Page 5 of Knife in the Back (New Orleans #4)

“Told André.” Antoine’s brother was one of the few cops Burke trusted implicitly. “He was the one who told me about Cresswell and the prostitutes. He’d been watching the man for a long time. But Gaffney is smart. No one can pin anything on him.”

“I know,” Antoine said quietly. “André had me look at Cresswell, on the down-low, of course. Only time he ever asked me to do something like that for him. And then you quit the very next day. I always wondered if there was a connection.”

Burke felt a surge of affection for both Holmes brothers. André was an NOPD captain and one of Burke’s closest friends. “Did you find anything on Cresswell back then?”

“Only the prostitution rumor, which I told André about.”

“So that was from you. Thank you, Antoine.”

Antoine looked embarrassed at the gratitude. “I never found anything concrete on either man. Only a lot of rumor and innuendo. But PIB did look at Gaffney closely after Cresswell went to prison. Unfortunately, nothing came up.”

Burke purposely did not look at Antoine’s screen. Hacking into the Public Integrity Bureau was a no-no. But Burke wanted the information and was grateful that Antoine could slip in and out of the NOPD’s records undetected.

André might not be so grateful, but what he didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him.

“When did you find the PIB report?” Burke asked.

“This morning. Sylvi asked me if I knew anything about Gaffney and Cresswell. I hadn’t checked on them in a while, but I figured you’d want to know.”

Molly got up to take notes on the whiteboard. “What specifically did PIB investigate Gaffney for after Cresswell’s arrest?”

“Skimming from confiscated drugs and extortion,” Antoine said. “But nothing stuck. And, looking at the names of the investigators, I think it was a righteous investigation. André trusts them.”

André had been wrong about people a few times in the past, but overall, his intuition was very good.

“Gaffney knows how to cover his tracks,” Burke murmured.

“Maybe it made him cocky,” Molly said thoughtfully. “It was a risk, coming up to Miss Cranston like that. In public.”

“Nobody could hear what they were saying, even if they were captured on a security camera. Antoine, can you—”

“Already on it, boss,” Antoine said. “I have access to the security cams around Sylvi’s shop. I keep an eye out for her. For Val.”

Because they’d all become protective of Val’s sister.

“Anything?”

Antoine turned his laptop around so that Burke could see the camera feed from outside Sylvi’s shop.

Sure enough, John Gaffney was approaching Naomi Cranston, looming over her.

She was at least five-ten, but Gaffney was taller.

And when the detective backed her against her car, her fear was clear to see.

So was the word “no” on her lips, her head shaking vigorously to underscore it.

Burke felt a sting on his palms and realized he was clenching his fists. He relaxed them, but not before catching all three of his people watching him.

“I hate that she’s being victimized again,” he said. “She got railroaded the first time and now they’re coming back for another go.”

“Why was she chosen the first time?” Molly asked, noting the question on the whiteboard. “Why frame Naomi Cranston at all? Did she piss someone off? Accuse someone of something? What did she do to place herself in their crosshairs?”

“I asked her the same thing but she said she didn’t know. Not six years ago or now. On Friday, when she asked Gaffney why he was coming after her, he said that they’d had a deal and that she’d cheated them when she was released from prison.”

“A deal?” Molly frowned. “That sounds like it’s personal. When was she arrested?”

“Six years ago last December fourteenth,” Antoine said.

“Merry Christmas to her,” Molly murmured. “What about the woman she stopped to help?”

“The one who smirked at her when she was being arrested,” Burke added. “Naomi thinks the woman was involved.”

“Could this woman have planted the drugs?” Lucien asked.

“I think so,” Burke said, “and so does Naomi, but all she saw the woman do was put her book bag in her back seat. She couldn’t swear to anything else.”

“Who was this woman who allegedly put the drugs there?” Lucien still didn’t look convinced of Naomi’s innocence, but that was okay. He was participating and Burke appreciated that.

“Winnifred Timms. White, age nineteen at the time of the incident. She was initially interviewed by…” Antoine sighed. “John Gaffney.”

“Surprise, surprise,” Burke drawled. “You said initially. Was she interviewed again later?”

“By PIB,” Antoine said. “Her story never changed and she was deemed a credible witness.”

“She had a book bag,” Molly said. “Was she a student? And if so, where?”

Antoine did another search. “University of New Orleans. Majored in finance. It appears that she graduated two years ago and is now getting her MBA at Loyola.”

“Dig into her financials,” Burke requested. “Find out if she received any suspicious sums in the months after Naomi’s arrest.”

“Will do.” Antoine clicked a few more times. “She lives off-campus. Rents a room in an apartment on Josephine Street.”

“We should pay her a visit,” Lucien said.

Burke nodded. “Take Molly with you. Try not to let her know why we’re asking questions. If Winnifred was involved, she might tell the wrong people that Naomi has hired us.”

“What about Naomi’s son?” Molly asked.

“I’m going to see his father at work,” Burke said.

“I can put a detail on Everett without telling the father, but only outside his house, and I want someone closer to the kid. Naomi is afraid her ex will fight her for full custody once he finds out that her son’s been threatened, but at this point she thinks that might be safest for the boy. ”

“Hard call,” Antoine said quietly. “Giving up her weekends with the kid like that.”

It clearly broke Naomi’s heart. “Although it seems he’d rather spend all his time with his father anyway.”

But Burke would make sure the kid understood the magnitude of his mother’s sacrifice when this was all over.

“And once her ex agrees?” Lucien asked. “ If he agrees? Who are you going to assign?”

“Probably Harrison.” The man had been with them on a part-time basis for three years. “He’s retiring from NOPD in a few weeks and has at least that much vacation to use up first. He told me to put him in for full-time.”

“Smart—he’s good with teenagers,” Molly said. “But what if Naomi’s ex says no?”

“I’ll still have Harrison keep eyes on him, even if Mr.Haywood refuses to cooperate.” Because he’d promised Naomi Cranston that her son would not be harmed. “Keep me informed, guys.”

Antoine gathered his laptops and waved goodbye. Molly stood, waiting for Lucien, who was frowning.

“Give me a minute, Mol,” Lucien said. “I need to talk to Burke.”

She silently left the room, closing the door behind her.

“Go ahead,” Burke said. “Let’s have it.”

“You went from telling this woman no to going full throttle for her in a single conversation. How do you know she didn’t drop Cresswell’s name just to get you on her side?”

“Fair question.” Even though the pushback chafed him, Burke was grateful that he didn’t employ automatons. “It was what Gaffney said to her. That he’d send her Everett ‘in pieces.’ I believed her.”

“She’s pretty,” Lucien said mildly.

Burke nodded, refusing to deny it. “She is.”

Very pretty.

“But there’s more to it than that.” Lucien studied him. “She’s broken and you want to fix her.”

Burke didn’t completely agree. “She’s a little bit broken, sure. Prison will do that to a person. And then, just when she thought that her life had restarted, Gaffney shows up and pulls the rug out from under her.”

Lucien sighed. “I hope we’re on the right side here, Burke.”

“What do you know?”

“Mason Lord, her first attorney. He was a prosecutor at the same time that I was. He ended up going the defender route. He’s a good guy. Honest and upright. Even if he couldn’t get her acquitted, I know he tried his best.”

“She thinks Gaffney got to him.”

Lucien shook his head. “I can’t see it.”

“Tell you what. You and Molly talk to Naomi before you talk to the woman she stopped to help the night of her arrest. Talk to Mason Lord. Then come back and we’ll discuss this again.”

“Okay.” Lucien stood and gripped Burke’s shoulder. “You know I’m with you. I just don’t want to see you taken in by a pretty face.”

“What would be her endgame?” Burke asked. “What can she possibly expect to achieve by lying to us? She’s ready to go back to prison to protect her son.”

“Or so she says,” Lucien said for a second time. “I’ll talk to her and I’ll let you know.”

—

The Central Business District, New Orleans, Louisiana

Monday, February 24, 10:15 a.m.

Detective John Gaffney sat in one of the visitor chairs, a scowl on his face. “You were right. She and her boss went to Broussard’s office this morning.”

Of course I was right. “We knew this was a possibility. She has a better support network now than she did six years ago.”

“Of all the people to give her a job,” Gaffney grumbled.

“We’ve known that Naomi Cranston’s boss is the sister of one of Broussard’s people for a year now,” he said, remaining calm.

Gaffney glared. “Yet you still sent me to threaten the bitch. I’m on camera with Cranston, threatening her. Not you.”

“That was your mistake.” And it might end up being a costly one.

Gaffney should have confronted her outside her house or in the parking lot of a grocery store.

He should have disguised himself better.

He was getting cocky, which was what had gotten their former associate into trouble.

He hadn’t realized how much energy Cresswell had expended managing Gaffney.

It was exhausting. “Besides, using her was your idea, Detective.”

Not entirely true. He’d just let Gaffney think it was his idea.