Orchid Beach (Holly Barker 1)

Holly walked to where Wallace and Hurst were standing. “Back at the station, in my office, now,” she said.

CHAPTER

15

H olly followed the two officers into her office and closed the door, trying her best not to slam it. She sat down at her desk. “Does either of you know what happened in the courtroom?”

“No,” they said simultaneously.

“Hurd, when you searched the van and found the pistol, did you recognize it?”

“Recognize it? I don’t know what you mean. It wasn’t the first Smith & Wesson I’ve seen.”

“Hurd, that gun is registered to your ex-wife.”

Wallace’s composure did not change, but he appeared to be thinking hard. Hurst turned and looked at him in amazement. “Chief,” Wallace said, “I need a moment to find a file.”

“A file?” Holly asked. “What does a file have to do with this?”

“If you’ll give me just a moment, Chief.” Wallace maintained an icy calm.

“All right,” Holly said. Wallace got up and left the office. Holly turned to Hurst. “Do you have anything to say about this?”

Hurst shook his head. “No, Chief. I’m as flabbergasted as you are. In fact, I’m having trouble believing this.”

Hurd Wallace returned holding a manila file, but before he could speak, the desk officer knocked on the door and opened it.

“Excuse me, Chief, but Sweeney is here wanting his van. What should I do about it?”

“Give him the van and anything else we have of his, except the drugs.”

The young man nodded and closed the door.

“We’ve still got grounds for arrest on a drug possession charge,” Hurst said.

“We can’t do it,” Holly replied. “Right now, the department is under suspicion of having planted that gun in the van. If we charge him with possession, his lawyer will say we planted that, too. We’re in no position to move. We have to let him go.”

“I guess you’re right,” Hurst said.

“All right, Hurd, I’m waiting,” Holly said.

Wallace handed her the file. “This is a report of a burglary at my ex-wife’s house nearly three months ago.”

Holly opened the file and began to scan it.

“You’ll note that nearly five hundred dollars in cash was taken, and…”

“And a Smith and Wesson thirty-two,” Holly said, reading from the file. Her shoulders slumped. “Thank God.”

“I reckon Sweeney bought the gun off whoever stole it, or whoever he sold it to,” Wallace said.

“Sweeney’s been in town less than three weeks.”

“The gun could have changed hands half a dozen times. He could have bought it at any time after he arrived.”

“We’d never make that stick,” Holly said. “Who brought the van to the station?” she asked.

“It was towed in; that’s policy.”