Fractured Memories (Badge of Honor #1)

Chapter 18

EIGHTEEN

“I’ve combed through Daniel’s financials, and he’s got multiple accounts in his name, along with expenses that can’t be explained through normal channels.” Detective Jax Taylor turned his laptop screen around for Felicity. His dark hair was cropped close on the sides, but left longer on the top. A scar cut through the edge of his left eyebrow, giving him a rakish look that couldn’t be undone by his clean shaven jawline. He looked like a cop who’d be more at home working undercover. “Daniel owns his home, drives a brand-new truck, and is making child support payments to his ex-wife. All of that combined is more than he makes as a sanitation worker.”

“Could he have inherited money?” Felicity’s vision blurred slightly as she scanned the reports on the laptop. The headache that’d been plaguing her since the attack was slowly abating, but exhaustion sucked the last reserves of her energy. She blinked to clear her vision. Beside her, Noah frowned. No doubt he’d noticed her struggle to focus.

He gently pushed his untouched cup of coffee in her direction. Always the caregiver. She smiled gratefully before taking a long sip. The warmth spread through her.

“Daniel inherited some money when Brooke died, but that still doesn’t explain all of his finances.” Jax frowned. “In my opinion, Melanie was probably telling the truth. Daniel is involved in selling drugs.”

“Would a guy making thousands selling drugs keep working at a sanitation company?” Felicity frowned. “It doesn’t add up.”

Jax shrugged. “You’d be surprised. Daniel may not want to draw attention to his side income, since the court would go through his finances for child support purposes.” He pushed a printout across the table. “I also discovered a connection between Daniel and Gene. They spent a few days in county jail together. Roommates.”

“That explains Gene’s involvement.”

“I’m working on getting a warrant right now to search Daniel’s residence and property,” Grady said from the other side of the conference table. The Texas Ranger typed furiously on the computer in front of him. His cowboy hat rested on the seat of a nearby chair and his blazer was thrown over the back. “The judge promised to look at it right away.”

Felicity rose from her own chair, still holding on to the coffee, and started pacing the room. “Assuming Daniel killed his sister to keep her from turning him into the police for drug trafficking, which I’m willing to believe, there are still parts of this case that don’t make sense. Why would Daniel kidnap Melanie? If he wanted to keep her from telling us about his drug business, wouldn’t it make more sense to shoot her?”

“We can’t assume Daniel is making the decisions. Maybe he’s not.” Noah leaned back in his chair. “Both Gene and Daniel probably work for Triple 6. The leader of the organization may have ordered Melanie to be kidnapped.”

“But why?” Felicity blew out a breath. “Most criminal organizations steer clear of drawing law enforcement’s attention. So far, they’ve attacked a Texas Ranger, shot at two law enforcement officers, bombed a bank, and kidnapped a judge’s wife.” She gestured to the packed bullpen behind the glass window of the conference room. “Multiple agencies are now working this case, searching for everyone potentially associated with Triple 6. That should be the last thing the leader wants.”

The room was silent for a long time. Then Noah arched his brows. “Unless the leader is cleaning house.”

Felicity paused midstep and turned to face him. “What do you mean?”

“The heat has been increasing on Triple 6 for a while. The Texas Rangers have been running an investigation into their organization. Even our small department has been chipping away at locating their drug hideouts. So far, only low-level individuals have been caught. Maybe this investigation into Brooke’s murder spooked the leader, and he finally decided to get out of the business. Start fresh.”

His theory made a lot of sense. Felicity’s mind raced. “Melanie knows more than she told us at her office.”

Noah nodded. “It would explain why she was kidnapped.”

“The leader of Triple 6 needs her for something.” Felicity spun toward Jax. “Can you dig into Ferguson's finances more? As the owner of a bank, Melanie would be a lot more adept at hiding illegal income.” She inhaled sharply. “We also need a warrant to look through the bank’s records. Triple 6 could be laundering money through the Knoxville Bank with Melanie’s help.”

Jax frowned. “Obtaining a warrant to search through the bank’s records will be difficult unless we find solid proof there’s a connection to Triple 6.”

Frustration bubbled inside Felicity. They were so close, but theories weren’t enough. They needed evidence. “Start with Daniel’s bank account. Track where the payments or deposits come from and then see if there are any matching accounts funneling money to Melanie.”

He turned his laptop around to face him and began typing quickly. “On it.”

Grady, who’d been talking in a low voice on his cell phone, hung up. He stood and grabbed his cowboy hat. “The warrant came through. Let’s roll. I’ll call Tucker on the way and have him meet us there.”

Felicity downed the last of the coffee and tossed the cup into the trash on her way out of the conference room. Noah drove with his turret lights flashing, but without the siren. Within fifteen minutes, they were pulling onto Daniel’s street. Every blind in his house was shut and the garage door was closed. Dark clouds hovered in the distance as an approaching storm blew toward them. Humidity threatened to wilt the last of Felicity’s energy as she strapped on a bulletproof vest.

Grady marched toward them, gun in hand. “Tucker and I will enter the house at the rear. You guys take the front. A drug dog and his handler are on the way to help search the property.”

Felicity nodded, pride knocking aside some of her fatigue. Grady had thought of everything. If Daniel was trafficking drugs, the K-9 would locate where he’d been hiding it, even if most of the stash had been moved. A drug dog’s nose was sensitive and could pick up minute traces of illegal substances.

Several more officers pulled up in patrol cars. One was assigned to keep the neighbors a safe distance away from the house. A few went around the back with Grady and Tucker. Others joined Felicity and Noah as they approached the front door.

Sweat formed along the collar of her shirt. The weight of the bulletproof vest hurt her already aching muscles, but she ignored the pain. Felicity angled herself to the side of the doorframe and leveled her gun. She met Noah’s gaze. “Go.”

He pounded on the door. “Daniel Hodge, this is the police. We have a warrant to search the premises. Open up!”

No answer. Not surprising since he was reportedly on a fishing trip. Chances were, he’d actually skipped town. Felicity held her position, but Noah moved aside so the officers behind them could force the door open with a portable battering ram.

The wood splintered with a jarring crash. Noah kicked the broken door inward and went left. Felicity was directly on his heels, sweeping right. Her breath stalled as a familiar scent accosted her senses. Behind her, an officer gagged. The sound threatened to activate her own reflexes, but she swallowed the urge back down. “Noah.”

He nodded in silent acknowledgement. The stench was unmistakable.

Death. Something was rotting in the house and had been for some time.

Air-conditioning kicked on, blowing against the sweat beaded along Felicity’s bare skin. She shivered and adjusted the grip on her weapon. Her flashlight beam cut a path through the living room. Empty. The house was dark. Every shade was drawn and the approaching storm blocked the sunlight. The kitchen yawned to the left like a black hole. Felicity didn’t want to continue. Duty and a need for answers forced her feet forward.

Lightning streaked across the sky as they traversed the dining room. The stench grew stronger the deeper into the house Felicity traveled. A doorway off the kitchen led to the garage. Noah indicated through hand signals that he wanted to search it. She nodded, taking up a protective stance to cover him. Her heart thundered against her rib cage.

He palmed the door handle. Lightning streaked across the sky again like a bad omen. It illuminated the determination etched on his strong features. Noah opened the door. The smell smacked Felicity in the face. It was overwhelming. Her stomach churned and bile threatened to rise in the back of her throat.

Her flashlight beam touched a tarp on the cement floor. It was the size of a body. On shaking steps, she followed Noah into the garage. A hand came into view. Male. Gray skin. Dirty nails and scraped knuckles. Daniel? Felicity's breathing shallowed as Noah bent down and, with the back of his flashlight, shifted the trap away from the man’s face.

She gasped. “That’s not Daniel.”

“No.” Noah stood, his expression hard, but pain coated his words. “It’s Jeremy.”