“With all due respect, sir, you need to know that Detective Quinn has been under investigation by the FBI twice in the last five years, specifically related to her undercover work. She’s also currently under federal investigation regarding use of force and violation of federal law during her most recent undercover investigation. It’s why she’s been placed on administrative leave—though her boss, Sergeant Popovich, may have told you that she’s on vacation.”

Matt tensed. He didn’t want to know this information, but he needed to. Yet, why would Thornton be calling him out of the blue when Matt explicitly said he didn’t need anything from him?

“Explain,” he said sharply.

“Yes, sir.” Bryce’s kiss-ass tone grated on Matt, but he let him talk. “On February 15, Detective Quinn used deadly force during an undercover sting operation involving an illegal sweatshop in Los Angeles. Witness statements indicated that the suspect was unarmed and complying with orders. Our office was brought in for a possible civil rights violation—the suspect was Chinese American. This isn’t the first time Quinn has used deadly force in the line of duty—nor is it the first time she’s been under investigation.”

“This information is irrelevant to my current situation, so—”

“You need to understand that this woman should never have been a cop,” Thornton interrupted. “The LAPD has been cleaning up her messes for twelve years, and this may be the final straw. Any good deeds she may have done during her tenure are washed away by her blatant abuse of authority and continuing violation of state and federal law. The fact that she’s trying to move laterally into another agency while this is hanging over her head is proof she knows her days are numbered.”

“Excuse me, what position is she up for?”

Silence. “Your assistant—Mr. Kim.”

“Did Mr. Kim say we were vetting her for a job?”

“No, but he is with the FBI Office of Recruitment, according to his file.”

Very, very interesting. Ryder had been initially assigned to the OOR, even though Matt tapped him directly out of Quantico for the MRT unit. It had to do with how he got paid and a lot of other bureaucratic crap that Matt didn’t care about, but his boss, Tony Greer, understood well. But how would Bryce Thornton know that unless he researched Ryder after the initial inquiry?

“Thornton, you have it wrong. I’m the SAC of the newly formed Mobile Response Team. You probably didn’t hear about it because we were recently commissioned and work in rural communities. Detective Quinn was a witness in one of my cases, and Mr. Kim was calling to verify identity and credentials.”

“I see. Well, sir, everything I said still holds. Watch her. And I hope you don’t need her witness statement for the prosecution, because by the time your case comes to trial, she won’t be a cop—and may in fact be in federal prison.”

Matt ended the call, but he was definitely concerned about what Thornton said. No wonder Kara Quinn said most feds she knew were dicks—Thornton was the definition of a dick. Yet, he must have something to back up his claims. He couldn’t just open a federal investigation without some evidence of wrongdoing.