Brad interjected, “Garrett, you need to get up to speed on the Nicole Rollins and Tobias Hunt investigation, because that is the only connection between Mona Hill and the Rogans.”
“I am fully aware of the Hunt family criminal enterprise, but we don’t know that it is the only connection.”
Brad said, “Then you know I had a traitor on my team for years. Rollins killed a half dozen federal agents, including my boss. The only reason Lucy even talked to Mona Hill during that investigation was because of Elise Hunt. That is the connection. Elise Hunt is the connection.”
As Brad said it, Lucy believed it. Nothing else fit.
“I am up-to-date, Agent Donnelly. My firm has been on RCK retainer since Lucy was assigned to the San Antonio office.”
That was news to Lucy, and her surprise must have shown on her face, because Garrett explained. “As a precaution. Any RCK cases that Sean works, for example, I know about, in case he needs legal representation.”
When they first moved to San Antonio, Sean hadn’t been working for RCK, so that didn’t ring completely true to Lucy. She wondered what else was going on, but she didn’t ask. She’d ask JT when she talked to him.
“You need me,” Garrett continued. “And you need to listen to me.”
Lucy would—to a point. “You need to trust me when I tell you that Elise Hunt cannot be underestimated. Do not let her youth deceive you. She is cold, methodical, and vicious. Worse, she’s unpredictable.”
“We have no evidence—none—that Elise Hunt is involved, so you need to tread carefully,” Garrett said.
“I know that girl better than anyone, and I’m telling you that this thread is all we have right now. Sean contacted a PI in L.A. late Monday evening about Elise—that would be after Mona was killed, right? According to the time line? That would make sense if Mona asked him about Elise, maybe Mona found out that Elise was released and called Sean because Sean is the only one who would understand the danger.”
Except no scenario Lucy could think of would tell her why Sean hadn’t told her. Why he hadn’t clued her in on whatever he was doing.
Except one, and it was as clear as day now that she thought of it.
He was trying to protect you.
From what? Why? They’d gone around and around about this for years, practically since they first met, and they’d both agreed that good and bad, they needed to know the truth. Too often one or both of them had kept information from the other in an effort to protect them or spare their feelings, when knowledge was the only thing that could truly protect anyone.
It was clear that Garrett didn’t like what she was saying. He was trying to protect her from legal harm. She trusted the system a lot more than Sean did. Yet … there had been times the system had failed.
“I’m not going to talk to the police without representation,” Lucy said. “I’m not going to tamper with evidence, or do anything that might get me or Sean in trouble. But I can’t promise not to look into Mona’s murder. If the police believe that Sean is guilty, they’re not going to look any further.”
And if that gun they found in his plane matched the murder weapon, they would absolutely believe he was guilty.
“We’ll table the discussion for now.”
Lucy didn’t comment. “When can I see Sean?”
“I’ll talk to Felicity, but it won’t be until late this afternoon at the soonest, and probably not until tomorrow morning. It’s a three-hour drive.”
She wanted to see Sean tonight, but if she went to Houston and couldn’t see him, she would be stuck in a hotel. She’d wait to confirm with his lawyer.
The security panel beeped and Garrett glanced over at the tablet Lucy had at her side.
She didn’t even have to look. “They’re here.”
“Let them in, let them do their job, and keep quiet.”
Chapter Seven
Nate sent Lucy a text message that he was leaving the courthouse. He was done testifying and he wasn’t needed back in court.
This was his least favorite part of the job. First sitting around doing nothing while waiting to testify, then listening to bullshit coming out of the defense. All that time wasted for less than fifteen minutes of questions. In this case, nine minutes for the prosecution, three minutes for the defense, then a two-minute follow-up for the prosecution.
Ridiculous waste of time and money.
Nate went down to the courthouse guard office to retrieve his service