It was a definite dead end.
“Thank you for your time, Lauren,” Casey said. “I’m even more determined to get Caitlin to talk to me. I’ll let you know if I learn anything important.”
Casey glanced up from her iPad when Ryan walked into the first floor conference room, looking taut as a bowstring.
Casey sat back in her chair and studied his expression. “How’s Kennedy? And your mom? Any news? And did she handle all you had to tell her without breaking down?”
He sucked in his breath. “Kennedy is still a mess. I could barely get her to eat. My mom’s reserves are depleting; she’s with Kennedy every breathing moment. And, other than a bolstering call from the FBI’s victim specialist, things are status quo. I passed along the information I had to. It didn’t go over well. But my mom will do what she has to. She always does. How about at your end? Did you reach Lauren Robbins?”
“Yup.” Casey went on to fill him in.
Ryan poured himself a cup of coffee and sat down on one of the room’s tub chairs, his lips thinned into a grim line. “Caitlin is as calm as they come. I’ve never seen her on edge. And now she’s so much so that her coworker noticed? Something major had to have happened. Given how tight she and Shane were—I’m going to go out on a limb and say that Shane was involved in something dangerous, something risky, and that he shared some or all of what that was with Caitlin.”
Casey nodded. “That makes complete sense. Unfortunately, Lauren is now a dead end, since Caitlin didn’t confide in her. My gut tells me that, if Caitlin opened up to anyone, it would be one of her closest friends, someone outside the office. I’m counting on your mom to remember at least one name.”
“Knowing my mom, she’ll wrack her brain until she does. And, yeah, when that happens, it’s definitely a stronger angle to pursue.” Ryan took a gulp of coffee. “Caitlin would never betray Shane, nor compromise his position with the Bureau. But even if she hinted at something, it’ll be enough for us to run with.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I hate waiting. But we can’t press my mom now. The funeral is on Monday and we have to give her time to recover and, most important, to soothe Kennedy, who’ll be a wreck.”
“Of course. I’d planned on giving her a call on Wednesday.”
“Uh-uh. Tuesday will be enough time. Despite her grief, my mom wants this case solved yesterday. So set up a visit for either Tuesday afternoon or Wednesday morning, first with her and then with Kennedy. For the first part, it’ll be no problem to get Kennedy settled with a movie, far away from your conversation. After that…” A pained shrug. “Who knows how Kennedy will react?”
“Claire and I will be as gentle and reassuring as possible. I promise.”
“I know you will. And it’ll be way easier for her to talk to you than it will be when she has to talk to the FBI.”
“We’ll prep her for that, as well,” Casey said.
Ryan’s mind vaulted to another subject, one that was less urgent, but which had been bothering him on the drive back.
“Look, Case, I want this case solved yesterday. But I’m realistic enough to know that’s not possible. We’ve got a ton of ground to cover, all of us.” He frowned. “With that as a given, there are other plans to be made for Kennedy. Even though my mom is making her the number one priority, I still feel responsible for her. Maybe that sounds crazy. It’s hard to explain.”
“You don’t have to. I understand.”
“It’s not just the connection Kennedy and I share. It’s my role in the family,” Ryan continued. “I’ve always been the grounded one, the one my mom counts on to be logical and pragmatic, rather than emotional. Well, that’s what I’m trying to do with Kennedy, regardless of my own pain. I’ve got to strive for as much normalcy for her as possible. Today we made waffles together. Tomorrow and Monday, I’ll be by her side. But eventually, we’ve got another area to address. School.”
Casey’s brows knit. “She’s at home, living through a major crisis, and under FBI protection. Returning to school isn’t an option.”
“Yes, I know.” Ryan took another swallow of coffee. “Even with the FBI agents posted there, she’s terrified of leaving my parents’ house. When she thought I meant to take her out to eat, she started freaking out. I’d never suggest her physically attending school. But she loves it, and catching up with homework would be a great distraction for her. Maybe not this coming week. But, after that, I want to arrange for her school work to be sent home, maybe once a week, and then returned when it’s complete. At that time, I want the next week’s assignments sent home. I’m sure her teacher and her principal would cooperate, under the circumstances. It would just be until the crimes are solved and Kennedy is safe. If it turns out that I’m the one to ferry things back and forth, I’ll more than compensate for the time I’m away from the office. Like I said, I’m on these cases twenty-four-seven.”
Casey tapped her fingernails on the table. “I wasn’t worried. And actually, your idea makes a world of sense. The only thing is, I’m guessing your mom is the one who has to initiate the process, since she’s acting as Kennedy’s guardian. After that, I’m unaware of the procedure. I’ll give Angela a quick call to research the legal formalities.”
Ryan looked surprised. “You already brought Angela up to speed? I thought she wasn’t starting until Monday.”
“She’s not. But I want her to hit the ground running. So I detailed what she’d be walking into. Now I’ll be able to call on her expertise right away.”
“That was smart. It also takes a load off my shoulders. I’ll be able to explain the procedure to my mom, so she can follow protocol and make it happen.” Ryan paused, abruptly glancing around the room. “I saw Emma at the computers, digging around for social media profiles. Where’s Claire?”
“In her yoga room with the things you gave her of Shane’s,” Casey reported, swiveling in her chair and wincing as she spoke. “As soon as she comes down, we’ll talk to her.”
“Uh-uh.” Ryan gave an adamant shake of his head. “I’ll talk to her. You’ll go home and rest. You look beat, and you’re obviously in pain. You did too much and for too long. Hutch is going to have my head.”
“I won’t tell if you won’t.”
“I won’t have to tell. He knows you. I’m sure he’ll be sending over a car service to take you home. You’ve been here since seven. Count on being escorted out of the brownstone soon. So let’s wrap up. You can continue working via phone or Zoom.”
“But there’s still so much to do?—”
“And we’ll do it, in steps.” Ryan raised his head. “Hey Yoda,” he called out. “Anything I should know about?”
