My protest died on my tongue because he was right. Dammit. Nick needed to get to the bottom of what was going on, both for his sake and Chloe’s. Would I feel any differently than him if it was Shirley we were talking about? No, I wouldn’t. “Fine,” I grumbled. “What’s your plan and what do you need me to do?”
The tension bled from Nick’s body and he reached for my hand. “I fucking love you, you know that, right?”
I huffed. “You damn well better. I don’t break the law for everyone, you know. Ronnie and Clyde to the rescue... again.”
Nick laughed, and then we talked through the nuts and bolts of a rough plan. As well as Jacko, Nick intended to call Samuel to see if his detective brother-in-law could help. I had big reservations about how well that call was going to go so close to the debacle we’d caused with the Australian police getting Lee and Aaron free. Samuel had been put through the wringer over the part he played in the affair, and he was still a little touchy on the subject.
While Nick tackled those two calls, I opted to get hold of Jerry, our resident expert on all things ageing, to flesh out our knowledge of Parkinson’s and maybe call my aunt Shirley as well for her opinion. The woman had a sharp mind and was no slouch when it came to investigative work.
Nick fought me for the bill, winning by an embarrassing kiss to the cheek in front of the maître d’, which rattled my brain too much for me to find my card and beat him to it. Then he bundled me into my heavy winter coat and steered me through the late afternoon drizzle back to the car where we could make our calls in private. He started the engine to keep us warm and stop the windows from fogging up, then set his phone on speaker so I’d hear exactly what was said with Jacko, something I appreciated more than I could say.
Although I understood Nick’s reasons for what he was doing, breaking the law didn’t sit as comfortably in my black-and-white world as it did in Nick’s infinitely greyer one. But as I listened to their conversation, it struck me, not for the first time, that Nick had a gift for this kind of thing. I knew after the Australian adventure, Nick had tossed around the idea of private detective work, but I’d taken that with a pinch of salt.
Now, I wasn’t so sure he’d been joking. It was a good fit for the man. Along with an astute and reliable bullshit radar, a braintrained in forensic processes, and an eye for following the money trail, Nick could spin a believable story out of thin air and pivot on a dime when the situation called for it. He was also stubborn and determined, two traits which possibly ranked higher than the rest.
Jacko barely hesitated before jumping at the opportunity to repay the favour he thought he owed Nick. “As long as you only use it for information to help you decide what, if anything, you should do,” Jacko cautioned him. “But you can’t say where you got it from, show it to the police, use anything as evidence, or ask me to testify because I won’t. If anything criminal does come to the fore, you’ll have to find a way to get the information legally, like a warrant on his finances. Got it? You have to promise me, Nick.”
Nick looked over at me, holding my gaze as he promised. “Got it. I won’t involve you at all. When I talk with Samuel or the police, I’ll couch whatever information you give me in general terms or word of mouth.”
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the line, then Jacko sighed. “Good. I’ll call you when I have something, most likely tomorrow.”
Nick closed his eyes. “Thanks, Jacko.”
Jacko grunted. “Just happy I can do something to repay what you did for Lisa.”
“This more than repays me,” Nick argued softly. “I’m sorry I even had to ask.”
The call to Samuel didn’t go quite so well.
“What the fuck do you mean you’re in a bit of a tight corner...again?” Samuel barked, his voice taking on that imperious edge that had most criminals quaking in their boots. Me too, when it came down to it.
As if I’d said the words out loud, Samuel went on to address me. “Mads, are you there with this idiot? No, scrub that. Iknowyou’re there, because you’re always there. It’s like talking to Fred Flintstone and Barney Rubble, only with a lower combined IQ.”
I snorted. “That’s a bit harsh.”
“No, it’s not,” Samuel snapped. “The last time you lot needed my help, you both almost died, and I nearly got fired.”
“But you didn’t,” I reminded him, my hand dropping to cover my dick like that might somehow protect me. “And Australia is a safer nation today because of it.”
Samuel made a choking sound. “Don’t start with me, Madigan. I only like you because you’ve made Nick a more palatable human being. But that can easily be revisited. Based on this call, your charm offensive with my brother-in-law seems to be slipping.”
“Aw, I love you too,” I mocked, causing Nick’s eyebrows to hit his hairline.
After a long moment of stunned silence, Samuel laughed. “Jesus Christ. You can fuck off, the both of you. I don’t know what wicked deeds I did to deserve you idiots in my life, but I’m clearly stuck with you. God help me.” He drew a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Okay, I’m as ready as I’ll ever be to hear what mess you’ve got yourself into now. Only you, Nick, could turn the rekindling of your relationship with your estranged mother into an episode ofCriminal Minds.”
Nick tried unsuccessfully to swallow a laugh. “Come on. It’s not that bad.”
I pictured Samuel’s eyes narrowing. “I’ll be the judge of that. Now start talking.”
I smiled, knowing this was how Samuel operated. He worked up a full head of steam about whatever he perceived as Nick’s current shenanigans, blew it all out, and then got down to business. He always had our back, and I loved him for it.
As Nick explained the situation in full, Samuel listened without interruption, then clarified with some pertinentquestioning. By the end of the call, he agreed with Nick that some investigation was warranted, and he would check the databases to see if Austin’s name popped up anywhere, or Belinda’s for that matter.
“And how areyoudoing?” Samuel’s tone grew oddly soft for him. “Did the meeting with your mother go okay?”
Nick’s eyes met mine in a hollow stare. I took his hand, squeezing it gently before bringing it to my lips.
“Yeah, it did,” he finally answered. “I’ve still got a lot of mixed feelings about what she did, but I’m beginning to think that’s not the point. That maybe I’ll always have them, and that’s just how it is. The answers I was hoping for simply aren’t there, and I have to learn how to live with that.”
