Chapter Eighteen

                                    

                                          
Chapter Eighteen
                          
I only had time to have a quick shower and get dressed before there was a pounding at the door. I wondered if they taught that heavy handed knock at the police academy. As I walked to the door, I threw a reassuring glance at Sean.
                          
"Don't worry, it will be okay. I've got your back remember."
                          
Sean smiled gratefully. Admittedly, it was a really tense kind of smile but I was going to put it into the win column.
                          
"You really need to lighten up on the knocking," I said as I opened the door.
                          
Griffin walked in, slowing down as he spotted Sean.
                          
"Where's Ramos?" I asked, looking behind him.
                          
"Considering what you said on the phone I thought it was a good idea to keep her out of it until I see what we are dealing with."
                          
He was talking to me but his eyes were completely fastened on Sean. Sean for his part looked ready to bolt, and personally I didn't blame him. I'd been on the receiving end of Griffin's glares. I could appreciate Sean's need to be anywhere else. I walked over to Sean and put an arm around his shoulder, partly in support and partly to make sure he didn't run.
                          
"This is Sean, I met him yesterday."
                          
"And you let him stay here last night," Griffin said incredulously.
                          
I stopped. "How did you know that?"
                          
"Detective, remember."
                          
I looked around. I had to admit, the made up couch was kind of a giveaway.
                          
"Sean is the one who has something to say."
                          
The three of us sat down and Sean told Griffin everything about taking the photos, going to Ryan Hendricks and about how we ended up in the place where we were right now. I kept my eyes on Griffin and could see his jaw get tighter and tighter. When he saw the last of the photos and I pointed out the man I'd seen at Adam's kidnapping yesterday, he ran his hand over his face.
                          
"You've both well and truly stepped in it haven't you?" he asked, with what I'm assuming was a rhetorical question. I'm not a cop and even I could see we were in trouble.
                          
He pointed to the photo of the guy who was handing Adam what looked like some pills.
                          
"This here is Vincent Mendoza. He is the nephew of Johnny Rollins, one of the big guys in the illegal drug trade in LA. Vincent is a bit of an idiot but he is the only child of Johnny's much loved older sister. Johnny has had to pull this moron out of the fire more than once and people have a tendency to get very hurt when Johnny is protecting family. The guy you identified as one of the kidnappers yesterday is part of Johnny's crew." Looking at me he said regretfully, "I'm sorry, Trudie. I can't deal with this alone. It is way too big. If Ryan Hendricks confronted Adam about these photos and Adam told Mendoza, he could have been killed in any number of ways. The tox screen was clear for drugs but there could be something there that is new that we don't have a test for."
                          
I nodded. "Sean, this is your life we're talking about. You get a say in this as well."
                          
Sean looked surprised but there was no way I was going to let Griffin take this choice away from him. I was surprised to realize that it looked like I still had some residual anger in me regarding the way Griffin had treated me. Looking at Griffin, I could see that he saw that as well.
                          
"Ryan Hendricks is dead because of the photos I took," Sean said quietly.
                          
"No," I said vehemently, putting my arms around him and pulling him into a hug that I probably needed just as much as he did. "Ryan Hendricks may still have died from natural causes. Even if he didn't and these guys killed him, you are not responsible, they are." I said it fiercely, not wanting him to hold onto that guilt.