Chapter 9

"Why areyou dredging up a cold case?"

Levi was barely off the elevator when the unfamiliar raised voice from the conference room across the bullpen reached his ears.

"And why are there civilians involved?"

Beside him, Marsh cringed. "Guessin' we didn't make it back before Hines made it here."

But someone else had. "Consultants," she corrected, and make no mistake, it was a correction, no matter how sweet and southern Charlotte Henby's voice sounded. "Both of whom had impeccable law enforcement records before moving into the private sector."

"Agent Henby isn't wrong," Kwan added. "Not to mention Lieutenant Colonel Kane's stellar military record."

"Which, from my time working a case here last summer," Charlie said, "I gather is fairly common in San Diego." She smiled as Marsh, Levi, and Jamie entered the room. "Agent Marshall here was career military too. Served with Kane and Kwan, isn't that right?"

"Camp Casey," Marsh said with a shit-eating grin. He tossed his hat on the table, gave Charlie's upturned cheek a kiss, then sank into the chair beside Brax. "Then I worked at the Hague with Agent Henby's husband, who's officiating my wedding this weekend."

"I'm the groom," Levi said as he hugged Charlie on the way to his seat beside Kwan. "And I'm the Assistant Special Agent in Charge here."

The detective's blue eyes bounced around the room, looking for a new target, and landing on Jamie. "You must be the other civilian, then."

"Jameson ‘Whiskey' Walker. You may have seen me on television or on the basketball court, as a player or coach." He wasn't one to throw around his fame often, but the way he flashed his cred and camera-ready smile almost made Levi laugh out loud. Jamie slid into the chair beside Aidan and turned the screws some more. "I'm also a former cyber agent, frequent consultant, and SAC Talley's husband."

Detective Hines was the physical definition of squirm. Outnumbered, he couldn't figure out which way to go, which way to fire. Levi jumped on the uncertainty. "We have some questions for you, Detective Hines."

Marsh leaned forward, picking up the thread. "Like why you didn't more thoroughly investigate the break-in at Presley Jackson's house this past weekend?"

On the defensive, Hines remained standing, his height above them an illusion of power his white knuckles on the chair back gave away. "No reason to think it was anything more."

"Why did you think it was anything less?" Levi countered. "The current owner is a professional basketball player. A prior owner of the same house was murdered."

"Committed suicide."

"We'll get to that."

"Nothing was taken."

"Exactly," Jamie said. "Including Press's championship ring, which was sitting out in the open on his desk, the most trashed room in the entire house if you'd bothered to look."

"And not just any house," Levi continued. "A multi-million-dollar one in Cardiff. Where someone died fifteen months ago."

"We talked to his business partner earlier today," Marsh said. "Doesn't sound like you investigated that case either."

"Look, he had a history?—"

"What?" Levi cut in. "You assumed because he had a mental health condition and had attempted suicide in the past that it was the same this time? That Mr. Ward just threw himself into that lagoon?" He had seen cases, detectives like this before. More often in the human trafficking context, where asshole detectives like Hines wanted to make it the victim's fault, but in either case, it pissed Levi off to see someone's life and their death so easily dismissed. Especially by officers sworn to protect people and to solve their deaths or disappearances.

Cornered, Hines stepped back and raised his hands, palms out. "Look, no harm no foul. In either case. We got a board full of more pressing matters. This wasn't anything. Either time."

"Then you won't mind us investigating," Kwan said, having Levi's back, like she always did.

"Why do you care about a random BE?"

"The current owner is a former player of mine," Jamie answered. Hines's wide eyes were further proof he hadn't given this case a second thought. Clearly not a minute of research.

"You don't have an interest," Kwan added. "We do."

"Fine." Hines shrugged. "Have at it. One less case on my board."

"I'll have the paperwork over to you by the end of the day," Levi said while mentally calculating the jurisdictional hoops needed to paper it. They'd figure it out, probably before Hines, who was already halfway across the bullpen, would give it a third thought.

"Well," Levi said, turning back to the table. "I don't think the sheriff's department was purposely covering anything up."

"Agree," Brax said. "This just doesn't rank on their priority ladder." And the former police chief would know, having had to manage a ladder like that before.

"And ours?" Levi asked his boss, confirming the front she put on for Hines was gonna stick.

"Same answer as before," she said, standing. "It's your week off. If this is how you want to spend it, go for it." She paused over the threshold, giving them the same warning she had yesterday. "Just be done by Friday."

"Seems to be a trend," Levi said once she was out of earshot. "David gave us the same ultimatum."

Knowing them well, Charlie grinned. "Who are you more afraid of? Kwan or your kid?"

Levi glanced at his husband; they answered together. "David."