Chapter 5
In his cubicle, Burke stared at Victor Lemoine’s DMV record on his monitor.
The man didn’t have a criminal record, not even a speeding ticket.
No surprises there. He’d received his Oregon driver’s license forty-one years ago, had listed the Lemoine Mansion as his home address, and had regularly renewed it when due.
Burke opened his notes on his phone and typed, Ask Victor when he last left the island.
He entered Estelle Lemoine’s name into the county database, hoping her record provided a lead.
Her picture confirmed the photo in the locket.
Her driver’s license had been issued on the same day as Victor’s, but she failed to renew it when it came due, which would fit with her disappearance.
He made another note to ask Victor about the official date of her disappearance.
He also noted that she was ten years younger than Victor, though he didn’t know if that was of any significance.
Shifting to his department’s investigation database, he entered her name.
The search returned a missing person investigation but zero details.
Many of the department’s old paper files hadn’t been digitized, and hers were probably buried in basement storage at the Sheriff’s Department’s old location.
The only way to get them was to file a request, requiring Ryder’s approval.
Burke leaned back and stretched his arms overhead. When he first arrived at his office tonight, he checked to make sure Ryder was in, but didn’t stop to talk. Burke wanted to wait until he knew for himself what he’d like to do about the forensics and partnering with Abby and her team.
The preliminary information they’d gathered indicated this could be a much larger investigation than expected.
His department didn’t have the staff necessary to assign additional people to this case, and he wasn’t about to fail in finding the crown.
If he could contain Abby’s pushy behavior, partnering with the LLL team would be a good idea.
And the forensics? No one had been hurt or killed, or at least they didn’t have proof of a murder yet.
Just a simple theft, so the state lab wouldn’t prioritize their case.
Could mean a serious delay in processing, resulting in an equally serious delay in his investigation.
Also risking the crown’s disappearance. Poof. Vanished. Gone. Just like Estelle.
Decision made, he sat forward.
He would propose using one of the forensics teams Abby suggested, and he would form a partnership with her. Ryder would have to decide if their partnership included deputizing her or not.
He pushed away from his desk, sending the wheeled chair bumping into the cubicle wall and bouncing back at him.
Before talking to Ryder, he needed to slow his roll and take hold of the jitters he hadn’t been able to shake since seeing Abby.
His boss was an intimidating guy and extremely perceptive.
No way Burke wanted him questioning his ability to do the job, especially because of a woman.
He strode down the hall, took a deep breath, and poked his head into the office.
Ryder sat behind an old metal desk, stretching nearly the width of the small space. At roughly six feet tall, he had military-cut, sandy-blond hair and a hint of his summer tan on his face.
He looked up. “I hoped you’d stop in so we can give a positive report to Commissioner Blankenship in the morning. We gonna close this burglary fast?”
“About that,” Burke said, dreading telling him it was going to take longer. “It’s not as straightforward as we thought.”
Ryder gestured at a chair in front of his desk. “Sit and bring me up to speed.”
Burke lowered himself into the padded chair and updated his boss on the situation.
Ryder ran a hand over his stubbled jaw. “No one had any idea about this?”
“The way Lemoine wants to keep it, if possible.” Burke explained Victor’s reasons.
“We can do our best, but you know we can’t promise it won’t get out.”
“I know,” Burke said. “We can refer to the crown as a ‘missing artifact’ when talking to others.”
“That works.”
“The wife’s disappearance could be related to the theft,” Burke said. “I’ll need your permission to request her missing persons file from storage.
“It’ll take time to retrieve it, but bring me the form, and I’ll fast-track the request. Hopefully, I’ll have someone available to send out there first thing in the morning, and I’ll pressure them into getting it to me by end of day.
” Ryder steepled his fingers. “You need to get this thing closed fast if you want the powers that be not to question removing your probationary status and keeping Ramsey permanently at detective.”
Burke couldn’t screw this up. If they demoted him again, he couldn’t possibly survive having to work under Ramsey on a permanent basis.
He would definitely have to leave his job and start over at another agency.
Might mean going back to patrol and working his way up.
Not something Burke wanted to do for sure.
“What resources do you need to get this investigation going?” Ryder asked.
He told his boss about Abby and her team, plus Blackwell Tactical.
Ryder picked up and toyed with a pen. “I’ve run into Day a few times. She’s got a good rep. Was a solid sheriff. Don’t know her team, but I’m willing to give them a try.”
“Willing, as in deputizing them? Or do you want me to simply coordinate with them?”
Ryder grimaced. “Nothing simple about that. Not with all of them being former law enforcement officers. They’re trained to take charge. We deputize the ones we need. Hopefully only one or two. They’re less likely to go rogue if they have to report to you.”
As much as Burke didn’t want Abby reporting to him on a regular basis, Ryder made a solid point. “I’ll get with Day to discover necessary personnel and get back to you tomorrow.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
“One more thing,” Burke said. “Forensics. What are the odds one of our techs could get on this first thing in the morning?”
Ryder snorted. “Fat chance. Wexler homicide trumps everything. No way I’ll pull a tech off that and reassign them to your investigation.”
“As I expected.” He shared Abby’s suggestions for forensic staff. “I figured if they both did the work pro bono, we’d use the first one available.”
Ryder snapped his chair forward. “You can’t go wrong with either one. If Gage Blackwell hired someone, that person has top-notch skills, but the Veritas Center will have far more resources. I’ll leave it up to you to decide. In either event, all results come to you first.”
Burke took this as a sign their conversation had ended and stood. “I’ll let you know what I decide.”
“I’d like a preliminary report on my desk by eight. Make it detailed but vague on the crown in case the commissioner asks to see the investigation details in writing.”
“Roger that.”
“And Ulrich,” Ryder locked his eyes on Burke, “I’m glad to have you back where you belong, but don’t let me down on this investigation or you just might find yourself in the hot seat again.”
Burke nodded, but couldn’t find the right words to say, so he took off. Back in his cubicle, he developed a to-do list. First, he would fill out the request for the old files. The next item he didn’t much like. Calling Abby Day. No biggie, right? There were often tasks he didn’t like in his job.
“Yeah… right,” he mumbled, feeling that familiar edge of caution. “Like talking to her would be anything like talking to any other ex-sheriff.”
Abby’s phone rang. Expecting her team’s video call, she opened her laptop and looked at the screen.
Whoa! Not a video call and not her team, but ID for the county sheriff’s office appeared.
Had to be Burke. Should she talk to him when she hadn’t spoken to her team yet?
She had to. She’d promised to let Sam know as soon as possible if she was needed in the morning.
Her friendship with Sam trumped her unease in taking the call.
“Abby Day,” she answered, trying to keep her voice light when she was exhausted.
“It’s Burke Ulrich,” Burke said, sounding as fatigued as she felt. “I’ve made a decision on the forensics. I’d like you to contact both parties to see who might be available first thing in the morning.”
“I’ve already left a message for Sierra at Veritas, and I’m waiting to hear back from her, and I’ve spoken to Samantha Griffin at Blackwell. She’s available, but not pro bono. She’ll work for whatever wage you’d pay a state tech. And that’s a real bargain.”
He let silence answer for him.
She wouldn’t give in easily on offering Sam’s services pro bono, so sat back to wait him out.
He finally cleared his throat. “If Veritas isn’t available first thing, I’ll check with the sheriff to see if we can offer Ms. Griffin any payment.”
“Perfect.”
“I’ve also spoken to the sheriff about you and your team. He’s agreed to deputize you and any of your teammates who you feel are vital to this investigation.”
“Deputize… oh, uh, I didn’t expect him to agree to that.”
“Sheriff Ryder wants this case closed quickly and believes it’s the best way to accomplish it.”
So she’d be reporting to Burke as her supervisor. Could she report to him? She wouldn’t answer now and would give it some thought. “I haven’t met with my team yet.”
“No worries. We can meet at Victor’s estate at eight a.m. sharp, and you can let me know your decision then.” He disconnected before she could agree or add anything else.
Probably a good thing. The more they limited their conversations, the less likely they’d get into an area that would be uncomfortable for both of them.