“Do I have to elaborate?”
The line was silent for a moment, before she murmured, “It was too much. I couldn’t confront it, so it was easier to avoid you.”
My stomach roiled. “And now?”
“I still don’t know, Wes.”
There was a part of me that needed answers to the questions that continued to form in my mind. About her past, about our future.Ifwe had one. However, I needed her to feel comfortable with me, to be sureofme. I had to let her control our movement, whether it was two steps forward or three steps back. “It’s okay, Bug. Let’s just focus on this case.”
“The baby in Wellspring—”
“There is no baby,” I interrupted. The last thing I ever wanted was to be someone’s deadbeat daddy. My father wasn’t the best example, and I would never willingly put another human being through what I’d gone through.
More silence.
“If you would’ve let me finish,” she said, “I was going to tell you that I reached out to your supposed baby mama.”
I let out a humorless chuckle. “Ah, you got jokes. What did she say?”
“She told me that she reached out to Ms. Tea as well.”
Intrigued, I asked, “When?”
“Months ago.”
The pieces were starting to click. “But Ms. Tea didn’t post about it.”
“Exactly,” Albany said. “She picks and chooses what she divulges about you on her platforms. She’s a gatekeeper of information about you and your family, which—”
“Could be another indication that she’s close,” I mused. “Who’s on your suspect list?”
“I’ve already crossed your cousins off the list. Besides Jackson, no one hates you that much. And Ms. Tea uses a VPN, so it’s been difficult to track her location. But I know what I’m doing. Now that I’ve been able to order the equipment I need, it shouldn’t take long to unveil her identity. In the meantime, social engineering. I’ve been analyzing her social media interactions, taking notes. Trying to piece clues together.”
Albany had always been interested in cyber security. We used to tease her about her multiple monitors, network mappers, and other software she used to hone her skills. It made sense that she’d majored in psychology and minored in computer science, then taken her talents to the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit.
She didn’t know it, but I’d followed her career, checked in on her over the years. I knew that she’d earned several promotions while she was at the Bureau and was well respected amongst her peers. Although I suspected she would’ve left her job to start her firm eventually, the divorce forced her hand before she was ready. I was grateful that Granny had an opening and a reason to hire her.
I checked the map displayed on the touchscreen, turned down Kensington Avenue, and drove a quarter of a mile until I made it to my destination. “What about John?” I parked in an empty spot in front of the building. “Have you talked to him?”
“No. I’ve tried to catch him, but he’s avoiding me. And I haven’t been able to rule him out either. At the same time, I don’t think it’s him. I should know more this week, though.”
Turning the ignition off, I asked, “What are you planning?”
“I’m planning to mind my business.” She chuckled. “Anyway, I’ll let you go. Just stop by when you get back.”
“Will you be ready when I get there?” I challenged.
“To discuss the case? Yes. To discuss anything else? Time will tell.”
I smiled to myself. “Got it.”
“Bye, Wes.”
Before I got out of my truck, I scanned the immediate area. Elijah Moore lived in a quiet suburb of Detroit, close enough to keep his ear to the ground yet far enough from the drama and danger he’d once thrived on.
When I stepped into his small apartment, I paused at the threshold. It had been years since I’d seen him in person. Time, too much liquor, and hard living had taken its toll on him. He bore the telltale signs of prolonged medical steroid use for his condition. His once chiseled jaw was swollen, his eyes bloodshot. He was a shell of the man who’d controlled the block back in the day, the man who’d been there for me more than my own father had.
“What are you staring at?” he growled. “Bring yo’ ass in here.”
