“Hank and Lyle. Rosen says Savannah’s caught in an impossible situation.”
“Impossible how?” Sam asked.
“No family or means to speak of,” Everly said. “He paints her as a devoted mother stuck in this frozen town with a vengeful shit for an ex. An ex with all the power, money, and control in their relationship. Seems like most of this town is in the same situation. The Bishop mines touch everyone here—they either work for the mine, have a loved one who works for the mine, or depend on the employees of the mine for business. Rosen’s wife grew up here, and they moved from Utah two years ago to take care of his sick mother-in-law. He hates it here. Hates Bishop, hates the culture of fear and manipulation inside the department, but they don’t have the resources to move again. The medical bills are sucking them dry. And Rosen says if Bishop finds out he’s talking, losing his job would be a best-case scenario.”
“Murder being the worst?” Ian asked.
“Affirmative. He’s sure Hank killed Mason, but he doesn’t have any proof.”
“If he killed Mason, Bishop must be in on the counterfeiting.”
“Mason could have been involved with Savannah,” Everly speculated. “Bishop’s the kind of guy who wouldn’t take that well.”
Ian’s mind bent that direction. “If they were involved, Savannah couldn’t have been that invested. She’s more scared than sad over the topic, and she’s not showing any signs of grief, even home alone.”
“Sam told me we haven’t gotten anything good from the bugs.” Everly offered the folder she’d pulled from the glove box to Ian. “Rosen gave me the autopsy report.”
“Any forensic evidence?” he asked.
“The coroner classified it as an accident,” Everly said, “so no in-depth forensics were done.”
“Not exactly a surprise,” Ian said, skimming a read of the autopsy. “Coroners in the backwoods are notoriously inexperienced.”
“And this one undoubtedly falls under the Bishop power structure,” Everly said.
Ian searched his mind for a crack in the Bishops’ perfect wall. One they could chip away at until the barrier crumbled and all the dirty secrets spilled out. “Can we get Mason’s body? Do another autopsy? Look for Hank’s DNA?”
“Already on it,” Roman said. “What does Rosen say about the passports?”
“He hasn’t heard anything about passports, but that makes sense. Bishop wouldn’t tell his men about the scheme. He wouldn’t risk having a higher authority come into his territory.”
Ian shook his head. “They’ve got every damn angle covered.”
“I think Rosen and Savannah are the chinks in that chain,” Everly said. “They’re scared of him, they’re strong, and they want out.”
“We don’t know where Savannah stands yet,” Ian said. “There are custody issues to consider. As long as she’s stuck here, she won’t turn on her ex for the same reason no one else will.”
“I disagree,” Everly said. “She doesn’t let the cops walk all over her. She’s already practicing her escape. We’ve got to get our hooks into her before she disappears. Sooner rather than later. Rosen says Savannah’s detail is twenty-four seven unless she’s at work. They get her schedule every week and rotate the duty during her off hours through the deputies, though Rosen says Corwin’s bad attitude has earned him more surveillance time than others. They actually fill out a report, chronicling Savannah’s movements while they were on duty. According to Rosen, they embellish her activities as well, and everything goes into a file created for the sole purpose of gaining control over her. And get this,” Everly added. “She can’t cross the county line.”
He cut a look at Everly. “What do you mean?”
“All deputies have strict orders to stop her at the county line and turn her around. By force if necessary.”
“What the fuck?” he asked, more a revelation than a question. “Are we still in America?”
“Sounds like she’s either got something on him that he wants to keep in-house,” Roman said. “Or he’s afraid she’ll run with the kid.”
“Or, of course,” Everly added, “he’s a psychopathic, controlling bastard who enjoys making his ex-wife’s life miserable.”
Ian thought back over his confrontation with Corwin. Of Savannah’s and Jamison’s reactions to Hank in the café. Imagined how trapped she would feel, knowing she couldn’t get out, no matter how willing she was to deal with her financial limitations. And if she knew or suspected Hank killed Mason, she had to wonder if he would do the same to her.
“That’s fucked up.” Ian let his gaze blur over the snow-covered street ahead as his mind wound back around to the reason they were here.
“Did you find Baulder yet?” Roman asked.
Ian closed the folder. “No.” He looked at Everly. “But it’s a good time for Everly to hit the café and put in her application. Morning rush is over, and the owner’s in the back, baking.”
“Put that on hold,” Roman said. “You two come to the office. Sam’s pulled up some good intel. Let’s put our heads together.”