No, Ryan Redmond was guilty.
He’d stabbed that poor girl seven times, leaving cigarette burns on her skin, all because she turned him down. Wes was dead wrong to think we were willing to put an innocent man in jail just to close a case. “Did you see anything of interest in your review? Fresh eyes and all that?”
“No,” Monroe answered slowly. Confusion was painted across both his and Captain’s faces. “Were you expecting to find something?”
I almost told them about Wes’s opinions on the case. But that’s all they were. Opinions. Captain, Monroe, and everyone else were going to find out that the Redmond family had hired a private investigator of their own soon enough. “Of course not,” I said. “Just wanted to make sure we had ourducks in a row before tomorrow.”
I stole a chair from Lieutenant Polenski’s desk and busied myself with my end-of-shift tasks, purposely taking my time. Officers came and went for the next twenty minutes as the next shift started. Some of them were on their way home, while others were checking in before hitting their patrols. Scarlett switched out dispatching with Brimley, her wild red curls tamed into submission in a tight bun on the back of her head.
One by one, the station cleared out, until only Lieutenant Rebello, Scarlett, and I remained. Rebello’s station was on the other side of the floor, leaving a shred of privacy between me and Scarlett. She draped one long, toned leg over the other and spun her chair around to greet me as I walked up to her.
“Hey, Luke. Are you still finishing up for the day?” Scarlett asked. Her headset sat askew, too large for her after fitting around Brimley’s big head. I reached out and took it off, tightening the headband until it was just her size.
“I was killing time,” I told her. My gaze did another sweep of the station, just to make sure. “I wanted to talk to you alone.”
Her lips parted slightly, her wide eyes filled with concern.
She peeked around me to the corner where Rebello sat. “Okay. We’re not totally alone, but I don’t think he can hear us from over there. What’s on your mind?”
“The Karrigan case.”
Scarlett blinked back a look of surprise. I affixed the adjusted headset back on her head, positioning the speaker just behind her ear where she liked it if she wasn’t on a call. My thumb brushed against the top of her ear, and I pulled my hand back at lightning speed. I forgot sometimes that anytimeI touched Scarlett, electricity coursed through my veins. I didn’t make a habit of touching her, or any other woman, but the undeniable effect she had on my body never failed. It had been that way since the moment I stood shoulder to shoulder with her on her very first day.
“Oh, yeah. Sure. That makes sense,” Scarlett said. Was it my imagination, or did she sound breathier than just a minute ago?
“I’m nervous I’m missing something. The Redmonds are convinced Ryan’s innocent,” I said.
“Of course they are. He’s their son. That doesn’t mean you missed something. You have more than enough evidence to get a conviction. You’re thorough and smart. Are you nervous about tomorrow?”
“They hired a private investigator to look into police corruption. Intentionally hiding evidence that could have exonerated him.”
“Oh, no. Don’t tell me…” Her eyes rounded.
“Yup.” I nodded, my lips in a flat line as I clenched my jaw. My brother’s best friend—one of my good friends growing up—intentionally and actively working against me. “Wes took the case. He was asking me about Monroe last night.”
“No way. There isn’t anyone on the force that would do that. Why would anyone do that? It doesn’t even make sense.”
“That’s what I said too. We don’t have any dirty cops here. Certainly not Monroe.”
“And you told him that?”
“Of course I did.” I scratched at the five-o’clock shadow that coated my jaw. “But I can’t stop thinking about it. He can’t be onto something, right?”
“Absolutely not.” Scarlett started to shake her headvigorously, the movement lessening gradually as the seconds ticked by. Her eyes cast a faraway look as she thought it through. “No way,” she said again, but with a lot less vigor.
I had the exact same reaction. Absolute denial changed to disbelief before morphing to contemplation. I still didn’t believe it. But was it possible?
“Have you told anyone?” she asked.
“No. I almost said something to Captain and Monroe earlier, but… I don’t know. I’d like a second to look into it first. Just in case.” It wasn’t that I didn’t trust them. Of course I did. I trusted each and every one of these officers with my life. But something held me back from throwing it all on the line. At least with them. With Scarlett, it was different. I couldn’t explain why; it just was.
“It’s just me and Lieutenant Rebello here tonight. I can look into it with no one around. You know he’s just going to sleep at his desk all night.”
“No, I don’t want you getting involved in it. Not if something shady is going on. Not that I think that’s the case, because it’s not. But…” I trailed off.
“I can help, Luke. Let me help you.” Her eyes pleaded with me.
“I don’t even know what we’re looking for. Find what’snotin the case file? Wes just said that someone is covering something up. Evidence we should have had isn’t being accounted for. What are you going to do?”
