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“I got out of my car. I had pulled up in front of Anderson’s Accounting at four forty-five.”

“And you didn’t go inside.”

He nodded. “That’s correct. I checked the hours of operation online. Even though the office said it was open until five, there were no lights in the building. It looked like it was closed. I figured maybe it was because it was Christmas week, although the website didn’t say anything about being off this week.”

“Did you have an appointment?” Officer Green asked. “Who are you, exactly?”

Brody didn’t want his big reveal of who he was to be at a police station, but he didn’t have much choice. He’d left his gun in his car, of course, although he had his license to carry with him. He’d provide that if necessary.

Brody tended to go by the motto only give them what they ask for. But never lie. “I want to get my ID from my coat pocket.”

When the officer nodded, Brody pulled the front of his coat open and reached in to slowly removed his PI identification badge from his pocket.

Officer Green’s eyes focused on the straps of his holster. “You carry?”

They’d already searched both him and Jenna for weapons before leading them back.

“I do. I left my weapon in my SUV, but I have my permit with me.” He handed both the permit and PI badge to the officer.

Officer Green’s gaze examined both. The left corner of his lip curled at the PI license.

Brody was used to that. People tended to believe private investigators were all people who didn’t have the drive or ability to become cops. “If you check my records, you will see I was a Sergeant in the Marines, served for eight years, and then I was with a police department for another four years. I worked homicide.”

Some of the sneer left the officer’s face. “Why’d you trade in your badge for this?”

He indicated the PI license on the table.

Brody wanted to deflect the question. He wanted to lie or tell Green to mind his own business. But he’d do neither. Sometimes the hard answers were the only ones that would make people listen.

“We were on a case. Recovering trafficking victims. It was bad.” He swallowed. Already, remorse showed on the officer’s face. “One of the victims…”

He had to hold his breath until the instinct to gag died out.

“One of the young girls we found was my sister, Marilee. She’d disappeared several years before while I was on tour. I came home and joined the cops to find her.”

And he did. The memory of that day would haunt him forever. But his family knew she was at peace.

“Why were you at the accounting office?” Officer Green swerved the conversation in a different direction.

Brody accepted the new angle with gratitude. “I’d been hired to locate a person who went missing. I had a lead that told me I might find more information there.”

Jenna didn’t look his way. Good. He didn’t want to explain her story to this cop before she knew the truth herself.

Because he was one hundred percent convinced he’d found Jordyn Ellis. Regardless of whether or not she knew her true identity.

He continued with his explanation

“I’d decided to try the front door anyways. The moment I opened my door, I heard a woman scream and ran around the building toward it.”

“You didn’t think to call 911?”

“I didn’t have time, Officer Green. I rounded the corner and saw our guy pull a knife. I yelled out, told him I had a gun, although I left the safety on.” He wouldn’t have been able to do that if he had his Glock with him. It was his favorite pistol, but that type of gun didn’t have a manual safety.

By the time Officer Green completed the interview, Brody was mad, hungry and frustrated.

Not an ideal combination.

“I will have that scene swept again tomorrow morning,” the officer finally said. “I will also look for any other incidents in the area, just in case this is a failed mugging.”