Page 18 of Forged in Steele

“I do.” She arched a brow. “We’ll see if that happens here.”

Why wouldn’t she cut him some slack? Because he basically bailed on her, telling her he didn’t want a long-distance relationship while he was learning his way around the Navy. Still, he liked that she had the guts to stand up to him now. Liked it a lot. Not that he would admit it to her.

Franz disconnected his call. “Detective Hale is on his way.” He paused and stared at each of them in turn. “I don’t want either of you to argue if he tosses you out when he gets here.”

“Hale caught the investigation?” Bristol asked.

“You know him?” Jared asked.

Bristol nodded. “He’s sharp and a real team player. And he has high case closure rates.”

“Yeah, he’s one of the good ones,” Franz said. “Let’s get to the father.”

Franz led them down the hallway to the nurse’s station. The nurse on duty directed them to Mr. Pratt’s and Nurse Johnson’s rooms. Damon stood between this room and the one just down the hall where Nurse Johnson had been sequestered. Pratt’s door held a maintenance request sign, and Franz pushed it open.

Jared followed the deputy into the birthing suite where Pratt was housed. The space looked much like the room where Luna had disappeared from but was decorated in blue instead of yellow.

Mr. Pratt came to his feet from an easy chair in the corner. “Did you find her?”

“I’m sorry,” Franz said. “Not yet.”

Pratt slammed a fist into his palm. “What’s taking so long?”

“We’re still gathering facts and following leads,” Franz said. “Were you having coffee when Luna was taken?”

He nodded. “In the main cafeteria.”

“What kind of coffee did you have?” Bristol asked.

“Beg your pardon?” He gaped at her.

“The coffee. What kind?” She didn’t wilt under his gaze, raising Jared’s respect for her law enforcement skills even more.

“A mocha.” He suddenly clenched his hands as if trying to control himself from punching her. “Oh, I get it. You’re asking because you don’t think I was having coffee. You think I took my own daughter.” His eyes narrowed into seething slits.

Bristol winced this time, but in fairness to her, the harsh look would have Jared wincing too if fired in his direction.

“I don’t think that, sir.” Her tone was even and composed. “But it’s our job to ask questions to rule things out as well as gain knowledge.”

Pratt relaxed his hands. “I got a large mocha and sat at a table by the window. I shouldn’t have left Sonya, but I needed a break from the crying. Luna’s having trouble nursing, and she’s been kind of fussy. This is all my fault. I shouldn’t have gone.” His voice broke.

Bristol took a step closer to Pratt. “Let’s try not to place fault and concentrate on details that could help us locate her.”

Pratt’s shoulders sagged. “What else do you need to know?”

“Give us a play-by-play of your movements after you left the room,” Jared said. “And describe what and who you saw.”

“Sonya fell asleep, Just like the nurses told her—sleep when Luna sleeps. I tiptoed out. Stopped in the can outside the center. I didn’t want to use the one in the room and risk waking them. Then I bolted for the cafeteria. I got the mocha and set a timer on my phone so I didn’t stay more than fifteen minutes.”

“What about anything unusual you might’ve seen?” Franz asked.

“Nada. I mean, I was focused on my mission, and I can have tunnel vision. Get there. Get it done. Get back.”

“You must’ve seen something while you drank the coffee?” Jared said.

“Watched out the window. Honestly wished I was out on the golf course. But golf is out of the question for now.”

“You’re giving it up?” Bristol asked.

---