Ch 3 A Bit of Innocent Deception
Milton C. Hardcastle smiled as he drove away. He always felt good when he was pushing the kid's buttons, it kept both of them on their toes. But, though he didn't tell McCormick, this little excursion was one way he could prove to the kid that he really did trust him. After all, he could've brought him along on the operation, the kid could learn a lot from Frank Harper, but he felt that the chance to prove himself trustworthy was more important at this point. There would be plenty of time to learn from Frank and the rest of the detectives in the department, after all, McCormick would be with him for quite awhile...indefinitely actually, and at that he laughed out loud.
Then his thoughts turned to the case at hand. He hadn't told the kid he was tagging along on a police department investigation. Just that if he needed the judge, he should contact a certain Bed and Breakfast up the coast, where he was meeting an old friend. If McCormick did call, the manager had instructions to let Frank Harper know. This way the kid had no idea he was helping with the Farnell case. If there was anything he was sure of after working with McCormick for the past few months, it was that if he thought the judge was doing something even close to dangerous, he would make sure he was nearby. He didn't want the kid barreling into an undercover operation and messing up the investigation.
Arthur Farnell had somehow managed to break out of the local jail while he was awaiting a bail hearing. He'd had help, obviously, and Hardcastle was looking forward to finally implicating his girlfriend Trish in the escape. Once they had the evidence against her, he would enjoy seeing McCormick's reaction. The kid was too easily swayed by a pretty face and a sexy body.
And he had a score to settle with Farnell too. That weasel had set McCormick up to be killed by Terrance Harlow, without a second thought. If Milt had any reservations before, they were gone. The guy had no conscience, and he had to be taken down.
Frank had a man on the inside, someone close to Trish, and the operation was rapidly coming to a head. Milt wanted to be there when Farnell was finally captured.