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A burial site.
Dr. Cranston had led them straight to a burial site.
Brook should have experienced some type of elation in regard to the shocking discovery, but she’d learned the hard way that nothing was ever what it seemed when first presented on a silver platter.
“Did you…” Theo met Brook’s stare. “Four?”
“Maybe more.” Ezra sniffed before pulling his hands out of his pockets. He must have taken his gloves off while working with the machine and his laptop. He took a few moments to blow into the tissue and then wipe his nose. “I’d place that call now if I were you.”
Chapter Fourteen
Brooklyn Sloane
December 2022
Tuesday — 8:17pm
TheheatradiatingfromBrook’s space heater was the only reason that her teeth weren’t still chattering after being outside most of the afternoon. She and Theo had spent an hour waiting for the police and the lead homicide detective to arrive, another hour giving a detailed account of what had led Theo to the location, and then another two hours standing around for the state forensics team to make an appearance.
Brook had already warned Theo that their services wouldn’t be required nor desired, and she’d been right. It wasn’t that Detective Mike Raines hadn’t been professional. He’d handled everything by the book. The problem was that there was a good chance he would be turning the case over to the FBI.
She would have been perfectly fine with such a decision, but Supervisory Special Agent Matthew Harden was currently on sick leave. Brook would have easily been able to surpass the state level altogether if he’d been back at work.
Unfortunately, her former supervisor was still at home recovering from a heart attack that required bypass surgery. She’d spoken to him just last week, and he wasn’t slated back into the office until the first of the year.
Since there had been many changes at the Bureau recently, Brook had no connection to the agent who had stepped into the interim supervisory position. Not wanting to upset the status quo, she’d gone through the proper channels.
“I just received confirmation that there are only four skeletal remains,” Theo said as he walked into her office. He paused midway between the door and the couch. “Brook, it’s got to be a hundred degrees in here.”
Brook didn’t bother to reply, because she had no intention of turning down her space heater. He would just have to suck up the heat.
“It looks as if Raines is going to take lead instead of handing it off,” Theo divulged as he laid down on the couch and stretched out his legs.
She almost made a quip about how he might not be so tired if he didn’t have guests spending the night and leaving before sunrise, but she thought better of it.
Graham was due into town tomorrow.
Should she still go ahead with their dinner plans, there was a chance that Graham would be seen by Theo in the lobby of their building. She wouldn’t want him to bring up the topic in the office.
“That’s probably for the best,” Brook said as she saved her profile draft. Once she was confident that her outline had been stored to the file, she focused on Theo. He had made himself very comfortable on her couch. “If Detective Raines had turned the scene over to the feds, we would have lost complete access. Harden isn’t in the office, and the upper brass brought someone in from Quantico due to the length of his absence.”
“Do you think this Raines will work with us?”
“Yes,” Sylvie responded before Brook could answer Theo’s question. Brook would have said the exact opposite, which meant that Sylvie had an update on the case. “Apparently, Officer Soerig knows Detective Raines from another investigation that crossed through both of their jurisdictions. Everyone has agreed to loop the other in, and the same goes for us. Believe it or not, that last benefit is due to Officer Soerig going to bat for us. She’s officially reopened the case now that she has been made detective.”
Brook wasn’t surprised when Theo’s legs swung back around to land on the floor. Sylvie had been too busy entering something in on her tablet to notice his reaction. She ended up taking a seat in one of the leather chairs. Kate had left the office for the evening an hour ago, and Bit had followed in her footsteps moments later citing dinner plans with his sister.
“Raines brought Dr. Cranston into the station for questioning, but the surgeon lawyered up immediately without saying a word.” Sylvie finally looked up from the tablet before resting it against her stomach. “There’s not enough evidence to arrest him, so Raines is hoping that the forensics team turns up something from the scene. Unfortunately, it could take days to excavate the burial site. The ground is frozen solid. They’ve tented the entire area and have forced heated air running twenty-four-seven.”
Theo and Sylvie continued to talk over the latest turn of events. Brook picked up her coffee mug that was mostly empty and stood from her chair. She stretched a bit before walking around her desk.
“We need a new strategy,” Brook advised them as she came to a stop near the coffee table. She didn’t bother joining them, though. She wanted another cup of coffee and to also grab the take-out menu for a new Chinese restaurant that had opened a few blocks from the building. “Detective Raines is going to focus on Cranston, Officer Soerig will want to reinterview Dr. Kolsby, and Millie’s break-in seems all but forgotten. We’re footing the bill for her protective detail. The faster we can put all the pieces together, the sooner we can close this case.”
“Do you have a strategy in mind?” Theo asked, linking his hands behind his head. His dark eyes narrowed in her direction. “You do, don’t you?”
“Yes, but I need the rest of the evening to hammer out a solid game plan. You two call it a night, and we’ll regroup in the morning.” Brook’s phone rang, prompting her to turn back to her desk. “I’m serious. We had a long day, and the rest of the week promises to be much of the same.”
“Tell me about it,” Sylvie muttered as she rubbed her neck. Brook’s cell phone continued to ring, and Sylvie took the opportunity to head for the door. “I think I need to invest in one of those massage chairs. Did you know that they have heated ones now that…”
