by Layla Reyne
He dug his badge out of his pocket and flipped it open for the other man. “Special Agent Sean Hale.”
An ugly Cheshire cat grin split the mayor’s face. “Well, I’m glad the FBI is involved since I can’t trust local law enforcement to handle things properly.”
This guy had no business calling anyone an idiot if he was fool enough to think Sean would take his side. Shoving his badge back into his pocket, Sean retreated a step behind Charlie and Abel. “This is HPD’s case. I’m only observing, and from what I’ve seen so far, Chief Champion’s department is more than capable of handling it.”
Stymied, the mayor’s beady blue eyes bounced between the three of them. “I want hourly updates.”
“You’ll get updates as new information is available,” Charlie said. “Feel free to direct all press inquiries to me. We wouldn’t want to overtax city hall.”
Craig took a menacing step forward. “If your last name wasn’t Henby, I’d have your ass out of here so fast.”
Charlie didn’t flinch. “And if your last name wasn’t Rowan, yours wouldn’t be in city hall either.”
“Craig,” Abel said, interrupting the escalating hostilities. “You’d best leave now.”
“I want updates,” he persisted.
“And as Charlie said, you’ll get them as they become available.”
“Fine.” He gave Charlie one last murderous glare, then stormed out.
The front door had barely closed behind him when the station erupted in applause. With a tight grin, Charlie gave her colleagues a half bow before Abel ordered everyone back to work.
“Wally,” Charlie said, “Call Nadine in Craig’s office again now and every hour with an update.”
Across the bullpen, Officer Sylvan hung his head in his hands. “Fuck me.”
“With any luck, they’ll get as tired of it as you. Wear ’em down good,” she said with a wink, then turned to Abel, all humor fading. “You think we’ll ever be rid of that asshole?”
“You said it yourself, sugar. His last name’s Rowan.” He reclaimed his coffee and took a long swallow. “Before too long it’ll be his son’s ass in that chair.”
“Fuck me,” Charlie said, repeating Wallace’s sentiment.
“You handled him well,” Sean commended.
“I’ve had a lifetime of dealing with that man’s shit. I’m a pro.” More than weary frustration flashed in her black eyes, but then it was gone a second later. “The only one who handles him better is Trevor. Speaking of, I’m going to try him again, then I’ll meet you in the conference room.”
Sean nodded and waited until she was in her office to ask Abel for more of the story. “What was that all about?”
“Things are tense between city hall and HPD.”
“You don’t say.” This was more than politics, though. Sean could see it in the grim set of Abel’s mouth and the thinly veiled hate in Charlie’s eyes. “They go back, Charlie and Craig? I heard vague rumblings, but our paths here never crossed.”
“One date in high school. Didn’t end well.”
Sean’s own hostility toward the mayor escalated. “Did he hurt her?”
“No, Trevor got to her in time,” Abel replied. “Doesn’t help that Craig’s younger brother, Adam, gets dragged in here routinely. He’s out within the hour, thanks to a judge in his daddy’s pocket. Zero consequences. Frustrates the hell out of Charlie.”
Sean glanced across the bullpen to where she was pacing in her office again. “Not the only thing that’s frustrating her at the moment.”
“No, it’s not.”
Abel’s phone rang an office over, and once it became clear the call was going to take a while, Abel throwing his feet up on the desk, Sean headed back to the conference room. Break over, and wouldn’t you know it, the case and crime scene photos were preferable to thinking about Charlie and Craig. Diego and Jaylen had set up a whiteboard, a black line drawn down the middle, separating it into two halves. One side was covered in notes and photos from Jeff’s crime scene. On the other side, they’d started to collect the same for Julian’s.
Sean rested against the end of the conference table, studying the photo of the note from Othello and the photo of where the note had been found.
“Desdemona, for sure,” Charlie said behind him. “Double-checked it.” She stood in the doorway, shoulder to the jamb.
“We used to have to drag you kicking and screaming to plays,” he said. “And you’d only go to the ones Trevor was in.”
“Trevor and Annie dragged me to this one.” She moved toward the whiteboard and flipped it over, blank side facing out so their investigation notes and photos weren’t visible. “Speaking of, Annie’s on her way.”
“Why’s Annie coming in?”
“She’s a librarian at HU. She overhears more about what goes on there than anyone.”
“Makes sense,” he said. “You said a couple reasons. Something else?”
Charlie’s high heels tapped a staccato rhythm against the floor. “She’s close to Tracy and Trevor. I need to tell her what’s going on. In person.”
Sean fought his traitorous eyebrow that threatened to lift, but before he could ask why Annie had remained close with Trevor’s ex-wife, the object of his curiosity appeared in the doorway. Sean smiled, waves of forgotten brotherly affection washing over him. The years had been kind to Annabelle Henby. Her long white-gold hair was held away from her face by a pair of oversized sunglasses atop her head, her big blue eyes shone bright, and dressed in a pink button-up, pressed black slacks, and black flats, she was the picture-perfect stylish librarian who could also pelt you with a wicked fastball.
Her fingers fidgeted with the strap of her messenger bag as her eyes zoomed between him and Charlie. As a teen, she’d been shy around him at first until he’d conspired with Trevor and Cal to make her laugh at every opportunity, which was why he couldn’t help contorting his face right then, crossing his eyes, wrinkling up his nose, and letting his tongue hang out the side of his mouth.
Annie tried to hide it, but the corner of her mouth twitched. “So it’s true, Odie, you’re back?”
He barked in jest, and Charlie backhanded him with a slap to his gut.
“That was fast,” Annie mumbled.
Charlie stepped ahead, hugging her sister. “What was fast?”
“Nothing.” Annie returned the embrace somewhat stiffly, her eyes staying locked on him over Charlie’s shoulder. “What’s going on? Abel didn’t give me any details over the phone. He just said I should come to the station ASAP.”
“Let’s have a seat.” Charlie led her sister toward the chair at the head of the table. Sean closed the conference room door and took the chair on Annie’s other side.
She glanced back and forth between them. “You two are making me nervous.”
Charlie scooted closer. “Something’s happened, and I wanted to tell you in person”
Annie instantly went from curious to concerned. “What’s wrong?”
“There was an incident this morning at Julian and Tracy Hirsch’s home.”
“Oh no, Trace.” Tears welled in her eyes as she covered her mouth with a hand.
Charlie slung an arm around her sister’s shoulder. “Tracy’s safe. She wasn’t home, but Julian’s dead.”
Annie’s eyes grew huge, skittering to him, then back to Charlie. “Does Trevor know?”
“We can’t find him to tell him,” Sean answered, laying a hand over her shaking one. “We went to his house this morning, and it looked like he’d packed and left in a hurry. And he’s not answering his cell.”
Oddly, Annie relaxed, unclenching her hands and shrugging out of Charlie’s hold. “Oh! That’s probably because he’s in the mountains by now.”
“Mountains?” Charlie asked. “You know where he went?”
“Apex, Virginia. He called me early this morning and said he was headed to Apex University. He got an email overnight from someone there about a case he was helping you with. The cont
act wanted to meet with him in person, and she was only available until noon, so he had to book it. I assumed he called you too.”
Charlie’s eyes were a turbulent mix of betrayal, concern, and doubt. She stood abruptly and walked to one of the windows overlooking Main Street, her back to them.
Giving her a moment, Sean carried on with Annie. “Why did he call you?”
Annie’s attention swung from Charlie back to him. “He left a voicemail for his assistant and sent her an email, but he wanted me to follow up to be sure his classes were canceled. Good thing, as I called, and she was a no-show today. I’m headed over there next.”
Sean breathed a sigh of relief at the same time he cursed Trevor for taking off without calling either him or Charlie. Probably because he knew if he did, they’d both tell him not to go.
“Trevor’s not in trouble, is he?”
“No.” Sean squeezed her hand again and smiled. “We’ve been worried is all.”
Annie smiled in return before looking to Charlie, who’d turned back to them. “Julian’s really dead?”
The swirling storm of emotion in Charlie’s black eyes was gone, replaced by compassion. Same as she’d banked her own feelings at Tracy’s that morning. Took a special person—a special cop—to be able to do that. “Yeah, sweetie, Julian’s really dead.”
“How’s Trace?” Annie asked, compassion and concern something the Henby women shared.
“Not good.”
“I should go.” Annie moved to stand. “I need to check on her and see if I can help somehow.”
Charlie’s hand on her shoulder kept Annie seated. “I know you two are close, but she was distraught when we saw her this morning, blaming everyone, including Trevor and anyone connected to him.”
Something else Charlie had said earlier nagged at Sean. “Annie?”
“Hmm?”
“Charlie told me about Julian’s…” He struggled to find the right word under the circumstances. “Extracurricular activities. You wouldn’t happen to know who he was currently seeing, would you?”
One corner of her mouth hitched. “‘Seeing’?”
“You really gonna make me say it, A?”
“I knew what fucking meant when I was thirteen.” She patted his hand in perfectly patronizing fashion. “I definitely know what it means now.”
Even Charlie laughed at that, and Sean bit back his own smile. He didn’t mind the laugh at his expense if it lightened the dark day for the Henby sisters.
“Sarah Barnett, last I’d heard,” Annie said. “That might have changed by now, but start there. I’ll keep an ear out too.”
“We appreciate it,” Sean said as Diego opened the conference room door.
“Deputy, we need you in the bullpen.”
“Give me a second,” Charlie told Diego as they all stood. She wrapped Annie up in another hug. “Thanks for coming in, A. It helps a lot that we don’t have to worry about Trevor now.”
“Happy to help. Now go, duty calls.”
With obvious reluctance, Charlie released her sister with a “Be good,” then exited to the bullpen where Diego and Abel waited.
“Thanks again for coming in,” Sean said as he and Annie trailed behind. “If you hear from Trevor, you’ll let us know?”
“Sure thing.”
“Everything will be okay. Your sister’s on the case.”
“I know,” she said with a small smile.
“Everything good with you two?”
“It will be,” she said with a nod. “It’s good seeing you again, but I need to go. I’m supposed to be at HU Med in an hour to read to the children’s ward.”
He gave her a half hug before she turned on her heel and hurried out.
Charlie strode back into the conference room less than a minute later. “Jaylen and Diego are headed to campus to find Ms. Barnett, a rising sophomore.”
He rested against the windowsill and whistled. “Julian liked ’em young?”
“Julian liked them all.”
“Are you talking from experience? He ever try anything with you?”
She grimaced, causing him a momentary flare of anger. First Craig Rowan and now Julian Hirsch.
“Once. Hit on both me and Rachel the same night. We were out with Trevor, Cal, and Annie at Pier Point. Julian made certain overtures. Trevor decked him.”
“Sounds familiar.”
She laughed and rested back against the window ledge. “I’m just glad Trevor’s okay.”
“Me too.” He debated his next question, ultimately deciding to ask what had been on his mind all morning. “You want to tell me about you and Tracy? Seemed like you were the last person she wanted to see this morning and not just because her husband was murdered.”
Her gaze drifted out the window. “I was always the last person Tracy wanted to see.”
“You want to talk about it?” He told himself he was asking as a friend and investigator, not as the man who desperately wanted to know if there was still something between Charlie and Trevor, something Tracy couldn’t accept. Something Sean could pin his hopes on if not for himself then at least for them. Charlie looked at him like he was crazy for wanting to wade into the middle of it. He laughed, a hand raised. “I unloaded some heavy stuff on you last night. Just returning the favor.”
She smiled, tension easing from her shoulders. “Thanks, but I’ll be fine. Nothing I haven’t dealt with for years.” She pushed off the windowsill and moved directly in front of him, reexamining his face. “I’d stay out of Craig’s way unless you want to add more bruises.”
“You want to talk about that?”
“Fuck no.” She handled his face the same as she’d done that morning at the crime scene, and her fingers were just as scorching now. He held his breath and curbed his impulse to reach for her. “You are quite the rainbow.”
“Seems maybe Hanover isn’t good for my health.”
“You’re still breathing,” she said with a wink and a gentle pat to his jaw.
Sean rapped his knuckles on the closest piece of wood.
Chapter Ten
The backdoor of the station had barely closed behind Trevor when Sean cleared the bottom of the stairs and came barreling toward him.
“Trev, glad you’re back,” he said, not slowing one bit. Trevor held his hands up to block, only to have Sean slice his forearms between them and obliterate the defensive position, knocking Trevor’s arms aside. Hands to Trevor’s chest, Sean slammed him against the wall. “If you ever take off like that again without telling us, I’ll kick your fucking ass.”
What exactly did he think he was doing now? Sean certainly had the upper hand. Trevor was still struggling to catch his breath from the physical jolt to his body and from the emotional jolt of Sean’s words and actions. Anger and worry swirled in Sean’s eyes, and us rang in Trevor’s ears. “Where do I even start to unpack all that?”
“Better question,” Sean said, not giving an inch, “why the fuck didn’t you tell us where you were going? Or answer your goddamn phone all day?”
Us.
Ignoring how good, how familiar that sounded, even in Sean’s angry growl, even if the context was strictly professional, even if his twice-burned heart knew better, Trevor lowered a hand and dug his phone out of his pocket. He turned the darkened screen toward Sean. “It’s dead. I left in a hurry and forgot the charger.” Sean’s eyes—tired judging by the lines of red running through the whites and the bags beneath them—flicked to the phone. “And I didn’t tell you or Charlie I was going because you’d just tell me not to go.”
Sean’s gaze whipped back to him. “Damn right.”
“Proving my point.”
Sean stepped closer, his fingers curling in the front of Trevor’s shirt. Trevor’s breath stuttered, flashes of their recent night together careening through his mind. “Sean, what—”
“Sean, back off.” Charlie’s clipped command shattered the suddenly toasty bubble in the hallway. “That’s enough.”
&
nbsp; Sean’s weary blues flashed with the same heat coursing through Trevor’s veins. Trevor immediately missed it when Sean heeded Charlie’s warning and retreated. But not without a final warning. “Don’t do it again.”
Trevor straightened and pocketed his phone. “Message received.” All of them. But with Charlie approaching, they’d have to get into unpacking all that later. And he meant to. “Thank you,” he said to Charlie.
“If you think I’m gonna go any easier on you…” She smirked, and despite the weariness he could see in his best friend too—her skin paler than usual, her hair hastily pulled into a bun, the divot between her brows and the same dark circles under her eyes as were under Sean’s—it was impossible to deny how attractive she was in her element, magnified standing next to Sean.
He waved off the fight, chuckling. “I know better.”
“Fess up,” she said.
“I followed a lead.”
She crossed her arms and leaned against the wall, knee hitched and foot propped. “I know you think you’re a cop, but you’re not. You’re a professor.”
“Exactly.” Which was why he’d gone to Apex as a fellow professor without a cop on his arm. “A cop wouldn’t have gotten what I did.”
“Which was what?” Sean asked.
If they were going to question him, he had a question for them first. Possibly related to the information he’d obtained. “First, tell me why the press is still out front?” He’d had to park around back because Main Street was completely blocked by press vans and reporters. “I figured that would have died off some by now, unless there’s been a development in Jeff’s case.”
Sean stepped closer. “You haven’t heard?”
Trevor ignored the tingle at the bottom of his spine and patted his pocket. “Dead phone, remember?”
The tingle raised goose bumps on his arms as Charlie also drew closer, her expression shifting. Gone was the smirk, vanished was the hard-ass detective and best friend who gave him shit. Instead, she wore the I’m about to deliver bad news face. Serious but compassionate. He knew that face. Had been on the receiving end of it a few times—the most recent the morning earlier this month after Sean had left again. There could be only one explanation for it now. “There’s been another murder,” he surmised.
