“She said she had to deliver something to the law office for a case.”
“Did she show you her credentials? The package? Anything?”
“No…”
“Correct, Fred. She did not. Are you aware that a woman was attacked on the tenth floor because of the lame-ass security that was here before you?”
“I knew about the attack.”
“You were itching to see something happen like that again?”
“What? NO!”
“Obviously you were Fred because you didn’t follow directions.”
She got so close to his face that their noses were almost touching.
“I don’t give a care about who they say they are, where they come from or what they are delivering. I don’t care if it’s Jesus Christ delivering a long-awaited blessing, they are not allowed on the tenth floor without an appointment! Is that understood?”
“Yes, yes. I got it,” the security guard rushed.
* * *
“This iswhat we know for sure. The shooter came from this car,” Countee pointed to the screen mounted on the wall in his office, “The car was reported stolen that morning from a neighborhood near the courthouse. We know that there were at least two occupants in the car. One driving the car and the other one was the shooter. The car was found in East Saint Louis, completely scorched, destroying all evidence that may have been left behind.”
“There were no cameras on or near the courthouse that would have caught one of their faces?” Xavier asked.
“Yes but the footage is grainy. The cameras they use are old and outdated. We’ve sent the footage away to an expert to see if he can clean it up for us,” Laila explained.
“What have the cops come up with?”
“I am monitoring everything the cops are doing, so we know what they know,” Dontae, one of the men who worked with Countee, answered, “Right now, they don’t know much. They seem to be working the case but are not getting anywhere.”
“Then what do we know?” Roc asked, “The streets are silent. Whoever did this went into hiding immediately and didn’t share their plans with anyone? Well, with anyone that’s willing to talk.”
“We know that whomever did this is a coward. He didn’t walk all the way up on El and shoot him. He kept a safe distance. We know that he is afraid of being caught because he hasn’t taken credit for it. And we know that we are going to find him,” Countee answered.
“We are going to figure this out. Whoever it is, is not smarter than the people that are in this room. They better stay low and keep moving,” Coco said.
“That’s all that I have right now. Averie, can you stay behind?” Countee asked.
I nodded and remained in my seat while everyone except for Laila left the room.
“I heard about the unexpected pop up from Leathen’s wife and lapse of security at the front of the building,” Countee said.
His dark, intense eyes made him appear to always be in thought like his mind never stopped going. That didn’t detract from his handsomeness, though. His square jaw and cognac colored skin probably drew a lot of attention from women, but he often seemed to look right through people.
“Yes, apparently, she thought that Barry and I were having an affair. I quickly dispelled that myth. I wouldn’t deal with a man like Barry, ever.”
“Laila said she mentioned something about hearing him say your name on the phone?”
“Yes, but it could have been during the time of the trial. He would have said my name a lot then.”
“Possibly…”
“Is something wrong, Count?”
“No, it’s not wrong, just suspicious. I need to get to his cell phone records and find out who he’s been chatting with. It’s going to take some time, but I will put someone on it right away.”