Page 38 of A Shot at Love
“Now hold on a minute, Barly,” Colin Tiege said. “You can’t pin those things on him. It’s obvious there’s a leak somewhere—”
“In your department,” Barly insisted.
“—we need to plug,” Tiege continued, as if the man hadn’t spoken. “The leak can be from anywhere. There are multiple agencies involved in this investigation. Your office is just as much suspect as ours.”
The red in Barly’s face deepened. “My office had no knowledge of where Miss Laine was being kept. Therefore, it’s your own house you should be combing through, your own men you need to look into.” He turned back to Ky, his meaning clear.
“But,” Tiege said, from his seat behind his massive desk, “You were the one who insisted Calafano be kept in a hotel so you’d have easy access to him, and not in a safe house of our choosing. Everyone in your office knew where he was being held.”
Before Barly could respond, Ky jumped in. He’d had enough of the infighting, backbiting, and accusations. He needed to get Gemma somewhere safe and this pissing contest wasn’t speeding up the process.
“Look,” he said, his gaze going from one man to the other. “There’s a crack in security, but right now that’s not my priority. I’ve got four of my best men dead and my partner out of commission and I still need to secure Miss Laine.” He turned to face Barly. “I realize Calafano’s hit has set you back, but you have his testimony on disc. That should count for something in court.”
The man actually snarled at him. “Your lack of knowledge of the judicial system is pathetic. Ritandi’s lawyers have the right to interrogate the witness, which they can’t do if he’s dead, so the taped testimony will most likely never be allowed.”
“What does that do to the indictment, then?” Tiege asked.
“It’ll get tossed since Calafano is our only direct link to Ritandi.”
Tiege picked up a pen from his desk and tapped it between his fingers onto the desktop. “The license plate on the photographs of the getaway van connects the vehicle back to one of Ritandi’s chop shops. That’s a direct link. And a mistake his crew made.”
“But it can’t be tied to Ritandi personally,” Barly said. “His defense can argue just because the van came from a business allegedly owned by him, it doesn’t mean he was the one who ordered the hit. The appearance of involvement is not the same as having actual proof he called for Calafano’s execution.”
Barly turned to Ky. “You need to get me more.”
Ky wasn’t about to remind the man he’d just said he wanted him off the case. Even if he made a formal request, caused a big stink about his participation and got him thrown out as lead, Ky wasn’t about to drop his investigation. He had the funerals of four of his best men to attend because of Ritandi. There was no way that was going to go unpunished.
“What are you going to do about Miss Laine?” Tiege asked him.
“I’m in the process of moving her to another location. Once I know she’s secure,” he turned and addressed Barly directly, “I’m going to find Ritandi.”
“How?”
Ky shook his head. “Let me worry about that. You just be available when I bring the bastard in.”
“Don’t you dare order me around.” Barly stood up to his full height and peered down his substantial nose at Ky. “I’m a federal attorney—”
“Assistant,” Tiege said dryly.
Barly whirled on him. “You son of a bitch!”
“Calm down, Barly. Your face looks like a tomato. I don’t need you to have a stroke in my office.”
Without another word to either man, the ASA stormed from the room, banging the office door against its hinges.
Ky moved and closed the door.
“If I knew it was that easy to get rid of him,” Tiege said with a chuckle, “I’d have insulted him sooner.”
Ky came to stand in front of the desk. “Sir, I need to get Miss Laine secured.”
Tiege nodded. “What do you need from me?”
Fifteen minutes later Ky walked back to the room he’d sequestered Gemma in when they’d arrived at the federal building. With a nod to the agent he’d assigned to make sure no one entered or exited the room, Ky opened the door and walked in.
