Chapter 91
Poe told Estelle and Bradshaw what he knew, what he thought. He wasn’t trying to convince them; he knew he was right. He also knew they trusted him enough to … well, trust him.
‘What do we do now?’ Estelle said. ‘Have them arrested?’
‘That’s the legally correct move,’ Poe said.
‘We have evidence of police corruption, and even though it’s circumstantial, it is enough for an arrest. The problem is they’ll lawyer up.
And the Red Chamber only gave us forty-eight hours.
We can’t waste half of those watching someone “no comment” their way through a succession of interviews. ’
‘What then?’
‘You said we were to do whatever it takes.’
‘I did.’
‘And you meant it.’
‘I won’t second-guess your decisions, Poe. I meant it.’
Poe held her gaze. His jaw hardened. ‘Then we do whatever it takes,’ he said.
He reached for his mobile. Found Special Agent Melody Lee under ‘Recent Contacts’.
Bradshaw tilted her wrist, checked her watch. ‘It’s still early in DC, Poe. She might have her phone on silent.’
Poe snorted. ‘I reckon she’s a worse sleeper than me.’ He pressed the call icon. Melody Lee answered on the first ring.
‘The fuck you want now, Poe?’
‘Your help again.’
‘Tough shit, my friend. I get paid to help the US of A. I do not get paid to help some upstart ex-federale. In fact, they’d can my Black ass if they even knew we were—’
‘They’ve abducted someone very close to me, Melody,’ Poe said.
Which stopped her mid-rant. ‘Who has?’
‘The Red Chamber.’
‘Who’ve they grabbed? Poindexter or the pathologist chick?’
Poe briefly explained that the person who had hired him to find Océane Blue was her daughter.
‘Holy shit. That’s why you had me check all those private clinics. That fucker du Buk had a kid with his concubine.’
‘Seems so.’
‘And they’ve abducted her?’
‘They want the mother. Said it’ll be a straight-up swap.’
‘You know where she is?’
‘I do.’
‘How?’
‘That’s not important.’
‘You gonna give her up.’
‘How can I? The Red Chamber aren’t big players, but they’re still triads. They’ll kill the mother, then they’ll kill the girl.’
‘That’s some cold-hearted shit, Poe.’
‘I can save Océane; I can’t save Esmerée.’
‘But?’
‘But if I’m sentencing someone to death, it’d better be bloody worth it.’
‘What do you need me to do?’
‘I want you to talk to the people you need to talk to. Get a deal in place for Océane. Full immunity for Vincent du Buk’s murder.
No jail time at all. She’s a victim and she’ll be treated like one.
When I have that in writing, I’ll pass the address to the FBI.
You can arrange for her to be picked up. ’
‘I’m sure that won’t be a problem.’
‘And because we’re playing with live bullets over here, I’m sending Tilly and Estelle somewhere safe. I can’t risk the Red Chamber getting all proactive and coming for me. If they can’t threaten them, they can’t make me talk.’
‘Everyone talks, Poe.’
‘Not this time.’
Melody Lee went quiet for a few beats. Then she said, ‘Is your mouth writing a cheque your body can’t cash, or are you really that crazy, Poe?’
‘I guess we’ll find out,’ he replied. ‘That said, just in case they do get to me, I’ll write down Océane Blue’s address and keep it safe.’
‘Why not text me it?’
‘Not until Océane gets her deal.’
‘Where then?’
‘Not in my office,’ he said. ‘They know where it is. Not at Highwood or Herdwick Croft either. I don’t have the time.’
‘What about Indica’s studio, Poe?’ Bradshaw said. ‘She likes us. I’m sure she wouldn’t mind.’
‘Yes. There’s a tattooist in the same building, Melody. I’ll write down Océane’s address and put it underneath the yucca tree in Indica’s office.’
He could hear Lee making notes. ‘Got it,’ she said.
‘One last thing, Special Agent Lee,’ he said. ‘I need you to enter this conversation on your system.’
‘Will do. Not all of it, obviously, but enough.’
‘No. I need you to put it all on.’
‘But—’
‘All of it, Melody,’ Poe said. ‘And make sure it’s attributed to me. Full name. Esmerée’s too.’
There was a sharp intake of breath. ‘What the hell are you up to, Poe?’
‘What do you think I’m doing?’ he said. ‘I’m baiting a trap.’