by Cassie Wild
“I do.” Crossing my arms over my chest, I met her eyes. I had to choose my words carefully here. “We only met a few days ago, and up front, I want you to know that I didn’t give her Joelle’s number. I was over at her place when Joelle called, and she saw my phone, noticed the number. I guess she took it upon herself to reach out and talk to Joelle. I knew nothing about it until you called me earlier.”
“What is so important that she had to hassle a kid over it?” she demanded.
“I don’t know.” I spread my hands wide as I answered. “She mentioned that the family of a friend of hers had been conned out of some money by Gabriel, but that’s all I know. And I had no idea she’d go so far as to talk to Joelle.”
Suria’s eyes narrowed on me. “But she was talking…to you. Wasn’t she?”
“She was.” Shoving a hand through my hair, I cut around Suria to pace to the edge of the square making up most of the patio. Frustration boiled inside me, but I fought to keep it from showing in my voice as I turned to look at her. “We’d had dinner the other day. I told her I’d help her track down Gabriel. But I won’t be talking to her again. You and Joelle matter more.”
Suria’s eyes widened a little, and for the first time, a faint smile bloomed on her lips.
“Really?” She looked almost reluctant to speak.
“Yeah.” Hitching up a shoulder in a shrug, I held out a hand.
After a few seconds, she took it, and I pulled her in for a hug. She didn’t linger like Joelle had, but I wasn’t surprised. “We’re family. Family comes first,” I told her.
As she pulled away, I said, “I’ll probably see her when I go to the police department…can’t avoid that. It’s part of my job. But I won’t be seeing her personally again.”
Suria just nodded. “I understand.” She drew in a deep breath, then blew it out. “She didn’t really have much chance to talk to Joelle before I showed up, so there wasn’t much damage done. Hopefully, she’s figured out that pressing a kid for information just isn’t done.”
I thought of the way she’d looked as I turned away from her, and the fact that her lieutenant was going to be having a talk with her. I had no doubt that Ravenna had regrets about talking to my little sister. Too bad she hadn’t thought about her actions and considered the consequences beforehand.
Joelle’s words came back to haunt. I might have told her that I was eighteen…
“You do know that Joelle lied to her about her age, right?”
Suria’s mouth firmed out. “I know, but it still doesn’t excuse her.” She huffed out a breath. “Joelle is going to lie about her age to a cop – she doesn’t want to risk somebody trying to make her go back to him. We’ve still got to figure out the guardianship thing. Now…come on.” She held out her hand. “Let’s get inside and hover around the oven. I know my sister – she’ll try to pig out on those cookies.”
Six
Ravenna
“You going to tell me what’s got you so down?”
At the sound of my dad’s voice, I looked up. He’d come out into the backyard without me noticing, and I bit back a sigh at the sight of the two bottles of beer in his hand.
I should have stayed inside and watched the game with him. Maybe he would have been better fooled when I told him nothing was wrong.
But then again…maybe not.
“Nothing’s wrong, Dad. It was just a long week at work.”
He gave me the stink eye. “I know you better than that, girl. Come on. Tell me what’s wrong. Or do I have to get on the horn with Carl and see what’s up?”
I grimaced because I knew he’d do just that, and there was no doubt that Carl had heard by now. Having a brother work in the same precinct that I did was a pain in the ass.
Blowing out a breath, I accepted the bottle he was still holding in front of me and twisted off the lid. “Will it make a difference if I tell you that I don’t want to talk about it?” I asked softly.
“Sure, it would…but I get the feeling you need to talk about it. You maybe want to talk to one of your brothers?” He took a sip of his beer, eying me over the top of the bottle.
“Hell, no.”
The thought of talking to one of them about Nicco and the fuck-ups I’d made was enough to turn my stomach. They’d figure out quick enough that things with Nicco and I weren’t just professional, and that would aggravate the problem. Plus, they’d have all sorts of bullshit advice to offer to about the problem with Gabriel Marks.
They’d all known Mary Jo and her parents, but they hadn’t been close to her, or her parents, not like I had. They didn’t understand how much all of it had affected me – or they didn’t know the promise I’d made either.
“Do you remember Mike Jensen?” I asked quietly, staring down at the beer bottle I held. My throat had gone dry so while I waited for him to answer, I took a small sip.
“Of course.” Dad sat down across from me, his own beer dangling from a loose fist. “Have you been thinking about him and Mary Jo lately? I keep telling you that you should reach out to her. What with Facebook and all, being a couple of hours apart is next to nothing these days.”
I managed a weak smile. “It’s more than that.” Looking away, I said, “I don’t think Mary Jo wants to revisit that time in her life anyway, Daddy. It hurts her too much. And I really can’t blame her.”
“Then what’s this about?”
Taking a deep breath, I braced myself. Then I met his eyes once more and said, “I found the name of the man who was responsible for what happened – for all of it. I know who conned Mr. Mike out of all that money. I can find him now, Dad.”
Dad’s eyes widened a fraction, and he leaned back in his seat. Without saying anything, he lifted his bottle to his lips and took a slow sip. After a few moments, he blew out a breath and lifted his eyes to the sky overhead. “Wow. Ain’t that something. How long you been trying to find him, honey?”
“Forever,” I admitted. “I made Mary Jo a promise.”
His eyes came back to mine.
Rubbing the back of my neck, I added, “She doesn’t exactly know I made her the promise, but I always told myself, and her, that I’d find him. I finally did.”
“Okay. So, is that what has you so glum? You trying to figure out what to do now?”
I laughed, but the sound was hollow, even to my own ears.
“I also found out who his son is. He lives here. In Monterey.” Getting up, I paced a few feet away and turned to face my dad. “His name is Nicco. Nicco’s mother took him away from his dad when he was just a little kid. He hasn’t had anything to do with his father for nearly his entire life, and he’s happy to keep it that way. He knows his dad is a con artist and told me he’d be happy to help me track him down.”
Dad leaned forward and put the bottle of beer down, linking his hands together. His eyes rested on my face. “Ravenna, you do know the statute of limitations has passed. There’s only so much that can be done at this point. You know that.”
“I know that.” Jerking my chin up, I said, “And I still want to bring him down. There’s got to be something. There has to be. I didn’t know what, but I know there’s something. I mean, he couldn’t have run a con like that just one time…and if he did it once, he’s probably still doing it. He’s probably still ruining lives.” Bile churned its way up my throat, and I swallowed, struggling to hold it back. “But I got anxious. I fucked up, Daddy.”
He closed his eyes and dropped his head. “What happened, Ravenna?”
“Nicco’s got a sister – two of them. They were both living with the father up until recently. I don’t know what happened, didn’t ever ask. But the younger one called Nicco while he and I were…together.” My face heated.
Dad wasn’t looking at me, but I wasn’t under any illusion that he wouldn’t put two and two together.
“I saw her number and memorized it. Later, I texted her and asked her to meet me.”
He finally looked at me. “You said younger sister.
How old is she?”
“Sixteen.” I swallowed again, but the bile had risen back up, almost faster than I could choke it back down. I didn’t bother telling him that she’d lied to me, claimed to be eighteen. I had known she was lying. I should have stopped things, right then. But I hadn’t. “She’s sixteen years old.”
“And let me guess.” He sighed and reached out for the bottle on the table, tipping it back and drinking long and hard. “You talked to this sixteen-year-old girl, didn’t you?”
With a jerky nod, I acknowledged his question. Dad sighed and got up, coming over to meet me.
“You know my partner was killed in the line of duty back when I was a few years older than you, right?”
“Yes. Dean. Travis Dean.” Dad sometimes told us stories about him and his partner, when he was first starting out as a cop.
“You know Travis was married?”
“I think you’ve mentioned it.” I frowned, trying to recall for sure, but I couldn’t.
“He was. And I told his widow, a sweet girl by the name of Carlene, that I’d find the people who killed him. I promised her.” Dad’s eyes took on a far-off look as he stared off into the distance. “For a long time, that was my obsession. Finding those two fuckers.”
He said nothing else for so long, I thought he might be done talking, but then, he finally looked up at me. “Carlene ended up moving away. I was still trying to find these jokers who’d killed him. And me and your mom…well, our marriage was falling apart. I was all but living at the precinct, hardly sleeping. Then I was in a crash one day, driving home. I was too tired and couldn’t stop in time when a car pulled out in front of me. Your mama told me if I didn’t get my act together, she’d leave me.” A faint smile curled his lips, and he reached up, cupped my cheek. “She was three months pregnant with Carl at the time. It’s a powerful punch to the gut to hear those words, baby. And I had to choose.”
“Dad…”
He shook his head. “You do what you have to do, honey. But don’t let this consume your life. I know you want justice for Mary Jo, and for her dad. But it’s not justice if it destroys your life. She wouldn’t want that. And I know Mike wouldn’t.”
He dropped a kiss on my head and wrapped an arm around my shoulders.
I leaned into him, my mind turning over what he’d said.
“Why don’t you come back inside?” he asked. “We can watch the game and argue over who’s going to win.”
Seven
Nicco
A headache pounded behind my eyes.
I’d spent half the morning at the police department, behind a locked door and going over the information the task force had accumulated. They’d then told me they’d turned over the material they wanted me to start looking at and provided me with a small, cramped room equipped with a computer that was several years out of date and told me to get to work.
Could I take the material to my office and work? No.
Could I use my own laptop? No.
I already felt hamstrung at that point, and I hadn’t gotten started.
Now, a few hours into the work, I could see why they needed me, but they needed to update their equipment almost as much, and I needed something for my horrible headache.
I kept the door shut, but every time a shadow passed in front of the frosted glass, I found myself looking up, taking in the shape, the height, wondering if it could be Ravenna.
Immediately after, I’d castigate myself and remind myself of what she’d done, and that cycle wasn’t helping my headache.
I had to get over this obsession with her because one thing was clear. Judging by the amount of data I had to go through, this wasn’t going to be a job that took a few days or even a few weeks. I’d be at this for a period of months at least, so I needed to get used to the idea of that I’d see her at some point.
I’d have to see her and not be affected by her.
“Fat chance,” I muttered. I’d had several nights of restless sleep, punctuated by dreams about her, and I was under no illusion that those dreams might stop any time soon. I’d just barely gotten a taste of her, and I wanted, even now, to feast on her.
A knock at the door had me looking up. “Come in,” I called out.
Lieutenant Frank Steppes came in. Actually, what he did was wedge his considerable frame inside the door, blocking my view of the hall. Steppes looked like somebody who could have played a defensive lineman at some point in his life. He was built like a tank, tall and broad, all the way through. His face was rugged and square, and his nose looked like he’d taken a hit or two. Maybe even three.
His eyes might have been considered soft, a pale blue, but the look in them was all cop. That cop gaze studied me for a few moments before he looked around the small room I’d been shoved into. My walk-in closet at home was bigger than this.
“They sure pulled out all the stops for you, didn’t they?” He gave me a wry grin and shook his head.
“Yeah. I’m kind of amazed at the royal treatment.” Leaning back from the desk, I rolled some of the kinks out of my shoulders and tapped a pen on the arm of my chair. “I can’t remember the last time I worked in such plush accommodations.”
“That’s the Monterey PD for you. Plush accommodations and luxurious treatment, all around.” Without batting an eye, he nodded toward the door. “You should check out the cells in back. The inmates like them so much, they end up becoming repeat customers.”
“I think I’ll just take your word on that,” I said, my tone as dry as the desert. “Is there something I can do for you, lieutenant?”
“Just wondering if you got an idea how long it will take you to unravel this mess.”
I blew out a breath and shook my head. “This isn’t going to be a quick job. I was already advised that there’s more information incoming too. Is that a fact?”
“Yes. At least, we’re hoping. This investigation has been ongoing for about six months now. We’re fully committed to it.”
I’d hope so. They were looking at a locally organized crime syndicate that had ties to a larger network. Drugs, money laundering, possible connections to human trafficking…there was no way this should have anything less than full commitment. I was just glad that all they needed from me was help following the money trail.
I could do that.
And if it helped bring something as ugly as human trafficking to a stop, then I’d be happy to play my part.
“That’s good to hear. This is an ugly pile of shit, if you don’t mind me saying so.” Something on the screen caught my interest, and I leaned forward, eying the figure. I jotted it down on the notepad in front of me. I’d have to follow that thread all the way through to the end or find a safe stopping point because any handwritten notes or hard copy had to be shredded before I left every day. Nothing could be saved that wasn’t secured by multiple passwords and some serious data encryption.
Shooting Steppes a quick look, I said, “You know, working on such dated equipment could compromise the investigation. You sure you can’t get me the okay to use my own laptop? I’ve got top of the line security and the most up-to-date programs on it.”
“Ain’t going to happen,” he told me, shaking his head. “However…” he grimaced and glanced back over his shoulder, “I’ve already explained your concerns to the FBI connections on the task force with us. It’s possible they’ll requisition a better unit for you to use while you’re here. It will have to stay in the department, locked up in here, but it should be better than that POS you’re on now.”
“Just about anything made in the past three years will be better than this piece of shit,” I assured him. “I appreciate you going to bat for me like that.”
“It’s for the case.” He gave a short nod and shoved away from the door. “You let me know if there’s anything you need while you’re here. I’ll do what I can to make it happen.”
Once he was gone, I lost myself to the numbers once more, following that thread I’d noticed earlier, pulling
at it until a few more threads began to make themselves known.
A pattern finally emerged, and I knew I’d found the beginning.
That was what it took to unravel a mess like this, finding the beginning of the pattern.
My phone rang just as I went to open a document so I could make a few notes to save on the computer. Pulling my cell phone from my pocket, I spied Suria’s number and hit the button to accept the call.
“Hello, sweetheart. How are you?”
“I’m doing okay,” she said, her voice oddly subdued. She wasn’t as boisterous in nature as Joelle was, but she sounded almost…glum just then, and that wasn’t like her. At least I didn’t think it was. We were still in that getting-to-know-each-other phase so I could easily be wrong.
Yet I didn’t think I was.
“You don’t sound okay,” I said softly, leaning back from the desk. My spine protested, and I wondered if the lieutenant would argue if I at least provided my own chair. This one felt like it had been designed specifically to torture the ass and spine.
“I’m just out of sorts,” she said. “Look, I’m calling because Joelle wanted me to. She thinks we were a little too harsh on that cop – Ravenna, right?”
“Yes, that’s her name. What do you mean?”
“Just that. We were talking, and Joelle was kind of stand-offish. That’s not like her, and it took me a while to get her to open up, but she finally unloaded on me. She doesn’t get mad at me, Nicco, but she was pretty damn close. She thinks we weren’t being fair – told me that she and Ravenna had just been talking and it wasn’t like the cop was putting the thumbscrews to her or anything. Plus, she kept pointing out that she had lied about her age, so it wasn’t like Ravenna knew she was a kid or anything.”
“All you have to do is look at Joelle, and you can tell she’s a kid,” I pointed out. But I scowled, staring at the wall in front of me without really seeing it. I didn’t really like the way my gut twisted at Suria’s words. “Ravenna’s a cop. She’s trained to be observant. She had no business talking to a kid without getting the okay of her parent or guardian. We both know that.”
