Page 8 of Delivering David

“He’s not answered my text yet,” Suzanne replied. “I told him it was important, but who knows what else he might be dealing with today? I’ve always heard the holidays are one of the busiest times for law enforcement.”

“That’s what my grandfather Joe always said,” Kristopher agreed. “And he was a cop for almost forty years. He’s the one who got me this car.

“Hmm.” Her eyebrows drew together. “Do you think Grant will let us into Mercy’s house?”

“I think as long as there’s an officer there, he won’t mind us looking around,” Kristopher replied. “But we should wait for permission, if only out of respect for Miller’s position.”Just tell her.

“Good idea,” she agreed. “We’ll wait. Elaine said he’s good at his job.”

“You’ve got that right.” He paused, gathered his thoughts and said, “There’s something I need to tell you, Suzanne. About this case.”

Curiosity brightened her eyes. “I’m listening,” she said.

“I was on the KPD police force five years ago and worked with Grant Miller occasionally before I joined the Army. And I know–knew–Mercy Phillips and her son David too, though I’ve not seen them since I returned to Knoxville when I joined Brotherhood Protectors this past autumn.”

Silence filled the car and tension tightened his stomach. Was she angry? Puzzled? Suspicious at why he took the case?

Tilting her head, she asked, “Did you know Mercy’s husband Syd?”

“Yes,” Kristopher chose his next words carefully. “I sometimes worked with him too. He was a damn good cop. How long have you known Mercy?”

“About four years,” she said. “She didn’t talk much about Sydney, said it was still too painful.”

“It would be,” he said.You ass. You should have reached out to her the moment you got back to Knoxville.

“Does Elaine know that you worked with Grant Miller and KPD five years ago?”

“I don’t know,” he said, glad he could be honest on this score. “It never came up when I was working the case with Patrick and Danni, which actually only ended a few days ago, but someone else might have told her.”

“Did you work with Grant Miller on that case?”

“A bit,” he admitted. “We were too busy trying to find the kidnapped kids to spend a lot of time together. No problems, but I thought you should know.”

“Hmm.” He could almost see the wheels turning in her head. “Anything else you want to tell me?”

“I think that’s it. Could I ask you something?”

At her silent nod, he continued. “I know you were exhausted and in a state of shock when you spoke to Miller after being attacked, but was there any other reason you didn’t tell him about what Mercy told you?”

“Are you familiar with inter-agency protocol?”

“I know about HIPPA guidelines for confidential records if that’s what you mean,” Kristopher said. “And like Elaine said, if there is something going on at that youth shelter, you’ll want to be damn sure about who you talk to, especially if The Cadre is somehow involved. Until we know that, the less said to the fewer, the better.”

“Please don’t think that I don’t trust Grant Miller,” she said quickly. “Elaine would have said something if he weren’t trustworthy. You’re right. I was so shocked about what happened to Mercy and being scared for David, I just forgot.”

“Understandable,” Kristopher echoed Elaine’s words. “And don’t minimize being attacked right after that. Shock can do funny things to the brain. How much sleep did you get last night?”

That tiny smile returned, brightening her face. “Not much,” she said. “Elaine mixed me a hot toddy, calling it ‘Mac’s special brew’, a recipe from a Brotherhood Protector friend. It must have been a ‘soft’ one ‘cause it didn’t really help much.”

“I’ve heard about that toddy,” Kristopher admitted with a grin. “They’re usually lethal.” He couldn’t wait to give Mac hell about this.

Her brown-eyed scrutiny warmed him, and some of his tension melted away. “How do you know about HIPPA?” she asked. “From your work with KPD?”

“My mom is an OB-GYN,” Kristopher told her. “I grew up hearing about such things. Did Mercy ever have problems like this with her caseload?”

“I doubt it,” Suzanne said. “She was a great case manager. Wouldn’t put up with kids being outrageous or sassy and told them so from the get-go. They loved her for it, and she always went the extra mile for them.”

Kristopher’s fingers tapped the steering wheel. “I wonder who’s job it will be to tell The Campbell sisters’ mother they’re missing.”

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