Page 66 of Clumsy in Love

“So, you pissed you went all the way up to Podunkville for nothing?” Flanigan said.

“Huh?” Cole looked up from the case file he was reviewing.

“You don’t know?”

“Know what?”

“The witness you went up there to babysit. She backed out before they could get her before the grand jury. They cut Cruz loose this morning.”

“What?” Cole said, sitting up straight. “Why didn’t anyone tell me?”

“I don’t know.” Flanigan shrugged. “Figured you knew. Plus, it just happened.”

Cole’s head spun. How? Why? Why now? So many questions ran through his mind. And only one person had the answers.

As soon as they parked, he took a pass on sitting in on the interview. Told Flanigan he had a call to make. Holly answered after three rings.

“You heard,” she greeted.

“Holly. What in the actual hell?”

“I’m sorry, Cole. I didn’t have a choice.”

“No choice? That bastard walked because of you.” He tried but failed to contain his anger. “Why did I spend all that time up there protecting you if you were never going to testify?”

“I was going to,” Holly said, voice stiffening. “I just can’t now.”

“Why not?” he bellowed. There was a long pause before she answered.

“He threatened my team.” Her voice cracked. “Left a message in my mailbox—a picture of all of us together with a note saying he’d kill us if I testified.”

Cole blew out a heavy breath, trying to summon patience. “Holly, if he’s put away, he won’t be able to hurt you. Or your friends.”

“He has a whole gang of thugs to do his bidding. You told me that yourself.”

“I did. But…but…your testimony was the only thing the DA had.”

“That’s the other thing,” Holly said. “What if that’s not enough? You don’t have the gun, he has an alibi—sure, it’s bogus, but he’s got people swearing to it. A jury may very well have enough doubts to let him walk, even if Idotestify. Then what happens to me?”

“The DA thought your eyewitness testimony, along with what we have from Nick’s undercover reports, would be sufficient. We need you.”

Another long pause followed by a heavy sigh. “My friends and I joke that we’d take a bullet for each other. And honestly, I believe they mean that. But I can’t make that a literal possibility. Iwon’trisk their lives. They’re all I have left.” Her voice broke again. “I’m really sorry.”

“You’re not sorry,” Cole said coolly. “You’re a coward.”

He hung up and fumed, shoving the phone into his pocket with unnecessary force. Too angry to continue the ride along with Flanigan, he texted to tell him he was bailing and caught a cab back to his place.

Later, after he cooled off, he realized he’d been a bit harsh. Well, maybe a lot harsh. Of course Holly was scared. Cruz was a scary guy. She’d watched him kill someone. And he’d already come for her once. Holly was tough and independent, but no match for a New York City gang banger.

He stomped around his apartment in frustration. He couldn’t make Holly testify. And he couldn’t guarantee her safety. But there was no way to convict Cruz without her.

After he calmed down enough to think straight, he had to admit Holly had some valid points. Even with her testimony, this wasn’t a slam dunk. If only they could find the gun. Or another witness. Or someone in Cruz’s gang that would turn on him.

All those thoughts got him thinking. How had Cruz figured out Adams was an undercover cop in the first place? And how had he known about Lambert before that? He picked up the phone and called Flanigan. After apologizing for skipping out, he asked, “Do we have any idea how Adams was outed? Why did Cruz record that phone call?”

“No,” Flanigan said. “And I don’t know. Could be anything. Adams could’ve said something wrong, made a call when he thought no one was listening, or been seen by a Fire Viper with someone suspicious. Maybe Cruz is just paranoid. We may never know.”

“Yeah, okay,” Cole said. All that was plausible. “Any leads on the gun?”

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