Blind Trust
In other words, a dead end.
The lab didn’t have any DNA results back yet but was still checking the two cocaine samples to see if they were similar. Cocaine was often cut by other substances to dilute the drug, enabling the dealer to make more money. If the chemical composition of the two samples was exactly the same, it was likely they’d both come from the same batch. What that meant wasn’t clear, but he intended to cover every possible angle.
“Noah, I’m heading over to interview Roger Talmadge, aka Roach.” He glanced at Noah Jameson, who had recently been named the interim chief, filling his brother Jordan’s role in the wake of his murder, which had been staged to look like a suicide. Finn and the rest of the close-knit K-9 team did not for one minute believe their former chief killed himself. It bothered Finn that he hadn’t been able to get much done on Jordan’s case, and he made a silent promise to work on it later that afternoon. Once he’d got whatever information he could squeeze out of Roach.
“Don’t bother,” Zach Jameson said, walking toward him. “His lawyer has been delayed in court, so he’s still not talking.”
Finn let out an exasperated breath. “Great. Now what?”
“Now we wait.” Zach shrugged.
“Not happening.” Finn dragged his hands through his hair. “I’m going over the list of known associates again. One of them has to be the stinky guy with the Southern twang.”
“The stinky guy with the Southern twang?” Zach raised a brow.
“That’s how Eva describes him.” He abruptly remembered what Eva had mentioned last night. “Stinky with sweat, right? Maybe they originally met at the gym Malina used to go to. The Fitness Club.” He could barely contain his excitement. He’d planned on checking out the gym for the package anyway, but the idea that the stinky guy might have used the place as well only cemented the connection. “Come, Abernathy.”
“You need backup?” Zach asked.
He was about to refuse, then realized that Eddie’s drug-sniffing nose might come in handy. “Yeah, in fact, I think we need to check the place out, see if we can find any hint of drugs there.”
“We should get a search warrant,” Zach pointed out.
Finn hesitated, then nodded. “You’re right. I’ll write up the paper on that while you find a judge who will grant it.”
Writing up the request and finding a judge to sign off took another hour, and then they had exactly what they needed to access Malina’s locker—if she had one—at The Fitness Club.
They took separate cars because the K-9s needed to be safely transported in their own spaces. When they arrived at The Fitness Club, Finn and Zach led their respective dogs inside. Their agreement was that Finn would take the lead on asking questions and providing the warrant while Eddie searched the main area for the scent of drugs.
“I’m K-9 Officer Finn Gallagher and this is my search-and-rescue partner, Abernathy. I’d like to know if Malina Stallings had a membership here?”
“Uh, do you have a warrant?” The woman behind the desk had a name tag that identified her as Yasmine.
“Yes.” He handed her the paperwork.
“I need to call my boss,” Yasmine said. “This is above my pay grade.”
“No need to call your boss. Just tell us if Malina had a locker here. She died in a car crash that was deemed accidental, but I’m formally requesting to reopen the case. I believe she was murdered. If there’s no locker, then there’s nothing for us to search, right?”
“Oh, she’s the victim of a crime?” Yasmin’s expression softened. “That’s horrible. Let’s see what I have on file.” She tapped a few keys and then glanced up. “Yes, Malina Stallings has a membership here.”
“A current one?” Finn tried to keep the surprise out of his tone.
“Yes. Her membership is paid through June. She prepaid for six months.”
That was interesting and made him doubt Pete’s claims of innocence once again. “And what about a locker?”
“Yes, she paid for that, as well. Locker number twenty-six.” Yasmine glanced between Finn and Zach. “But it’s in the ladies’ locker room, and I think it would be best if I called my boss before I let you search the locker.”