Eleven (Brandon Fisher FBI Series)

Chapter 35 & 36

Chapter 35

THE SARASOTA POLICE STATION WAS a modern building of architectural wonder. Its many windows allowed sunlight to stream in creating a bright, uplifting interior. The periwinkle blue used as an accent on the exterior took up a solid presence in the lobby where the front face and wall of the reception area was painted the same color.

The female officer sitting behind the window watched the four of us approach. She offered a sincere smile. "Can I help you?"

Jack held up his creds. "We need to speak with the police chief."

"Brennan's not in today."

"We need to reach him."

She took a business card from a plastic display that was kept on her side of the glass and extended it to Jack. "It has his cell listed there."

Jack took it but never looked at the card. "What about Sergeant Haynes?"

Sergeant Haynes was the superior in charge of the officers who came to The Pawnshop. He was the one Paige was put in touch with to arrange for the backup.

"He's here." She dragged out her words in such a way they somehow contained a question. She picked up her phone and dialed an extension. "You have someone here to see you...okay." She hung up. "He'll be right down."

Minutes later, a far door opened and he stepped out. "Agents."

I remembered him clearly from yesterday. He had walked through the door to The Pawnshop after the shot was fired. Sergeant Haynes was a man of average height and of common features except for a distinguishing mole on his chin.

"We need to speak with you. In private."

The sergeant's eyes skipped over all of us, settled back on Jack. "This way."

He led us through the building to a conference room where he took a seat at the end of the table and gestured for us to sit around it. "So you have your unsub?"

"We have evidence that someone at The Pawnshop tampered with evidence."

"You come in here and accuse the Sarasota PD of a cover-up?"

"That's exactly what we're doing. We know Robinson had an S&W .38 revolver registered to him."

"There's no record of it being found at the shop."

"You want to try again?"

Haynes remained silent.

"Robinson said it should have been there."

"I...I don't know what to say. I know nothing about it."

"Is this because you don't like us in your city? And you actually want to pin something on the FBI?"

"That's not true." His eyes went to the empty water pitcher in the middle of the table.

"Your chief made it clear to my agents—," Jack nodded toward Paige and then to me "—he was offended by the fact we never notified him of our presence here."

Haynes clasped his hands on the table. "It is common courtesy to—"

"Is this the excuse for removing evidence?"

"Of course not."

"We ran quick backgrounds on the officers who were at the scene yesterday. And Officer Bryant applied to the academy."

"You think he took the evidence to make it appear as if your agent shot an unarmed man? Why?"

Jack's eyes narrowed.