for a few seconds before lifting my chin. “Milo had no clue Crombie was about to fuck him over as Rimi Castro had done to his brother years earlier.”
“Whatever do you mean?”
Phillipa is a good actor, but I was trained to seek deceit in many forms.
“Not only did Crombie help Castro pin two murders on Milo, he drove him to his death as well.”
Phillipa doesn’t flinch because she knows every word I speak is true. I also have evidence. Footage from a gas station two miles from where Milo was found has footage of Crombie and Milo driving east. Ten minutes later, the same vehicle is seen heading west. It was minus its passenger that time around.
“Crombie was sentenced to twelve years. He was out in six. Before your team swooped in and plucked him from Detective Carter’s grasp, he said he pleaded out. My guess is he threw Castro under the bus for a plea bargain. The Bobrovs weren’t popular after the stunt they pulled on the Gottles, and although Crombie doesn’t have their name, he has their blood.” I slant my head, encouraging eye contact with Phillipa before muttering, “I’m just striving to work out what type of relationship he had with you.”
6
Brandon
When Phillipa scoffs as if I’m being ridiculous, I hit her with enough facts, even if she wanted to leave, she couldn’t. “You’ve only worked for IA for the past eight months, and although you had proof an agent had forged evidence, you didn’t need to come in as hard as you did to secure a witness. That means you wanted Crombie for more than taking down an agent suspected of tampering with evidence. You wanted to punish him for hanging you out to dry.” The tears welling in her eyes would have most agents backing down. They don’t work on me. Only one woman’s tears have. They don’t belong to a rogue agent. “What did he do, Phillipa? Give you false information? Turn you like Paavo turned Leesa?”
A tear almost rolls down her face when she rigorously shakes her head. “It was nothing like that?”
“Then what was it?” I fire back just as snappy.
I stare at her, silently warning her this is her only chance to come clean. If she continues with her I’ve-been-unfairly-suspended ruse she’s been running the past week, I’ll throw us both under the bus. I kept my searches hidden as much as possible, only scattering the teeniest bit of crumbs in case my plan folded, but I ensured Phillipa’s name was scattered amongst the breadcrumbs with mine.
When my glare becomes too much for Phillipa to bear, she sighs. “Crombie was released early on the agreement he would be an informant for the Bureau. He had proof Castro encouraged Milo to seek revenge on the Greggs for the years he’d spent in prison. Having no idea that the Castros had paid for his participation that night, Milo fell for his ruse. An hour after the Greggs’ accident, Castro requested for Crombie to bring Milo to an old mechanics shop once run by the Gottles. He thought he was there to collect the prize his brother had agreed to give him years earlier. Crombie stated Castro killed Milo before he’d fully exited the passenger seat of his truck. His blood was found in the tracking of the door. When Castro gave proof of his death to Henry, he was awarded a generous number of favors. They’re invaluable to men in Henry’s industry.”
It’s the fight of my life not to nod. The only reason I don’t is because I do not want to give her any indication I’m agreeing with her.
“Crombie’s evidence was credible, Brandon. We had DNA, photographic evidence, and a sworn statement from a witness.”
“Then why didn’t you put Castro away?” I ask, frustrated.
“Because the Bureau wanted more.”
“They always want more,” I shout as if the fucked-up system belongs solely on her shoulders. After a big breather, I ask more calmly, “How did Crombie know where the Greggs lived? Liam kept everything off the radar.”
Phillipa shrugs. “I truly don’t know. That information was never disclosed to me, and anytime I asked, our interviews were cut short.”
I don’t want to believe her, but I do. She isn’t giving off any indication that she’s lying. “What information was disclosed to you?”
She licks her dry lips before replying, “The sting in New Mexico was based on intelligence Crombie gave the head of my unit.” Tears well in her eyes as she stares straight into mine.