AllFreeNovel
Share Us
As a matter of fact, Brook would say that the woman was close to expressing rage. Stephen slowly followed his fiancé‘s lead, attempting to calm the situation.
“Look, Ms. Sloane,” Catherine declared as she angrily set the strap of her purse over her shoulder. “Whatever you have had to deal with in your past should have no bearing on my life or the lives of my family members. My father is dying. He only has a short time to live. Isn’t that enough?”
“I have to believe that if you were one of the women who had been abducted and possibly murdered, leaving your father to languish away in his last days without seeking answers, that he would appreciate Ms. Gwinn’s bravery in coming forward,” Brook countered evenly as she walked to the door of her office. She opened it before delivering her final line. “I believe we’re done here.”
Chapter Twelve
Theo Neville
December 2022
Monday — 5:31pm
Themonotonousclickofthe turn signal was slightly louder than the R&B music faintly drifting from the speakers of the radio. The warmth inside the Jeep Wrangler was a welcome respite from the bitter cold wind and falling temperatures.
Theo had been driving for a good twenty minutes since exiting the city. In that time, he’d come to the realization that their new case had finally grown some roots. All they needed to do now was follow those roots in hopes that they led to a full-grown tree.
In this case, the unsub.
As Theo continued to monitor the black BMW in front of him, he used his Bluetooth to call Brook’s cell phone. The radio switched to the audio of a ringing sound that reverberated throughout the Jeep.
He’d basically spent the entire day interviewing hospital staff who had been present either during or after Dr. Kolsby’s surgery. That list had even included the paramedics who had been at the scene of the accident.
Theo and Sylvie had split up the names, each of them tackling the interviews that would bleed into tomorrow’s schedule. First thing in the morning, Sylvie would be meeting with Dr. Kolsby’s administrative assistant. Theo had already spoken to her, but she’d been tightlipped about her employer. Maybe Sylvie would have better luck, though it was doubtful that the woman would simply hand over the names of Dr. Kolsby’s patients. Bit was currently working on an angle that would hopefully not end with any of them behind bars for violating telecommunications privacy laws.
“You could have given me a heads up about the background investigation,” Brook said, forgoing the standard greeting. “Please relay my congratulations to your father.”
Theo smiled as he glanced from the car in front of him to the red light above.
“Dad hasn’t officially been appointed the NYPD Commissioner, but I will definitely let him know that we’ve started to receive calls.” Theo had already been questioned, and it appeared as if the investigator was almost done wrapping up the vetting process. “Were you nice?”
“I’m offended that you would even ask me that,” Brook replied wryly. “I’ll be on my best behavior unless I find out that your father is still interested in having you move back to New York. In that case, all bets are off.”
He didn’t have to tell Brook that his father would never stop attempting to get Theo back to the city. It would never be in the capacity of an officer or a role that involved field work, which was why such a move had never been in consideration.
“Were you able to speak with Dr. Cranston?”
“Not exactly,” Theo murmured as he was finally able to step on the gas. “Thanks to Bit’s help, I was able to locate Dr. Cranston at a country club. Before I could park, he had already exited the building. I figured I’d follow him home, but he drove in the opposite direction. We’re about to get onto the highway now.”
“Not unusual,” Brook surmised over what sounded like the office’s coffee machine. She’d most likely be at work for another six to seven hours. On the bright side, at least she had started joining them for their Thursday night get-togethers. “I’m sure the man has a life. I was able to procure the missing person report on Natalie Thorne’s disappearance. While Cranston was interviewed due to his relationship with her, he was ruled out as a suspect since he’d been the primary surgeon on a nine-hour emergency surgery the night that she supposedly went missing. His alibi was airtight.”
“Something is off,” Theo said with a bit of hesitancy, lifting his foot off the gas pedal to put some distance between his Jeep and Dr. Cranston’s BMW. “Cranston looked around the parking lot for a good, solid minute before getting into his car. It was almost as if he thought that he was being watched. I just wanted you to know that I’m discreetly following him at a distance.”
“Just be careful, Theo. We’re already rocking the boat with the powers that be. I received a call from Senator Ponzio’s younger sister. You know, the one who worked for the Bureau. She was putting out feelers as to the reason we would take Millie Gwinn’s case when the police found nothing to substantiate a continued investigation.”
“I bet that was a pleasant conversation.” Theo frowned when Dr. Cranston passed an exit that could have potentially been a roundabout way to his home. “Your response?”
“Exactly what I told Catherine Kolsby today in my office. Millie Gwinn’s apartment was broken into, she fears for her life, and she hired an outside firm to double check the findings of the investigation. And before you ask, the answer is no. I did not expand the conversation to include that we are providing our services pro bono.” There was clanking of glass in the background, and Theo pictured Brook reaching into the cabinet for one of the white coffee mugs that had the firm’s logo on the side. “I’m reading over Sylvie’s notes from today’s interviews. Keep me posted on your upcoming conversation with Cranston.”
“Will do.”
Theo disconnected the call, shifting in his seat. He might as well make himself a bit more comfortable. There was no telling how long the drive would be, especially given that Cranston had passed another exit. Theo glanced at the fuel gauge. He’d fueled up the Jeep earlier this afternoon, so he didn’t need to worry about running out of gas anytime soon.
Theo found his thoughts drifting to Hadley, who had spent a couple of nights at his condo. They’d hit it off in more ways than one, but she always left before sunrise. He’d even offered to make her breakfast on Sunday morning, but she’d politely refused before walking out the door. She was also never the one to reach out first.
He got the sense that she wasn’t looking for anything serious.
Theo was completely fine with that decision. Granted, he was finally in a good place with work and his health, and he’d finally found a nice place to live. He wouldn’t mind finding something more than a one-night stand or a relationship purely based on sex. It would be interesting to see where Hadley wanted to take things over the course of the next few months.
