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She wondered if he was saying these things to make up for breaking off their kiss so abruptly. If so, it wasn’t necessary. She could understand that liking someone as a friend was different from falling in love.
But before she could say anything more, Brady’s voice intruded on her thoughts.
“That’s great, Marc. Send it to my personal email. We’ll start going through the list ASAP.”
“What list?” Elly looked up at her brother as he returned to his seat.
“The list of terminated Milwaukee cops.” Brady’s expression reflected satisfaction. “We had to push hard to get that information, considering we don’t have any proof this guy is actually a cop.”
“Glad to hear it,” Joe said. “That gives us another angle to work.”
“You think he’s a disgruntled cop?” Elly had a hard time imagining the man she’d bumped into as a police officer. Then again, she was using her brothers Rhy and Tarin as role models.
And this guy was the antithesis of her brothers.
She finished her meal and sipped coffee while Joe and Brady continued eating. When they were done, she stood and stacked their dirty dishes together.
Joe jumped to his feet. “We should wash them since you cooked.”
“No, you have work to do.” She smiled at his willingness to chip in. “Trust me, this will help keep me busy for a while. I’m going a little stir-crazy here.”
Joe searched her gaze for a moment, then dropped back into his seat. After she’d washed and dried the dishes, she moved back to the kitchen table.
“Are you sure there isn’t something I can do?” She hated feeling helpless.
“Give us some time to pull some of these photos together.” Joe gestured to the computer. “When we have a few viable suspects, you can review them with us.”
“Okay.” Patience is a virtue, she reminded herself. She dropped back onto the sofa and rested her head back on the cushion, staring at the ceiling.
She ended up closing her eyes and reviewing the tasks she still needed to do for the Callahan and Finnegan Christmas family reunion. She’d originally planned on renting a hall, but Rhy talked her into having the gathering at the homestead. He agreed to bring in a large canvas tent for the backyard, along with four propane patio heaters.
She hoped the families would mix and mingle, especially the spouses. Many of the cousins had met and worked together over the past year, even before she and Maddy had uncovered the DNA connection.
“Elly?” Joe’s voice broke into her thoughts.
“Yes?” She opened her eyes, flushing when she realized she may have dozed a bit. “Do you have a list of possible suspects?”
“We do.” Joe’s smile made her toes tingle. “We culled the list to focus on white males in a certain age group, which helped narrow it down to eight men who fit the criteria. We’re interested in your thoughts.”
“Okay.” She rose and stretched, then quickly crossed the room. Joe pulled out a chair, and she dropped down beside him. On the computer screen, she saw eight solemn faces staring back at her.
She almost immediately shook her head. The guy she’d bumped into wasn’t one of these eight.
“Hold on, Elly,” Joe cautioned. “Take your time.”
This was police work, she reminded herself. She needed to be absolutely sure that the man she’d seen moments before the Christmas parade began wasn’t there.
Taking one at a time, she tried to place the cop on the screen with the man with the cold, dead eyes wearing a long coat. Her gaze lingered on one face that had some similarities. But she didn’t think he was the man she’d seen.
“I’m sorry,” she said on a sigh. “This man here”—she tapped on the one photograph—“is close. But I don’t think he’s our guy.”
“His name is Peter Colton, and he was terminated for use of excessive force,” Brady said. “He was also described as a loner by those who knew him. He fits the general description you gave, Elly. And he’s not that far off from your sketch either.”
A wave of doubt hit hard. Was this the same man? Had she made a mistake with the sketch? Not getting it quite right?
Lord help her, she didn’t know.
* * *
