Mick pressed his forearm against his rolling insides as the faces of those men appeared on the desk’s surface. Suárez, of course. But even Wheeler, who didn’t deserve his sympathy but still should have walked away from that fire. It didn’t surprise him that Hoffman’s sister had searched for ammunition against him before showing up in his office, but her words still struck him like a fresh gash, appearing alongside others that had barely crusted over.
“The council knows about what happened in Chicago. I held nothing back.”
“Not even that you quit right after it happened?” She tilted her head, delicate brow lifting. “That you were ready to hang up your helmet for good?”
“Yes, they know that I tooka break.” One that he’d planned to be permanent. He didn’t mention that part. “If you researched me, then you know I was cleared of any responsibility in the accident.”
“Are you saying you were innocent?”
At Rachel’s sharp tone, her daughters stirred on the sofa. Mick welcomed the distraction and the chance to avoid her question. No matter what the final report had shown, he was command on that scene. He would never give himself a pass over decisions he’d made that day. They still kept him awake at night.
She held her finger to her lips and watched the children as though she hoped they would go back to sleep. Instead, one little head popped up from the leather. The other lifted seconds later. The girls rubbed tiny fists over eyes as deep brown as their mother’s and then climbed down and squeezed onto her lap, leaving the seat next to her empty.
“Girls, this is Mr. Prentiss.”
Mick didn’t miss that she avoided using his title altogether this time. “Hi, young ladies.”
“These two are Carly and Carissa.”
One raised her hand and then the other as though used to helping people tell them apart. They both said bashful hellos.
The child on Rachel’s left leg, who’d identified herself as Carly, pressed her forehead to her mother’s shoulder.
“Can we go now, Mommy? I’m sleepy.”
“It’s hot in here,” Carissa whined. “I want to go home.”
“Just a few more minutes.” Rachel waited until their frowns turned to reluctant nods.
“We can take this up at another time,” Mick offered though he still didn’t know what she expected from him.
“I need to say this now.”
Her determination shouldn’t have surprised him after she’d waited in his office for so long. He twirled one hand, giving her the chance to say what was on her mind.
“My brother is innocent. Just like you.” She lifted her chin, daring him to contradict her. “Yes, he has a drinking problem. But he did none of the other things he’s being investigated for. He would never have embezzled funds or doctored incident reports.”
She shook her head hard. “I know he didn’t.”
At the waver in Rachel’s voice, Mick straightened. She wasn’t as certain as she wanted him to believe. A lump settled at the back of his throat, her moment of vulnerability touching him in a way her tough act never could have. Even if predicting what an addict would or wouldn’t do was like fortune-telling with a cracked crystal ball, he understood her need to explain what she couldn’t understand.
“You know sometimes when a whole story comes out—”
“Names are cleared,” she finished before he had the chance.
He didn’t bother saying that the opposite was also true. She wouldn’t look at him, anyway, suddenly focused on brushing back Carissa’s hair and then Carly’s.
“My brother’s been in rehab for two weeks now,” she said, when she lifted her head. “He can’t defend himself. Somebody’s going to have to do it for him.”
“Why don’t you just let the authorities—”
“Do you really believe anyone’s looking out for Riley’s interests here? Someone who’s tarnished the fine reputation of the storied Mount Isabel FD?” She stared him down, waiting until he shrugged. “That’s what I thought.”
“I’m sure they’re as interested in finding the truth as you are.”
His words tasted like acid on his tongue. Like they’d agreed, he was a stranger in that little town. He couldn’t know whether anyone there cared about determining the facts. Her skeptical look told him she knew it, too.
She watched him for several seconds longer and then tilted her head from side to side as though considering whether to say more.
