Read Sullivan Saga 1: Sullivan's War for Free Online Page A

arriving at the front of the building came around to investigate the noise.
     
    CONNER WAS KNEELING on the floor next to Takemitsu when Allen and Wagner returned to her apartment. Takemitsu had woken up and was rubbing his throat where Sullivan had choked him.
    Allen knelt down and put his hand on Takemitsu’s shoulder. “You all right, John? Do you need a bus?”
    “I’ll be fine.” Takemitsu coughed. “He has a real tender touch, considering.”
    “Looks like he took you down the same way he took down Lasky. He didn’t want to kill you. I don’t think he wants to kill anybody. He’s just doing what he thinks he has to do.” Allen turned to Karen Conner. “Did he say anything to you?”
    “Yes. He gave me this. He said I should give it to you and help expose the corruption in the Assembly and the crimes of Edaline’s government.” She held out her palm and showed the data chip to Allen. He reached out to take it but Conner closed her fist. “You will investigate this, won’t you, Agent Allen?”
    “Absolutely. We will investigate any crimes that the information on that chip might reveal.”
    “But will the public get that information? He wanted the people to know.”
    “I can’t answer that yet. I’m sorry.” Conner opened her hand and Allen took the chip from her palm. He stood and helped Takemitsu to his feet. “Miss Conner, will you come down to the Bureau office and give an official statement? We need to know exactly what he said to you.”
    “Of course.”
    “And may we have permission to search your apartment?”
    “He barely left the doorway.”
    “All the same, it doesn’t hurt to check things out.”
    “I suppose.”
    “Is that a yes, Miss Conner?”
    “Yes.”
    Allen turned to Takemitsu. “You all right to take her, John?”
    “Sure. Where’s Ives?”
    “He’s in the hallway. Sullivan hit him with tear gas, but he’ll be all right.”
    Wagner smiled at Conner. “It’ll be all right now,” she said. “We think he’s made his point and won’t bother you again.”
    Conner smiled back, smoothed out her clothes and followed as Takemitsu stepped to the door. Once she had gone, Allen went into Conner’s office and sat down in front of her computer.
    Wagner stood behind him, watching. “You think she was in on the land scheme?”
    “No. But she might unknowingly have files that will shed light on who is. Messages from Palmer, early drafts of the Edaline resolution. If we can find something to corroborate the information on that chip, it’ll help make the case. Hold on. Look at this.”
    Wagner leaned forward. Allen had opened a folder of photos from what appeared to be a party at Gene Palmer’s penthouse. “There are Palmer, Howard and Conner,” said Allen. “Do you recognize the others?”
    “No.” Wagner scanned each photo with her tablet. “I’ll run these through the facial recognition program.”
    After a moment, she cleared her throat. “All right, most of them are Assembly members. But there are two who aren’t.”
    “Who are they?”
    “Hmm… members of Edaline’s parliament.”
    Allen leaned over and looked at the names on Wagner’s tablet. He typed them into a search program on his own computer and scanned the information. “Pretty high up in the government, too. You know, from the date stamps on these photos, this party took place a week before Palmer officially announced his support for the Edaline resolution. I’ll bet this is where the deal was brokered. And I’ll bet that most of the other assembly members who were in on it were at this party.”
    “But Howard’s there. He didn’t throw his support behind the resolution until a few days ago.”
    “Right.” Allen furrowed his brow. “Holy shit, Liz. This was planned from the beginning! The people at this party have been endorsing the resolution piecemeal over the past year. They did this to avoid suspicion, to appear as though they were slowly being brought around to a pro-Edaline