Page 23 of State of the Union (First Family 3)

“Isn’t that what you did?”

“I was expecting you to fill me in on the details.”

Jeannie wanted to believe him when he said she could trust him. What choice did she have? He was her partner for better or worse, and in months of working together, he’d given her no reason to question his loyalty. “It’s up to you, Matt. I can tell you, or you can choose not to know. The latter would be better for you if this goes bad, which it’s apt to.”

“I’ll take my chances. Lay it on me.”

Jeannie told him everything she knew about the disappearance of Carisma Deasly—and Daniella Brown—and how former Detective Stahl had failed to do even the most rudimentary investigation despite filing reports to the contrary. “I met with Carisma’s mother, LaToya, this morning.”

“I would’ve gone with you.”

“I know, but I decided it would be better if I went by myself. I thought she might be more forthcoming one-on-one.”

“Was she?”

“She had a lot to say, and none of it good for us or the other law enforcement agencies that failed her so profoundly. No one did anything, Matt. Like at all. A thirteen-year-old girl goes missing, her mother has a pretty good idea who took her, and no one cared.”

“That’s unbelievable.”

“I’m so angry about it. It’s why I couldn’t stop this, even when I was told to.”

“Why did they tell you to stop? I don’t get it.”

“You know how Sam solved the Calvin Worthington case in an afternoon after fifteen years?”

“Of course. That was incredible.”

“It was, but it makes the department look ridiculous that the case was so easily solved the minute someone decided to care. Add to it that the victims in both these cases are Black kids, and it looks even worse.”

“So they’d rather we not solve the cases than make the department look bad?”

“As you know, it’s been a rough few months with Stahl convicted, Conklin and Hernandez charged in relation to Skip Holland’s case, and the FBI investigating us. People are bracing for the FBI report, which is due in January and not expected to do us any favors. The chief wants us to stand down on the cold cases for now, but how am I supposed to do that when I think I might know where Daniella is?”

“You can’t,” Matt said bluntly.

“And if we turn it over to the FBI or the marshals, we could still look bad because it took only a couple of days of effort to close an eleven-year-old case, even if they’re the ones who get the credit. People are going to be, like, where was the MPD all this time, you know?”

“It’s a valid question.”

“It certainly is. Even though I don’t agree that standing down on this case is the right thing to do, I can see where the chief is coming from. He has to manage the political and media fallout, which was significant after Worthington.”

“You’d think people would just be thankful the case was solved.”

“You would think, but what they see is a department so inefficient that a case that could’ve—and should’ve—been solved fifteen years ago was left undone for all that time until someone bothered to care. It’s a bad look for us, no matter how you spin it. And solving Carisma’s case, if we solve it, won’t help with the PR mess the chief is already dealing with.”

“But that’s no reason to ignore what we’ve already learned.”

“That’s my thinking as well.” She glanced over at him. “We’re defying orders that came directly from the chief. I need you to say you understand that.”

“I do.”

“I appreciate you coming with me, which was Sam’s only request—that I not go alone.”

“Where you go, I go. That’s what partners do.”

For the first time since Will Tyrone had told her he couldn’t bear to continue on the job after his close friend Arnold was murdered, Jeannie felt like she had a true partner again. “I should probably tell you I’m pregnant so you’ll know why I’m green every morning.”

“I wondered because I’ve noticed you having rough mornings. Congrats. That’s great news.”

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