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“Correct. Both CBS and ABC have news at noon. Shall I pull up both stations and we’ll await the midday hour?”
“Yes, Yoda, please.”
“Certainly.” The screens came to life. “I’m showing CBS on your left and ABC on your right. News will begin in precisely thirteen minutes, twelve seconds. Please advise me if you’d like one of the two stations expanded to full screen.”
“Thanks, Yoda. I will. One more thing. While we’re waiting, can you please search the internet for any stories about the fire at John Morano’s office?”
“Beginning search,” Yoda replied. Seconds later, he announced, “Nothing found.”
“Okay then, please check out the live internet feed from the local TV station in the Hamptons. The rest of Long Island, as well. Then, add those to the video display.”
“Very well.” A pause. “Local news will now begin in twelve minutes thirty-four seconds. Internet video feeds displaying now.”
“Good.”
As Casey had expected, the Long Island news stations were the first to scroll the breaking news of the fire across the bottom of the screen. A few minutes after noon, CBS showed a live report on the fire itself. Obviously, they’d had a TV crew in the area filming something else and had diverted them to the scene of the fire for more sensational coverage. The CBS reporter stated that they were awaiting confirmation from the local authorities that the fire was suspicious. Minutes later, ABC echoed the same information.
Casey’s phone rang. A quick glance at the caller ID.
“Hey, Ryan. Did you find anything in the phone records?” Casey asked. “Or are you just calling to tell me that the local news stations are jumping the gun on the arson story.”
“Actually, both,” Ryan replied. “Nothing on the phone records. The burner phone is probably lying at the bottom of the East River. And I’m glad you heard the local news reports.”
“I not only heard them, I’m watching them right now. As Yoda pointed out, CBS and ABC have midday news coverage. And the reporters are all over the arson story.”
“Did you reach Jones?”
“What do you think?”
Ryan chuckled. “I think he’s in deep shit and trying to shovel his way out with a teaspoon.”
“For sure. But I’ll get through to him. He can’t dodge me forever. I’ll just drive there and get in his face.” Casey paused, a fine tension lacing her tone. “Justin had another setback this morning,” she said. “It was pretty rough at the hospital.” She went on to explain the pneumothorax to Ryan.
“What happened?” she heard Marc call out from the background.
“Hang on,” Ryan said to Casey. She heard him telling Marc the specifics.
“Give me the phone,” Marc responded.
No surprise there. Not when there was a baby involved.
“Is he okay?” Marc asked Casey without prelude.
“Right now, yes. He’s holding his own,” she replied. “For how long? I don’t know. I’m no doctor, but it seems to me that Justin’s compromised immune system can only fight off so many setbacks.” She swallowed, then spoke to Marc with her customary honesty. “If you’re asking me if I’m worried—more worried than before—yes, I am. I feel like the clock is ticking away—louder and louder. I feel like we’re chipping away at our investigation, making small gains here and there, but nothing substantial enough to write home about. Hutch is on it now. Maybe we’ll get lucky and Paul Everett will show up in the Bureau system. But we can’t count on it.”
“I might still beat the crap out of Lyle Fenton,” Marc muttered with none of his usual composure. “You and I both know he’s up to his neck in this whole dirty dealing.”
“I agree. But the bottom line is, he doesn’t know where Paul is. He wouldn’t let Justin die. And finding Paul is all we’re focused on. Law enforcement can handle the rest.”
“Yeah. Right. Fine.” Marc blew out a frustrated breath. “We’re done here. Ryan slapped a GPS on Morano’s car before the guy took off for the arson site. Since then, Ryan’s been digging into phone records. Now he’s back to cross-checking Everett’s and Morano’s pasts. He can do that best in the office. We’ll pack up and head to the city.”
“Fine.” Casey knew exactly what was on Marc’s mind. “And, yes, Amanda did ask for you. But Patrick is there in his security capacity. And Amanda has started to trust him in a kind of father figure way. So she’s in good hands. You can’t be in all places at all times, Marc. I know you want to save Justin. We all do. But that’s not always accomplished by being Amanda’s babysitter. She’s a strong woman. And, as for the investigation, she needs to count on all of us, not just you.”
“I’m not trying to play knight in shining armor,” Marc assured her. “And I know very well what a shrink would say—that I’m compensating for what I’ve witnessed in the past by trying to save this one infant’s life. I’m sure that’s true. I’m also sure that nothing is going to erase memories that are burned inside my brain. But I’m the one who took on this case. I feel responsible—not only to Amanda, but to the team.”
“I know you do. That’s who you are.” Casey thought for a moment. “You’re right. There’s nothing else you can accomplish in Long Island, not at the moment. So come home. You drive. That way, Ryan can keep doing his computer search on the road.”
* * *
