Month: June 2023

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Shane and Jacob were separated, each of them accompanied by a handful of investigators from the FBI, Internal Affairs and the Washington Bureau of Investigation. Also on hand, at the official request of Russ Braden, were James Kazad and Walter Aames. In each interview room was a video camera recording their accounts of the events leading up to yesterday’s incident on 35th Street. The debriefing took nearly three hours, with Shane and Jacob elaborating on every question in as much detail as possible. Along with Mead’s testimony taken earlier that day, a timeline began to form and, by late afternoon, a picture of Lynda Bettington’s final hours came into focus.

The night of her death, Lynda was definitely leaving her husband. The car packed with suitcases, along with Jacob’s testimony that he and his mother were on their way to his grandmother’s in Oregon, supported that. As did the evidence of child abuse recorded by Hollins in the crime lab. The decision to stop at Sharon Reese’s, whether to stay the night or say goodbye, was the turning point.

Lynda was obviously unaware of Reese’s activities, and certainly any connection to Rick Sparlo.

When officers Taylor and Perkins arrived, Lynda found herself hiding with Jacob in the bedroom where, together, they overheard the threats and struggling that prompted Lynda to rush to her sister’s aid — a move that made her a potential threat to Perkins and Taylor.

And ultimately Rick Sparlo.

When Lynda left the condo with Jacob and raced away in their Dodge, she probably wasn’t aware Perkins and Taylor had seen her. Fearing what she could expose, they began pursuit shortly after. It was doubtful murder was their intent at that point. What wasn’t in doubt was their lack of knowledge concerning Jacob; they had no idea he existed, and Lynda managed to keep it that way by letting him out in Lincoln Park. It appeared her plan was to come back for him or, at the very least, draw them away from Jacob. Unfortunately, the crash in the industrial district changed everything.

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Chapter Twenty-Six

When the door to Braden’s office opened, both Kazad and Aames were surprised by the sight of Tabitha Mills standing in the far corner of the room. Braden rose and motioned to a cluster of chairs around the edge of his desk. “Have a seat, gentlemen.”

As Kazad sat, he noticed a thick manila folder held closed with a wide rubber band resting on the desk in front of Braden.

“Gentlemen, I know you’ve met officer Mills before.”

“Officer?” said Kazad. “I thought she was with Child Protective Services.”

“She works for me, at least for the time being. I asked for help from the state attorney general’s office because I needed someone who wouldn’t be recognized from I.A.”

“I’m not following you, Russ,” said Hammond.

“There’s a lot that we’ve kept from you,” Braden confessed. “You have two officers we believe are murderers. But that’s only part of it.”

“Only part of what?” said Hammond, his shock quickly shifting to anger. He didn’t like being blindsided. “You’re telling me you suspect dirty cops in my percent — cops you think might have committed murder, for Christ’s sake — and this is the first I’m hearing about it?”

“There’s more to it than that, Chief. Much more. Enough to involve a team from Washington, D.C.”

“The feds are part of this too?” Hammond suddenly stood from his chair.

“It’s their show, Russ. We became involved when your officers became involved. Since then, we’ve been working together and trying hard to keep it under wraps. You’ll understand why after I explain, so please — have a seat.”

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