“Understatement, my friend.”
Giving in to a slow smile, Peter lifted his bottle of Heineken. “And here I always thought it was Tessa who had you wrapped around her little finger.”
“It was, when I was a moron, er, kid,” he joked. “Kate’s just…right for me, Pete. She’s solid, smart, a really good woman. She makes me laugh and think. I didn’t get enough time with her, though. And now she’s a thousand miles away, and there’s a new complication.”
He lifted his brows. “What’s that? Anything I can help with?”
“As a matter of fact…you might.”
“Hit me.”
Eli leaned in, pushing away his nearly finished plate, and gave a very scaled-down report of what Crista had said. He didn’t need to get into the family emotion, especially with a man as pragmatic as Peter.
But his friend instantly knew what was needed.
“You want me to find out who turned him in,” Peter guessed.
“I certainly don’t want to ask you to do anything outside the bounds of law enforcement rules. But…are those files available?”
He huffed a slow breath, closing his eyes to instantly communicate the complications.
“Yes and no and maybe,” he said. “First of all, it depends on if the case was investigated at the state or fed level. Knowing what I do about your dad’s crimes, I think that jurisdiction started with Atlanta PD, then maybe GBI moved in. Do you know?”
Eli shrugged. “I was twenty-two, mad as hell, embarrassed, and wishing I could climb in a hole where my dad was concerned. Honestly, I did my level best to know nothing except the verdict the day it came in.”
“I get that,” Peter said. “Looking into the origin of the investigation might be easy, especially if the original tip is in case notes or detective logs. Those leads usually come from the victims—and I presume Artie wasn’t one of those—or a colleague acting as a whistleblower. I know a few guys in Atlanta PD who could find out how the case got rolling. If so, I’ll get you the information.”
“Thanks, man.”
“Don’t thank me yet,” he added. “If that doesn’t work, court records and transcripts are public information. Did Artie testify against him?”
“Believe it or not, I don’t know,” Eli admitted. “I was away at school during the trial and my mother kept everything under a dome of silence. Sorry.”
He smiled. “Ah, Maggie. Hey, I remember those were tough days and you’ve always hated the subject of Roger’s crimes. Don’t apologize.” He took a sip of beer, thinking. “Fulton County DA or the Georgia Attorney General could have information, but…hard to get.”
“Like I said, I don’t want you to color outside the lines, Pete. If it’s easy to find out, great.”
“I’ll poke around,” he said, then narrowed his eyes. “If you really want to know.” At Eli’s questioning look, he added, “It isn’t going to help things with Kate if it’s true. Not if Maggie has her way.”
“I know.” He leaned back, the weight of that still heavy. “I trust a higher power.”
“Higher than Maggie?” he cracked. “I didn’t know there was one.”
Eli chuckled, and finished his beer.
“Now canIask a favor?” Peter put his hand over the check.
“Pay for dinner? No way,” Eli said. “I got this.”
“Pensacola PD’s got this,” he said, snagging the check. “And that’s not my favor.”
“What is it? Name it and claim it, my friend.”
“Careful now, big brother.”
Eli angled his head, not sure he got that.
“I’d like permission to ask your beautiful sister, Vivien, on a date or six while I’m here.” He gave a sly, even shy, smile. “Since you and I are taking the chances we didn’t have the insight to take back in the nineties.”
