Alexa knew she couldn’t wait any longer. He had a thing against the police and it was understandable, but she needed help from her connections on the force. Even if they were going to do this alone, she needed their help. She’d already planned to tell him the truth, and it couldn’t wait any longer.
“Hawk…” She closed her eyes for a moment, then took a breath. “I think you should sit down. There’s something I have to tell you.”
He narrowed his eyes at her. “Do you know something about this?”
“Not any more than you do. But I know people who can help. Please sit.”
He kept his eyes on her, but pulled out a chair at the dining room table and sat in a defensive stance. “Let’s hear it.”
“I’m telling you this now because finding Damian is the most important thing. I want you to remember that. I had planned to tell you before, but then Jessica showed up and all this mess-”
“Alexa. Let’s hear it already.”
She took in a deep breath and blew it out. “I used to be a cop. In fact, I was the detective who worked on Hugh’s case.”
She paused for a moment. His jaw tightened and his eye twitched slightly. She decided to continue.
“I tried my best to find his killer. Please, believe that. I didn’t give up. Closing the case was not my call. In fact, it was the reason I left the force. My chief made me close it. He didn’t think a lowly drug informant was worth-”
“Informant?”
“Hugh was my informant. He gave me information about Rucker Marshall. I’d been watching him for months, waiting to have enough evidence to bring him to trial. My chief made me call it a gang crime and close the case. I fought against it. And in the end, I couldn’t let it go. I couldn’t stop thinking about Hugh, and I couldn’t rest until I found justice for him. I quit the force and started my PI business so I would have a cover and connections and the time I needed to do my real research. I moved here to be close to you. Because you’re Hugh’s brother, and I hoped you’d give me the information I needed to find his killer. I never planned to get so close to you. I certainly never planned to fall for you, but I have.”
Hawk glared back at her, and said nothing.
“I’m still looking. I’m sure it was Rucker Marshall who killed Hugh, but I need solid evidence to put him away. Your testimony of seeing him there only provides circumstantial evidence and it’s not enough. Especially in a case like this where there were so many false leads and so many twists and turns. I’m sorry I lied to you. I thought if you knew who I really was from the beginning, you wouldn’t tell me anything and you’d just be pissed. And you have every right to be pissed. I would be, too. But right now, I want to focus on getting Damian back. That’s all I want. I’m not asking for your forgiveness, but I am asking you to let me make some calls. I still have tons of connections on the force, and I can get the right people in place and get the information we need to find him.”
Hawk still said nothing. She waited, giving him time to process and respond. After several long minutes with neither of them speaking, she finally had to do something.
“Do you have nothing to say to all this?” she asked.
“Do whatever you have to do to find him.” He stood up, slid the chair hard into place. “You should probably go to the hospital. Your head looks really bad.”
He turned to face her, his arms crossed and his face blank.
“I’m fine. I have a little headache, but it’s nothing some Ibuprofen can’t fix. Time is critical right now. I need to get started right away if we’re going to have any chance.”
“Then what are you waiting for?”
“Do you have a notebook?”
She pulled out her phone while he went into his office. She took a moment to gather her thoughts. She couldn’t read him, he’d gone back to that static and placid expression of coolness. She could hardly blame him. In his position, she’d probably have done worse.
Refocusing on the task at hand she started with her old informants. They weren’t required to tell her anything now that she was off the force, but she hoped they would do her a favor since she’d been good to them.
“Have you heard anything on the street about a kidnapping or a ransom, anything like that?” she asked them both.
Neither had heard anything. She asked about Rucker, too. Nothing. She called to her former partner, who was still on the force.
“I know this is a favor, but we were partners for years. This could lead to solving two cases. And I’d let you get all the credit,” she promised.
Joe laughed. “Yeah, sure. I don’t need credit. It’d be nice to have my partner back, though.”
“I don’t think that will happen. But it would be nice to solve this one last case with you. I need everything you got on Marshall since I left. And I need you to keep your ears open about a baby. He was stolen today. He might end up with a ‘for sale’ sticker somewhere. We’re not sure why he was taken.”
Joe sucked in a breath. “You do get into your cases, that’s for sure. Did you report this stolen baby?”
“Well, I just told you, didn’t I?”
“Alexa, come on.”
“We don’t have time for all that. I need answers now.”
“I’ll see what I can do.”
She hung up and looked at Hawk, who had an expectant expression.
“Let me guess,” he said, “they don’t know anything.”
“Well, not yet. He’s getting me info on Marshall, and he’s going to check around about any news on a baby.”
“So, they know nothing, and Damian is out there somewhere.”
“He’ll call back soon. This is our best chance.”
Hawk got up and started pacing. “I have to get out there and start looking for him.”
“Where?”
“Anywhere. Everywhere. I don’t know, but I can’t just sit here.” He looked down at his phone. “What the hell?”
“What is it?”
“Blocked number.”
She scrambled to her feet. “Answer it!”
“I never answer blocked calls.”
“You do today, when your child is missing. Answer it.”
He pressed the button and held the phone to his ear. “Hawk.” Then he hit the speakerphone button so she could hear, too.
“Just the man I wanted to talk to.”
“Who’s this?”
“This is your new best friend, Rucker Marshall.”
Alexa watched Hawk’s face fall into a mask of rage.
“What do you want?” he growled through clenched teeth.
“It’s more about what you want. I’m guessing you’d like this ankle biter of yours back?”
“You have Damian?”
“This smelly, crying, wiggling thing? He’s here. He’s chilling with my old lady. I think she’s off showing him around town, pretending he’s hers.” He laughed. “Women. Like she don’t have three of her own. What does she want with another mouth to feed? Well, you can have him back just as soon as you give me what I want.”
“And what’s that?”
“Let’s not play these games. You know what I want.”
“I’ll give you anything. Just don’t hurt the baby.”
“It’s what Hugh gave you just before he died.”
“The only thing Hugh gave me before he died was a phone call. What is it you want?”
Rucker laughed. “So, it’s going to be like that. I get that you don’t want to give it up. It’s worth a lot. I sure as hell wouldn’t. And not for some little brat. That’s alright. If you don’t want to give it to me, I’m sure we can figure out something interesting to do with this kid.”
“Rucker!”
“Call me back when you have it and I won’t.”
There was a beep as the call was ended.
“Fuck!” Hawk slammed his fist into the table. It made a loud bang and the table rocked.
“You have no idea what it could be?” Alexa asked.
“If I did, he would have it already,” Hawk said through gritted teeth. “Do you honestly think I’d put money or drugs before Damian?”
“Of course not. But he made it sound like you’d know. He thought Hugh gave it to you for a reason. Just sit and think for a minute. Maybe it’s not something as obvious as money or drugs.”
“Hugh didn’t have anything else of value.”
“Sit and think and see what comes to mind. I’ll be right back.”
Alexa ran next door and pulled out Hugh’s file and everything she currently had on the case. She rushed back over to Hawk’s and spread it all out on his table. She combed through the pages, looking for something that might have been recovered by the police. Something unusual, something valuable. Anything that could give them information.