Page 26 of Tactical Revival

But he just nods. “I’ll have the check for you at dinner.”

“Just like that?”

“Just like that,” he repeats. His phone rings, so he reaches down to check the screen. “Michael.”

“I’ll get out of your hair. Thank you, Jaxson. I’m going to pay you back. I promise.”

“No need to promise,” he replies. “I’m not worried about it.”

CHAPTER 7

Jaxson

“Any word from your former partner?” Michael sits down at his desk, a fresh mug of coffee in hand.

“Got a text from him this morning. He’s having trouble getting the warden to agree to send over the visitor logs without a warrant. And as of now, the judge is refusing to grant it on the off chance there’s a connection.”

“Probably because we’re all the way across the country,” Elijah says.

“My thoughts, too,” I agree. “With the Finches’ permission, I drove out to their house this morning and walked their yard as well as the area where Kleo was found.”

“Anything?” Lance asks.

I shake my head. “No playing card that I could find.”

“I know we don’t like it, but is it possible that the card is a coincidence?” Michael questions. “Something some kid taped there?”

“My gut says no,” I say. “But I do know that I’m closer to this one because of my past. So if you guys want to look at other avenues, we can do that.”

“I’m with Jaxson on this.” All eyes turn to Silas. “A coincidence like this would be highly unlikely.” The former SEAL crosses his arms. “It’s possible Kleo is not victim number one, but that we’re missing something.”

“I’ve been running through all of the recent missing persons that fit the description,” Elijah replies. “Wrote a script to help eliminate the ones that don’t fit. It should be done running today.”

“Great.”

“Then we operate as though Kleo Finch is a potential victim until proven otherwise.” Lance leans back in his chair. “Jaxson, your theory on the window at Emigh Pillar’s house was right. We took a closer look today and the scratches were only surface level. Whoever did that was trying to set off the alarm. And they chose the baby’s window because it would be the scariest for the mother, would be my guess.” His jaw is set, his eyes hard. I imagine he’s thinking about what would happen if anyone came after he and his wife’s new baby.

“I second that,” Michael replies.

Lance sits up straighter. “I looked into the file of the killer you put away. He was methodical and followed a specific process. I can’t figure out why there wouldn’t be a body if he was behind it.”

“I’m not sure if he is,” I admit. “Alaric confirmed that he’s still in prison. Once we have the visitor records, we’ll be able to discern whether or not he’s had any flagged visitors.”

“Here’s hoping we can get our hands on those records before a body shows up.”

Elijah grins at Lance. “On it, boss.”

That’s how Knight Security operates in high-profile cases like this. They’ll try the legal route, and if that doesn’t work? They do what they need to do. It’s one of the reasons I wanted to come and work here. There’s nothing more frustrating as a cop than knowing someone is guilty and being unable to cut through the red tape to prove it.

“All right, that’s all I’ve got today.” Lance stands. “If anything pops, let me know,” he tells Elijah who gives him a salute.

“I’ll see you guys tomorrow.” I stand and grab my keys from the top of my desk, then head for the door.

Michael stops me before I can open the door. “How’s Margot?”

“What? How would I know?”

Michael grins, amused. “Because you live under the same roof.”

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