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“The sniper,” Shaw said.
John-Henry nodded. “Exactly. I thought maybe Brey had a buddy out there, somebody to take care of Welch once Brey got him in the open. But after what I saw in there with Gid, I’m starting to think things are more complicated than they seemed.”
“You mean somebody else was cleaning house,” North said, “and Brey got caught in the crossfire.”
“Technically, you got caught in the crossfire.”
North scratched his temple with his middle finger. “I get that Ezell was blackmailing Gid; that’s pretty clear. But why was Gid at the jail in the first place? He wasn’t on any of the records.”
“He does a ministry,” John-Henry said. “Once a week, conducts a service.”
“And gets laid,” Emery said. “We’ve got the pieces: Gideon Moss is a regular at the Cottonmouth Club. So is Brey. Dalton Weber can identify Moss as the man who hired an underage teen to perform sex acts. He’s preying on female inmates at the county jail and, in the process, manages to make an arrangement with Welch to kill a witness and a troublesome deputy.”
“You think Ezell’s dead?” North asked.
“I think if I were Gid and I’d contracted one killing to cover my ass, I wouldn’t stop there. What I don’t like is the coincidence, Gid happening to meet someone during his ministry who’s willing to do murder for hire. In supermax, ok. In a county jail, a kid picked up for possession? And he just happens to be in the isolation unit where a key witness is being kept? And Brey knows him?”
Shaw opened his mouth, but before he could speak, his phone buzzed. North followed him out of the observation room as he took the call on speakerphone.
A woman spoke. “Someone said you’ve got money for Philip Welch.”
“And with whom am I speaking?”
The speaker hesitated. Then she said, “Maleah Donaldson.”
“I’m so sorry, Ms. Donaldson. I need to speak to Mr. Welch or someone with his power of attorney—”
“What if he owes me money?”
“I’m sorry?”
“He owes me money. A lot of money. And I can prove it. So, I want to know why I can’t have that money, since he owes me.”
Shaw went for doubtful. “Well, we’d need to see documentation…”
“I’ve got documentation. I’ve got anything you want to see. I’ve got IOUs, I’ve got this letter he sent me when he was in jail—”
“I’m sorry, did you say he was in jail?”
“That’s another thing. I bet you didn’t know he’s in jail. You can’t give him that money, can you? Not like that.”
Shaw let the pause draw out. “I’m so sorry. I need to talk to my supervisor—”
“Why? You told me you needed to see documentation. I’ve got the documentation. I told you I’ve got it. Where do I bring it?” And then some of the eagerness slid into her voice. “How much are we talking, anyway?”
“I’m afraid I can’t discuss that without establishing protocol.”
Whatever that meant, North thought as Shaw gave him a shit-eater grin.
“If you could provide an address and times when you’re generally available, I can have a treasury representative visit you to see about your case.”
He’d barely finished speaking when Maleah rattled off an address and told him she’d be available every day after four.
“Well?” North asked.
“It’s better than nothing,” Shaw said.
When they returned to the observation room, Emery shot them a questioning look.
