“Most of them have been found.”
“We actually ran into one earlier this year,” Nic added.
“What about the ones who haven’t been found? You said they fit a pattern? That Erin fits it too?” The heart attack clearly hadn’t affected her mental faculties. She’d distilled all that down to the connections to her missing daughter.
“She does.” Cam curled a hand around hers. “But don’t get your hopes up, Ma. We’d identified most of these girls before and the trails were too cold to follow.”
“But not this cop’s daughter. You’re going to help find her regardless?”
Cam nodded. “Yes, Shannon’s the best lead we’ve got.”
“Then what are you still doing here?”
“I wanted you to know that I—” He looked over at Nic, then back to his mother. “That we are doing everything we can.”
She patted his hand, much like Mary used to do to Nic when he was being obtuse. “I always know that.”
Cam hung his head. “I didn’t that day.”
It was everything Nic could do not to reach out to him.
Edye had the right words, though. “But you have, son, every day since, including now, even though your brothers don’t want you to.”
Unconditional maternal love and belief; it would kill Boston to lose her. “You want me to,” Cam said. “I need to. And they need to know too.”
She smiled and ruffled his hair. “You always were the smartest one.”
Nic rolled his eyes dramatically. “Please don’t encourage him.”
Cam chuckled, and it was a good, much-missed sound. “And you,” Cam said to him with a smile, “don’t tell my brothers she said that.”
Nic grinned back at him. “My lips are sealed.”
He didn’t miss the double play of the words, dark eyes flaring. Edye had his back too. “I like him.”
Cam rose, bending over to kiss her head. “Don’t encourage him either.”
She smirked, splitting a look between them. “This is going to be fun.”
By the time they left Tufts Medical and navigated midday traffic over to the station, Jamie was waiting out front for them. Cam had hoped to talk to Nic on the drive over—talk, apologize, fuck he didn’t know what—but Nic had spent half the drive on the phone with the Boston US Attorney and the other half with an attorney from his office in San Francisco, making sure a motion on Friday was covered. Cam didn’t want to interrupt, seeing as all those arrangements were for him, but he also didn’t like the wall Nic had thrown up between them. Granted Cam had laid the foundation and Nic was only following his lead, but this was not what he’d intended to build together.
“Nic,” Jamie greeted him, hand outstretched. “Thanks for getting here so fast.”
“Was happy to help,” Nic replied.
“We officially get jurisdiction?”
“I sure as fuck hope so,” came another voice from down the street. “Otherwise, I’m in the wrong damn place.”
Smiling, Cam turned toward the New York accent that was even thicker than his Boston one. Born and raised in the Big City, diehard Yankees fan Matthew Kim had somehow landed in Red Sox country after Academy. Cam couldn’t have gotten luckier in the rookie partner draw.
“Matty-K,” he said, arms spread wide.
His old partner walked into them, giving him a back-slapping hug. “You know, you’re the only one who calls me by that fucking nickname. It’s been such a peaceful year without it.”
“Couldn’t let you forget it.”
“I heard about your mom,” Matt said, smile dimming. “You wouldn’t rather be at the hospital?”
