Cop Said “You Two Aren't Welcome Here” To Twins — Both Were Federal Agents Investigating Him
Chapter 8
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"As long as what takes?" Pratt tilted his head. "You have a video of a hardworking bar owner handing a police officer an envelope. Do you know what's in my files about that envelope? A donation to the Cold Creek Police Benevolent Fund, for widows and orphans of fallen officers. Hank has been very generous to that fund over the years. Haven't you, Hank?"Hank's face went white."Every Friday," Dempsey said, grinning. "Like clockwork. Real generous man.""There's no such fund," Jayda said."There is now," Pratt said pleasantly. "It has a bank account and everything. I signed the papers myself." He checked his watch. "Excuse me. I have a young woman to prosecute for serving alcohol to children."He walked into the courtroom. Dempsey followed him, stopping in the doorway to look back at the twins. "You should have stayed in St. Louis," he said. "This is what happens when you don't know your place."The hearing took 11 minutes. Lucy came in wearing an orange jumpsuit with her hands cuffed in front of her; when she saw her grandfather, her chin shook, but she did not cry. Pratt stood up and asked the judge to set bail at $25,000, calling Lucy a danger to the children of this community.The judge, an older man who never once looked at Pratt, set bail at $5,000. Hank paid it with a check from his savings; Kendra watched him sign it—his hand was steady. He did not look scared anymore. He looked angry.An hour later, Lucy walked out of the side door of the county jail in her own clothes and ran straight into her grandfather's arms. He held her for a long time."I'm sorry," she kept saying. "I'm sorry, Grandpa. The bar—""Hush," Hank said. "It's just a bar. You're my girl."Jayda stood a few feet back, giving them space. Then she noticed something across the street in the police station parking lot: a patrol car, a young officer sitting behind the wheel all alone, watching them. It was Tyler Webb. When Webb saw Jayda looking at him, he turned his head away fast, started the car, pulled out of the lot, and drove off down the street."Kendra," Jayda said quietly. "The partner. He was watching us.""I know," Kendra said. "He's been watching us since Friday."That night, the twins sat in their motel room with the lights off, eating cold pizza and going over the bar video again. On the screen, Dempsey held out his hand—"Rent's due, Hank"—while behind him in the doorway, Webb's body camera glowed green.At 11:00, there was a soft sound at the door. Both sisters went still. Kendra put her hand on the gun at her hip; Jayda crept to the window and pulled back the curtain an inch. Nobody was there; the parking lot was empty.Then Kendra looked down: a small piece of paper had been pushed under the door. She picked it up—a page torn out of a pocket notebook. On it, someone had written in neat block letters:He keeps a book. Every dollar, every name. That was all. No signature.Jayda read it over her shoulder. "Webb?""Webb," Kendra said, holding the paper up to the lamp and reading it again.