Grave Consequences by Aimée Thurlo

Author:Aimée Thurlo
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781250029010
Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Chapter Fifteen

They made good time, and twenty minutes later Al was being treated in a doctor’s examination room in the clinic wing of the new hospital. A Rio Rancho cop was standing in the lobby guarding the door, and another uniform was outside the clinic, watching the parking lot.

Charlie put a dollar in the coffee machine, punched the right buttons, then waited as the device clanked, sighed, then emitted a hint of aromatic steam. Gordon, hot brew already in hand, took a sip and nodded his head. “Not bad, for machine coffee.”

Charlie looked down at the machine as the brew trickled down into the foam cup. “Anything to keep my eyes open, bro.”

“You think maybe it was Al who screwed up?” Gordon whispered.

“Wouldn’t be the first time, but if he didn’t, then the alternative is a bit scary. Who called Clarence and told him Al was an officer? Undercover work is filled with pressure, and there must be a lot of opportunities to go bad,” Charlie suggested. “It could have been another cop.”

“Okay, that’s a possibility, but I doubt it was the same person who tipped off DuPree that something was going down. He was already on his way to the warehouse before I made the call,” Gordon pointed out.

“Maybe it was one of the men at the warehouse not tied to the Night Crew? The mechanic?” Charlie suggested.

“At least the way it turned out, whoever tried to help out Al won’t end up in the bull’s-eye. It’ll just be you and me—again.”

Charlie nodded. “We can’t put Ruth and Jake in any more danger, though. We need to stay in business—and look after our people.”

“Okay, then how about you take care of your brother—get him to a safe place, and I’ll take care of our quarters and FOB until he’s tucked away?” Gordon offered. “We’ve also got three broken windows to deal with.”

“So, I’ll split with Al in your truck and you’ll take care of the rest? You’ve got a key to my house.”

“Okay.” Gordon looked at his watch. “Nancy should be getting off her shift pretty soon. I think she’d give me a ride to your place.”

“If not, you can take a cab,” Charlie said, grinning.

“You know how far that is? I’ll need to take out a loan. I’ll call Nancy right now.”

* * *

It was nearly two in the morning when Charlie took one last look at Al, who was asleep in the master bedroom of the upscale town house, then stepped outside onto the covered porch. The safe house in a gated compound had once belonged to a district attorney, now deceased, who’d willed his home to the city. The residence was set aside for visiting dignitaries and celebrities who needed security and anonymity.

The guards at the gate were retired APD officers, as was the private security firm responsible for this high-end housing development. Most of the residents were retired physicians, attorneys, and other businessmen and officials, including senior administrators from the big government-funded labs. Al had been impressed, though he knew he’d soon be returning to the Navajo Nation.

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