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Riley opened the door and removed something from the outside. He handed the sheet of paper to Gary, who groaned.
“Great. Who talked?” Someone had drawn a cartoon of him and Dan seated at their desks, both frozen in blocks of ice. Below it they’d written Cold Cases Department.
Dan took it from him and chuckled. “This is really good. We should frame it.” He scanned the office walls. “Did you keep the Cereal Killer one? That was great.”
Gary knew better than to accept Dan’s attempt at forced humor. “I guess we’d better go and let Travers make it official.” He grabbed his jacket, putting it on as he strode out of the office, Dan and Riley behind him.
With every step he took, the churning in his stomach increased.
Gary didn’t give a damn what his fellow detectives thought of him. But he sure as hell didn’t want them giving Dan a hard time.
“THAT’S EVERYTHING.”Sergeant Rob Michaels closed the folder on the lectern in front of him. He cleared his throat. “But before you all disappear, the lieutenant would like a word.”
Murmurs rumbled through the assembled officers and detectives, and Gary’s fears were confirmed.
They know what’s coming.
Lieutenant Travers stepped up to the lectern, looking at them over his glasses. “I’m sure I don’t need to remind you how valuable Mr. Porter’s contribution was last month in helping us apprehend a serial killer, one who’d eluded us for some time.” The rumbles increased, and Travers’s eyes grew flinty. “Regardless of what you think about the aftermath of that arrest, justice was served. And that’s why we’re all here, isn’t it? To see justice served?”
A hush fell over the room.
Travers nodded. “Well, the chief has decided we should be paying more attention to our cold cases. And there are a great many of them, some dating back decades. You know, in the days before you could send a sample off to a lab for DNA testing.” He grinned. “And then complain about how long it takes to get the results.” That raised a few chuckles. “So yes, times have changed. We have the gift of technology.” He glanced toward Dan at the back of the room, seated next to Gary. “And now we have other gifts at our disposal.” Travers squared his broad shoulders. “Imagine if someone you loved had died or disappeared in unexplained circumstances. You’d want closure, even if it happened years ago. As I see it, a cold case is one where we had to admit defeat. Well, no one likes to do that. And with that in mind, as of today, Detective Gary Mitchell and Mr. Dan Porter will be working together exclusively on cold cases.” That steel gaze was back. “I expect them to be given every cooperation.”
“What makes you think they’ll be able to turn up anything new?” That was Detective Will Freeman. Gary had figured he’d be the first voice of dissent.
He coughed, and chair legs scraped over the floor as the assembled officers and detectives turned to stare at him with expressions of both amusement and disbelief.
Gary met their gazes, his shoulders squared. “Mr. Porter’s involvement may give us access to new information.”
“You said ‘may.’” Will stared at Gary. “That implies you have doubts about his abilities.”
“He’s not like one of those fortune-telling machines you find in arcades, all right?” Riley’s face reddened. “You can’t just put your money in the slot and out pops the bad guy. It doesn’t work like that.” Gary laid his hand on Riley’s arm, and Riley expelled a breath. “Sorry.” He glared at his coworkers. “But you guys haven’t seen him at work—I have. And he’s no fake. Ludlow started killing in 2014, and ten days after we brought Dan in on the case, we stopped him. Ten days.”
Travers cleared his throat once more, and heads swiveled in his direction. “Do I have to repeat myself about offering cooperation?” Another silence fell, and he nodded. “Good. Because if you don’t like this new initiative, I suggest you take it up with the chief. He loved the idea.” And with that, he marched out of the room. As soon as he was out of sight, the murmurs began again, only louder.
Barely seconds later, Will Freeman marched over to where Gary, Dan, and Riley stood. That was all it took for others to follow.
Here we go.
Will came to a halt in front of them, his arms folded. “All that stuff in the media about the Ludlow case,” he began, “it was all hype, right?”
Gary opened his mouth to tell Will where to get off, but Dan got there first. He held out his hand. “Give me your watch.”
Will frowned. “Why do you want my watch?”
“Because you work with Gary, and he needs you to have his back. And the only way forward is to prove to you that what the media reported was the truth.” He held his head high. “So give me your watch, and I can help you put all your doubts aside.”
Will arched his eyebrows. “And what if you don’t…feelanything?”
Around them the officers and detectives were all unusually quiet, their attention focused on the scene before them.
Dan has an audience.Gary hoped to God it wouldn’t be a bust. He knew from experience Dan couldn’t turn his visions on and off like a faucet.
Dan shrugged. “Then we’ll try with something else until I do.” His palm faced upward. “Your watch, please.”
Will hesitated for a moment, then unclasped the stainless-steel bracelet and placed it in Dan’s hand. Dan covered it with his other hand and closed his eyes. The room was silent, and Gary could hear nothing but the slow intake and exhalation of air.
Will refolded his arms. “Don’t get excited, guys. Nothing’s gonna happen.”
