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His jaw tightened. “Leave it alone, Casey.”
She was quiet for a long moment, just scrutinizing his face.
“Wow,” she said at last. “This is even bigger than I thought. They shut you down, didn’t they? Whatever’s going on, they don’t want Forensic Instincts involved. This must be some major career-building case. No wonder we’ve got the bad guys so nervous. There’s a lot more at stake for them than our search for Paul Everett. He’s part of a much bigger picture.”
Hutch didn’t answer. Then again, he didn’t have to.
“You’re coming through loud and clear,” Casey told him. “I guess that means that figuring out what the bigger picture is will be FI’s job.”
“No.” Hutch’s tone was hard. “FI’s job will be to find some other way to save Justin Gleason. Paul Everett isn’t an option.”
“That’s the FBI’s opinion. Not mine.”
“You’re playing with fire, Casey. That’s as much as I can say. I don’t have too many details—but I have enough to know you’re in danger. So drop it.”
“There’s no chance in hell. Do you have any idea how good the odds are that Paul Everett will turn out to be the best match for Justin? Do you know how fervently Amanda’s been counting on that national donor list and coming up empty? Do you know that her son-of-a-bitch uncle, who’s her closest living relative, isn’t a match? Do you realize that Mercer and his kids are long, long shots?” Anger sparked in Casey’s eyes. “Do you understand that you’re practically telling me to let a baby die to protect your precious Bureau?”
“That’s not what I’m telling you.” Now Hutch was getting angry. “But if more powerful forces than you haven’t found Paul Everett, FI isn’t going to, either. Assuming you’re right—and I’m not saying you are—and he is part of some massive investigation, you’re wasting your time hunting him down. That’s time you could be spending finding a viable donor for Justin.”
“Do you know where he is?” Casey demanded.
“I haven’t a clue.” Hutch’s jaw was working. “And, if I did, I couldn’t tell you.”
“Couldn’t? Or wouldn’t?”
“Both.”
“Dammit, Hutch.” Casey was furious. “I’m trying to save a baby’s life. And you’re clinging to some stupid bureaucratic rules?”
“Those bureaucratic rules are what define our criminal justice system. Without them—” Hutch broke off with a frustrated sound. “Let’s not go down this path for the hundredth time. We don’t agree. That’s why you started Forensic Instincts and why I’m with the Bureau.”
Casey struggled for control—and for objectivity. She knew Hutch was being Hutch, doing what he believed in. But she just couldn’t wrap her mind around it, not in this case.
“We’re talking about a newborn baby,” she said, keeping her tone intentionally calm. “He won’t survive
much longer without a donor transplant. He might not survive anyway. Hutch, I won’t ask you to compromise your principles. Just tell me what you can, what you feel comfortable saying. I’ll try to fill in the blanks. Please. I’m begging you. I won’t tell anyone, not even the team, where I got the information.”
“You know that’s not the issue, Casey.” Hutch’s tone was equally restrained. “Anything I wouldn’t feel comfortable with your sharing with the team, I wouldn’t feel comfortable sharing with you. This isn’t personal. It’s professional.” A pause, as Hutch grappled with his choice of words. “I wasn’t lying. I have no idea where Paul Everett is. Nor do I have the faintest idea how to find him. I’m not sure who, if anyone, does. Classified information is shared on a need-to-know basis.”
“I hear you.” Casey digested what Hutch was and wasn’t saying. Paul Everett was in the federal system and he was a part of some investigation. A significant investigation, if it was classified. And that meant that even Hutch had limited information.
“Is Paul alive?” Casey asked.
“I don’t know. I can only speculate.”
“Okay, then what would you speculate?”
“I’d speculate that he’s probably alive.”
“Agreed. Or the Bureau wouldn’t be so eager to keep a lid on his part in their investigation.”
“Maybe. Maybe not.” Hutch shrugged. “It could be that any update on his status is classified. I’m just guessing, based on instinct. I have no facts to support them.”
Casey nodded. “When you first walked in here, you had a strong, negative reaction to my watching Mercer’s press conference. That tells me that this investigation involves him, too.”
“I can’t comment on that.”
“And Lyle Fenton?”
