Page 88 of Matteo

“What about it?” I took the photo and stared hard at it.

My mother and father had been at some charity event, looking young while she held some award. Both had been dressed up fancy, with her in a light pink dress and my father in a dark tux. They seemed in love, hell my father had even stared at her adoringly. There was also a man on my father’s left, similar looking, and on my mother’s left an Asian couple. There were others too but they’d been cropped out. Flippingthe photograph over, I saw a date:the 1991 California Medical Research Ceremony.

“These people might know more about your mom,” Nora had smiled so widely before hopping onto her computer, immediately beginning the digital hunt.

After some intense research, we found the Asian couple first.

“Holy shit, am I reading this right?” I looked over Nora’s shoulder as we pulled up an article on the couple's death. They’d been killed recently in some sort of break-in.

“Susan and Shin Taoko were found dead in their home this weekend,” Nora began to read quietly, the article scrolling. “The home was ransacked..blah, blah, wait….FBI Agent Matteo Zacharra was on the scene but declined to be interviewed at this time citing the case was ongoing…”

Nora had turned her eyes to mine, “Spooky.”

I agreed, “My mother’s former colleague and her husband wind up murdered and my brother is involved with the case. Fuck.”

“That’s pretty much the end of that,” Nora had sighed. “Nothing else on Susan.”

“What about the other guy,” I’d asked.

“The one beside your dad…I’m already on it,” Nora pulled the laptop closer and started pecking away.

I could watch her work on her computer for hours, for some reason it soothed me.

Us,my Corsican whispered and I knew he was rolling his eyes before quietly slipping away again.

Nora had worked diligently on finding the man’s identity, and before I knew it, I’d drifted off. She had awakened me an hour later, kissing sweetly on my lips. Of course, that got a rise out of me and I became hard instantly.

In between kissing me, Nora had grinned.“Baby, I think I have something.”

“Tell me with your shirt off,” I grinned.

“Stop be serious,” she’d reached for the laptop that had been placed to the side.

A slow yarn slid out of my mouth and I rubbed my eyes trying to focus.

“He’s older, but I’m more than sure this is him,” Nora pointed to an image search she’d run. An older-looking man with close-cropped hair in a dark suit with a red tie stared sternly back at me, while the American flag was offset in the background.

“Who is it?”

“His name is Jacob Lance. According to hisLinkedInaccount, which by the way hasn’t been updated in a year, he’s ex-military and he’s also the deputy director of the Seattle FBI field office,” Nora revealed looking pleased as pie with herself.

“Jacob Lance,” I repeated the name, even though I had no idea who he was. “And you said Director of the FBI in Seattle.”

“Yup,” Nora nodded. “I have a feeling he could help solve this mystery.”

I’d sat up and scrubbed a hand over my face before turning to grin at Nora. “I think me and Carmine are going to have to pay the director a little after-hours visit tomorrow evening.”

Exactly one day later, Carmine and I were checking guns when Nora sent a text.

“I’ll be at Rain’s,” I read the text out loud.

Carmine was lining up the sights of his gun. “You think we should let Rain in on this?”

I shook my head. “Rather not worry her. She’s been so distant from Nora lately, like a full-blown recluse.”

“Hmm,” Carmine sat his gun down reached into a cabinet, and pulled down some ammo.

I shot Nora a text back,Love you. Tell Rain hello for me.

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