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Even at Brook's lowest point, he had full faith that she could solve his daughter's murder and uncover the real killer. She had a lot on her plate, and he wanted more than anything to help her however he could. Unfortunately, he'd learned long ago that he couldn't force help on someone who didn't want his assistance.
Olivia had taught him that valuable lesson, though he wasn't grateful for her object lesson in futility.
"Olivia and Kelsey texted each other nearly every day," Graham revealed, not bothering to hide that he was checking the time. He wasn't into technology, and he still wore the old-fashioned Tag Heuer watch that he'd received from his wife on their twentieth wedding anniversary. "As long as Kelsey wasn't on deployment, that is. Cell coverage in the field can be a bit spotty. Olivia never mentioned to me that anything unusual happened during that time. She'd been working on a retirement present for me at our residence. As I said, I can get you a list of every civilian that was on the base within the six months before Kelsey's death. She was stationed at MCAS Cherry Point in North Carolina."
"A retirement present?"
"A library office, to be exact," Graham replied with a fond smile. Though there was always a simmering level of anger he experienced toward his wife for the choices that she'd made during the darkest of times that followed the death of their daughter, he had difficulty getting to the point where he could recall their memories with love. "While I was retiring from my career as an officer in the Marine Corps, I wasn't quite ready to leave it all behind. I had several executive board positions with government contractors lined up, and Olivia thought I'd appreciate having a personal sanctuary as I sat out the required waiting period to avoid the conflict-of-interest clause. It had six months before I could work for other government contractors, and eighteen months before I could work for any specific contractor that I had dealings with during my tenure at MARSOC"
"I'd like a list of those contractors and anyone else who your wife may have had contact with during that time," Theo requested, making one final note. He finally closed the cover on the small notebook, but Graham got the indication that the man wasn't entirely done with this round of questioning. "I need to ask—why do you believe that Austin Ridley is innocent? I haven't been given the chance to really dive into the case yet, but it seems that your daughter might have been a victim of domestic abuse within their relationship."
"I know Austin," Graham replied evenly as he attempted to control the rage every time he pictured the young man sitting behind bars. "He loved my daughter, and there had only ever been one call made to the police by someone who mistakenly thought they were helping Kelsey. She'd received a bruise and a cut on her cheek in one of her Marine Corps Martial Arts Program training classes during a full contact demonstration. These types of sessions often lead to bruises or minor cuts. It's fully understood and accepted by each Marine that this is what happens during realistic training evaluations. However, a waitress—who had previously been a victim of domestic abuse herself—thought she was doing the right thing when she placed a call to the police. Obviously, no one was charged, but due to my daughter and Austin being listed in the criminal report, it was brought into evidence during discovery at his mockery of a trial. Nick Dorn, who is Austin's lawyer, did his best to get it thrown out."
"You still keep in touch with Austin."
"I visit him once a month," Graham replied truthfully, wanting nothing more than to give Austin Ridley his life back. Theo hadn't necessarily asked a question, though. His instincts on the situation were accurate. "He's a good man who is only guilty of loving my daughter. He didn't deserve what happened to him, and he certainly doesn't deserve to serve out a sentence for a crime that someone else committed. I am certain beyond any reasonable doubt that Austin Ridley is innocent of my daughter's murder."
"I don't mean for this to sound judgmental, but you come from money."
Theo hadn't needed to give a warning ahead of such a statement. Graham didn't take offense in the least. Greed or revenge were motives that he'd considered after discovering the connection to the other cases, not that it had helped with solving them.
"Yes. My family is quite wealthy."
Graham wouldn't apologize for something that the past generations of his family had worked hard for in their lives. Each and every one of them, both men and women, had served their country in the shittiest places around the world to protect the freedoms of those at home. After such an honor and a privilege, most of them had gone into the private sector where their expertise was rewarded with a very high value...including Graham.
"I'll look into that angle, though it will be Brook's profile that points us in the primary direction," Theo said with confidence as he stood up from the second guest chair. He'd joined Graham at the front of the desk for a reason, most likely to make it appear as if the conversation that they'd just had was casual. It had been anything but informal. Nevertheless, it was now done. "I'd like to thank you before you leave. Working in the field with a disadvantage can have its limitations, which is why my future career with the FBI would have landed me a desk job for the rest of my time there. I appreciate your conviction that I can handle the responsibilities of the job with your firm."
"Theo, I've spent two hours in your presence. Trust me, your injury is not a disadvantage that makes much of a difference. If anything, that eyepatch you are sporting will have any opponent underestimating what your capabilities are in any given situation." Graham shook the man's hand before fastening the button on his suit jacket. "Should you have any other questions, you know how to reach me."
Graham once more checked the time, noting that he had maybe two minutes before Brook was about to meet with Supervisory Special Agent Matthew Harden and Special Agent Russ Houser. Harden was actually a good man who had made a few mistakes—one of them had been allowing Brook to walk away from the Bureau. She'd been their youngest profiler to have such an exceptional clearing rate. Her sibling status, on the other hand, had been an issue that the brass hadn't been able to accept.
Their loss was his gain, and he made no apologies for seeking to obtain her skills and intelligence for S&E Investigations. Her tragic past was the very reason that she was so good at her job.
Graham was surprised to see that the conference room was void of anyone, so he continued down the hallway toward the reception area. He'd figured out fairly quickly that Brook had chosen the office that had a full view of the foyer so that she could monitor the foot traffic, not only that of her clients, but of anyone who stepped foot off the elevator. He was relatively sure that was also the reason that she'd gone with modern décor, due to the glass fixtures being a staple of the design.
Brook wanted to see what was coming.
Her need to do so was overwhelming, and she would not hide behind anyone.
Graham found Brook still in her office with no sign of the two federal agents. The carafe that had been on the conference room table when he'd left was now stationed on the corner of her desk. She was writing something on a tablet that he'd seen her use numerous times. The software converted her handwritten notes into word documents, allowing her the ability to use her preferred way of working without the additional labor of transcribing her notes onto a computer.
He didn't bother to knock, because he had no doubt that she'd caught sight of him in her peripheral view as he approached.
"There is still time to call Vivian Lourdes." Graham hadn't gotten to where he was by not taking precautions. It infuriated him that she couldn't see how beneficial it was to have representation in this situation, though he kept his tone even. "I think you should reconsider your stance."
"No." Brook tapped the screen with the stylus before attaching it to the side of the tablet. She then reached for her coffee mug, which was no doubt full of the beverage that had once been in the carafe. "I appreciate that you are trying to look out for the firm, but there is no need to bring Vivian into this situation. There is nothing that I can tell Matt or Agent Houser that would aid them in their investigation. I'm about to inform them of that fact."
Brook was lying through her pearly white teeth, not that Graham would call her out on it. Under normal circumstances, he loathed anyone who could lie so easily, yet the survival skill was probably what had kept her alive this long.
Graham couldn't imagine living with—let alone growing up under the same roof with—a psychopath. Jacob Walsh was the epitome of evil. There was no doubting the man had envisioned murdering his sister many times over.
Why hadn't he?
Brook had never once mentioned her childhood during their limited time together, but Graham was left to suspect that Jacob toyed with her fear of him on a regular basis.
"Is it so hard to believe that I'm looking out foryourbest interests?"
The subsequent arrival of two federal agents prevented Brook from answering, not that Graham had expected a response from her regarding his light tread into their relationship. The heavy silence that she'd allowed to hang in the air had been more than apparent. She went to great lengths to keep people at a distance, and he was finding himself more and more wanting her to change that preferred stance.
