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Chapter 625 Deal with the Devil

"

David Hale was looking over crime statistics. The one and only murder in Charming—Louise's—stuck out. The case was cold. No leads. Nothing. If something didn't happen soon, he didn't think they would ever solve it. He stared at Louise's name wracking his brain for some way to solve the crime when his private cell buzzed.

"I need a favor," Jax said without preamble.

"For you or SAMCRO?"

"Me."

"What is it?"

"This is between us."

"I figured that when you called me on my private cell."

"I want everything you have on my father's death. Witness statements, medical reports, police reports, everything even things not part of the official file."

"It was ruled a hit and run accident. The statue of limitations has run out."

"Then you shouldn't have a problem giving me the information I want."

"Why do you want it now?"

"I'm finally ready to deal with what happened to him whether his bike malfunctioned or he drove into the semi, I need to know."

Hale didn't buy Jax's explanation, but he wasn't sure if he cared. If Jax discovered his father had been murdered and decided to find the person and remove him from life, Jax might make a mistake that could get him locked up. He would be rid of the smartest guy in SAMCRO. That would be a good thing.

He liked Jax on a personal level, but on a professional level, the guy was a criminal and probably a killer. He didn't respect the law and that meant he could be a threat to Charming. And then there was Scarlett. If Jax were locked up, Scarlett would be free. She might wait out a short jail sentence, but if Jax ever got locked up for a long stretch, she'd move on.

"I might be willing to help you, but we don't do favors for each other for free," Hale said.

"Didn't expect it not to cost. What do you want?"

Hale's eyes went to Louise's name on the police statistics page. SAMCRO helped in the search. If there was a lead out there from someone who didn't want to talk to cops, the MC could help with that.

"I need help with Louise's murder," Hale confessed. "We don't have a damned lead."

"We took a spill on a run on Saturday. Some ass hole in a white pick-up tried to run us over. Most of us are injured and won't be able to work for a few weeks. We could spend a week or two looking for leads. The MC is all about helping the community out."

"When I get you that stuff on your father, I'll give you some unofficial info on Louise. You are to only uncover leads not pursue them."

"You got it," Jax said.

"Look Jax, I'm serious. I don't want you to taking the law into your own hands and killing some guy even if he did kill Louise. I want your word that no one in the MC will kill this guy if you find him."

"Yeah, I can do that. We'll see what justice has in store for the serial killer. It's Cali so he'll get life without parole. Even if he got the death penalty, he'd die of old age. Prison is a miserable place, so maybe death is too merciful."

Again Hale didn't believe Jax. He was telling him what he wanted to hear and he was OK with that. When he'd been an idealistic rookie, he had a more rigid view of right and wrong, but he'd been a cop too long not to have gray areas.

Louise had been a nice young woman who didn't deserve to be murdered and there was no doubt in his mind that she was the victim of a serial killer. If the person who hunted and killed was killed himself, he wasn't going to worry about a miscarriage of justice.

"Deal. I'll get you your information and you'll help me with Louise."

"Deal. This stays between us. I don't want even Unser to know about this," Jax said.

"I won't tell him what I'm doing for you, but I will tell him that the MC is unofficially helping us find leads on Louise's murder. He might have some ideas you can follow up on."

"I'm good with that. Since I'm laid up for a few weeks, I'd like that file on my father . . . "

"Yeah, I'm on it," Hale interrupted. "I can get it for you tomorrow."

"I'm not at TM this week. I'm at Scarlett's condo."

"OK, I'll text you before I stop by."

As Jax ended the call, Hale wondered if he'd made a deal with the devil. Why did Jax really want his father's file after all these years? In the end, it didn't matter if the MC could dig up some clues to help him solve Louise's murder that's all that really mattered to him.