Page 11 of Missing Justice
The brunette beside her wearing a near matching pantsuit to Taylor’s gave him a cursory glance. A pair of bookends these two.
“Taylor, who is this?” the woman said.
Recovering nicely, Taylor extended one hand. “Meredith Sardana, meet Matt Stephens. He’s a private investigator. Matt, this is my boss, SAC Sardana.”
“Excellent,” the woman said. “Just what we need. A PI. Wait…Stephens? You’re the one who solved the Miller case, aren’t you?”
A mighty federal agent and all her self-righteous bullshit. It wasn’t the first time he’d been on the receiving end of that sort of attitude. Wasn’t this the thing that ate at him from the inside out? “I did. I left the PD soon after. Now I work for Schock Investigations.”
Senator Jarvis waved Matt into the room. “Matt, glad you could make it on such short notice. Come in.”
“Thank you, sir.” He strode into the room, but kept his distance, moving to the chair by the window rather than inserting himself into the conversation.
All players knew he was there, but if he stayed back, maybe they’d disregard him, get a little careless and allow him to pick up a fresh lead or two.
Not likely, knowing Taylor and her bulldog instincts, but maybe the fact that he’d rocked her world a few hours ago might throw her off her game.
To that end, he offered her a slow smile and a wink. Couldn’t hurt. And it sure was fun to rattle this woman.
“Senator,” Taylor said, “we really should speak privately.”
The senator shook his head. “It’s fine, Agent Sinclair. Before I filed Felicity’s death form, I hired Matt and the Schock sisters to help with the investigation. He signed a confidentiality agreement. Whatever is said in this meeting won’t be shared.”
All of that was true. When the present Mrs. Jarvis came on scene and started putting the pressure on about a wedding, the senator had been forced into action regarding his first wife’s disappearance. For seven years, he’d hung on, hoping, praying to whatever god would listen, for the return of his wife and child.
Like a lot of things in life, those hopes and prayers sunk like the Titanic and Senator Jarvis hired Schock Investigations to either find his wife or give him a reason to not declare her legally dead.
When Matt and the sisters had been unable to locate Mrs. Jarvis, the senator, understanding the odds of finding her after so long were slim, took the legal steps necessary to make way for Mrs. Jarvisnumero dos.
In response to the senator’s refusal to bust Matt from the room, Taylor met his gaze for a few long seconds. She didn’t like it. Him being here. He couldn’t blame her. Not three hours ago she’d given him her rules of engagement. No sharing cases, no crossing lines, no work talk. That’s what she’d said.
At the time, neither one of them could have known they’d be sitting here together.
“Agent Sinclair,” the senator said, clutching his wife’s hand. “Please. Tell me why you’re here.”
Again, she eyed Matt and he cocked an eyebrow. Whatever her intention upon walking in here, Senator Jarvis blew that away by requesting that Matt stay. But Taylor hadn’t become an ace FBI agent by not being fast on her feet. She’d rebound.
She took the seat across from the Jarvises, Meredith dropping beside her. Both women sat erect, shoulders back and Meredith nudged her chin, silently giving Taylor the go ahead. Interesting.
“Senator, we’ve had a development in your wife’s”—she glanced at Mrs. Jarvis—“Felicity’s case. Human remains have been found in a scrapyard not far from where Felicity went missing. Rings were found with the body.”
The air in the room went still and a painful silence ensued. Matt cut his gaze to the senator who’d dipped his head, his shoulders slumping as if his spine has been hacked out of him.
Matt sat still, refusing to move or draw attention. But he watched. Moments like these, the brutality of them, often gave unlikely clues. The senator was his client but husbands got a hard look when it came to their wives suddenly vanishing.
Everyone remained quiet, even Mrs. Jarvis number two, while the senator absorbed Taylor’s words. After a long minute, Mrs. Jarvis stroked her husband’s back and whispered something Matt couldn’t make out. Whatever she’d said, the senator responded by lifting his chin and circling one hand, urging Taylor on.
She gave them the normal song and dance about how they needed DNA or dental records for confirmation, and then she pulled out her phone, poking at the screen before turning it so the senator could see the screen.
“Do you recognize these?”
Matt was too far back to get a good look, but it was definitely a photo.
The senator sucked in a breath and jerked back as if someone had slapped him. “Oh, dear God.”
Ann rubbed his back again and peered at the pictures as well. “Those are rings, aren’t they? Felicity’s?”
The senator’s Adam’s apple bobbed. He squeezed his eyes shut for a second, then nodded. “I had them custom made… The hearts engraved on the side of the wedding band…” He swallowed, nodded. “They’re hers.”
