Mathis was still skimming whatever was in front of him. “He didn’t seem to be, no.”
“You said his secretary called it in,” Reese stated. “Have you spoken to his wife yet?”
“I’ve got a patrol unit heading to her house now.”
“A patrol unit?” Brantley frowned. “Any reason you’re not out poundin’ pavement?”
“As I told you, Mr. Walker, I just took over these cases this morning. And right now, we can’t say for sure he’s missing.”
“You said you’re treatin’ this as high priority. Since when do you get a pass on doin’ the legwork?”
Reese stepped forward. “Detective, we’ll keep you looped in, and we expect the same in return. If you learn anything, contact Brantley or me.”
The detective’s eyes were narrowed, his anger evident. Brantley didn’t much care that he’d pissed the guy off. He didn’t believe in passing the buck, and this was one Mathis should’ve been dealing with personally.
He left Reese and JJ to end the call, turning to face the rest of the team.
“Our priority is to find Cedric Hawkins,” he informed them. “And we will not stop until we do.”
Chapter Seven
Reese knew by Brantley’s tone that hewas serious. They would be focused on this case until Cedric Hawkins was located. And while he fully understood Brantley’s frustration with the detective, he knew they couldn’t risk stepping on toes when it came to working with law enforcement. Which was why he would make an effort to smooth things over with Detective Mathis by keeping him in the loop.
“We’re gonna need all investigators in the field for this,” Brantley added. “If you’re not up to it now, I need to know.”
A chorus of agreements came from everyone, with the exception of Allison Bogart. She seemed to be the holdout, but Reese watched until she finally nodded, giving in.
Reese wasn’t sure what to make of her yet, but he was doing his best to be impartial. Having been in the military, he was intimately familiar with the chain of command, and it wasn’t always easy to deal with those who believed it should be set up differently. For him, it wasn’t negotiable, but he didn’t think Allison was completely on board with that method. Despite the fact she’d been in law enforcement, which had its own rigorous chain of command, she seemed to enjoy going up against … well, everyone, really. Unfortunately, there’d only be so many times she could do that before Brantley snapped.
Reese didn’t want to be around when that happened.
“How do you want the teams set up since we’re still down one?” Brantley asked him.
Reese was surprised by the question, but he’d already given it some thought, so he answered easily. “Trey, you’ll team up with Evan. Baz, I want you to work with Allison, and Charlie, you’ll take Slade.”
Brantley turned to JJ. “JJ, you and Luca will be at the controls. We’ll look to you for additional information as you get it. I want to know everything there is to know about the company, the partners, their wives, kids. Plus, I want to know why the Lakeway PD passed these cases from one detective to another so quickly. There’s a reason there.”
“Will do.”
Reese picked up as though they’d planned it when Brantley looked at him. He wasn’t sure how it was they worked so well together, but it did seem to be the case.
“Our focus is finding Cedric Hawkins, but I believe, to do that, it’ll help to get some background on the two suspicious deaths. Trey, you and Evan reach out to Detective Mathis. Find out where the dead bodies are, then head to the morgue, talk to the medical examiner.”
Trey’s eyes were wide when he said, “The … ah … morgue?”
“You can handle it,” Brantley told him, his tone both mocking and assuring at the same time.
Trey looked a bit green at the idea but nodded in agreement.
“Give us two minutes,” JJ told Trey. “We’ll have that information so you can let the detective brood for a bit before we piss him off more.”
Reese continued. “Baz, you and Allison need to go to the investment company, talk to the secretary and anyone else who last saw Hawkins. I also want you talkin’ to secretaries or assistants to the other two partners. See if you can talk to any chatty employees. I’m sure someone’s got some input on the matter. We need as much information as we can get.”
Baz nodded.
“Charlie, you and Slade can head to the country club. I’m not sure how far you’ll get, but question anyone who’s there. Find out who saw Hawkins last, what he was doin’, and if they know where he might be. Also, Mathis mentioned Jacobs’s body was found in the locker room. Sweet-talk ’em into showin’ you around, get a feel for what might’ve happened there.”
“And if they refuse?” Charlie asked.
