Fallout
Chapter 15
The Journal of John Nolan
I thought things couldn't get much worse with Bailey. I was wrong. That sonofabitch Jason framed her by planting cocaine in her car. The kicker is it was enough cocaine to count as a felony. If she's convicted, the fire department will cut her loose. I would imagine the National Guard might as well. I have no idea about her capoeira classes, but they're no more than a side hustle. Even if she can keep teaching them, she couldn't come close to making expenses, especially in LA.
Still, she has at least two things going for her. There's no way Jason could put her prints on that pack of cocaine. Bailey had none in her system either. Still, the prosecution could claim she handled the drugs with gloves, and pushers don't always use their products.
Also, one of the new prosecutors is on an unfortunate tear. Lucy worked with Wesley and James to get a 16-year-old who sold drugs released. Unfortunately, the young man was so intimidated by his supplier's threats that he robbed a store to pay him back. Sadly, the woman clerk had a heart attack. If she dies, the boy will be guilty of felony murder. Even if she lives, he'll face serious charges. The new people's representative blames Lucy – and our division in general – for putting a dangerous criminal back on the street. If he catches Bailey's case, we'll have no pull with him. So whatever evidence I get will have to stand solidly on its own.
Since James went to bat for the boy, Harper will have to be even more careful to keep her distance from him. The last thing she needs is for Donovan's lawyer to paint her as supporting drug pushing. We caught the ringleader of the porch-theft syndicate, so I'm back on uniformed patrol. For now, Harper and I are paired up again. She is, of course, a fount of information regarding drug operations. She's also already put out feelers about Jason and cocaine. She thinks he would have a hard time getting the large quantity of cocaine he planted in Bailey's car unless he's dealing himself. But it's also possible he had a stash from before he went to prison.
If that's the case, the drugs' chemical profile should be different from what's on the street now. The problem is that analyzing what Jason planted isn't a priority for the crime lab. But Harper thinks a drug chemist she enlisted to train Lucy might be able to help out. That's assuming we can get a sample to him. At the very least, we'd have to get Grey to sign off on that. However, he took a couple of family days for Christmas, and Bradford isn't senior enough to do it. Grey should be back tomorrow, and Harper and I plan to hit him up before roll call. We may not get much more time to work together. If Aaron doesn't go back to training with her soon, he'll never have the street experience he needs to move up to P2.
On the continuing soap opera of Tim and Lucy, if she was hoping that he'd break up with Ashley over Kojo, she was disappointed. Tim came in this morning with the look almost every man recognizes. He had a good night – a very good night. I'm guessing that Ashley and Kojo made peace. Tim brought Kojo along sometimes when we were fixing up Tom Bradford's house. He looks a little rough, but he's a sweetheart. I imagine once he and Ashley got to know each other, he loved her – and possibly vice versa. Of course, Lucy insists that if Tim's happy with Ashley, she's happy for him. But I know her too well to buy that. She's trying to convince herself, but so far, it's not working.
One piece of good news. The software bug that's been grounding private planes is patched. Henry can get back to the US now. The last aircraft that crashed came down on a street not far from the division. The pilot was fine and also a convicted thief. He paid someone else to serve his time. If the plane hadn't crashed, we would never have known. The crash caused a lot of traffic problems and some injuries, but I suppose nailing that guy was a silver lining of sorts.
I told Henry that something came up that kept me from proposing to Bailey. But I didn't tell him what. Even assuming I can clear her, she still lied to me. It's going to take me a long time to get past that. I love her, but that may not be enough.
Grey perches on the edge of his desk. "Now, let me get this straight. Nolan, you want me to sign off on getting the cocaine seized from your girlfriend's car out of evidence so Harper can send it to a friendly chemist? And I suppose there's no chance the DA would assume that you want to alter or disappear the drugs to get Bailey turned loose."
"Sergeant, Nolan's not asking. I am," Harper insists. "And that chemist is a cop with twenty years in drug analysis. We'll maintain the chain of custody throughout the process. And the test results can only get Bailey off if the labwork proves the cocaine couldn't have been hers. Sir, you were all in on what we did for Lopez. Compared to that, getting a little cocaine checked out is nothing."
Grey sighs. "I can't argue with that. All right, Harper, but make sure all the i's are dotted and the t's are crossed, or your golden ticket could lose its shine. Now you two better get your asses to roll call. Bradford's probably already in the room."
"Thanks, Harper," Nolan puffs as they run to take their places.
"Don't worry about it, Nolan. Right now, I'm not about to let a vengeful husband get his way," Nyla declares, dropping into an open seat.
John takes the chair beside her. "Yeah, I hear that."
"Two minor drug dealers turned up dead last night," Tim announces. "They both had cards with a picture of yellow sneakers stuffed in their mouths."
"That's the symbol of the Guatemalan cartel," Harper volunteers. "Abril Rojas' soldiers are staking their claim on the dealers' territories."
"Lopez agrees with you," Tim acknowledges. "And the process is likely to put even more product out on the streets. We'll also be looking at distributors with greater resources – and more victims. So it's more important than ever to cut the supply lines."
"My contacts say the Mexican cartels are upping operations as well. The Guatemalans won't want to waste energy fighting it out to route shipments through Mexico," Harper speculates. "The drugs may be coming in anywhere along the coast. They could even come through the official ports. Customs only has the personnel to check five percent of containers."
"All the more reason for all of us to stay alert and aware," Bradford responds. "We'll also need as many shops on patrol as possible. Thorsen, you'll be back with Harper. Nolan, you'll be on your own. I want you all to concentrate your presence in the areas of the division most prone to drug activity. Let's keep as many dealers as possible off the streets.
"We've also become aware of an uptick in home invasions. The attacks could be related to increased drug use, but as of now, we have no hard evidence of the connection. So far, the victims have been scared but not seriously hurt. However, that could change at any time. So let's shut down that activity ASAP. Now, go out there and keep the city safe."
"Aaron," an attractive woman calls as Thorsen heads for the armory.
Thorsen's mouth drops open. "Mom?"