?Whatever you want, Penn. You can count on me one hundred percent.?
?Oh, I know that.?
He clears his throat. ?What about the original of that photo? The negative, or the disc or whatever??
?Let?s see how things go. I'?ll make my decision later.?
I turn and walk through the doorway, then stop and poke my head back through it. Shad is studying the photograph like a man being forced to peer into the darkest corner of his soul.
?One more thing,? I say quietly.
?What?? he says without looking up.
?Soren Jensen. You just pled him down to probation and a drug treatment program. He doesn?'t spend one more day in jail.?
?He?s out on bail now.?
?Say it,? I tell him.
?Done. Probation.?
?Stay by your phone. I'?ll be in touch.?
CHAPTER
66
Caitlin is sitting at the kitchen table, poring over the Po file like a novel she can?t put down. One hour ago, Kelly sent a copy of the data on the USB thumb drive to his Signal Corps friend, who warned us that it could take longer to crack than the SD cards. In the meantime, Kelly and I have been discussing how best to use the results, should they prove to be as incriminating as we believe they will be.
?Let?s just assume,? Caitlin says, abruptly dropping the file and joining our conversation, ?that the thumb drive is what you think it is. Conclusive proof of systematic money laundering by Golden Parachute Gaming Corporation, and that it incriminates both Sands and Po.?
?Okay.?
She smiles like a woman with a secret. ?Proof is no longer our problem. Chief Logan could arrest Sands at that moment for money laundering. He could arrest him right now for dogfighting based on Ben Li?s pictures, and the district attorney to boot.?
?Keep going.?
?The problem is Edward Po.?
?How so??
?What is your worst fear at this point??
I think about this for a few seconds. ?Legally, I guess the worst
scenario would be for Po to actually show up for the sting, and for Hull to grant Sands immunity in exchange for his testimony. Hull might grab Sands and keep him out of our reach for a long time using national security as a justification.?
?Hull has made that deal already, right? I mean, would Sands lure Po here without a signed plea agreement? Something Hull can?t renege on??
?No. You?re right.?
?On the other hand, if Po doesn?'t show up for this Roman-spectacle freak show they have planned, Hull will likely take down Sands as a consolation prize, right??
?If he can. Hull has tolerated enough of Sands?s crimes that Sands may have significant leverage over him.?
?Can Hull stop the State of Mississippi from pursuing murder charges against Sands??
?Hard to imagine,? I say thoughtfully.
?Not for me,? says Kelly. ?Post-9/11? Hull?s task force is part FBI, part Homeland Security, remember??
?Yes.?
?What if they designate Sands as some kind of special informant to the task force? Hell, they could put him on the payroll of the CIA. They could say he?s been working for them all along. You?ve got to think about how the world has changed, Penn. I mean, Sands could disappear, and you?d never even know where he was. They could do it.?
?
my worst fear. Sands walks away from both murders and never suffers a day for all the hell he brought down on this town.?
Caitlin threads her fingers together, then twists her arms inside out to stretch. Through a grimace of pain, I see the gleam of satisfaction in her eyes. ?So the person you really need to be able to control is??
?William Hull,? I finish. ?The real architect of this clusterfuck.?
?How do you get that??
I sigh heavily. ?Hull has definitely pushed the envelope, but given the nature of his target, the government may sweep a lot of that under the rug. You have to get guys like Hull to hang themselves.?
?By??
?Wearing a wire. You get them somewhere they feel safe, lead
them into saying things, and let them convict themselves. But he won'?t do that with me.?
?So, what?s your plan??
?Hull is probably in town already, prepping for tonight?s sting. I'm going to demand a meeting with him and find out the details of his plea agreement with Sands.?
?Using the thumb drive for leverage??
?If it?s what I think it is. I can threaten to arrest Sands based on that evidence and blow Hull?s Po operation, unless he modifies the plea agreement.?
?But if he calls your bluff, and you blow the operation, Po walks away. Right??
?Right.?
?And you told me yourself he?s the bigger target. The greater of two evils.?
?Yes. I just want Sands more.?
Caitlin?s smile vanishes. ?So do I.?
?I'm also going to demand that two Natchez plainclothes detectives remain in Sands?s presence right up until the moment of the sting. That way, if Po doesn?'t show, we can bust Sands before he has a chance to flee.?
?But if Po does show?and the plea agreement remains unchanged?you have your original problem. Sands vanishes into the federal system, and we might never see him again.?
?Right.?
Caitlin sets aside the file in her lap and lets the blanket fall away from her shoulders. She?s wearing one of my dress shirts and nothing else, but at this moment, even Kelly is looking only at her eyes, which gleam with intensity.
?What if I could tell you a way to get both Sands and Hull on tape, discussing all the shit that Sands has pulled this past week??
?Is this a trick question?? Kelly asks.
Caitlin shakes her head, then picks up the stack of pages she?s been reading the past few hours. ?There?s a direct pipeline into the heart of Sands?s operation. One that?s never even crossed his paranoid mind.?
?Quinn?? says Kelly. ?We?'ve thought of that. Hull certainly has too. If Po doesn?'t show, he?ll flip Quinn against Sands.?
?Not Quinn,? she says, smiling with supreme confidence. ?Jiao.?
?Jiao?? Kelly echoes. ?The girl??
?Yes.?
?The one who let Walt live??
?Exactly. Jiao Po.?
?You think she?d turn against Sands?? I ask.
