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“I feel the same. I don’t want to jump the gun, but maybe they are in on the scheme.”

It wouldn’t be the first time that someone came across as a victim to draw the notice off of them when they were actually in on it.

This wasn’t the fast, action-paced detective work he’d done for years.

But it wasn’t as dangerous either. Not a risk he wanted when he had something more important at home.

Which was why his mind was going in another direction it hadn’t in years.

Internal postings and tests. The sergeant’s exam.

But that could mean nights.

And right now, as a single parent, just not possible. Maybe in the future. Maybe he could line things up more for someone who never did that much in his life.

Could that be why all his relationships ended before?

Because he went with the flow and never looked more than a few months in front of him, if that.

But now he needed to do that.

He needed to not fly by the seat of his pants, even if it was working.

They got in his car, drove to the first house, knocked, rang the bell. No response.

“They never called me back,” Kyle said. “I left a message yesterday.”

They moved around the back of the house, looking in windows, trying to see if someone was home.

The place not only looked silent, but cleaned out. “Looks as if they packed up some shit and left.”

Kyle came closer, looked in the window and swore. “Fuck. Think we’ve got enough for a warrant?”

“Only one way to find out,” he said.

They drove back to get what they needed, then to the courthouse to see the judge.

“Want to go visit your girlfriend while we are here?” Kyle asked, his smirk bigger than Colson had ever seen before.

“I’m good.”

Even if he wanted to see Marly and fill her in on the conversation with Chief Feldman.

But he hadn’t had time and there was no way he was doing it at his desk with witnesses.

They moved outside the judge’s chambers, had been told when they called the judge had the time, but now he was on a call.

“It could be thirty minutes,” the clerk said. “Why don’t you have a seat?”

They sat. “No reason we both have to sit here. Go take a walk. Clear your head because I can see you’ve got something going on in there.”

He frowned. “I’m good.”

“I know you’re good, but me, when someone talks to me about shit I don’t want to discuss with other people,” Kyle whispered, “I normally like to fill my wife in on it. So go.”

“I’ll just stretch my legs,” he said. There was a chance Marly wasn’t even in her office. Or didn’t have time to talk.

He wouldn’t know if he didn’t make his way down.