Page 122 of Broken Wheels

“The hell I can’t,” Chalmers retorted.

“She’s right, you know” came a male voice.

What the hell is Grady doing here?

Chalmers twisted in his chair. “Fuck! I didn’t need you here right now.”

Grady approached the table. “Ms. Robertson, my name is Sam Grady, and I’m a US District Attorney.” He glared daggers at Chalmers. “And I need to see you outside. Now.” Without waiting for an answer, he turned and stormed into the hall.

“Both of you go,” Michael suggested.

Dix and Chalmers followed Grady. As soon as the door closed behind them, Grady rounded on Chalmers.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing? Are you officially on this case?” Before Chalmers could get a word out, Grady held up his hand. “Wait, let me answer that for you. No, Sam, I am not.” His gaze grew flinty. “As of this moment, your involvement in this is done.”

“But I?—”

“Done. Do you hear me?” He turned to Dix. “I’m sorry, but this idiot can’t be involved in any way from here on out. Shit, none of you should be either. I’ve been listening in with Mr. Cross. This woman should be hauled in for questioning.”

Dix had a feeling there was a but coming. “Out with it. Whatever it is that you have to tell us.”

Grady trailed his fingers through his hair as he expelled a long, slow breath. “After I heard Dr. Malone’s ideas about Spencer, I went to my boss.”

Chalmers paled. “You did what? Didn’t you hear us? We can’t trust anyone.”

“Well, I trust him, okay? And he wants to launch an official investigation, but I asked him to let me check this out first.” He inclined his head toward the door. “If what she says is true, then anyone involved could inform Spencer and he’d be in the wind.”

“So what are you saying?” Dix was going to keep asking until he got an answer.

Grady closed his eyes for a moment. “If Spencer has as many people in his pocket as you suspect, there can’t be an open investigation, because his people will stonewall and block it at every turn. So… this investigation is off the books. No one, other than myself and those involved here, will know about it. If—when—it bears fruit, I’ll take the heat for it.”

“Fuck that!” Chalmers snapped. “I’ll be the one taking the heat. I started this well before you were involved, so I outrank you.”

Grady blinked a few times. “You know there’s no rank here, right?”

Chalmers pulled Grady into an embrace, taking Dix—and Grady, too, judging by his expression—by surprise. “You’ve worked too hard, sacrificed too much, to throw it all away. Me? I’ve been skating on thin ice for way too long. Let me do this for you, Sam.”

Grady struggled free of his hold, and Dixon could see the pain in Chalmers’s expression. No matter what he told anyone, Dix knew Chalmers wasn’t over Grady.

“Can’t,” Grady retorted. “It’s my job, and I’ll see it done to the best of my ability, regardless of the outcome.”

Chalmers took Grady’s hand. “Then how about if we face it together? Just like old times.”

Dix shook his head. These two should just jump back in bed and fuck it out. “Can I interrupt this touching scene to suggest we get our asses back into that interview and decide what we’re gonna do with Ms. Robertson?”

Grady chuckled. “There’s no decision to be made. We’re going to get every last bit of information from her, then dump her in a hole she’ll never get out of. Even if we offer her immunity from the charges of this current poisoning, chances are good?—”

Dix’s phone pinged, and he glanced at the screen to see a message from Gary.

Turn on abc news now!

He went back into the room, grabbed the remote, and aimed it at the TV on the wall. Aaron Spencer’s smug face filled the screen.

“Now what?” Dix muttered.

Spencer spoke into the row of mics. “Today Spencer Corporation enters into an historic joint venture with the federal government to combat these attacks on our friends, neighbors, and family. While this is a cooperative task force, Spencer Corp will be taking the lead, as we have a group of hackers whose only job is to listen to net chatter and provide risk assessment. They’ve told us of a very credible threat and have revealed to us the person behind it.” He held his hands up. “Now, please keep in mind, this person is wanted for questioning and is considered a suspect at this time. He could be armed and dangerous, so if you see him, call the local police or use the number at the bottom of your screen to contact us. Do not approach him on your own. A reward of one million dollars will be paid to the person who helps us apprehend this man and bring him to justice.”

“Who’s the suspect?” a chorus of voices chimed.

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