“Yeah.” He snorted. “When did this become a bad neighborhood?”
“We’re going to need wine.”
CHAPTER 14
Wren’s eyes were about to cross as he sat at the conference table across from Detective Cryer and Garrett. He’d spent half the night and most of the morning studying files, followed by the last hour meeting with these two for some in-person questioning and more in-depth analysis of the case. The idea had been to test the notes and hear directly from a source close to the case about any stray thoughts that didn’t make it into the official file.
The meeting likely would have been more effective if he didn’t keep yawning. Not one to need much sleep as a general rule, Wren didn’t know why the limited two hours last night had made such a big impact.
So much for being in control of the room.
“I still can’t believe you’re Wren.” Rick shook his head. “That he’s you. That you kept that secret.”
“Some of us can’t believe he spilled it,” Garrett mumbled.
“He’s not going to tell anyone.” Wren looked at the detective. “Are you?”
“Never.”
In the past week he’d expanded his circle to include two more. That wasn’t like him. He blamed Emery for his sudden openness. For the lowering of walls. He hated giving up any control, but he did trust the detective. And for whatever reason he wanted Emery to know.
But that was enough people and secret spilling for the rest of the year.
With that issue over and resolved, Wren pushed forward in an effort to wipe out the memory of how Emery felt in his arms and that stupid grin on that guy Tyler’s face when he breezed in her front door. The familiarity between them plagued Wren all night. He didn’t share that sort of history, common nostalgia, with anyone.
Wren didn’t see an obvious answer to the mess in front of him now either. They’d gone through everything. The case was as cold as a case could be. He ticked off his mental list. “You had the usual neighborhood pedophiles checked out.”
Rick closed the last file and stacked it on the pile in front of him. “Yes and any case with a similar MO within three states, plus tried to match the facts to other cases nationwide.”
“Nothing panned out. Right.” Wren had been hoping for a clear hole, one he could point out and keep from getting dragged in deeper. He didn’t see one.
He’d done some behind-the-scenes work for the department, but it came years after, and was unrelated to, Tiffany’s disappearance. His job centered on a too-close relationship between a detective and someone in the governor’s office that ended up with political capital being used to influence cases. Wren tracked the connections and put the pieces together.
At Wren’s suggestion, the governor left office for “personal reasons” and Wren helped clean up the rest of the mess he left behind. All quiet, but the case helped forge a bond between him and Rick, the one who noticed the problem in the first place.
“It’s a thorough list. Tiffany’s father. A teacher at school. A guy at the church two streets over who had been on the wrong end of some nasty rumors.” Garrett lowered the pages gathered in his fist and stared up at the detective. “Why is Tiffany’s father all over the files and questioned several times?”
“The usual ‘look at the males closest to her’ protocol. Plus, he waited to report her and had some excuse about wanting her to sweat it out wherever she was as some form of punishment.” When Garrett started to talk, the detective held up his hand and kept going. “A stupid way to deal with a teen girl he had no idea how to handle. Pushing his wife away then losing her the way he did. The guilt ate at him until the day he died.”
“And Emery.” Wren knew he’d see her name in the file, but he wanted to see the detective’s reaction now. “She was a suspect, too?”
“There was a love triangle thing, and she was supposed to meet Tiffany.” Rick shook his head. “She was cleared.”
“It looks like everyone was, including the friend, Tyler.” Wren dropped the reference just to double-check. He had his own reasons for wanting the guy to get another look. Not attractive reasons. Emery would not be impressed if she knew. “What about his parents cutting off his questioning?”
“That raised a flag, but the kid had an alibi. A cousin and another friend. They had a pickup basketball game.”
“Sounds fishy.” Wren hadn’t meant to say that out loud, but there it was. Out in the open.
The detective laughed. “Sounds like normal kids.”
Garrett closed the file he’d been studying and threw it in the box beside him. “He’s not that good with the term normal so I tend to define it for him.”
“Which brings me to my question.” Rick leaned forward with his elbows resting on the table.
The faint ringing of office phones could be heard through the walls. People walked by. The usual busy office day, except for what was happening in the conference room.
Wren longed to be back in his office where he could think. “I fear whatever you’re about to say will piss me off.”