan Peckham is running loose and following his father’s orders, none of us are safe.”
Sam and Freddierode back to HQ in silence, each of them absorbed in their own thoughts as they processed what Avery had told them.
“I have a question,” Freddie said when they were about six blocks from HQ.
“I’m listening.”
“What’re we doing about Cox, his nephew and your Spidey sense that he’s up to no good?”
“While we hunt down Harlan Peckham, we’re going to continue to work on figuring that out.”
“Good, because something’s up there. The nephew put out a vibe that I’ve been mulling over since we first met him.”
“Same. I haven’t stopped thinking about what a little weasel he was about giving us his name. You and I both know that when someone won’t give us the most basic of info, it’s because they’re hiding something.”
“I want to know what.”
“Me, too. Let’s keep working that part of this case on the down-low while we look for Harlan Peckham and whatever else Amber gives us.”
“Sounds good.”
As they walked into the pit, Captain Malone was coming in from the other side.
“We’ve got a person of interest in the shootings of Tom Forrester and Avery Hill,” Sam said.
“Fill me in.”
Sam gestured for him to lead the way into the conference room.
Freddie went to the computer and called up the info they had on Harlan Peckham and projected his image and rap sheet onto the screen at the front of the room.
“Harlan Peckham, age thirty-eight, is the son of Willy and his first wife, Justice Peckham. Willy and his second wife, Amber, are the ones who broke into Avery’s home. Avery was undercover with Willy’s family years ago and put together the case against them for massive Medicaid fraud, among other crimes, including gun trafficking. He was sentenced to fifteen years in prison. The first wife died of cancer in prison. Willy did twelve years, married Amber in prison about a year ago and was released the day before the invasion at Shelby and Avery’s home. Other members of their gang did six to eight years in prison and were on the loose at the time of the shootings. According to Avery, Willy and Justice’s son Harlan matches the physical description of Tom’s shooter. He managed to get off on a technicality and never did time.”
Just as Sam was about to suggest they call in the marshals to assist in locating Harlan, Jesse Best appeared. At six and a half feet tall, he took up most of the doorway.
“Brought you something you’ve been looking for.”
Sam got up and went to the door.
Jesse stepped back to let her out.
“Gonzo,” she called.
He stood and smiled when he saw Jesse. “You found them?”
“Yep. They’re being processed as we speak.”
“Where were they?”
“Hiding out, if you want to call it that, at the mother’s family cabin in northern Wisconsin. The daughter told us where to look, but not before we had to remind her she could be charged for aiding fugitives.”
“Great work, Jesse,” Sam said.
“I’ll take care of welcoming Rosemary and Randy to DC,” Gonzo said as he headed out of the pit toward the main lobby area.
Sam turned back to Jesse. “I was just about to call you. We could use your help with another matter.”
“What’s up?”
“Step into our office.” She followed him into the conference room, where Harlan Peckham’s face was still on the screen.
“That’s Harlan Peckham,” Sam said, “son of Willy and the late Justice Peckham, who headed up a Medicaid scam and gun operation in Kentucky.”
“I remember that case,” Jesse said. “The son went missing for a time after the parents were arrested, and we tracked him into the hills of Kentucky. Took us about two weeks to smoke him out. He’s got survival training. After all that, he got off because of a dirty FBI agent. If he goes under, he’ll be hard to find. What’d he do?”
“We like him for the shootings of Tom Forrester and Avery Hill.”
Jesse released a low whistle. “That’s a heck of an escalation from Medicaid fraud, gun dealing and petty crime.”
“Our theory is that the Peckhams blame them for wrecking their cushy scam and sending them to prison. They’re looking for retribution.”
“Not sure I’m buying that they’d go to the trouble of revenge when they could get back to doing what they do best, which is running scams.”
“Did you hear about Willy and his new young wife showing up at Avery’s home and taking his pregnant wife and son hostage?”
Shock registered on his face. “I’ve been in the field for weeks and hadn’t heard about that. Wow. I guess that proves me wrong. Just when you think people can’t get any stupider than Willy Peckham already is, he goes and tops himself. Hill’s wife and son are all right?”
“They were badly shaken but not hurt.”
“Thank goodness for that.”
“Yes, definitely. She’s my close friend. We’re about to issue a BOLO alert for Harlan Peckham in the District and surrounding areas. Detective Cruz will notify the airports, train and bus stations as well as the Metro to be on the lookout for him locally.”
“Shoot me everything you’ve got on the cases, and I’ll put some people on it.”
“Thank you for the help.”
“That’s what we do. Take care.”
He was gone as quickly as he’d appeared.
“I’d love to know that guy’s story,” Sam said. “He’s such an enigma.”
“He sure as hell gets the job done,” Malone said.
“Yes, he does.”
“I’ll take care of issuing the alerts for Harlan Peckham and sending the case info to Jesse.”
“I’m going to read the reports on the original investigation.”
“I don’t know about you, but I want to see those pictures of Hillbilly Avery.”
Sam laughed. “Me, too. Let me know when Amber is processed and in a room. She and I are going to have a chat.”
“Will do.”