Kate sat back in her chair. “It’s going to be nice having her in the family legally.”
Crois could understand how happy Kate was. Pilar was going to marry Roan, Kate’s stepbrother. But that was a kind of misnomer. People who knew the three thought that they were blood siblings. Detective Walker Ashely worked across the way from them. Kate was the sergeant in charge of the ‘street’ cops. And last, but definitely not least was Roan Ashley who was a trauma surgeon in the Emergency Room at Cole Medical Center.
It would only have been better if one of them worked for the Center City Fire Department.
The Ashleys and their sister Kate already considered Pilar family.
And Crois? Well, he was kind of the red-headed stepchild. Kate sometimes extended the family vibe to him, but not always.
“Now,” she smiled, but the gesture was a little tight, “I can talk to you about… the current situation.”
He let out a sigh. “Yeah. I had a feeling that was why you wanted to talk.”
Kate shifted on her seat and looked… uncomfortable. “I know that some gossip has been going around and I wanted to talk to you about the real situation.”
Crois sat up in his chair and crossed one leg over the other. A moment later he dropped that leg back down to the floor. “Thanks. That call that night was… difficult.”
Kate nodded. “I’ve seen the body cam videos from the call.”
He nodded as well. He knew that what he’d done was fine. “The driver was difficult, but she was worse with Pilar than she was with me.”
Kate’s smile was tight. “Some women have a real issue when they deal with other women in positions of power.”
“I was happy to be the buffer in the situation.”
Kate nodded. “I could see that. You’re a good man, Crois. You’re also a damn good officer.”
“Thanks…” He said the word, but he wasn’t exactly sure how to take her compliment. He’d been called in for a reason.
“What I’m about to tell you,”She lowered her voice, “doesn’t go beyond this office.”
His heart sank at her words. “Okay.”
“When they identified our Jane Doe, her name was Veronica Catalano.”
Catalano.
Just hearing that name made his stomach turn.
“So, when she said something about her uncle…”
Kate nodded. “She meant Captain Christian Catalano.”
Fuck.
He shook his head.
Fuck me sideways.
“Yeah. Apparently, the Captain went down to the jail and took her out of holding. Word is that he went to the District Attorney and they worked out a deal for her to enter a diversion program and once it’s completed, it would be kept off of her record.”
Crois nodded.
“Pretty sure even a public defender could have asked for that deal.”
Kate nodded her head in agreement.“That’s true.”
He sighed and sat back heavily against his chair. “And the diversion program is on the record?”
