“Murdered four years ago. Nearly coming up on the anniversary, in fact.”
“Indeed.”
“As you know, it was officially classified as a robbery gone wrong.”
“Officially,” I repeat.
“I reopened the case.”
He has my full attention. I sit back on the edge of my desk, weighing my next words carefully. “You’ll forgive me if I ask why.”
“It doesn’t sit right with me. And it doesn’t sit right with me for the same reason it doesn’t sit right with you. Missing witness statements. Evidence was mishandled. Someone got into this case and made sure we couldn’t follow any threads. And there’s the detail of why the hell a mugger would try to hurt your son. What purpose would that serve?”
A question I have asked myself many, many times. “Have you found something new?”
“Not yet. Just that there’s enough to reopen it. But it’s still fuzzy.” He looks at my crime board again, as if there might be a detail he hadn’t noticed that could blow it all open.
“And that’s what you came here to tell me.”
He nods slowly. “Yeah. I’m not going to say we’re allies on this. Far from it. But let’s just agree we have mutual goals.”
He’s not just talking about Garin.
“Yes.”
Kyle shifts in his seat. “I’ve got some leads I’m going to follow. I’ll bring them to you when I know whether or not they’re valid. Not going to tip my hand before that.”
“Elena’s death. It’s about closure. I need to know what happened to her. I need to know who did it. And why.”
“I get it. And you may think this is a naïve thing to say, but I became a cop for a reason. If someone takes a life in this town, they’re going to face justice.”
“Not naïve at all, Detective. Principled.”
“I’m not just here as a detective, though,” he says. “I’m also here as a brother.”
“Yes.” I study him as he speaks. I can see the protectiveness. He feels it toward her, she feels it toward Sasha. And I feel it for the both of them. I see what they share, how similar they are. “Your sister means a great deal to me. She’s not a liability, nor is she bait or leverage. She is central. To everything.”
“You care about her.” More of a statement than a question.
“Very much.”
“And you know it’s not just her you have to look out for. Not just your son.”
Ah. He knows.
“I will protect them all. With my life.”
There’s an appreciative flash in his eyes. “I don’t trust your world, Barinov. I don’t like what surrounds you. But I believeyouright now, I believe you will protect them.”
I lean forward. “Then we understand one another.”
He stands, walking over to the crime board. “Yeah. I guess we do. For now, at least.”
“For now.”
“If you let anything happen to her,” he says, “I’ll kill you myself.”
“Of that, Detective, I have no doubt. And I would expect nothing less.”
