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“Theo, why don’t you get cleaned up and take a drive to the coffee shop? Sylvie, it’s best you stay here. You mentioned that Emily Park seemed open to talking with you, but she clearly spoke to her grandfather about your presence in town.” Brook once again clicked her ring against the side of her coffee mug as she mulled over what could be behind the man’s decision to call Chief Rogan. “Bit, see if Martin Kingston had any ties to Bella Kadel or Piper Zimmer.”
Brook had planned on taking the rest of the morning to work out the logistics of tonight’s event, but she would have to postpone that task until later this afternoon. It was time for a formal introduction to the one individual who had silently already chosen politics over justice.
“Officer Lawson, give me twenty minutes to change,” Brook said as she collected her phone and tablet off the coffee table. “I do believe that it’s time for me to meet Harbor’s Chief of Police.”
Chapter Fifteen
Brooklyn Sloane
December 2023
Thursday — 11:44am
Aswithmostpolicestations, the air was heavy with the scent of stale coffee and the faint tang of disinfectant. Scuff marks could be spotted on the walls where the chairs in the waiting area had rubbed against the paint, and a path that had been worn into the linoleum that led to the bullpen was clearly visible. There was also a steady hum of activity —ringing phones, the staccato rhythm of fingers tapping on keyboards, and the low murmur of voices exchanging information and discussing cases.
“Chief Rogan’s office is this way, Ms. Sloane.”
Brook fell into step beside Blake as they passed by several cluttered desks. The walls were lined with framed commendations and faded photographs of past police chiefs. Their stern expressions lent an air of authority to the otherwise unassuming space, and she could immediately pick out Detective Hartley’s father among the pictures. She couldn’t say the same for the detective himself, because he was nowhere to be found amid his colleagues.
“Chief Rogan?”
“I’m busy, Lawson.”
“Um, Brooklyn Sloane from S&E Investigations, Inc. would like to have a moment of your time.”
Blake had managed to take the last few steps at a quicker pace, putting him directly in the middle of Chief Rogan’s doorway. The officer had done so intentionally, and she couldn’t fault him for his loyalty. It was the heavy pause from the individual inside the office that was very telling, and she was pleased that she’d taken the time to change into one of the business suits that she’d brought with her.
The dark grey pinstriped pantsuit was one of her favorites. Since snow had yet to fall, she’d also been able to wear her high heels without issue.
Officer Lawson stepped to the side and motioned for her to enter the office. Once she had crossed the threshold, she took ahold of the doorknob and turned to close it.
“Thank you,” Brook murmured as she all but shut the door in Blake’s face. She’d seen the other officers monitoring the situation very carefully, and she didn’t want the upcoming conversation to be fodder for their afternoon breaks. She finally faced the man who was very good at maintaining balance between his job and those pulling the strings. “Chief Rogan, I’ve heard a lot about you.”
Brook stepped forward and held out her arm. By this time, the chief had stood from behind his desk and came around to meet her halfway. Chief Gary Rogan had salt and pepper hair, with a bit more pepper. His square jaw accentuated his thin lips, but it was the deep lines from spending too much time outdoors that stood out the most. He didn’t have to flaunt the photograph of his boat, which just so happened to be a Bay Craft, for her to know that he spent a lot of time outdoors.
“Ms. Sloane, what can I do for you?”
Chief Rogan made his way back around his desk and remained standing until she claimed one of the two guest chairs. There was a subtle wariness in his voice that gave away his concern for her visit.
“I know that you’re busy, Chief Rogan,” Brook began as she placed her purse in the chair next to her. She’d already turned off the ringer on her cell phone. “It’s not my intention to keep you any longer than necessary. I have concerns over why Martin Kingston called you regarding Emily Park.”
Brook wasn’t sure she’d ever seen anyone take a seat slower than Chief Rogan. He didn’t lean back against the faded and worn leather, either. Instead, he’d inclined forward and rested his forearms on the desk as he thought over how to reply to her statement.
“Emily Park is a barista in the coffee shop across the street from the art gallery where Bella Kadel was employed, and my colleague simply asked the standard questions of any employee of the café who might have noticed anything unusual in the months leading up to Kadel’s death.” Brook crossed her legs and rested her hands against the soft fabric of her pantsuit. “You do realize that Mr. Kingston’s phone call to you has me wondering if Emily knows more than what she has already shared with us.”
“Martin Kingston is an upstanding citizen, and he also happens to be very protective of his family,” Chief Rogan said after clearing his throat. “The phone call was nothing more than a grandfather making sure that his granddaughter wasn’t being railroaded by private investigators.”
Brook was getting the impression that Hartley hadn’t filled his superior in on the fact that S&E Investigations was no longer working independent on the case. Had Hartley refrained from speaking to Chief Rogan for a reason?
“Just to be clear, you’re saying that the phone call from Martin Kingston was because he thought one of my colleagues was railroading his granddaughter?”
The air inside the office was now thick with tension, and it was evident that Brook had gotten her point across. Chief Rogan shifted in his chair before the muscle in his jawline tightened with irritation.
“Mr. Kingston never mentioned those words exactly,” Chief Rogan explained, clearly about to take the heat for someone who had influence over the town. “I might have embellished his concerns.”
“That’s good to know,” Brook said, under no impression that she would garner anything of interest when it came to the Kingston family. “We might need to follow up with Emily on a conversation that she overheard between Bella Kadel and Lorelei Jameson.”
“You can’t ask one of the other baristas?”
