He was on temporary leave, pending the Internal Affairs investigation, the first hearing scheduled for the next day.
Questions had been raised over how Garris learned Lennox Palmer had facilitated his initial placement into foster care along with the others if he’d been left out of the paperwork. Palmer claimed that Garris had been acting strangely after Fogarty’s death, the Durie case had come up, and Palmer had admitted his own involvement. It was a mistake that had nearly cost him his life; Garris had been on a mission to find everyone connected to what he considered the source of all his suffering.
Each night since, Mike had been lying there in bed, looking up at the ceiling, thinking about the moment he’d pulled the trigger. How it had been about getting Garris… stopping him… keeping him from killing Bobbi Noelle – but it had also been about something else, too.
After Garris, something changed; he no longer regretted his decision to not return to Brooklyn. He no longer felt like he’d let his father down. Garris was who he’d been put on this earth to stop.
But, then, maybe it wasn’t as grand as all of that. Maybe he’d been just doing his job. And maybe Trevor Garris was someone who started out as a kid with some terribly bad luck. The media vilified him, but Mike took no pleasure in what he’d done. Deep in the night, lying awake, some observant piece of his consciousness described the whole thing as a sad bit of theater – he’d had a role to play, Trevor Garris had had a role to play, and now the act was over.
The newspapers were also making hay over a major sting operation that involved a group of men feeding precursors to an ethanol plant in Pennsylvania, including some white nationalist motorcycle enthusiasts like Dodd Caruthers. And the DEA was very happy with Mike, so he had those things going for him, regardless of that inner voice from the ditch hours, assuring him that the world had not changed.
* * *
Standing in front of the mirror, looking at himself in the suit he’d chosen for the hearing on his officer-involved shooting, Mike’s phone rattled on the bedside table.
“You about ready?” Lena asked. “I’m still picking you up, right?”
As part of their investigation, the IAB had impounded his car.
“Yeah,” Mike said, “you’re picking me up.”
“Good. Did you eat this morning?”
“I did. I’m in good shape. They told me so at the physical.”
“You could’ve had a heart attack, chasing that guy up the tree, that’s what I think.”
He waved a hand in the air even though she was on the phone. “Hey… come on.”
“A little birdie told me you’ve had some health issues in the past. Let yourself go there for a little while.”
“The little birdie being Kristen.”
“We had a nice woman-to-woman talk, that’s all I’m saying.”
“Where was I?”
“Sleeping. Gardening. I don’t know.”
“Conspirators,” he said.
“Alright, alright… Oh, I’ve got a surprise for you.”
He felt his skin prickle. “You’re picking me up in just a trench coat, nothing on underneath?”
“Aside from that. So – I got a letter. Well, I had a letter mailed to me. Sorry, that’s not making any sense…”
But he knew. “From Terry Fogarty?”
“Yes. That one. From Fogarty.”
“He found it.”
“He did. It’s from Steve Pritchard to Rita, and in it he gets into some persuasive language about wanting the Gloversville farm. And we’ve got Petrov on record saying that Pritchard wanted in on the meth operation. He wanted to use the farm, get paid for it. So after the hearing, why don’t we do a little police work together?”
“I’m on leave.”
“I’ll work, and you can watch. Let’s keep Pritchard in jail. Hey – I’m out front.”
“Already?”
Mike walked to the front door and opened it just as Lena pulled up to the curb, ending the call on her mounted cell phone.
He checked to make sure he had his wallet and his badge and house keys, then closed the place up, moved down the front walkway toward her.
She smiled as he approached, window down, the day hot, and he got that thing again, that feeling.
Damn.
She was the one.
Twice in one life – that was what you called lucky. Maybe, he thought, some things changed after all.
* * *
If Bobbi’s story had you gripped, then you need to meet the Larsons: newlyweds Brett and Emily have just moved into their dream house, but when they discover bones in their garden, it quickly turns into a nightmare. Get Buried Secrets by T.J. Brearton now!
Buried Secrets
Get it here.
* * *
Newlyweds Brett and Emily Larson have just moved into a new home deep in the countryside, and are overjoyed when Emily finds out she’s pregnant.
* * *
Then they discover human bones in their garden.
* * *
As the police start to investigate, three things become clear:
* * *
The bones are recent.
They are not here by accident.
They are a message.
* * *
When the police put three photographs of known criminals on the Larsons’ kitchen table, the couple realize the danger may be closer to home than they think.
* * *
As the situation escalates, can Brett and Emily keep one step ahead to protect themselves – and their unborn child?
* * *
Fast-paced, compelling and full of twists, this heart-pounding thriller will keep you turning the pages until the very end. Perfect for fans of Rachel Abbott, Robert Dugoni and Linwood Barclay.
Hear more from T.J. Brearton
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Also by T.J. Brearton
BURIED SECRETS
GONE MISSING
NEXT TO DIE
DARK WEB
DARK KILLS
GONE
HIGH WATER
* * *
The Titan series:
HABIT
SURVIVORS
DAYBREAK
BLACK SOUL
* * *
Tom Lange series:
DEAD GONE
TRUTH OR DEAD
A Letter from T.J. Brearton
I want to say a huge thank you for choosing to read Next to Die. If you did enjoy it, and want to keep up-to-date with all my latest releases, just sign up here. Your email address will never be shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.
For me, this book is about relationships. The people in our lives shape us to an extent I’m not sure we’re ever quite fully aware of. Bobbi is a hero to me because even though she has a troubled past, she’s open to new experiences, new possibilities. Mike is a little older and it’s taken him longer – but with Lena he sees another chance at happiness, and we all deserve a second chance.
I hope you loved Next to Die, and if you did I would be very grateful if you could write a review. It would be great to hear what you think, and it makes such a difference to helping new readers discover one of my books for the first time.
I love hearing from my readers – you can get in touch on my Facebook page, through Twitter, Goodreads, or my website.
* * *
Warm regards, T.J.
* * *
T.J.’s website
Gone Missing
Get it here.
* * *
It was a normal day. Then they took her.
* * *
Katie Calumet is on an early-morning run when she hears a baby crying. The park is deserted, and there’s no one in the street. She follows the cries, but then everything goes black. When Katie wakes up, she’s blindfolded and her hands and feet are bound.
* * *
Detective Justin Cross takes on the case, but with the trail leading into endless dense forest, and a failing marriage weighing on his mind, finding Katie is his most challenging case yet – not least because the Calumet family are keeping secrets of their own.
* * *
Justin and Katie face a race against time that will push them both to their very limits. As Justin works day and night to discover who took her and why, Katie fights desperately to escape from her kidnappers and the forest that surrounds her…
* * *
Can Justin find her before it’s too late?