“We don’t normally disclose case details with members outside of the unit, and that rule still stands,” Sinclair said. “But given the extenuating circumstances of Walker’s involvement and the fact that he could still be a potential target, he might as well stick around for the update.”
He turned to level Kellan with a frosty stare, and ooookay, guess the guy hadn’t quite gone the forgive-and-forget route on the mouthing off Kellan had given him a few days ago.
“Provided that you keep everything discussed here strictly confidential,” Sinclair added.
Kellan dipped his chin in a deferent nod. “Copy that.”
Capelli blinked, but quickly got back to business. “Right. So I had a friend over at the FBI field office run some background checks for me, to see if there was anything higher up the food chain than I had access to. Turns out, he got a hit on one of the government databases in New York.”
“New York?” Isabella asked, stepping back on the linoleum in obvious confusion, and yeah, sign Kellan up for the sentiment, too. “I never found any record of DuPree living or working in New York.”
“That is because he was a minor at the time. The hit is from the Department of Child and Family Services in Syracuse, and the case file was sealed, which is why it took a couple of days’ worth of digging to find.”
“Sealed why?” Hollister asked. “Even if DuPree was a minor at the time, the record should still at least show that files were charged against him.”
Capelli’s brows went up. “Not if he was the victim.”
Kellan’s jaw unhinged. No way had he just heard that right. “DuPree was the victim?”
“Yep. Looks like there was an investigation into abuse by his mother. A school guidance counselor noticed what she listed as ‘abnormal behavior’, so she requested a follow-up from DCFS. DuPree initially accused the mother of abuse, but it looks like he later rescinded.”
“So no charges were ever filed?” Sinclair asked.
“No,” Capelli said, shaking his head. “And mom fell off the radar not long after that. The notes from DCFS are sparse, but the school counselor was pretty adamant that DuPree was potentially dangerous.”
Isabella froze beside him. “Dangerous how?”
Capelli’s pause definitely wasn’t lost on Kellan, or probably anyone else standing in the intelligence office. “According to this, he was ‘substantially anti-social, distant, displayed a lack of empathy for those around him as well as a lack of remorse for wrongdoings.’”
“Wrongdoings,” Hollister repeated, and this time Capelli’s pause lasted longer.
“The list is pretty long, but the Reader’s Digest version is that he threatened two teachers with bodily harm, followed through on similar threats made to at least a half a dozen students, and although it was never proven, he was looked at pretty hard for vandalism to the school principal’s car and for killing a neighbor’s cat.”
Kellan couldn’t think of a single curse word that adequately covered this. “The guy is a freaking sociopath.”
“At first glance?” Capelli asked. “Yeah.”
“Okay,” Sinclair said. “I want our profiler on this, right now. Moreno”—he turned to look at her, and oh hell, Kellan knew the look in the sergeant’s eyes couldn’t mean anything Isabella would like—“I want you in protective custody.”
“Sam,” she said, her brows winging sky-high. “Come on. DuPree has been church-mouse quiet for three days.”
“Yeah, and seventy-two hours ago he was turning your furniture into kindling. I mean it. This guy is unhinged.”
Before Kellan could open his mouth to suggest that Sinclair wasn’t wrong, Hollister beat him to the one-two. “Moreno, he’s kind of got a point. It sounds like DuPree is off the deep end, and he clearly has a hard-on for trying to get to you.”
“Then let him try,” Isabella said, jamming her hands over her hips and planting her boots into the linoleum. “Look, I understand he’s dangerous, and I’m not saying I won’t be careful. I’ll still check in and take extra safety precautions. But if DuPree is antsy enough to make a move, we’ll have him right where we want him. We might not get him any other way.”
Annnnnnd fuck. Now Isabella had a point, too. Kellan didn’t want her in harm’s way—the thought alone made him want to throat-punch someone. But she was a cop, which meant her job came with a certain amount of risk. While he wasn’t on board with her taking unnecessary ones, at some point he had to trust that she’d be both smart and okay.
“If it makes you feel any better, I’ve got Isabella’s back,” Kellan said. “I know you guys are her team and everything, but when she’s not with you…I promise to keep her safe.”
For a minute, nobody said anything, the silence stretching thinner and thinner. Finally, Sinclair ran a hand over his crew cut and turned back toward Capelli.