Star Witness - By Mallory Kane Page 0,62
one shot?” He nodded. “That’s right. I did.”
“And you’ve got the gun,” Ethan said, glancing over at Harte’s pale face. “A senior senator shooting people, our distant cousin somehow involved—what the hell did the kid dig up?”
“Well, he was right about one thing. Ernest Yeoman is in it up to his neck. And he’s not going to walk this time.”
“The D.A.’s probably over the moon. So the no-necks Dani shot are Yeoman’s men?”
Lucas nodded smugly. “They weren’t carrying any ID, but here’s a shocker. They were both in the system.”
“Yeah? Who were they?”
“Couple of small-time crooks. You know how it goes.” Lucas pulled a small notebook out of his pocket. He flipped a few pages. “One of them was Chester Kirkle, the guy who left the fingerprint on Canto’s office door the night he was killed,” he said.
“Right. Harte was hoping to cut a deal with him. I thought he was remanded.”
“Somehow, this past week, he got himself a decent lawyer and made bail. No information where he got the money.” Lucas rubbed the back of his neck.
“Do you think he’s still willing to cut the deal?”
“Oh yeah. I dangled aggravated assault three over his head.”
That surprised Ethan. “A. A. Three? Can you make that stick?”
“Hell yeah,” Lucas said, gesturing at Harte. “The D.A. authorized it. They wounded a public official with a deadly weapon, threatened a second and were fleeing from law enforcement. And one or more of them may have been involved in the murder of Freeman Canto.”
Ethan smiled. That was what made Lucas one of the best detectives on the force. Better even than Dixon Lloyd, Ethan’s partner. He gave Lucas a tip of an imaginary hat. “Good job. What’d they cough up?”
“Get this. Kirkle’s playing the deal card. Says he had Harte’s promise of a deal if he talked, so now he’s singing about Yeoman. He claims Yeoman sent them to persuade Canto to reverse his position on tariffs and one of the goons got too rough.”
“What do you think?”
“I’m inclined to believe him. If he rolls on Yeoman, the D.A. and a lot of other people will be ecstatic.”
Ethan looked at Harte again. “One of them shot Harte,” he said, hearing the catch in his voice.
Lucas heard it too, because he sent him a sharp glance, then stood and walked over to the bed. He touched Harte’s hand where the IV tubing snaked out from a white bandage with a tiny spot of blood on it. “I know,” he said. “I’d like to bury both of them, but they’re punks. Nobodies. We need to get Yeoman if we can.”
Ethan didn’t say anything. He and Lucas stared at their baby brother for a moment. Finally, Lucas patted Harte’s hand and turned toward the door. “I’ve got to go. I’m going to run home and shower, then—”
“Good,” Ethan interrupted. “It’s about time.”
Lucas shot him a warning look. “Then I’m heading over to Impound. The vehicle is a Lincoln Town Car and it’s totaled.”
“They used it to break down a freight door at that warehouse where Harte and Dani were hiding, right?”
Lucas nodded.
Ethan shook his head. “I can’t wait for Harte to tell us how he managed to keep away from them all night long.”
“I know. So the crime scene guys collected paint and glass fragments from the vehicle that rammed the warehouse freight door and ran them. They matched the glass and paint the car left at the scene at Dani’s house.”
“They used the same car? That’s amazing.”
“You want amazing, guess who owns the car.”
“Not Yeoman—” Ethan said.
“It’s registered to the general manager of the Hasty Mart Corporation.”
Ethan was stunned. “Are you kidding me? Yeoman’s got to be smarter than that. Otherwise, how has he managed to stay out of jail all this time?”
“I don’t know,” Lucas said, rubbing a hand down his face. “Maybe it was his henchmen who were too dumb to change vehicles. All I can say is thank God for stupid crooks.”
Ethan laughed. “Way to go. That plus Dani’s testimony should nail the SOB.”
“It should.” Lucas sighed. He looked at his watch. “What are you doing the rest of the afternoon? Is Mom coming over?”
“She said she might be here around six, after she fixes dinner for Dad.” Ethan stood and stretched. “I think I’ll stay here until she gets here. I’ve got a feeling the kid might wake up soon.”
“All right, E. Call me if he does, okay? And try to get some rest.”
Ethan nodded and held out his hand. Lucas took