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“For that, you really will need a warrant,” Doctor Porter said. “I’ve indulged this charade as much as I am comfortable, far more than that, to tell the truth. I will commit to remaining in town, as I have no pre-existing plans to travel. If by some miracle you manage to get that warrant you keep threatening me with, you can find me at this office or at my home.”
“We’ll get that warrant,” Michael said. “Thank you for your time.”
“I would say you’re welcome,” Doctor Porter said, “but you aren’t, and I doubt it matters to you if you are.”
“You’re right about that,” Michael said. “You must be a shrink.”
Porter didn’t find the quip funny.
The detectives met them outside. “Well?” Derek asked.
“We’re going to get a warrant to confirm his whereabouts the nights of the murders,” Michael said, “but between the four of us, I don’t think he did it. He’s too prissy to get his hands dirty.”
Travis sighed heavily. “Nothing like an enormous waste of time to start my day off right. Well, this is your mess, Special Agent. You clean it up.”
Michael met Travis’s eyes and said calmly. “You and your officers assaulted Doctor Porter with no warrant when he wasn’t resisting and hadn’t been officially detained or arrested. If you could have behaved with a modicum of professionalism, we might have been able to convince him to talk without going through the hassle of getting a warrant. If you’d like to consider this our mess, feel free. I’m curious to know what your captain will think when Special Agent Bold and I file a formal complaint about your actions today.”
Travis’s face went white, then turned a mottled shade of purple. He took a breath but before he could speak, Faith said, “We’re all tired and frustrated. I suggest we all get some rest and reapproach this with fresh eyes. We won’t gain anything at each other’s throats.”
“I agree,” Derek said, laying a hand on Travis’s shoulder. “It’s been a stressful morning for all of us.”
They went their separate ways with no further conversation. On the way to the hotel, Faith submitted the expedited request for a warrant. It was granted within the hour, and as Faith suspected, it led them straight to a dead end. Doctor Porter was able to conclusively prove that he had spent every night at home for the past year, save for a three-week vacation to the Bahamas for which he had numerous receipts and anecdotal footage.
“And so ends another fruitless day,” Faith said after Michael finished confirming the alibi.
“Yep,” he replied shortly. “I’m going to bed.”
“Good night,” Faith said.
He didn’t answer.
Faith’s phone buzzed. David again.Hey. Just saying hi.
Faith tossed the phone onto the table and headed to bed. Turk crawled in next to her, but even his presence couldn’t relax her tonight.
Everything was going wrong. The case, her professional relationships, her personal life—everything was in shambles, and she couldn’t even think straight, let alone fix it.
The sky was still bright outside, but after thirty-four hours with no rest, Faith had no trouble falling asleep.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Faith woke at seven the next morning. Michael was awake already. He had breakfast and coffee laid out on the room’s small table.
“Morning,” he said softly.
“Morning,” Faith replied with equal softness.
She sat across from him and said, “Thank you for breakfast.”
“You’re welcome,” he said. He tapped his finger pensively, then said, “Faith, I think we should talk about yesterday.”
“It’s all right,” Faith said. “I was tired too. There’s no need for you to apologize.”
He tapped his fingers a moment longer, then sighed. “Actually, I meant we should talk about you.”
Faith felt her hackles rise but kept her voice calm. “Me? Why?”
Michael sighed. “Faith …” he hesitated a moment, then said, “Faith, you’ve been steadily less in control of your emotions since before the Cedar Hills case. Maybe you don’t see it that way, but I do. You’ve made several lapses in judgment that frankly are very unlike you. Yesterday’s slip with Lucinda Holland was the most egregious, but it wasn’t the first. You’ve been moody, incommunicative, irritable, and at times impulsive.”
