Ronan turned around to see Ten walking toward the table. “Hey, sorry about that. This case is one giant question mark. There are barely any autopsy photographs and almost no contact information for the witnesses at the party that night. No wonder Jimenez and Watts got nowhere with this case. They didn’t do any investigative work at all. I hope Cisco fires their lazy fucking asses.”
“Whose lazy fucking ass are we talking about?” Jude asked with a grin.
“Not yours,” Ronan said and quickly explained what he’d learned so far. “We’re going to have to start this investigation from scratch without the benefit of the crime scene.”
“That’s not necessarily true,” Ten said.
“Have you spoken with Bash Stark?” Jude asked.
Ten shook his head. “I was thinking about the large file folder Paul Stark brought with him this morning. It looked stuffed to the brim with documents. I’m betting there’s a lot of information in there that would come in handy, especially if he’s been running his own investigation for the last few years.”
“I agree, Ten.” Fitz took the chair next to Ronan and started leafing through the documents he’d discarded.
“The autopsy was half-assed, just like we thought it would be.” Fitz shook his head. “There’s barely anything here. What an absolute clusterfuck. No wonder the other detectives didn’t put any work in on this case,” Fitz said, echoing Ronan’s earlier comment. “Ronan, call Paul Stark. Let him know we’re on the case and want to meet with him tomorrow morning to take a formal statement from him about the night his son died. Tell him we’d also like to see any evidence he’s collected over the last few years. If he’s got the names and contact information for the frat members that were at the party the night Bash died, it might save us a subpoena or two along the way.” Fitz grabbed the rest of the papers sitting in front of Ronan and flipped through them. “There’s no phone records here either. Let’s hope Paul has them. I want to see Bash’s text history with his frat brothers, as well as what he might have told his parents or his friends. Lastly, I want to know who the girl was that had sexual relations with him that night.”
“You got it.” Ronan grabbed his phone and stepped into Fitzgibbon’s private office to place the call. Paul Stark answered on the first ring.
“Detective O’Mara, I hope you’re calling with good news for me.” Stark sounded hopeful.
“I am. We were able to get Bash’s case assigned to us. If you’re available, we’d like to come see you tomorrow. There’s a lot we have to talk about, including what’s in the folder you brought with you this morning.”
“It’s every bit of evidence I’ve managed to gather from the night Bash died. I looked into his frat brothers, the chapter itself. I’ve got phone records and text messages. You name it, I’ve got it.”
“Do you happen to have Bash’s phone?” Ronan asked, crossing his fingers.
“I do. Maya and I agreed to pay for it if he kept his grades up, but I kept paying the bill even after he died. I call Sebastian’s voicemail just to hear the sound of his voice.”
“That’s going to be very helpful to us, in terms of being able to see your son’s text history. Usually, when we get a dump of phone records, the texts are all jumbled, and we have to try to put them in order, but with his phone, we’ll be able to see the actual conversations he had with people.”
“I’ll have it for you tomorrow, along with copies of everything else. I told you I was willing to do whatever it takes to get to the bottom of my son’s death. Whoever killed my son is also responsible for Maya’s death.”
Stark’s words caught Ronan off guard. “I thought Maya died from cancer.”
“She did. Her lung cancer was diagnosed after Bash died. Maya didn’t put up much of a fight. She saw death as a relief because she would be reunited with our son and wouldn’t have to live with the crushing grief of losing him. She got her wish, and all I was left with was a house full of ghosts and empty memories. The only thing that keeps me going now is the idea of finding some justice for my son and peace for myself.”
Ronan didn’t want to say the words out loud, but it was possible Stark would end up with neither. “We’re doing what we can on our end as well. My colleagues and I have the complete police record, and we’re going through it as we speak.”
“Is there any way I can get a look at it?” Paul asked. “I’d like to see for myself what the cops have or havenotbeen doing over the years.”
“I’ll be more than happy to let you see the file once we’ve exhausted all investigative avenues. There are some questions I have for you related to what’s in there, and I don’t want to prejudice your answers in any way. We’re only going to have one shot to get answers, Paul, and I refuse to fail Bash.”
“I can’t tell you how good it makes me feel to hear you say that, Detective O’Mara. After three years, I finally feel like we’re going to get somewhere with this investigation, and I can’t thank you and your team enough for looking into my son’s death, even if it turns out Bash fell accidentally.”
“How does ten tomorrow morning work for you?” Ronan asked.
“I’ll be here. 225 West Hanover Street. It’s a big green house. You can’t miss it.” Excitement tinged Stark’s voice.
“One last thing, Mr. Stark.” Ronan knew there was one more thing they’d need that Paul Stark would be able to provide.
“Anything, just name it.”
“Grab a few things that belonged to your son. Treasured things, like his hockey stick or a piece of jewelry he always wore. Something he had strong ties to in life.” Ronan knew Ten was often able to connect with objects belonging to the deceased.
“Is that for Tennyson’s work?”
“It is. We’ll explain everything in the morning. In the meantime, talk to your son’s spirit. Tell him what’s going on and who we are. Any information Bash can give us is crucial.”
“The words of a ghost aren’t admissible in court, are they?” Stark asked.
