Adam rubbed the back of his neck and cleared his throat. “Yeah. Probably.”
Tessa waited.
Zane was less patient. “Spit it out, man.”
Adam gave her an apologetic smile. “He’s not big on women in law enforcement.”
“Of course he isn’t.” Tessa did not make any attempt to hide her annoyance.
“If it makes you feel any better, he’s not big on women, period.” Adam twisted the wedding band on his left hand. “His mother was an abusive addict.”
Tessa sensed Zane’s tension beside her and was unsurprised when he took a few steps to the side and then came back toward her. He couldn’t stay still when he was calm. When he was agitated, he moved nonstop.
“His grandmother was abusive, and we believe his older sister was too. His childhood was full of drugs, sex, and violence. And the people who should have protected and nurtured him used him as an outlet for their own anger.”
“How do you know all this?” Zane asked.
“His mother moved here with his grandmother and sister when he was in his midteens. A few officers on the force went to high school with him and say he wasn’t bullied, but he was a loner.”
“The kind of kid we’d watch closely these days?” Tessa was deeply involved in the Secret Service’s efforts to prevent school shootings. She knew what to look for.
“Definitely. He disappeared off the radar for a few years, but then he became a frequent flyer at the jail. He gets picked up with some regularity for drunk and disorderly. Nothing that would keep him incarcerated for any length of time. But enough that some of the officers who deal with him the most often started digging.”
“Good cops,” Zane muttered.
“Yeah. Some of the best. One of our female beat cops is the one who found out about the abuse. She asked him if he needed anything, and he went off on her. By the time he’d spewed his story, she said she felt too sorry for him to be offended.”
“Where’s the mom and grandmother?” Zane asked.
“Deceased. Grandmother died of a stroke. Mother died of an overdose.”
“The sister?”
Adam shook his head. “Married a man who beat her to death.”
“Good grief.”
“Yeah. Needless to say, Craig Brown did not hit the family lottery. And it doesn’t take a degree in psychology to figure out that his childhood has made him distrustful of all authority. He’s the type who’s looking for a purpose, something to make him feel like he’s worth something.”
“Are you trying to make me feel sorry for him?” Tessa didn’t succeed in keeping the grumble out of her voice.
“Nope.” Adam pointed to her. “You beat back your addiction. You live with the knowledge of it every day, and you no longer let it control you.” He pointed to Zane. “And what little I know of your childhood, you didn’t exactly hit the family jackpot yourself.”
Zane acknowledged the remark with a frown. “That’s an understatement.”
“I don’t want you to feel sorry for him. But I do want you to understand him. I’m not convinced he doesn’t have an undiagnosed mental illness, but it’s no question that there’s deep childhood trauma that he never healed from. It doesn’t excuse his behavior, but if you can see where he’s coming from, it might help you prevent a tragedy.”
“That’s the goal.” Tessa caught Zane’s eye, reading the emotion and determination in his expression before turning back to Adam. “Thank you for the insight. It’s helpful.”
“You’re welcome.”
“How do you feel about leading the conversation?” Tessa didn’t want to put it on Zane’s shoulders, and if Craig didn’t like women, there was no point in antagonizing him.
“I’m fine with it if you are.”
“I think it would be best.” Tessa nodded at Zane. “We’ll chime in as needed.”
“Sounds like a plan.” Adam clapped his hands. “Let’s go stop a domestic terrorist.”
