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"Yes." Brook wouldn't apologize for where the investigation led the team. "It would help to know if there were any casualties involved with Project Grey Skies."
"There were no casualties."
Brook arched an eyebrow, but he didn't elaborate right away. She took a sip of her water, willing to wait him out. He obviously wasn't in any hurry to leave.
"Why would Les Snyder kill his own sister?"
"I would have initially said that someone important to him was killed by a classified military project," Brook replied wryly, tapping her finger on the metal cup. "Really? No casualties?"
Brook wondered if there had been another classified project that the high-ranking military members had been involved with that would have given their unsub motive for his killing spree. At least, the first few victims.
"No casualties, although there was an incident on a base that shall not be mentioned that involved over a dozen injuries. Some severe." Graham finally handed over the manilla folder, though he held onto it when she would have taken it out of his grip. "Only the names of those servicemen and women who were injured are in this file. You are not to mention Project Grey Skies during any formal interviews. Agreed?"
"Agreed." Brook was nothing if not discreet. Well, when the situation warranted it. "I appreciate this."
Graham lifted one side of his mouth, as if to say his willingness to reveal the names had everything to do with him and not her. He would be right, but it was more for the seven victims who deserved justice and the seven men who didn't deserve to spend the rest of their lives behind bars.
"I'll be in touch if I believe there is anything that you should know," Brook replied softly, treading carefully. She should be the last person deciding what he should or should not know about this case. She had gone to extreme lengths of paying Sylvie under the table to garner as much information as possible about the murder in Maine knowing full well that Jacob had been responsible. "I realize that you are in a difficult position. We'll keep these names in-house. We only need to run them against our unsubs. If it turns out that there are no connections, we will seek another path. We won't stop searching for who murdered your daughter. I give you my word."
Chapter Sixteen
Brooklyn Sloane
January 2022
Tuesday — 9:16am
Therewasanoddsound that chimed throughout the offices of S&E Investigations. Brook was currently standing behind Bit, looking over his shoulder, as he showed her information that he'd discovered regarding Les Snyder—the man had actually been in the same bar the night that Tanya Russell had allegedly been killed by Steve Laurey.
Unfortunately, such a discovery was going to have to wait for a brief moment.
"What is that?" Brook asked in irritation as she stepped back when Bit indicated that he wanted to roll his chair over to another monitor. He tapped the space bar on the keyboard and up came video footage of the main foyer in front of the elevator banks. "What the hell..."
Brook let her voice trail off as she stared at the face of Nathan Dante. He was accompanied by another man who couldn't be mistaken for anything other than a high-priced lawyer. After observing his European cut suit, along with taking in his briefcase and silk tie, he couldn't have been more obvious.
"How do I talk to them?" Brook asked in a clipped tone, wishing that Theo were still in the office. He'd gone to meet with Derek, who had flown into Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport earlier this morning. He was only here for a day and for the purpose of their investigation. He had wanted to accompany Theo to speak with Austin Ridley's family, who resided near the rural border of Virginia. "This button here?"
Bit had gestured toward a box that was off to the side. She hadn't seen it originally, but it was the same as the one in her office, not that she'd had to use it yet.
"Please come in and have a seat in the reception area," Brook said over the speaker, not used to being on the defensive. She wasn't even remotely ready to ask Nathan Dante questions, not that he would answer any with his lawyer in tow. It was evident that either Graham hadn't returned Captain Dante's phone call regarding his son or Nathan was being proactive to stop S&E Investigations from looking into his guilt. "I'll be with you shortly."
She could count on one hand the amount of times that she'd been out in the field. Those times had been spent walking crime scenes and interviewing people associated with the crime, which was what Theo had been tasked with since he was so comfortable in that element. Granted, he'd been off these past couple of days, but he seemed somewhat better this morning.
"I'll just stay here," Bit mumbled as she headed toward the door. "Good luck, Boss!"
Brook quickly made her way to Sylvie's office. Her door was open, so Brook didn't bother to knock.
"Nathan Dante is here with someone who I am going to assume is his family's lawyer," Brook explained without wasting any time. "In ten minutes, come into my office."
Brook didn't explain her reasoning. She was very good at making quick decisions, and this morning would be no different. Pausing long enough in the hallway to ensure that her blazer was fastened securely, she then continued into the foyer.
Nathan Dante was pacing in the waiting area, whereas the lawyer had utilized the couch and was currently scrolling through what she assumed to be messages on his phone. He'd come prepared to do battle, and there wasn't a damn thing that she could do about it.
"Good morning, gentlemen," Brook greeted as she came to a stop alongside the black area rug that she'd purchased for the décor. "I have to say that I'm surprised by your visit."
"Are you?" Nathan responded irritably. "You call up one of my colleagues to—"
"We've heard that you were reinvestigating Kelsey Elliott's murder, along with the fact that you believe my client might have some involvement," the lawyer responded, holding out his hand. "I'm Mason Cooper, and I'll be representing Mr. Dante in this matter. He has nothing to hide, and we thought it best to get ahead of any...potential liable lawsuits. I'm sure you can understand my client's concern."
