Ian swallowed past the lump in his throat.
The hairs on the back of his neck rose as he got out of the car and approached the man. In silence, the man handed him a brown folder full of papers. It was full of pictures of his mom, Eric Taylor, a baby-faced Lily, and a few blacked-out documents.
“What is all of this?”
“Your mom was building a case against her ex-husband. She managed to gather enough evidence to prove that her ex was receiving bribes and looking the other way when it came to certain cases.”
Ian’s heart skipped a beat. “I don’t see any of that here.”
The man removed his sunglasses and hooked them up to his shirt. Dark brown eyes set against a taut face regarded Ian thoughtfully. “My father was the PI who took on your mom’s case. He didn’t have a lot of faith he’d be able to dig anything up, but Eric got too comfortable and too lazy.”
Ian snapped the folder shut and stood up straighter. “What does that mean?”
“It means my father was able to dig up the evidence.”
Ian frowned. “Look, no offense, Mr.—”
“Bryce Rolland.”
“No offense, Mr. Rolland, but why isn’t your father telling me this himself? As the PI in charge of the case, he’ll be the one able to tell me where all the bodies are buried.”
Bryce stiffened, and a shadow settled over his face. “I’d love to help you, Mr. Railings, but unfortunately, my father isn’t up to speaking to anyone at the moment.”
“Why did you reach out then?”
“Because I heard through the grapevine that you were looking into your mother’s case, and I wanted to reach out and tell you what I know.”
Ian held the folder out and shook his head. “This doesn’t really help me with anything. You dragged us all the way out here, so the least you can do is set up a meeting with your father.”
Bryce studied Ian, his expression growing more and more solemn. “I’d like to, but like I said, he’s indisposed.”
Ian made a low, strangled noise in the back of his throat. “So, this was all for nothing?”
“He’s in a nursing home,” Bryce told Ian with a lift of his chin. “Early-onset Alzheimer’s. Even if I wanted to set up a meeting, it wouldn’t do you any good. I doubt he’d remember anything about the case. He can barely remember my name most days.”
Ian felt like he’d been punched in the stomach.
He shouldn’t have pushed the man this hard, especially when he didn’t have all of the facts.
Ian felt like an absolute idiot for not picking up on the hints. “I’m sorry.”
Bryce nodded stiffly. “So am I. I’ll look into my father’s old case files and see if there’s anything I can dig up, but it’s been years. He might not have kept any kind of records at all.”
Ian exchanged a quick glance with Marissa. “If I investigate Eric, will I be able to dig up the same kind of evidence?”
“He’s probably a lot more careful now. Getting caught once would’ve been enough for Eric Taylor to secure his information and cover his footprints.”
Ian glanced away and let out a harsh breath, knots tightening in his stomach. “So, what now?”
Bryce placed his glasses back on and pushed himself off the hood of the car. “Now, we keep in touch. Between the two of us, we should be able to dig something up.”
Ian searched Bryce’s face. “Why are you doing this?”
“My father used to talk about this case a lot. I think it’s the one that stayed with him, and it still haunts him. I want to give him the chance to put this to bed once and for all. And I don’t like men like Eric. They get away with too much.”
Ian nodded and held his hand out. “Thank you.”
Bryce hesitated before taking Ian’s hand in his and giving him a firm shake. Wordlessly, Bryce spun on his heel and went back into his car. Ian waited until he drove off, the car kicking up dirt and dust as it did. Marissa pried the car keys out of his hand and went to the driver’s side. Ian kept his head lowered and ducked into the passenger door.
