“Yeah, I kind of do know it,” Ryan said sheepishly. “Sorry, boss. I was out of line. I’m still not holding it together too well.”
“I realize that. So apology accepted.”
“We’re all on edge,” Marc put in. “The important thing is that, while you were catching up on some much-needed rest, we were carrying out our assignments. I’m sure we’ve all got a lot to bring you and each other up to speed on.”
Casey nodded. “And we will. But before we get started, welcome to your first official FI full-team Zoom meeting, Angela. Thanks for giving up your weekend.”
The former defense attorney waved away the thanks. Even on a Saturday evening at home, wearing little-to-no makeup and a sweater and jeans, she looked über-professional and, as always, strikingly attractive. “No problem,” she assured Casey. “I wasn’t surprised by your call. After consulting with you on your last case, I was prepared for the way you ran things here. Twenty-four-seven. And with an electrifying energy. That’s one of the reasons I was eager to join your team—our team,” she clarified. She cleared her throat. “Ryan, I’m very sorry about your cousin.”
“Thanks,” Ryan replied. “You’re a great add to the team. I already have a question to run by you after we’ve caught Casey and each other up.”
“I’ll be all ears.”
“Okay, let’s get down to business,” Casey responded. “Marc, I’ll start with you and Patrick. How are things on the FBI front? Oh, and did you reach Aidan?”
“I did and he’s on it. I’ll let you know when I get results.”
“Fair enough. Go on.”
Marc went on to fill Casey—and the whole team—in on his and Patrick’s lackluster meeting with SA Grogan, and Marc’s follow-up email to SA Adams. “I cc’d James Harkins on the email, as well. That’s probably a long shot, since he’s currently at the New York field office, a high-level specialist in the office of public affairs. But it’s worth the risk. I’ve met him several times. He’s got a good handle on inside work relationships. Maybe he’ll have some insight into Shane’s inner circle—insight he’s willing to share with me as long as it doesn’t tread on Hutch’s toes.”
“Excellent. Have you heard back from SA Adams yet?” Casey asked.
Patrick nodded. “She agreed to a midday Zoom meeting our time on Monday. Grogan definitely prepared her for us. Her email was stiff as a board and sounded about as enthusiastic as I do when I’m about to have a cavity filled. I think she only agreed to talk to us because of the way Marc phrased the email. As you just heard, he made it personal, not investigative.”
“Smart,” Casey acknowledged. “And James Harkins?”
“I got an Out of Office message,” Marc replied. “Maybe he took a long weekend, which would explain it. But there was no indication that he was away for any length of time. So, with a modicum of luck, he’ll get back to me. Hopefully on Monday.”
“Hopefully at all.” Casey blew out a frustrated breath. “You guys have an even tougher path to follow than I anticipated.” A pause. “What about the NYPD? Any contact there?”
“Not yet,” Patrick replied. “We’re brainstorming to try to come up with the best in we can. It’s going to be another tough nut to crack, our only advantage being that Ryan can access their database.”
“Maybe not our only advantage,” Casey modified. “Ryan came up with another way in. John Nickels. John spent over twenty-five years with the NYPD. He must have a substantial number of friends and contacts. What do you think about letting him head up that effort?”
The whole team looked enthused, and Patrick nodded his head vigorously. “Great idea, Ryan. John is more than capable of handling this. He can join our next meeting, or I can just develop a game plan with him alone. Whichever you want, Casey.”
She contemplated that for a moment. “You talk to him first, bandy ideas about. Once you have a prospective game plan, we’ll have a team meeting so we can put things in motion stat. You’ve got tonight and tomorrow to connect with John and come up with an approach. We’ll reconvene as a group on this Monday—with John included.”
No one was surprised by Casey’s fast-track approach. And not just because this case was so personal. FI operated on supersonic speed all the time. It was part of their winning formula.
“Ryan, you next,” Casey said interlacing her fingers on the desk. “Were you able to resurrect Shane’s cell phone data?”
Ryan gave a tight nod. “It took most of the day, but yeah. I went straight for his Friday calendar entries. He’d taken a half-day at work. His annual physical was scheduled for one-thirty PM. He kept the appointment; I called his doctor’s office to make sure. The appointment wrapped up at around two-fifteen. The doctor’s office is in Ardsley, which is about twenty minutes from New Rochelle, but it wouldn’t be worth it to go back to the city. He’d get there in time to leave.”
“So he went home—straight home,” Casey noted. “Otherwise the timing of the murder would be off.”
“Right.” Marc looked thoughtful. “No stopping to do errands or pick up dinner. Which is what busy professionals—who also happened to be family-minded—usually do when they get a rare few hours off. He didn’t even give Caitlin a break by going to pick up Kennedy. From Ryan’s description, that doesn’t sound like Shane.”
“No,” Ryan said. “It doesn’t. So what are you getting at?”
Marc pursed his lips. “I’m operating on pure speculation. But let’s see it through. Kennedy was still at school. Caitlin was working at home. Maybe Shane had a serious situation to discuss with her, something dark that would affect them both, or even them all. Whatever that something was, it would be a good chance for them to talk in private.”
“Yes,” Emma agreed at once. “You don’t get much couple time when you have a nine-year-old, not even at night when you think the child is asleep.” She grinned when she saw the surprised looks gazing at her. “I babysat a lot,” she explained. “I needed the cash. I know the drill.”
Ryan wasn’t smiling. “My guess is that the assailant was targeting Shane, so he was probably following him. I doubt he had access to Shane’s personal calendar. So, unless we’re dealing with a professional killer—which none of us believes we are—he used traditional methods to keep an eye on my cousin.”
Claire was frowning. “That’s not right. Correction: it’s partly right. But mostly wrong.”
