“When we said he routinely consults for the FBI, DEA, and several other law enforcement agencies, we weren't kidding.” Jerry said, “Lany's mind is something none of us can understand. He sees things no one else does, and it usually breaks a case wide open. He's just a little…”
“He's a mess,” I stated affectionately, “but he's my mess.”
“So,” Jerry continued, “if you want help with your case, Lany is your man.”
I almost growled.
“Get your files and bring them here,” I told the detective. “We'll add them to the other stuff Lyn provides for us. Once we get it all on a storyboard, we'll let Lany loose. I bet you anything he'll find something you missed.”
The detective looked skeptical. “A storyboard?”
“As Lany likes to ask, haven't you ever watched a crime drama? The police like to make a wall of suspects and evidence and connect the dots. We do the same thing, but with our own spin on it.”
“And this works?”
Jerry chuckled. “Lany invented this process years ago. Works every damn time.”
The detective's brow flickered. I could understand his confusion. Lany didn't seem like he had two brain cells to rub together, especially if he was trying to walk across the room. But he was the smartest man I knew…just a tad bit clumsy.
“What happens when this doesn't work?” the detective asked. “What do you do then?”
“Call in the cavalry because it usually means Lany has been kidnapped.”
I shuddered just thinking about it.
Sparks' eyebrows lifted. “He's been kidnapped before?”
Jerry snorted. “More than once.”
“The longest we ever lost him was three months,” I explained. “He was kidnapped by a group calling itself Maleficent. They were kidnapping kids in foster care and using them to make drugs, although some of the kids were abused in ways you don't want to know. Lany and several of the children were able to escape. Using the knowledge he had, we busted the entire ring of criminals.”
“Including one of my DEA agents who was using his position to assist those involved and abuse those young boys,” Crenshaw added. “Not only did Lany bring his crimes to light, he shot the agent, saving his own life and the lives of several others.”
“I've heard of the case, of course. It was all over the news. I wasn't involved with it, so I don't know all the particulars, but…three months?”
I swallowed tightly as I brushed the hair off Lany's face. “They had moved him to Chicago. They were using him to take care of the kids.” My smiled wobbled a little bit when I glanced up. “We adopted four of them.”
“Did I interrupt something?” someone asked from the entrance to the living room.
“Hey, Skip,” I called out when I glanced in that direction and saw who it was.
David got up to go to his husband, giving him a quick kiss.
Skip's eye twitched when he saw all of us sitting there. “Do I need to call into work?”
“Not yet, but you might warn your boss that you may need a few days off,” I told him. “We're just getting ready to put up a storyboard.”
Skip sighed. “I'll call my boss.”
“Let me know when you want Lany in the infirmary,” I called out. “I want him to sleep as long as possible. He's had a rough few days.”
“Do you still have the portable X-ray machine here?” Skip asked. “I want to take a look at that cheekbone.”
I lifted the edge of Lany's shirt to show him the bruising on his ribcage. “I'm more worried about these.”
Skip walked over and squatted next to the couch before gently reaching out to touch Lany's skin. He moved his fingers around a little, only stopping when Lany whimpered in his sleep. “I don't think anything is broken, Sal, but I'll take a look just in case.”
“The detective is going to need pictures,” I told him. “One of the cops in his precinct did this.”
