Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 71814 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 359(@200wpm)___ 287(@250wpm)___ 239(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 71814 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 359(@200wpm)___ 287(@250wpm)___ 239(@300wpm)
“And what are you gentlemen doing here?” Detective Jennifer asked the firemen.
“We’ve been working with her,” Gabe spoke up. “You need to see what’s in that folder.”
Detective Jennifer motioned for us to follow her past the secretary’s desk to her office. It was a tight fit, but we managed to all fit inside, crowding her desk as I slid the folder over to her. She flipped open the top and started looking over all the notes.
I fidgeted a little on the spot, trying to stay quiet so that she could focus on all the content before her. Maybe there was a clue or two that would stick out to her, and she could piece some things together. I must’ve been doing a bad job of hiding my nervousness because I felt Angus’s hand on the back of my arm as he gave me a gentle squeeze.
Breathing in through my nose, I focused on the comfort of their presence and relaxed. A little. As much as my lack of patience allowed me to relax.
Detective Jennifer’s face maintained its naturally stony demeanor until she looked at the picture that my mom took of the four men. She straightened up in her chair, her eyes widening.
“I know that man,” she stated as she turned the photo around to point at the tallest, dark-haired man in the photo with the scariest looking face. “That’s Armand Deviau. He’s a known leader of a drug cartel that’s been wreaking havoc in this region of the United States.”
My heartbeat thudded in my head, almost drowning out her voice. A cartel leader?
“Wait, are you sure?” I asked her, my face screwing up in shock and confusion. I thought they were possibly run of the mill criminals. Not related to a cartel!
“Oh, I know that face,” Detective Jennifer assured me as she took another look at the photograph. “He was on our radar for a while.”
“He needs to be arrested,” Paolo stated as he crossed his arms.
“He already has been. He was put in prison not too long ago, but that doesn’t mean his lackeys aren’t continuing his legacy and wreaking havoc on innocent people,” Detective Jennifer pointed out.
“But why fires?” Tobin questioned her. “What kind of cartel starts burning down buildings periodically?”
“Is it a call sign or something?” Garrett added, sharing a confused look with Kieran and Kit.
Detective Jennifer’s brow furrowed as she thought for a few seconds. She then turned to her computer and started typing, tense silence filling the room as we all waited for her input. If anyone could piece things together, it was her.
“I don’t think it’s a call sign. From what we know about them, they’re pretty sneaky. They package and transport drugs under the radar. Acts of violence can be common too,” Detective Jennifer replied. “We’ve had reports of assault and vehicle theft for the past few months. No suspects found. One car was found and had traces of drugs in the trunk.”
“Transport?” Kit spoke up. “Maybe the car was stolen to transport drugs without the crime being linked to the criminal. They wouldn’t use their own car.”
“That’s very possible,” Detective Jennifer replied.
“So, do you think the cartel is running their operations in Rockview?” I asked her before shuffling around in the paperwork until I found the map. I pointed at the red circles. “Do these locations mean anything? Are they possible hideouts or headquarters?”
Detective Jennifer inspected the map before nodding.
“From what I remember, all of these buildings are abandoned,” she said. “It’d be easy for them to run operations in areas we don’t typically patrol a lot.”
My mind started working, taking every little fragmented piece and putting them together. I had a theory, and it sort of made sense pieced with some of the things that I’d read in my mom’s notes.
“The fires must be a cover up. They’re doing everything they can to stay under the radar, but the best way to hide is behind a distraction,” I stated before turning and looking at the guys. “There is no pattern to the fires. No suspects. No specific victims.”
“It’s random. They’re just picking places to burn to make all local authorities focus on the fires,” Tobin added, building on top of my point.
“What are they doing while the fires are going on?” Gabe asked.
“Drug business. Transporting. Dealing. Whatever they do,” Matty replied with wide eyes of realization.
“Sons of bitches,” Cohen gritted out as he shook his head, the atmosphere turning heated. And not in a good way. Fury crackled in the air as we all realized that we were being tricked. We were pawns in a twisted, corrupt game.
“We need to take these guys down. We already have possible locations!” Paolo told Detective Jennifer, frustrated mutters sounding behind him as the guys spoke to each other.
I ground my teeth a little, thinking of all the pointless destruction that this cartel had imposed on this innocent town. My mom was determined to stop them years ago, but they came back to wreak havoc all over again.