Chapter 8
Chapter Eight
“ Y ou’re looking a little tired, Railings. Fun night out with the wife?”
Ian lifted the coffee cup to his lips and frowned. “Forget about what I look like. Just focus on what we’re here for. You requested to see me.”
Jake stood and stretched his arms over his head. “I see no reason why we can’t continue our little chats from here.”
“You do realize you’re not in Falmouth anymore, right? If I’m going to drive up here, it better be worth my time.”
And the headache he had pounding in the back of his skull.
Even if none of that was Jake’s fault, Ian didn’t care.
He needed someone to blame, and he was feeling less than charitable toward the prisoner, who’d done nothing but taunt Ian since he walked through the doors. Half of Ian was tempted to get back into his car, drive back to Falmouth, and cut his losses. The other part of him couldn’t bear another failure, even one that wasn’t his, and he dreaded the thought of going home to a quiet house.
Lucy hadn’t spoken to him once all day, and checking his phone periodically wasn’t going to change that. Neither was the god-awful coffee he was sipping on.
“Still no luck with the guy who tried to take me out?”
“What makes you think it’s a guy?” Ian lowered his cup and tossed it into the nearest bin. Then he clapped his hands together and leaned against the wall overlooking the holding cell. “It could just as easily be a woman.”
“It’s not Eric’s MO,” Jake replied, letting his hands fall to his sides. “He prefers to work with men, at least when it comes to dirty work.”
“You should tell the DA that.”
“I did, but she’s not taking me seriously. She thinks I’m being sexist or trying to get under her skin.”
Ian raised an eyebrow. “Maybe you need to give her something else to work with.”
Jake scrubbed a hand over his face. “Like what? I’m the one who should be worried here. I was almost shot.”
“You’re welcome, by the way.”
“The bullet barely grazed you.” Jake waved his comment away and came to a stop in front of the window, too high off the ground for him to be looking out. “No offense, Officer Railings, but you’re not the one who’s locked up here like a sitting duck. I have the right to be worried.”
“Never said you didn’t.”
Ian was worried too, but he wasn’t about to go admitting that to Jake.
Not when it was only going to make him feel worse.
For now, the investigation was still being conducted, and Ian was keeping his nose to the ground and trying to glean whatever information he could. So far, little evidence was turning up, leading Ian to believe it was professional and that he hadn’t hit Jake on purpose.
It was Eric Taylor sending Jake a warning.
What was Eric going to do when he found out what Jake was really doing?
Jake turned his back on Ian and clasped his hands together. “I’ve been in touch with some of my contacts, and they managed to uncover some information I thought might be interesting to you.”
“What’s it going to cost me?”
Jake wheeled around to face Ian, and his eyes were tight and solemn. “Get me transferred back to Falmouth.”
“You know I don’t have that kind of authority.”
“Try.”
Ian paused, then nodded slowly. “I’ll see what I can do. What did your contacts find out?”
“Your mother—Kelly Wilson—was about to get the custody decision repealed in her favor.”
Ian’s heart did an odd little somersault. “She was going to get Lily back?”
Jake sat down on his bed and stretched his legs out in front of him. “That’s what my guys uncovered. Feel free to check your own sources.”
“If you’re lying, so help me God—”
“I’m not lying,” Jake interrupted, pausing to give him a wounded look. “Here I thought we were friends, Railings. Don’t go spoiling it now.”
Ian pushed himself off the wall. “I’ll look into it. If the intel is good, I’ll make a few calls and see what I can do for you.”
“Can I get a hot dog next time? Easier on the stomach.”
Ian grunted. “Don’t push your luck.”
It took everything within him not to race out of the station and into his car. Instead, he walked at a brusque pace till he reached his car. As soon as he did, he connected his phone to the Bluetooth speaker and dialed Liam Taylor, Lily and Eric’s son. Liam gave him the number to another lawyer who specialized in cases like this.
A few short minutes later, he was talking to another lawyer who worked on custody cases. Then, he was passed on to a fourth lawyer, who worked with the judge in question. When he reached the judge’s assistant, Ian’s stomach gave an odd little flip, and he gripped the steering wheel. He spent the rest of the ride back to Falmouth turning everything over and over in his head.
His ears were buzzing, and his heart was racing when he pulled up outside the FPD and got out. He paused to stretch his arms and legs, shaking off some of the stiffness. Then he hurried inside, calling out to some of the other officers on shift. As soon as he reached his desk, his phone rang, and he recognized the number that flashed across his screen. Hastily, he draped the jacket over the back of his chair and sat down.
“I’m sorry it took me a while to get back to you, Mr. Railings. This case was a long time ago, so I had to look through some of the files.”
Ian’s eyes darted around the station before he leaned forward and dropped his voice to a whisper. “That’s quite all right, Mrs. Sullivan. I appreciate you getting back to me at all.”
“Unfortunately, Judge Collins died a few years ago, and the case never went to trial because of Kelly Wilson’s death.”
Ian pressed two fingers to his temples and swallowed. “Is there anything else you can tell me, Mrs. Sullivan? I know it’s a long shot, but we’ve recently arrested a burglar who is believed to be connected to the case and Ms. Wilson’s…death.”
Ian heard the sound of papers being shuffled and a door opening and closing.
He rubbed his fingers in slow, circular motions.
“I did find something.” Mrs. Sullivan’s voice was breathless and anxious. “It says here the reason the judge was considering repealing the decision is because Mrs. Wilson had information about Mr. Taylor.”
Ian sat up straighter, and his free hand dropped to his side. “What kind of information?”
“It says she had evidence that Mr. Taylor should be disbarred and he wasn’t fit to practice law. According to the memo I have here, Ms. Wilson was going to use this information to get her daughter back.”
Ian’s ears were ringing again. “Is there anything else you can tell me? Anything you can remember?”
“I’m sorry, Mr. Railings. I’ll be in touch if I find anything else.”
Once she hung up, Liam Taylor called him back, sounding frantic and eager. “Did you find anything?”
“I think so, but I’m going to have to do some more digging. Liam, I appreciate you helping me with this, but I don’t think you should be involved anymore. This is your grandpa we’re talking about.”
“And I want him to pay for what he’s done.”
“I don’t think your mom would like it if she knew about this.”
Liam exhaled. “You’re right, and it is a conflict of interest, but I can at least find you someone good to help. In the meantime, I can keep offering you legal advice, so why don’t you see what you can dig up, and we’ll touch base, okay?”
Guilt churned in the center of Ian’s stomach and stayed while he made a few more phone calls and skimmed through files. He was still feeling uneasy about going to Liam for help in the first place when Dean walked into the station with a plastic bag full of take-out containers. Ian pushed his chair back and stood up to offer his son a smile.
Dean gave him a quick hug and set the food down on his desk. “Am I interrupting anything? Sorry to just drop by.”
“You’re not interrupting anything, and you’re always welcome to stop by.”
“Mom’s been gone all day, so I thought you might be hungry.” Dean gestured to the food and lifted his gaze up to his dad’s. “Dad, is everything okay? Mom’s lost a lot of weight, and I know things haven’t been great between the two of you…”
Ian offered his son a tight smile. “There’s nothing to worry about, Son. Every couple goes through their share of ups and downs.”
Dean perched on the edge of Marissa’s desk. “Are you sure?”
Ian nodded and rifled through the plastic bag. “Absolutely. You have nothing to worry about.”
Except Ian had no idea if it was true.
Still, he did his best to engage Dean in conversation and keep the atmosphere light and easygoing until the end of his shift. Then Dean walked him to his car and drove off to meet up with some friends. When Ian stepped through the front door, Lucy was sitting alone on the back porch with a blanket draped over her shoulders and a mug of cold tea in her hands.
In spite of her protests, Ian took the mug out of her hands, set it down, and pulled her to him. He held her until her shoulders shook, and she began to cry. Then he stroked her back, pushed her hair away, and murmured into her ear.
“I’m sorry,” Lucy whispered into his neck. “None of this is your fault. I know I’ve been acting weird.”
Ian pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “Do you want to tell me what’s wrong?”
Lucy brought her head to rest in the crook of his neck. “I do, but I’m not ready to talk about it yet.”
Ian exhaled. “That’s okay. We can talk whenever you’re ready.”
It didn’t matter Lucy wasn’t ready to open up to him yet.
He’d be here whenever she was because he didn’t want a future without her.
And if it meant scaling back on work to make her happy, he would.
As soon as he got his mom justice.