Page 22 of Legends: Easton (Legends of Fire Creek #3)
Easton wondered for what seemed like the twentieth time that morning if setting up this meeting was a good idea.
Now that he was in the room with Bailee, Luke, Tater, and one of the Fire Creek Police Department detectives, Bill Griffin, with Bailee’s police chief and ATF contact on a video call, doubt crept in about whether bringing together the strong personalities from different law enforcement agencies was a good idea.
He could feel the tension rolling off Bailee’s stature.
Her back was ramrod straight against the uncomfortable chair, her shoulders stiff.
Her expression was stoic, her dark eyes shuttered to hide what she was thinking and feeling.
He wanted to take her hand to remind her she wasn’t alone, but he didn’t think she’d welcome the gesture.
She was all business, trying to separate her emotions from the case that had taken a personal turn.
“I appreciate everyone coming together on this. Until we know what we’re looking at, we need to keep communication open. Detective Maxwell’s attack likely has a bearing on the ATF’s case, and we want to dot our i’s and cross our t’s on this one.”
“Thank you, Chief Tatum. I appreciate you bringing us in and for any help you can provide. For those of you who don’t know me, I’m Corinne Southerland with the ATF.
Detective Maxwell and I have been working closely on this case for a while now.
If I may, it might be helpful if we start at the beginning.
Bailee, would you like to start, or would you rather I did? ”
“No, I can,” Bailee said. “It started with me, so it only makes sense.”
Easton didn’t like her emotionless tone as if she was detached from what was going on.
He watched her intently, looking for signs that the meeting was overwhelming, but she appeared cool.
He would have given his right arm to know what was running through her mind, and not knowing fueled his frustration.
“Over two years ago, a young girl came into the Louisville PD and asked to speak to someone in charge. It was late. I was clearing some paperwork, so I was the only detective there. I was asked to talk to her. Her name was Shantayle Barnes, twenty years old, from the West End, specifically Shively.”
“This is a particularly dangerous part of Louisville,” Chief Matthew Tucker interjected. “High crime and substantial gang activity.”
Bailee nodded in agreement. “Shantayle was the granddaughter of the leader of the Blood Disciples, a dangerous gang operating out of Louisville. They have their hands all over every type of criminal enterprise you can imagine, but they’re smart.
We had a lot of suspicions and circumstantial evidence, but not enough solid evidence to convict any of the major players.
The leader’s name is Roland Barnes, or B Diggs, and he usually sacrifices his lower-level minions to keep his major players out of trouble. ”
She paused and took a deep breath. This time, Easton did reach for her hand under the table and lightly squeezed it reassuringly. Bailee didn’t look at him, but she returned the squeeze and kept a light hold on his hand.
“Shantayle’s father is Terrence T-Loc Jones.
He’s B Diggs’ lieutenant. Shantayle grew up in gang life, and she wanted out of it.
When B Diggs started talking about sacrificing her to create an alliance with another gang, she knew it was time she got out.
Running away wasn’t an option. She had no money and no one to help her.
Plus the BDs would have tracked her down and killed her.
She decided her best option was to work with the police in exchange for being relocated with a new identity. She became my confidential informant.”
Bailee paused as if collecting her thoughts or her emotions — Easton couldn’t be sure which. Chief Tucker chose that moment to pick up the narrative, giving her a break.
“Miss Barnes became a valuable asset. Her intel helped us close a lot of cases and put a dent in the BDs’ criminal activities. We were able to take down some significant players in the organization. She knew how to fly under the gang’s radar.”
Bailee’s gaze swept the room. “That all stopped when I got a call late one night. Dispatch said a body had been found at an empty lot. It was Shantayle, and she had been wrapped in a plastic sheet and duct taped. According to the autopsy, she had been tortured, raped, and sodomized before they shot her through the head. She had given us intel on a major drug and gun-running operation that could have potentially brought down T-Loc and other major players in the gang. At the time, we believed they had somehow connected her to our investigation and figured out she was feeding us intel.”
Chief Tucker interrupted once more. “We knew the operation was happening. We just didn’t know when or where. Shantayle believed she could get us an exact time and location, but she was murdered before she could share any details.”
“That’s when we reached out to the Louisville PD,” said Corinne.
“We were already running an investigation on the terrorist group set to buy the drugs and guns from the BDs. When we realized this aligned with the LPD’s murder investigation, we decided to join forces.
We agreed it was beneficial to send in someone undercover, and because of the intel Shantayle was able to share with Detective Maxwell, we determined she made the logical choice for the undercover operation. ”
“And there was no risk of the gang pegging you as law enforcement?” Griffin asked Bailee.
“We purposely keep our detectives out of the limelight,” Chief Tucker said.
“We never know when we will need them to run undercover ops. We have a task force for any takedowns, and our senior officers and I handle any media attention or public statements. We also assign partners to run undercover ops with one under deeper cover than the other. If necessary, the one at the least risk can testify in court. We also have other protocols in place to protect our undercover officers when they testify about cases.”
“While I was undercover, we were able to get what we needed to make the ATF’s case, but I also found Shantayle’s killer and put him away.” Bailee’s voice was deadly quiet.
“Detective Maxwell is referring to her partner at the Louisville PD. Jimmy Pearce was working with the gang unbeknownst to anyone,” Corinne added.
“From what we were able to deduce, he took kickbacks from the Blood Disciples and another gang in the area in exchange for warning them when police were closing in. He never interfered in open police investigations unless the police were close to taking down the top leaders with or the criminal enterprises of the gangs he informed to. After years of this relationship continuing without Pearce being caught, he began working solely with the BDs. He stepped up his role from informant to partner in some of their criminal activities. We have evidence that he profited from the gun and drug trafficking. We believe Shantayle discovered his involvement, and he killed her before she could share what she learned with Detective Maxwell.”
Bailee stared straight ahead, and her voice was detached as she continued.
“He tortured her to find out what she knew and how much she told me. He raped and sodomized her to make it seem like the gang abused her as punishment. Then he shot her in the head with a gun he stole from the BDs. He used the plastic sheet to make her easier to dispose of.”
“Damn,” Luke muttered under his breath and shared a look with Easton.
Easton understood his brother’s sentiment.
For a decorated detective to turn on his squad and his partner made him the lowest of the low.
But when Bailee, someone they knew, was the one affected, it hit them a bit harder.
It didn’t matter that they had just met Bailee a couple of weeks ago.
The short time was enough to make her a friend.
“Assistant Director Southerland, have there been any recent problems with the case involving Pearce or the gang members?” Easton asked.
“Other than B Diggs getting shivved in prison, no. Of course, once B Diggs was attacked we placed the rest of the gang’s major players in custody.”
“What’s B Diggs’ status?” Chief Tucker asked.
“It’s not looking good, but he’s still holding on.
” Corinne paused. “To be honest, once we busted Pearce, we no longer had the same obstacles impeding our investigation, so everything fell into place. Pearce, T-Loc, B Diggs, and most of the major players are being held with no bond. With the shake-up, we’ve seen lower-level players and a few rival gangs trying to step in and take over what the BDs had going, but no one has managed to get a foothold in the operation.
At least, so far. We all know when it comes to drugs and gun trafficking, it’s a lot like playing Whack-A-Mole.
You take one down, and another pops up. But we’re keeping a lock on it for now. ”
“The case background is helpful, but it’s not why we all needed to meet,” Tater commanded the conversation, his gaze touching on everyone in the room.
“The case against the Blood Disciples and Jimmy Pearce is being handled. What we don’t have a handle on is the threat against Detective Maxwell.
She had the balls to take down these criminals.
I’ll be damned if they harm her while she’s visiting my town.
She has family in this town, which makes her one of us. ”
Bailee smiled her thanks at Tater before Detective Griffin spoke.
“But we don’t know that what happened to Detective Maxwell has anything to do with the undercover case. I know Fire Creek is a small town, but we do have our share of crime. It might be a stretch, but the guy after her might be motivated by something else entirely.”