A Chip and a Chair (Seven of Spades, #5)(9)

“He was shot by friendly fire while serving with the Marines, and a superior officer betrayed him by trying to cover it up,” Martine said. “Could speak to motive.”

Levi shook his head. “Not really. That officer was later discovered and court-martialed, so justice was served in that case. And honestly, Sergeant Wen? I just can’t see it.”

Dominic sighed; Levi had said that about every suspect they’d considered at one point or another. “Levi . . .”

“I’m serious. Wen is too neat. I don’t think he’s obsessed with cleanliness to the point of mental illness, but he hates messes and he always needs to have everything just so. The way the Seven of Spades kills people results in a ton of messy blood splatter. This may sound weird, but I think Wen would be too grossed out to murder people that way.”

“That’s . . .” Martine paused, her brow furrowing. “A good point, actually.”

Deferring to their greater familiarity with Wen, Dominic said, “Okay. How about Montoya?”

“She was one of the IA detectives investigating Keith for police brutality,” Levi said. “She would have known he’d make a perfect fall guy.”

Martine hummed agreement. “She attended Rohan’s briefing on the Seven of Spades’s profile even though the department hadn’t requested an IA presence, and she took it upon herself to get involved in the case for reasons she hasn’t fully explained. Giving you her research could have been a mind game or a way of connecting to you-or both.”

“Plus, we know from the things she uncovered that she has suspicious access to some highly protected information, including your assault in college,” Dominic pointed out. “If she’s the Seven of Spades, researching that could have been how she realized there was more to the story and discovered the bribe that kept your attackers from being identified.”

Levi made a face, his shoulders twitching like he was physically shrugging off the memories. “Most damning, she was assigned to my IA investigation when I was suspended, and the afternoon of my hearing-the afternoon Carolyn Royce was murdered-Montoya was suddenly called away on another case. She knew exactly when I would be at the substation, and she managed to be conveniently absent.”

“Arguments against?” Martine asked.

“We’ve never had much of a relationship. Before the murders, we were distant colleagues at best. Now, I consider her an ally, but we’re definitely not friends. I can’t believe that she has strong feelings about me one way or the other.”

“Let’s table her for now, then,” said Dominic. “That brings us to Jonah Gibbs.”

“Fuck, where to start? He’s been lurking around the fringes of this case since day one.” Levi counted his points off on his fingers while he spoke. “Gibbs is the one who named the Seven of Spades, for God’s sake. He’s been present at multiple Seven of Spades crime scenes. He was the first responder when Drew Barton attacked me, even though my hotel was nowhere near his usual beat. And he was outside the Regional Justice Center when Barton was shot, because somehow, his schedule always seems to line up with mine.”

Martine picked up the thread from there. “He’s expressed empathy with the Seven of Spades on numerous occasions. He was relieved when Carmen Rivera escaped custody after being revealed as a mole. And the day after the Seven of Spades mass-murdered those Slavic Collective human traffickers-the only time their victims put up serious resistance-he came to work with significant facial injuries.”

“His explanation for that was legitimate, though,” Dominic said. “I checked it out myself. He was assaulted during a domestic disturbance call.”

“He could have gone into that call already injured and deliberately provoked the guy into hitting him.”

“Hmm. I can find out.” Dominic made a note for himself on his phone. Rebel, annoyed he’d stopped petting her, bumped her head into his shoulder and then leaned her considerable weight against his side.

“As far as motive,” Martine continued, “we know from Montoya’s research that Gibbs and his mother were physically abused by his father throughout his childhood. He was arrested as a juvenile for assaulting his father with a deadly weapon in her defense. And as a police officer, he’s been reprimanded many times for using excessive force in the line of duty.”

Levi’s pacing had slowed to more of an idle walk as he sank deeper into thought. “My biggest misgiving about Gibbs is his personality. He’s impulsive and tactless with no self-control-the antithesis of the Seven of Spades, at least under normal circumstances.”

“We’ve discussed the possibility of that being an act.” Dominic absently rubbed his new tattoo through his shirt. It was healing well, but it itched like a bastard.

“Okay, but that’s pure speculation. We don’t have any evidence to support it.”

“I’m also doubtful that he’d be so publicly empathetic to the Seven of Spades if he were the killer,” said Martine. “Although . . . maybe that’s part of the fun? Or a way to throw us off the scent?”

Levi came to a full stop, rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet. “Besides, Gibbs doesn’t even like me, so why would he have focused on me like this?”

Dominic and Martine both stared at him.

“What?” he said, blinking back at them.