Page 97 of What's Left of Us

“It’s not just you I’m worried about,” he informs me with a strong look that has me pausing halfway out the door. “Conklin follows you blindly into anything. All I’m saying is that you need to be cautious about what you get into. Some of these people are flagged as violent offenders for a reason.”

My lips twitch at the warning. “It’s a good thing we’re trained for anything then.”

His parting sigh is the last thing I hear before grabbing my keys and heading toward my patrol car.

But his warning rings in my ears, settling into my gut like a heavy weight I can’t nudge.

I don’t like it.

I don’t like it at all.

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

Lincoln / Present

Senior Investigator Beaugardwalks out of the back room and sighs the second he sees me leaning against the wall with two coffees in my hand. “One of those better be for me, Hawk,” he says, taking the one I extend out to him as I match his pace down the hall.

I pass him the one on the right. I know he likes his coffee with three shots of milk and a little bit of sugar. Since I have no idea what this is about, I figure buttering him up couldn’t hurt.

“McAdams said you wanted to speak to me.”

He stops at his office at the end of the corridor and opens it, gesturing me in with his hand. I step inside, standing by one of the chairs across from his desk and watching him pop open the button of his suit jacket before sitting down in front of his computer.

“Sit,” he tells me, setting the coffee down by his keyboard. “We need to chat about why I got a call from Estep from the DA’s office asking me about your visitation request at Rikers to see his client. What thefuckare you thinking?”

Christ.I thought I’d told Estep to call me, not Beaugard, about seeing Jakob Volley. I’ve worked enough with the attorney to have a decent relationship with him. I thought he would have afforded me one favor.

“I need to talk to Volley,” is all I say.

My unapologetic tone has him sighing as he takes a long sip of his coffee. Then he points to his thinning hair and says, “Doyou see this? I blame you for all the goddamn grays. I used to be young when I started this job.”

I don’t point out that his hairline was receding when we first met because that won’t get me far at all. “Look, I know it’s not ideal—”

“You’re damn straight it’s not.” He leans forward. “You must be out of your mind to think speaking to Volley is a good idea. Do you have any clue what that could do to his case when he appeals?”

“When?” I repeat.

He doesn’t bullshit me. “You and I both know that they always appeal. He doesn’t want to stay at Rikers for a full sentence. Any chance he can go in front of a judge again, he’s going to take.”

“He shot and killed a police officer,” I deadpan. “There’s no way they’re going to consider resentencing.”

Beaugard scoffs out a dry laugh. “What do you think is going to happen when they find out one of the officers he shot went to see him? They’ll appeal and claim intimidation of their client to get him out.”

“That wouldn’t excuse his previous charges,” I point out. “He was charged with murder in the first degree with a life sentence. Heplead guilty. Even if I went to see him, there’s no overturning that decision.”

Beaugard stares at me for a long time before shaking his head. “You really have lost it. They shouldn’t have let you come back until your head was in the right place.”

What the hell? “I’m not crazy.”

“Well, you’re not being logical either,” he shoots back. “What could you possibly want to talk to Volley about? You had your chance to address him at his sentencing.”

Is he forgetting where I was? “I was stuck at the hospital being monitored after my second emergency surgery when hewas sentenced. If I could have been there, my happy ass would have.”

He nods, looking only slightly apologetic. “I feel for you, Hawk. I do. But there’s no reason for you to go see Volley. His team is going to use that against you, and I’ve seen people get off on far less.”

Closing my eyes, I lean back in the chair and take a deep breath. “He knows more than he’s letting on. I just want to ask him a couple of questions.”

“At what cost?” he questions. “If closure is what you’re seeking, you already got it. The person who pulled the trigger is behind bars exactly where he should be.”

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