Morgan picked up her fork and resumed eating, enjoying the meal with a renewed sense of appreciation.
She found, unexpectedly, that she was all right with that.
34
TOOK YOU LONG ENOUGH
PATRICK
Patrick was still assembling a verythorough file on the Philly situation the next morning, incorporating all he and Riley had found into something useful. Federal level investigations required more, particularly when multiple states and entities were involved. Every “t” had to be crossed, every “i” dotted, every fact substantiated and cross-referenced. He didn’t mind. It kept his mind busy while forcing himself to give Morgan space.
Declan entered the library and lowered himself into a chair. “Working in here today, huh?”
“Yes. Got the new high-speed router up and running,” Patrick said, waving his hand toward the innocuous looking black box. “Plus Garrett’s replacing the outlets in the kitchen with newer GFIs.” He sat back and stretched his back and neck, resulting in several audible pops. “Any news?”
“As a matter of fact, yes. Guess who quietly assumed control of the Varro case a few days after it came in?”
“Who?”
“Mitch Torres.”
The name was familiar. It’d come up several times during family conversations. Apparently, the Pine Ridge police officer had a blatant dislike for the Callaghans and allowed it to skew his judgment. Spoiler alert: they weren’t too fond of him, either.
“Torres? Why did he get the case? He wasn’t the one who responded to the call.”
“No, he didn’t,” Declan agreed. “But the cop who did is a rookie, and the chief thought it would be better to put someone more seasoned on the case. Here.”
Declan reached into his pocket and extracted a thumb drive, which he tossed to Patrick.
“What’s this?”
“Copies of the police reports—the one originally written by the rookie, and the one that Torres officially filed after the county coroner examined the body.”
“Let me guess. They’re not the same.”
“Got it in one. Torres’s version omits a few key details. Nothing you’d catch unless you already had a copy of the original, which—shocker—has mysteriously disappeared.”
“Your contact?” Patrick guessed.
Declan nodded. “She thought something felt off about this whole thing, so she made a backup.”
“Smart. And risky. Is she safe?”
“She knows how to take care of herself.”
“But you’re looking out for her anyway,” Patrick said, knowing his cousin.
Declan didn’t respond, but his glowing green eyes gave him away.
“Anything in there that we can use?”
“Legally, no. The deleted file is inadmissible. Torres is a dick, but he’s a dick who knows how to cover his tracks.”
“I guess we’ll just have to handle this one ourselves, then.”
“Guess so,” Declan said. His expression suggested he was looking forward to it. “Speaking of, have you come up with a name for the paperwork yet?” Declan asked.
“I think so. What do you think about C & C Security and Investigations?”