Page 37 of Legends: Easton
Chief Tucker interrupted once more. “We knew the operation was happening. We just didn’t know when or where. Shantayle believed she could get us an exact time and location, but she was murdered before she could share any details.”
“That’s when we reached out to the Louisville PD,” said Corinne. “We were already running an investigation on the terrorist group set to buy the drugs and guns from the BDs. When we realized this aligned with the LPD’s murder investigation, we decided to join forces. We agreed it was beneficial to send in someone undercover, and because of the intel Shantayle was able to share with Detective Maxwell, we determined she made the logical choice for the undercover operation.”
“And there was no risk of the gang pegging you as law enforcement?” Griffin asked Bailee.
“We purposely keep our detectives out of the limelight,” Chief Tucker said. “We never know when we will need them to run undercover ops. We have a task force for any takedowns, and our senior officers and I handle any media attention or public statements. We also assign partners to run undercover ops with one under deeper cover than the other. If necessary, the one at the least risk can testify in court. We also have other protocols in place to protect our undercover officers when they testify about cases.”
“While I was undercover, we were able to get what we needed to make the ATF’s case, but I also found Shantayle’s killer and put him away.” Bailee’s voice was deadly quiet.
“Detective Maxwell is referring to her partner at the Louisville PD. Jimmy Pearce was working with the gang unbeknownst to anyone,” Corinne added. “From what we were able to deduce, he took kickbacks from the Blood Disciples and another gang in the area in exchange for warning them when police were closing in. He never interfered in open police investigations unless the police were close to taking down the top leaders with or the criminal enterprises of the gangs he informed to. After years of this relationship continuing without Pearce being caught, he began working solely with the BDs. He stepped up his role from informant to partner in some of their criminal activities. We have evidence that he profited from the gun and drug trafficking. We believe Shantayle discovered his involvement, and he killed her before she could share what she learned with Detective Maxwell.”
Bailee stared straight ahead, and her voice was detached as she continued. “He tortured her to find out what she knew and how much she told me. He raped and sodomized her to make it seem like the gang abused her as punishment. Then he shot her in the head with a gun he stole from the BDs. He used the plastic sheet to make her easier to dispose of.”
“Damn,” Luke muttered under his breath and shared a look with Easton.
Easton understood his brother’s sentiment. For a decorated detective to turn on his squad and his partner made him the lowest of the low. But when Bailee, someone they knew, was theone affected, it hit them a bit harder. It didn’t matter that they had just met Bailee a couple of weeks ago. The short time was enough to make her a friend.
“Assistant Director Southerland, have there been any recent problems with the case involving Pearce or the gang members?” Easton asked.
“Other than B Diggs getting shivved in prison, no. Of course, once B Diggs was attacked we placed the rest of the gang’s major players in custody.”
“What’s B Diggs’ status?” Chief Tucker asked.
“It’s not looking good, but he’s still holding on.” Corinne paused. “To be honest, once we busted Pearce, we no longer had the same obstacles impeding our investigation, so everything fell into place. Pearce, T-Loc, B Diggs, and most of the major players are being held with no bond. With the shake-up, we’ve seen lower-level players and a few rival gangs trying to step in and take over what the BDs had going, but no one has managed to get a foothold in the operation. At least, so far. We all know when it comes to drugs and gun trafficking, it’s a lot like playing Whack-A-Mole. You take one down, and another pops up. But we’re keeping a lock on it for now.”
“The case background is helpful, but it’s not why we all needed to meet,” Tater commanded the conversation, his gaze touching on everyone in the room. “The case against the Blood Disciples and Jimmy Pearce is being handled. What we don’t have a handle on is the threat against Detective Maxwell. She had the balls to take down these criminals. I’ll be damned if they harm her while she’s visiting my town. She has family in this town, which makes her one of us.”
Bailee smiled her thanks at Tater before Detective Griffin spoke.
“But we don’t know that what happened to Detective Maxwell has anything to do with the undercover case. I know Fire Creek is a small town, but we do have our share of crime. It might be a stretch, but the guy after her might be motivated by something else entirely.”
“It’s unlikely. Detective Maxwell’s attack happening so soon after the undercover operation doesn’t strike me as a coincidence,” Corinne said.
“I also saw my attacked a couple of days before he came after me. He was at the grocery store at the same time I was there with my grandmother.”
“But, if I understand it correctly, there’s no connection with the man and the Blood Disciples,” Chief Tucker argued.
“Not that we have found,” Tater confirmed.
“Yet.” Luke’s deep timber rumbled through the room, bringing all eyes in their direction, where Easton and his brother flanked Bailee on the left and right as they sat on one side of a conference table.
“Those of you wondering about Luke and Easton, they’re here at my invitation. They aren’t law enforcement, but they’ve worked with us on cases in the past. They have skill sets that make them assets. Consider them…consultants.”
Tater paused, and Easton checked each face to see if anyone was particularly upset at their presence. The only one who seemed bothered by having civilians in the room was Bailee’s chief. Though Easton could understand the man’s reservation, he still made a mental note to have Tucker checked out. If onemember of the Louisville PD was corrupt, there could very well be more. At this point, he had no reason to trust anyone in the room, save Luke, Bailee, and Tater.
“Luke is the reason we have what intel we do on Clive Melvin. Luke, why don’t you go over what you found?”
Luke scowled at Tater’s request. Easton bit back a grin. His brother hated being put in the spotlight, and he hated even more having to deal with a crowd of people. His recap of the background check into Melvin was short and to the point, and Easton hoped no one asked follow-up questions because that would only sour his brother’s mood more.
“Since receiving the intel, we’ve dived into Melvin’s financials,” Corinne said. “With his criminal background and no obvious connection to the BDs, I felt certain he was on someone’s payroll. But if he was hired by someone to kill our star witness and cripple our case, there’s no trail to support that.”
“She’s not wrong.” Luke glanced down at his laptop. “I found a few offshore accounts that I could link to Melvin, and they’ve been dormant for at least two months. Before that, deposits and withdrawals were inconsistent and originated from various sources that aren’t connected to one person. That’s nothing that would hint at him being hired to come after Bailee.”
“It doesn’t make sense.” Bailee’s eyes held a faraway look as she processed the information. “If he wasn’t paid, then why come for me? Why not kill me when he had the chance? Why abduct me first?”
“What do you mean?” Griffin barked the question.
Easton caught the man’s incredulous stare. “She means that Melvin had time to hit her from behind and drag her from theparking lot into an alley before I made it outside and heard them struggling. There was no one else in the parking lot at that time. If his intent was to kill her, he had plenty of time to do so and slip away before anyone realized what happened. He also had an opportunity to shoot both of us in the alley, but instead, he made a getaway.”
