“I’m working on that. The whole family uses this computer, so it’s a lot to go through.”
“Do you want me to call in someone from HQ to do that so you can go home?”
“I’ll give it a couple more hours.”
“I owe you one.”
“No, you don’t.”
“We’ll fight about that after we find Ethan. Where’d Mike go?”
“Last I knew, he was in the kitchen talking to Ruiz’s team.”
“That’s just great. She hates me.”
“How come?”
“Who the fuck knows? Could be anything or nothing. Picked up on a vibe when we were together for the operation with Judge Sawyer, and just now, she reminded me that I’m not allowed to work this case. I told her you needed to ask me questions only the family could answer.”
“Ah, okay.”
“Can you hang on to this incel thing for a minute? I need to wrap my head around it.”
“How long of a minute are we talking? Ruiz is running the investigation. She won’t take kindly to me sitting on evidence.”
“Give me until the morning?”
“Sam… Listen, I know this is incredibly upsetting for you and your family, but the goal is to find Ethan. Waiting until the morning to share this with the team leading the investigation isn’t wise. You’d never do that on another case.”
“You’re right. I’m just so afraid it’ll turn out to be something that’ll ruin him.”
“We have to take that risk to get him back safely. This incel shit is seriously fucked-up. There’s a whole subculture online called the manosphere that’s devoted to toxic masculinity and misogyny. I doubt he even knows what those things are. If he’s involved in something to do with that stuff, he probably has no clue what he’s gotten himself into, and that’ll matter when push comes to shove.”
“Okay. Pass it on to Ruiz, but keep me posted if you can.”
“I will.”
“Thank you for being a voice of reason. I’ve lost all perspective here. He’s like my own kid in many ways.”
“I get it. I have nieces and nephews, too. I’d be losing it if one of them went missing.”
“I’m so afraid that something awful has happened, and whatever it is…”
“Take a breath. It’s early days.”
She nodded, but her chest was so tight that she wondered if she’d breathe normally again until they found Ethan.
“You gotta stay out of Ruiz’s way, as hard as that’ll be. She can make life difficult for you if she wants to.”
“I know, and I will. Feel free to give me a bitch slap if you think I need it.”
“Will do.”
“I’ll go tell her you’ve got something for her.”
“We’ll do everything we can to get him back. I promise.”
“I feel better knowing you’re on it.”
