Page 216 of Override

Her hand is still curled around the cuff of her father's old sweatshirt. Her breathing is shallow, but when our eyes meet, I give her the smallest smile I can manage.

Not for anyone else in the room. Just for her. The one Taibhse would give her. You're okay. I'm still here.

Only after I see the tension in her shoulders ease do I look back at Cormac.

"Callum asked me to verify whether his concerns about Ronan Gallagher had merit. My assignment wasn't to investigate a crime. It was to determine whether a deeper investigation was warranted."

Cormac doesn't interrupt. Neither does anyone else.

"The first several days produced nothing actionable. Financial records were clean. Communications were routine. Business dealings matched expectations." I pause, organizing the timeline the same way I always do. "The anomaly wasn't Ronan."

My eyes flick toward Maeve. "It was Mrs. Gallagher."

Confusion crosses Cormac's face. I expected that.

"Isolation is rarely random." The words come easily because they're facts. "People don't disappear from established relationships without a reason. Mrs. Gallagher stopped attending family dinners. She stopped having lunch with her mother. Her contact with friends steadily declined. Public appearances became limited almost exclusively to events where Mr. Gallagher was present."

I see Maeve lower her eyes. Not because she disagrees. Because she's hearing her life reduced to observable patterns. I wish there were a kinder way to explain it.

There isn't.

"Individually, none of those behaviors indicate abuse. Together..." I shake my head once. "...they establish a pattern." Silence stretches across the room.

"So I stopped watching Ronan." I look directly at Cormac. "I started watching your daughter."

His jaw tightens. Not with anger. With confusion.

"I wasn't looking for evidence of violence." Because I hadn't expected to find it. "I was looking for control."

I think back to hours spent reviewing footage that no one else would've had the patience to watch.

"The security system changed shortly after their marriage. Cameras expanded inside the residence. Exterior coverage increased. Telephone calls were rerouted. Mrs. Gallagher's movements became increasingly predictable because they were increasingly restricted."

Rachel quietly inhales behind me. I keep going. "I also noticed something else."

I glance toward Maeve again. This time she actually looks at me.

"Medical appointments." A tiny smile touches my mouth. Just enough. "Different clinics."

I watch recognition bloom across her face.

"They weren't random." Her lips part slightly. "She was seeing doctors under a different name."

The room goes impossibly still. "The records eventually led me to an alias."

I don't look away from Cormac. "Mary Collins."

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Maeve close her eyes.

"I requested additional resources after confirming the alias." My voice stays even. "At that point, my assessment changed from concerning behavior to probable coercive control."

Cormac's expression doesn't move. But I notice something else. His hands. They're clenched so tightly his knuckles have gone white.

"I still didn't have enough." That part had frustrated me more than I wanted to admit. "I had a feeling something was wrong." Not proof. "And assumptions get people killed." I refuse to build a case on assumptions.

"So I waited." Those two words feel heavier than anything else I've said. "I watched."

Every surveillance feed. Every phone record. Every deviation from routine.