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Kieran nodded. “No offense taken.” In fact, the truth was liberating in a way. He told them about Ritchie’s demeanor changes, the secretive calls, and the date with Cash scrawled on a napkin in the trash.
“It wasn’t a date,” Cash replied. “I want to be very clear about that, and I’m truly sorry you thought otherwise.”
“I saw you together,” Kieran admitted. “Then, I couldn’t be objective, but with perspective, I realize you didn’t react when Ritchie flirted with you.”
Cash smiled. “You sent the text message that made him end our night abruptly.”
Kieran smiled. “It was our anniversary, and I wanted him to know I’d caught him.” He paused before continuing because he hated how weak he’d been. “Ritchie had convinced me nothing was going on and that I was just paranoid. We made up, celebrated our anniversary for real the following evening, and the cops arrested me for stealing the Jaguar a few days after.”
“I still don’t understand why none of you listened to Kieran when he explained why he was in the car,” Finley said angrily. “He was the connection to Ritchie you needed.”
Agent Rowland dropped his gaze to the ground, and Agent Scott ran a hand over the lower half of his face. “That’s on me,” he said. “Operation Silver Fox was rogue and completely off the books. I risked losing my job if it got back to my superiors. The car Kieran was driving was a luxury vehicle, but the theft wasn’t the same MO as the previous cars. And though Ritchie seemed ready to play, he was more interested in helping Cash out of his clothes than helping him locate a vintage Aston Martin.” Scott winced. “Sorry.”
Kieran waved him off. “CSPD handled the investigation, so if one of them was covering for Ritchie, they steered the case in a different direction.”
“Yes and no,” Scott replied. “The initial investigator did interview Ritchie, his employees, and your coworkers. Ritchie said he didn’t know you, his employees said they’d never heard of you, and your coworkers at the bar said they knew nothing about your personal life. The original detectives from the first rash of stolen cars took over your case, and they’re the ones who convinced the prosecutor you were guilty.”
“His employees were all blood relatives, so they never would’ve gone against Ritchie,” Kieran said softly. “We never officially moved in together, so there was nothing tying me to his address. I’ve never been one to hang on to a lot of possessions, so it would’ve been easy to erase my existence.” But he’d already figured out that much. “How’d we get to this point, though?”
“I’m guessing more stolen cars,” Finley said.
“Yep, but not until right after Kieran’s release from jail,” Rowland said.
“That son of a bitch was trying to set you up again,” Finley snarled.
Kieran’s stomach churned with acid. He hadn’t known until this point if his arrest had been dumb luck or an actual setup. Rowland’s candor hammered home what had really happened. Eventually, the truth would set him free, but right then, it anchored him in resentment. Then Finley slipped his hand into Kieran’s and infused him with his warmth and goodness.
“I’m not a fan of Alvarez, but I have to interject at this point and say that the timing of the latest car theft is a coincidence. Ritchie’s gambling addiction has put him into serious debt with very dangerous people who’ve banned him from the casinos in Black Hawk.” That explained why he was in Last Chance Creek. “He’s boosting cars to pay off his debt.”
“What about Kieran’s arrest? Was that a coincidence too?”
“We think so,” Scott replied. “I looked through dispatch records and Crime Stopper tips and there’s no indication that Ritchie sent you out in a stolen car then phoned the police.”
“Fair enough,” Finley said. “Sorry for the detour.”
“No problem,” Rowland said. “Scott had received a promotion by this point and he went for gold. He tapped me to do the undercover work since Silver Fox over there had only ended up with dates.” Cash flipped him off, causing the big man to guffaw. “It took me months to wear Ritchie down enough for him to trust me, and you two nearly blew my case with your amateur-hour stakeout.”
Finley cringed, but Kieran narrowed his eyes. “Why are you being so forthcoming with information? Aren’t you guys normally stingy with the details?”
“Very,” Rowland agreed.
“And now Cash owes me another favor,” Scott said, grinning from ear to ear before he composed himself. “There’s a lot we can’t tell you right now because there will be several trials and—”
“Trials?” Kieran and Finley said together.
Scott and Rowland looked at Cash. “You didn’t tell them?” Scott asked.
Cash threw up his hands. “You told me I couldn’t, and when would I have found time?”
“He makes a valid point,” Scott told Rowland. “Do you want to do the honors, or should I?”
Rowland held up his hand to deflect. “This is your baby.”
Scott produced his cell phone from his jacket pocket and tapped on the screen. A moment later, he turned it around so Kieran and Finley could see the headline on a newspaper article.
“Leader of multimillion dollar auto theft ring arrested after evading capture for four years,” Finley read.
“In the article, they reveal that Ritchie’s new boyfriend is the younger brother of Detective Snyder, who we believe misdirected and deflected the original investigation and Kieran’s case. That might take longer to prove, but he’s currently on suspension until further notice.”
