Page 14 of Cyn
“They are,” Joe confirmed. “They’ll want to see the footage from your gate as well. I assume I have your permission to forward it on?”
She gave a wave of consent. They’d never get anything from it, and even knowing a man named Meleak was involved, they weren’t likely to ever find him. “Did he desecrate the body at all?”
Joe shook his head. “He actually went to pains to protect it by covering McElroy with the overcoat and hat.”
A thought caught in Cyn’s mind. If Meleak had gone to such an effort to protect the body, chances were there was something about the body he wanted her to see. “Can you get me the reports on his death?” she asked.
He sighed. “This is the kind of shit my uncle did for you, isn’t it?”
She smiled. “Sort of. Mostly it was stuff like looking into other departments’ investigations, some basics like running fingerprints and putting out APBs. That sort of thing. But, yes, he obtained case files as well if we thought they were relevant to whatever we were working on.”
“That agreement I signed last night?” He waited for her to nod before continuing. “Will that protect me if something goes wrong? I can’t very well help you if I lose my job.”
Cyn wagged her head. “To an extent, it will. You won’t lose your job. Someone would step in before that, but that doesn’t mean they won’t leave you dangling as long as possible to give you the time to fix it without their involvement.”
He made a face. “Sounds like a great group to hang out with.”
She laughed. “Welcome to my life. Let me get you that footage. I have some errands to run today, so I need to get going if I have any hope of completing them.” Mostly she wanted him gone so she could look into Meleak’s movements and do a little background search on Private McElroy.
Taking the hint, Joe finished his coffee. Standing, he stretched his back a bit before walking around the island to deposit his mug in the sink. He looked up, and she didn’t shy away from her unabashed appreciation. Joe Harris wasnothard to look at.
“Given any more thought to dinner?” he asked. “I’ve never met an archeologist/professor/spy before. It’s intriguing. That you like my uncle Joe is an added bonus. Shows you have good taste. He’s good people.”
She smiled at that. “Heisgood people. But if you overheard the conversation with my friends, you know I’m meeting the club at Abe’s tonight for drinks.”
“What time and what’s the deal withthe clubreference?”
“We’re meeting at eight thirty. As for the reference, you’ll have to ask Six about it.”
“Dinner before then? I get off at six, assuming no more dead bodies show up. I can pick you up at six thirty.”
She stared at him, not sure what was holding her back. Six was right. They were adults. If things went south, they’d be able to figure it out. She didn’t know this New Joe at all, but she trusted Old Joe. She knew that he wouldneversend them anyone prone to drama. Of course, that begged the question, what kind of personwouldhe send?
Only one way to find out. “Yes, that sounds good.”
He smiled and there was that damn dimple again. She had a feeling that that dimple would be the death of her—it wasn’t a boyish one, but one that lent a bit of mischief to his otherwise rather serious expression.
She walked him out, remaining on the front steps until he drove away. Her eyes swept over her lawn, covered in a blanket of snow that sparkled under the winter sun. Her property might be obscene for one person, but it was beautiful.
Her phone buzzed in her pocket, but she ignored it. The only people who contacted her were her friends, family, or Franklin, and she didn’t feel like talking to any of them. With one last glance across her land, she closed the door, took a moment to let the warmth of her house sink in, then headed up to her lair.
Four hours later, she rolled her chair back from her desk and spun to look out at the darkening sky. She’d found no leads on Meleak, which came as no surprise. The man hadn’t escaped capture for so many years without learning how to stay off the radar. But Private McElroy was another story altogether.
She might not have found a reason Meleak had left him for her, but she’d found enough to lead her to believe that McElroy was both a warning and a message, though not a warning to her.Forher, yes, but she was now confident there was no dangertoher.
Private McElroy had been a student at the university where she taught. A member of ROTC and a student of politics, he’d dropped out after concluding his sophomore year the prior spring and enlisted. His social media pages were limited, but what he did have, his family hadn’t yet taken down. It wasn’t McElroy’s posts that Cyn found interesting, though. No, the most interesting pieces of information had been in the social media sites of his friends, several of whom had posted about his death.
There was the usual shock and disbelief; a few were even angry. But what was most interesting was that nearly all his friends and followers were other young men—or boys in some cases. Relatively speaking, he interacted with very few women, and those he did were mostly relatives.
It was possible he was an incel—an involuntary celibate—which might indicate a predilection for anger and violence. But the only reason she could think of as to why Meleak felt the need to bring the young private to her attention was if McElroy was part of something bigger that he wanted her to know about. What that was, she didn’t yet know, but it was something she’d look into tomorrow. Tonight, she still had some treats to deliver to Nora and a new litter of puppies to win over. And then, of course, a dinner to get ready for. Despite the uncertainty and unanswered questions, Cyn smiled. It had been far too long since she’d been out on a date. Let alone a date she was actually looking forward to.
* * *
After swinging by the local pet shop, then delivering a load of toys, treats, collars, and leashes—all of which were far too big for the nine tiny creatures Nora was bottle-feeding back to health—Cyn returned home to shower and dress.
Right on time, Joe pulled up to the first gate and rang the buzzer. She let him through both gates, then grabbed her coat, hat, gloves, and scarf—with all the layers, dating in the winter sometimes felt like a meeting of two Michelin men. Not that she’d dated much this winter, or the last for that matter. She was frowning in thought, trying to remember her last actual date, when Joe rang the bell.
The square heels of her boots echoed on the floor, and when she swung the door open, she couldn’t help but smile. Joe was bundled up, too, but now that he was in civilian clothes—jeans, boots, a winter jacket, scarf, and hat with his hands shoved into his pockets—there was no other word to describe him but delicious. And the way his eyes swept over her before pinning her to the spot didn’t hurt her burgeoning crush.
