He started the car. He didn't say anything else, proving his ability to remain silent when it mattered. It was, she decided, one of his better qualities.
She thought about the pinhole and the familiar face she couldn't place and the picture that was slowly coming into focus but wasn’t quite there yet.
She wasn't sure she was ready for what she was going to find when it did.
16
THE REAL DEAL
PATRICK
Patrick pulledinto the pub parking lot and turned off the vehicle. The short ride had been quiet but not uncomfortable, each of them processing in their own heads.
“Here,” she said, reaching into her pocket and extracting two zipped plastic baggies.
“What’s this?”
“Prints and hair samples,” she said. “I’m hoping you know a few more guys. Normally, I’d do it myself, but I can’t tap my resources for this.”
He stared at her.
“Oh, and I got this too.” She held up her phone and showed him pictures of the dead guy. Full face, left and right profiles. “Forfacial recognition software,” she explained. “If you have access to that sort of thing.”
“You are… thorough.”
She nodded, not with ego, but as an acceptance of fact.
“I'll let you know what I find out,” he said.
He watched her walk to her car, reluctant to let her go. Would he be totally out of line if he asked her to grab a coffee or suggested another impromptu IHOP session?
She turned when she got to her door and for a moment, he thought she might be thinking the same thing.
“Patrick.”
“Yeah.”
“Thank you,” she said. “For tonight.”
“You’re welcome.”
He sat in the lot after watching her drive away, his gut humming ominously—a sensation he’d heard his uncles describe on more than one occasion, but not something he’d experienced himself.
Until now.
Then he got out of his car and went inside.
The pub wasn’t busy.Just a few diehards nursing their beers and watching the end of the game. Jake was shooting the breeze with someone at the far end. Riley was wiping up behind the bar, rinsing glasses and loading them into plastic trays for sanitizing.
She looked up when he entered, her eyes filled with questions.
He gave her nothing. Just caught her eye and held it for a beat.
“Hey Dad,” Riley said, “can you take these back into the kitchen?”
“Sure thing.”
The moment Jake disappeared, Riley said, “Give me an hour.”