Bones of Echo Lake by Declan James

Author:Declan James [James, Declan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-02-23T16:00:00+00:00

Jake opened his app.

“Son of a bitch,” he muttered.

“Trouble?” Grandpa asked.

Jake pocketed his phone. “The worst kind,” he said. “Let’s go.”

Twenty-One

By the time Jake dropped his grandfather off and got back to the station, the place was swarming with press. By the labels on a couple of the live trucks, this thing had gone national.

Jake managed to sneak in through the service door and make a beeline to Landry’s office. He got there just in time to hear her yell at the dozen or so people crowding in to clear out. When she spotted Jake, she set her jaw in an angry line.

“This is a mess, Jake,” she said.

He pushed past the outgoing command officers and closed the door behind them. Landry had a remote control and clicked on her television. The local station was in the middle of a live broadcast right outside Landry’s window.

“Details are still emerging,” the reporter said. He vaguely knew her. Kirsten Smith. She managed to get herself demoted from a station in Cleveland and now covered the crime beat in the tri-county area.

“Sources say prosecutor Timothy Brouchard has emerged as the main person of interest in the twenty-five-year-old cold case murder of Nicole Strong. At the time of her death, Ms. Strong was a seventeen-year-old high school senior here in Stanley, Ohio. It’s unclear when her relationship with Mr. Brouchard began. At the time of her disappearance, Mr. Brouchard was a local attorney in Worthington County. We spoke to two of Ms. Strong’s classmates who remember him acting as a mentor for the Future Professional Leaders Organization. The group participated in several field trips including a visit to the state capitol. Based on the information we have, Mr. Brouchard never came forward to disclose his inappropriate relationship with a minor, nor was he ever interviewed by the police. Mr. Brouchard has so far declined to comment. Interestingly, as it stands right now, should an arrest be made in this case and charges brought, it’s Tim Brouchard himself who would likely be assigned to prosecute the case. Obviously, that presents a huge conflict of interest at the very minimum. My calls to the prosecutor’s office have also gone unanswered. We’re waiting for a statement from the Worthington County Sheriff. A press conference is scheduled for later today. We’ll of course bring that to you live …”

Landry clicked off the television. “Wall-to-wall coverage,” she said. “CNN and Fox have picked it up as well. I’ve got a call to return to the attorney general.”

Jake sat down in one of the large leather chairs along Landry’s wall.

“What sources?” he said. “Who the hell tipped them off?”

“I don’t know.”

“Nobody has this,” Jake said. “It’s you, me, Deputy Wayne. Virgil …”

“Jake, you don’t think …”

“Absolutely not,” he said. “Whatever’s going on, this didn’t come from a law enforcement source.”

The moment he said it, Jake knew there was one other person who knew he’d inquired about Brouchard’s involvement.

“Roland.” Landry and Jake said it together.

“Son of bitch,” Jake muttered. “Someone must have gotten to him.

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