“Latest name on the list,” Beggs said. “Lee Hinde.”
“Hinde?” Salvi said, staring at the text on the screen.
“Yeah,” Beggs said, standing. “As in Detective Lee Hinde from Narcotics. Was he on Sorenson’s team undercover on this? I don’t recall seeing his name anywhere.”
Salvi looked up from the screen to him. “Not that I’m aware of.”
“We need to get his ass in here right now!”
“Beggs–” Salvi began.
“This fucker might have accessed the Trident files!”
“Riverton!” Mitch cut across Beggs’ voice firmly. “Provide a list of names of who has accessed the Taskforce Trident files.”
“Yes, detective.” A new screen appeared with the list of names: Ford, Salvi, Bronte, Mitch, Hernandez, Beggs, Eli Sorensen, Kara Shadid, and Josef Noble. There was no Hinde listed. “All names have been previously provided to Detective Lieutenant Ford.”
Salvi turned to Beggs. “There. He’s not accessing our files. He might’ve been working another case.”
“Or he might’ve gone there on his night off,” Mitch shrugged. “Riverton, provide dates and times of his visits.”
“Yes, detective,” Riverton answered. “According to my scanning so far, he has appeared on the following dates.” Another list appeared.
“Night and weekends,” Mitch said, reading the list. “He might’ve been a social clubber.”
“Yeah?” Beggs said. “So why is he keeping so tight-lipped then? I haven’t seen him say jack shit about the club since this case started.”
“He doesn’t fit the profile,” Salvi thought aloud. “He’s not rich, he’s not beautiful, and as far as we know he’s not powerful.”
“As far as we know,” Mitch said.
“He should’ve said something, and he didn’t!” Beggs spat.
Salvi nodded. “Because he’s got something to hide. We need to bring him in. I’ll call Sorenson now.”
“No,” Mitch said. “Let’s talk to him on the quiet. We don’t know how far or wide this reaches, Salvi. You said it yourself. You’ve spotted Senators and all kinds there. There’s potentially a whole network involved. Chaney himself said cops and judges are among his clientele. We need to talk to him alone. I’ll find him and bring him in.” He stood and grabbed his coat.
“Then I’ll go with you,” Salvi said.
“No, I’ll go,” Beggs said firmly.
“Beggs, you’re–” Salvi began
“I’m what?” he snapped.
“On edge!” Salvi snapped back. “You stay here and update us on anything else Riverton finds.”
Mitch pulled on his jacket and fixed his collar, watching while Beggs glared at Salvi.
“Riverton?” Mitch called. “Is Hinde on or off duty at the moment?”
“My best estimate, detective, is that he is currently off duty.”
“And his geo-loc?”
“One moment… His geo-locator is registering at his apartment. Details sent to your iPorts.”
“End request, Riverton.”
“We’ll handle this,” Salvi said calmly to Beggs. “If we think he’s got something, we’ll bring him in.”
Mitch approached Beggs. “Let us do this, Beggs,” he said calmly. “Please.”
Beggs’ stance softened and he nodded.
“Come on,” Mitch said to Salvi as he headed out. Beggs grabbed Salvi’s chair and sat down at her console. Salvi picked up her gun, then moved to the door after Mitch. As she did, her eyes caught on one of the mugshows by the door. It was new. The image was of a mean-looking guy with a shaved head and silver flame tattoos reaching up the sides of his neck. Her eyes drifted to scan the details of the felon, wanted for assault, and she paused when they fell upon the man’s known associates.
Vincent Calabri.
“Salvi,” Mitch called from down the corridor.
“Coming,” she said, and she walked out the door as her mind wandered back to Myki Natashi once more.
Salvi and Mitch knocked on Detective Lee Hinde’s door. He lived alone in a small apartment on the fringe of the city center. No one answered.
“Riverton?” Salvi spoke into her iPort. “Has Hinde’s geo-locator moved at all? He’s not answering his door.”
“One moment, detective,” Riverton replied.
Salvi turned to Mitch. “If he’s off duty, he might’ve switched his tracer off.”
Mitch nodded. “We need to get to him before anyone else realizes we’re looking for him.”
Salvi nodded back. “Before Sorenson sees one of his detectives listed among those names.”
“Detective Brentt,” Riverton said, “it seems his tracer has been turned to sleep mode and is no longer responding.”
“He could actually be asleep,” Mitch said. “Or he could be dead. Should we kick down the door?”
“Riverton,” Salvi said, “please scan drone footage now and see if you can locate him out and about. Focus on the Sensation and the Transmission.”
“Yes, detective.”
Salvi sighed and checked the time. It was approaching midnight. “Riverton, what case is he currently working?”
“His primary at present is a drug and money laundering case involving a real estate multi-national. It was a joint initiative with Cyber.”
Mitch shrugged. “Could well be why he was at the club; if he was undercover and mixing with that crowd.”
“But why hasn’t he said anything?” Salvi asked. “Like, anything. There’s no record of him confirming ever being there.”
“Maybe he has. To Sorenson. Or Noble. Just not to us.” Mitch’s mind turned over. “Maybe we should talk to Sorenson after all.”
Salvi paced outside Hinde’s apartment door. “I don’t know. I mean, yes, we need to do that, but there’s something sticking inside my brain about Myki Natashi. She’d had Flyte, I have no doubt about that, but I don’t know if her taking it was consensual. I’m not sure whether she had it voluntarily in Diabolique, or if it was given to her to wipe her memory prior to Barker’s murder, or at the very least incapacitate her while it happened. The most likely suspect we have, that we can’t tie to the crime scene other than he was in the area at the time of the murder, was Vincent Calabri, who is a lieutenant for Francis Mellon.”
“Who is friends with suspected crime boss, John Dorant,” Mitch said. He’d clearly studied the Taskforce Trident files in depth.
“Yes.”
“So?”
“So, what bugs me is that we’re dealing with powerful people here. Francis Mellon has good reach. John Dorant has excellent reach. He’s probably as powerful as it gets in this town.”
“Yeah, but he’s not a ghost.
