“The FBI knows how to put together a cover.” Cara moved from the back of the room. She wasn’t in the boho clothes she normally wore. She was in a power suit, her blonde hair in a neat bun. “And we know when all our hard work is about to get blown out of the water. Mr. Taggart, I’m Caressa Thompson. I’m with the Dallas office in the criminal investigative division, and I’ve been investigating Jessica Layne and Genedyne for over a year. How did you become involved with Noelle LaVigne? I have to assume Mr. Hutchins is working and not playing her for some reason.”
Tag looked his way. “She got through your cover? Did MaeBe fuck up?”
“Oh, Chris recognized him,” Cara explained. “The cover was actually quite good. If Chris hadn’t seen you before I would absolutely believe you’re just a guy Noelle brought from home.”
Chris nodded. “You gave a talk last year at a conference I went to. It was about how local police departments can use new facial recognition tech.”
Hutch frowned Tag’s way. “See, I told you I shouldn’t do that conference.”
Tag’s eyes rolled. “You wanted to sit at home and drink beer. Next time I’ll remember to send you in with a disguise. I’ll let my girls dress you up. With a haircut and some glitter no one will recognize you.”
“So I would like an answer to my question.” Cara seemed unfazed by Tag’s sarcasm. “How did you get involved with Noelle LaVigne?”
“I’d like to have not been dragged out of my house,” Hutch replied. “We can’t always get what we want.”
“Mr. Hutchins, I need to remind you that I don’t have to let you go at the end of this meeting,” Cara said with an impatient sigh. “You truly are impeding an investigation.”
“By protecting my client? I’m involved in this investigation because Noelle is a client of McKay-Taggart, and I think you had something to do with that.” He wasn’t a fool. “First of all, I need to remind you that I’m not some kid from a small town who’s going to buy your line of bullshit. You’re pissed because you’re the one who turned on my client’s monitoring system when I turned it off. You’ve been watching and listening to Ms. LaVigne, and you better hope that you have a warrant authorizing it because I intend to challenge it.”
Cara’s face flushed slightly, proving she wasn’t as cold as she wanted him to think. “Ms. LaVigne is part of an important investigation.”
“She better be because I suspect you’re the one who got on her system and downloaded confidential files.” His initial confusion was rapidly becoming anger. “You stripped her of her privacy, and you’re potentially endangering her life’s work. You know damn well she’s not involved in whatever you’re investigating Jessica Layne for. You’re using an innocent young woman and placing her in danger without even giving her a warning about it. I find your investigation dangerous and cynical, and if you push me, I’ll talk about it publicly.”
“Hutch,” Tag began.
Hutch shook his head. “No. She wants to arrest me? I’ll show her how I can really impede an investigation. You think I haven’t done it before?”
“I am well aware of your arrest record, Mr. Hutchins,” Cara shot back.
“Then you’re aware that he was a kid who did the right thing and got his ass thrown in juvie for it.” Tag leaned forward, his eyes narrowing in that way that let Hutch know he was ready for a fight. “He went to juvie because the DA’s office refused to do their job.”
“I don’t know any of this,” Chris complained. “Juvenile records are supposed to be sealed. What don’t I know and how will it affect this investigation? We can’t have a criminal close to such an important player.”
Cara softened slightly and looked Hutch’s way. “He’s not a criminal. He was a kid who broke the law to try to do the right thing. A girl at his high school…she went to a college party and got drunk and some football players took advantage.”
“The word you’re looking for is rape.” He wouldn’t sugarcoat it, and he’d been fucking happy to set his ass in jail. “They taped the whole thing, and then their parents worked with the DA to cover it up. I was in a smaller town then, and no one wanted to lose the conference championship. So I hacked the system and I sent that tape to a couple of reporters.”