* * *
Nick wasin the prison parking lot holding a cold Pepsi to his eye when his phone rang.
Detective Dick.
“What?” Nick answered testily.
“Did you seriously just break Christian Blight’s nose?”
“The law enforcement gossips are fast today,” Nick said. “Clarence didn’t even put down his sandwich before he came in to break it up.”
“You know Blight can press charges against you,” Kellen said in his snooty I-have-a-stick-up-my-law-abiding-ass voice.
“He started it,” Nick said defensively.
“Hemadeyou show up at prison and interrogate him?”
Kellen didn’t sound like he believed him.
“It wasn’t an interrogation—it was more of a conversation.”
“Great. So you’re in one ofthosemoods,” Kellen said.
“You know, if this is how women feel when someone insinuates they have their period, I’m surprised more dumbasses don’t get hit in the face with chairs,” Nick mused.
“What were you doing talking to Blight?” Kellen refused to be distracted.
Nick ran a hand through his hair. “Just going over old leads. Nothing new.”
“He stick with the story?”
“Same old, same old.”
Kellen swore.
“Look, man. We’re gonna find her and bring her home,” Nick insisted.
“It’s been weeks, Nicky. We haven’t turned up any new leads, and without more manpower, we’re just spinning our wheels.”
“Don’t you fucking start the whole ‘let’s give up’ whiny baby chorus.” He’d heard enough of that refrain today.
“Who’s saying we should give up?”
“My entire goddamn team, including Mrs. Penny, cornered me for an intervention today. They think I’m spending too much time looking for Beth and not enough time doing my actual job.”
“Are you?”
“Oh, fuck off. You of all people know how important this is. We’re closer than we’ve ever been to bringing her home. I’m not gonna waste my time on cases that don’t matter right now.”
Kellen was quiet for a beat, and then he sighed. “I think we need to talk to Riley.”
Nick hedged. “We’re making progress on our own.”
“Your psychic girlfriend’s psychic grandmother told us Beth was alive. I can’t exactly use that as a reason to reopen the case, but I still think our best bet is to use Riley to find her.”
Use Riley.Weber’s words echoed in Nick’s head.
“We don’t need to bring her into this,” Nick said.
