Page 174 of Bound By Fire
“I gave her a few days of compassionate leave. She is with family. She’s not due back until tomorrow afternoon. Her flight lands at three.”
“Dammit.”
“I know. Please, give me until tomorrow. Let me bring her in the moment she lands. Let’s offer her the same arrangement we are offering Rachael Da Silver. Witness protection for her and her family in exchange for her testimony. If they have her cornered the way they had Rachael cornered, she’ll cooperate. She’ll be relieved. This will clear Magma.”
Reed is quiet for a beat, her eyes are lifted in thought. She chews on her lower lip and then sucks in a breath.
“Here’s the thing, Ridge.” She looks at me. “This clears Magma. It does not clear Dr. Keller.”
“It ultimately does,” I say it firmly. “It’s the same people. It’s the same playbook. The burner, the documents, the prints. It’s the exact same setup. I just need a little more time to prove it. It’s going to be one of those twelve people who have access to that storage area at the hospital. I have a footprint from the flowerbed at her apartment. The person was wearing a very particular pair of Italian loafers. It’s a narrow field. It?—”
“That’s circumstantial.” She lifts a hand to stop me. “You don’t know that whoever tried to break into her apartment was there to plant evidence. You don’t know that the shoe print has anything to do with the break-in, for that matter. It could have been a delivery person who cut through the flowerbed. It could have been a neighbor. What you have for Keller is too thin. The evidence against her is overwhelming.”
“It’s a story that’s already been written once. With Magma. The writing is on the wall.”
She pulls in a long breath and lets it out.
“I’m angry that you went against my orders.” She holds my eyes. “I’m furious, in fact. But this is good work on Magma’s case. I’ll have males ready to pick Layla up the moment she lands tomorrow. We’ll move on her quietly, and we’ll offer her the deal. If she cooperates, we’ll have a case. I will personally walk it in front of Vector. Magma will be released as soon as possible.”
“Thank you.”
“I’m not finished.” Her mouth flattens. “I’m sorry, Ridge. Dr. Keller still needs to be brought in tonight.”
“Councilor—”
“There is nothing I can do about it.” She shrugs, and the shrug looks tired. “A vote was taken. I agree with you. I think she was framed. As a result, I’m going to allow you to continue investigating this. I have no doubt that if she is innocent, she will be cleared. But for now, the safety of the island has to come first. That means we arrest Dr. Keller.”
I bite down on a hundred things I want to say. None of them will help. She’s not wrong. I know she’s not wrong. I just hate it.
“I have one request.” I hold up a finger.
“Another request.” She gives me a flat look. “You’re running out of favors, Ridge.”
“I want to be the one to bring her in.”
“No.” She shakes her head. “You’re too involved.”
“She is going to know it was me. The moment she sees the team at her door, she is going to know that I betrayed her. She’s an intelligent female who will quickly put the pieces together. Please. Give me a chance to explain it to her face. Give me a chance to apologize for the part I had to play, and then I will bring her in myself.”
“Ridge.”
“Please.”
She studies me for a long beat.
“I’ll have guards posted outside her door. They’ll be there before you get to her residence. I will give you a few minutes alone with her, and then they will take over, and you will let them.
I nod, because a few minutes is better than nothing.
