Page 104 of Buried Too Deep

Phin nodded, too busy eating to reply. Cora was an exceptional cook. He did a go-on motion with his hand.

Stone pulled a folded piece of paper from his pocket. “Your intruder’s name is Vincent Ray.” He unfolded the paper and, moving his plate to the side, flattened it on the table.

Phin focused on the photo, rage bubbling up inside him at the thought of the intruder breaking into Cora’s home. “That’s him. How’d you ID him?”

Antoine blinked in appreciation. “Yeah, how’d you do it so fast?”

“Facial recognition software,” Stone said. “I use it sometimes when I’m investigating for a story. I work for my family’s newspaper in Cincinnati.”

That was true, but too modest, Phin knew. “Stone does investigative reporting for national news agencies and was embedded in the army.”

“That’s how I met him,” Antoine confirmed. “He was embedded in my unit. I was going to do the facial recognition today, since I didn’t have a photo of the guy yet. Thanks for saving me the effort. This is good work. How long did it take your software?”

“Seven hours,” Delores said dryly. “He didn’t sleep last night.”

Which meant Delores hadn’t slept, either. Phin shot her a look of apology and she just smiled at him.

Cora rose from her seat to lean on Phin’s shoulder, staring down at the photo. “Vincent Ray. Why do I know that name?”

“He’s the nephew of the leader of a drug gang,” Burke said, reaching for the photo. “His family was in the newspaper a few years back. Vincent here is a junior. His daddy, Vincent Ray Sr., is serving time for possession and distribution.”

“Oh good,” Cora said faintly, her fingers gripping Phin’s shoulder. “Murderers, erasers, and now drug dealers who plan arson. This just keeps getting better.”

Phin patted her hand. “He only got in because we allowed it.”

Burke exhaled loudly. “And then our client sat on his feet. Don’t do that again, please, Cora?”

“I make no promises,” Cora said flatly, giving Phin’s shoulder a pat before returning to her chair. “He invaded my home. With gasoline, a gun, knives, and matches.” She lifted her chin, wearing what Phin called her regal heiress expression. “Surely you can’t expect me to do nothing.”

Burke pinched the bridge of his nose. “Just…Fine. Whatever.”

Val chuckled. “You broke him, Cora.” She held her fist out and Cora bumped it. “Now, the question is, why did this guy invade your home? Is he directly involved in this caper or was he paid?”

Everyone turned to look at her. “Caper?” Antoine asked. “Really?”

Val only grinned. “Elijah, Jace, and I are on a Thin Man movie binge. One of the reviews called it a caper film and it’s a fun word.” Elijah was the ten-year-old son of Val’s boyfriend, and Jace was the fifteen-year-old she’d adopted.

Phin needed to stop by and see Jace. He’d promised the kid that he could help Phin build things. And then Phin had taken off.

To heal, he reminded himself. I left to heal.

And someday he’d be strong enough to heal in place. No more running.

He wanted that day to be today. He wanted it with every fiber of his being.

“So?” Val asked when everyone continued to stare at her. “Directly involved or paid? If directly involved, why? What’s Vincent’s connection to Cora? If paid, by whom?” She looked over to Molly’s whiteboard. “Is our best guess that someone wants Jack Elliot’s records of the clients he erased? Or are we still pursuing the angle that Jack’s killer was Harry Fulton, who wanted Cora’s mother for himself?”

“My money’s on the first one,” Phin said. “Someone doesn’t want those records found, so they sent this guy to burn the attic down. Vincent Jr. can’t be the letter writer because he’s way too young. But I haven’t dismissed Harry Fulton. He could still be behind this. He’s still the only one who was around when the letters started coming.”

Cora’s lips thinned. “It’s not Harry. I refuse to believe that.”

“That’s fine,” Molly said. “I get that you want to believe in him. Just promise us that you’ll be safe about it. No meeting him alone, not until we straighten all this out.”

“That’s fair,” Cora allowed, and Phin let out the breath he’d been holding.

She was sensible. That was one of the reasons he liked her so much.

“I ran some background checks on Harry last night, Cora,” Antoine said. “He seems totally legit. It would be great if we could pin down where he was twenty-three years ago. Our lives would be easier if he was away on business, like in Europe or something.”

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