Chapter 7 - The Recovery
The municipal dump smelled of sulfur and rotting garbage.
It was raining again, a cold drizzle that chilled me to the bone.
My forensics team, dressed in white hazard suits, climbed into the massive metal incinerator bin.
I stood on the edge, holding a powerful flashlight, scanning the debris.
"Over here!" Agent Miller shouted from the back corner.
He carefully lifted a silver aluminum baseball bat using metal tongs.
Even through the dirt and grime, the dark reddish-brown stains on the barrel were unmistakable.
It was my mother’s blood.
"Bag it and tag it," I ordered, my voice tight with emotion.
"Run it for DNA and fingerprints immediately."
I knew Brooke’s fingerprints would be all over the grip.
She had been too arrogant and too stupid to wear gloves.
We drove back to the federal field office in total silence.
I watched the sealed plastic tube containing the bat sitting in the back of the SUV.
This piece of metal was the key to destroying the corrupt empire Landry had built.
My phone rang.
It was Captain Landry.
"Agent Vance, I think we got off on the wrong foot," Landry said smoothly, trying to sound cooperative.
"I want to sit down and discuss how we can resolve this misunderstanding quietly."
I smiled grimly into the phone.
"There is no misunderstanding, Captain," I replied.
"And there will be nothing quiet about what happens next."
May you like
I hung up the phone and blocked his number.
The time for talking was over.
