Part 12 (1/2)
The door banged behind Boyd and Daniel called to the other guard and quickly left the prison. On the flight back to Dallas, his mind was buzzing. Boyd was behind the whole thing-that was very clear. All to save his sorry life. That wasn't going to happen, not on his time. He had to put the pieces together, and fast.
The only person seeing Boyd was Arnie Bishop, so he had to be the one carrying information to the outside. But to whom?
The helicopter landed and Daniel jumped in his car and headed straight for Bill's office. He would want to know what Boyd had said, as would the D.A. Daniel felt sure they wouldn't deal with Boyd. It would take a lot to overturn a death sentence.
He picked up his phone and called Chad. ”How is she?”
”She's still sleeping.”
”What? It's after twelve.”
”I know, but you said to let her sleep.”
Sarah was exhausted physically and mentally, but he worried that she was sleeping so long. ”Have you checked on her?”
”Yes, sir. She was on her back, but now she's on her side.”
For an insane second, Daniel was jealous that Chad was watching her. He quickly curbed such a ridiculous thought, and told himself he just didn't want Sarah to be uncomfortable. ”You might pull the door closed a bit so she can have some privacy.”
”Sure.”
”Anything suspicious happen?”
”No. Everything's quiet.”
”You did tell the people at the desk to leave the towels and linens at the door?”
”Yes, sir. I told them I didn't want to be disturbed for anything. The towels and linens are in a bag outside the door now.”
”Okay. Look outside and make sure no one's around, then get the bag while I'm on the phone.”
Daniel waited.
”It's done, sir.”
”Good. I'll call later.”
Daniel spent the next hour with Bill going over what Boyd had said.
”He's behind these murders and rapes,” Daniel said. ”He's set it all up to gain his freedom. I feel that in my gut.”
”He might be yanking your chain.”
Daniel shook his head. ”No. He knew about the needle in the arm and he's very smug and arrogant. He's confident that he won't be executed.”
Bill tapped a pencil on his desk. ”This is sick. I'll have to get with the chief and the D.A., but I can tell you right now that no one's going to deal with Boyd. We just have to keep this out of the press and find who's raping and killing these women for Boyd.”
Daniel got up and paced back and forth. ”I feel it all goes back to five years ago. We had a leak in our department and never found who that person was.”
”Internal Affairs checked that out thoroughly and everyone was clean.”
”They missed someone.”
”Daniel...”
”Boyd knew our every move five years ago and he knows our every move now. He knows we're busting our a.s.ses to catch this killer rapist, but we still don't have a clue. He called us Keystone Cops.”
”I don't like this.” Bill grimaced.
Daniel knew he had to drive his point home to get Bill's approval. ”We never found out how Boyd knew Greg was a cop. Sarah didn't know how he got the information. That means the snitch that was sneaking Boyd tips also ratted out Greg.”
”G.o.ddammit.” Bill leaned back and tapped the pencil on the arm of his chair, watching it as if mesmerized. Suddenly he glanced up. ”What's your plan?”
Daniel felt a moment of relief. ”First, we need to put a tail on Arnie Bishop and do a background check on him to see if he's just Boyd's attorney or if he's something more. Then I'd like to go through the personnel records and do a background check of the officers that were here five years ago and are still here today, and that includes homicide.”
”Personnel records are confidential. What makes you think you can find something when Internal Affairs couldn't?”
”I don't know that I can, but I'm closer to the situation and if I look at each officer's background and his immediate family something might jump out at me-there has to be a connection to Boyd.”
”This isn't going to sit well with the officers.”
”It doesn't sit too well with me that there are two women dead, another in the hospital and yet another in hiding.”
Bill threw the pencil on the desk. ”I'll have to get this okayed by the chief.”
”Thanks, Lieutenant. I just need some time to put all this together.”
”How much time?”
”Four days.”
”Okay. You have four days. But you'll have to clue Russ in.”
Daniel ran both hands through his hair.
”You do trust Russ, don't you?”
”Right now I don't trust anyone, but I'll have to give Russ the benefit of a doubt.”
”Do this very carefully and try not to step on too many toes.”
”Yes, sir.” Daniel turned toward the door as it opened and Russ walked in.
”I've been waiting for you to surface,” he said to Daniel. ”How did it go with Boyd?”
Daniel glanced at Bill and he nodded. He went through the whole thing again.
Russ frowned. ”I worked Greg's case, so will you be poking into my life, too?”
”Yes.”