in town, nor was he overly thrilled about it.
Don looked unnervingly like his much older brother, William “Bill” Moran, from his father’s first marriage. It was as if Don had somehow morphed into his brother with age.
While Don had been just a twenty-two-year-old rookie at the time of the Tolkin blast, Bill had been the Safe Harbor police chief. It was Bill who’d approached Muirinn’s mother in the snow that day, and told her that her husband was among the dead.
Seeing Don looking so much like his brother threw Muirinn off guard. Gray images of that tragic, snowy spring morning suddenly filled her mind, and for a disconcerting moment, she was nine years old again.
She cleared her throat. “My grandfather’s— my —house at Mermaid’s Cove was broken into last night—”
“I saw the report, yes. Vandals, most likely.”
She leaned forward. “I don’t think so, Chief Moran. I’ve just learned that Gus’s newspaper office was also broken into, two days ago. Nothing was taken there, either.”
Moran glanced discreetly at his watch, telegraphing mild impatience. “What is it that seems to be the problem, Ms. O’Donnell?”
“I believe the break-ins have to be connected, and that someone was looking for something in Gus’s papers or computer files.”
His eyes turned flat, inscrutable. Silence hung for a beat. “What gives you that idea?”
Muirinn felt Jett stiffen beside her. She placed her hand on his knee to steady him—and take support from his proximity. “Pardon me, Chief, but what wouldn’t give me that idea? Gus was—” suddenly she didn’t want to mention the Tolkin file, the photographs, what Gus might have been working on. She had a bad feeling about it all, about the way the other cops were eyeing her from the bullpen.
He waited for her to continue.
“I…was just hoping that you’d have one of your men look into it.”
He inhaled deeply, and stood. “We treat all our cases with due consideration, Ms. O’Donnell.” His gaze lingered on Jett for a moment, his jaw tight. “And we allocate our resourcesaccordingly. But we’re extremely short-staffed, given the city budget cuts.”
“Looks like you have a few men to spare at the moment.” Jett interjected, nodding his head to the guys watching from the bullpen.
Moran’s eye twitched slightly. “I’ll see what we can do.” He went to the door and swung it open, waiting for them to leave, his features expressionless.
“Thank you,” Muirinn said, getting to her feet, but she hesitated in the doorway, bolstered by Jett at her side. “Chief Moran, why did it take so long to find him? I mean, my grandfather was missing for over two weeks. Didn’t anyone see his truck parked out at the Tolkin site?”
“There was no vehicle parked out there, Ms. O’Donnell.”
“What?” She shot a questioning glance at Jett. “No one told me that.”
“Our assumption is that Gus hiked out to the mine.”
“You’re kidding. With a heart condition? That’s fifteen to twenty miles out of town. In summer heat. I—”
“Ms. O’Donnell, I really am very sorry for your loss, but I can’t speak to your grandfather’s health condition, nor to his state of mind at the time of his disappearance. All I can tell you is that the ME determined the cause of death to be a heart attack.” His voice softened slightly. “If you want to know more, why don’t you go talk to Doc Callaghan? She was treating your grandfather.”
“I will. I just don’t understand why it took everyone so long to find him down there,” she said quietly. Now that she’d actually voiced it, she was convinced that there was something seriously amiss with the circumstances surrounding her grandfather’s death.
“Really, there’s nothing more to it than meets the eye, Ms. O’Donnell.” Moran smiled.
She met his gaze. “Yes,” she said. “I’m sure it’s all…coincidence.”
Jett thanked the chief for his time, then placed his hand gently on
Don looked unnervingly like his much older brother, William “Bill” Moran, from his father’s first marriage. It was as if Don had somehow morphed into his brother with age.
While Don had been just a twenty-two-year-old rookie at the time of the Tolkin blast, Bill had been the Safe Harbor police chief. It was Bill who’d approached Muirinn’s mother in the snow that day, and told her that her husband was among the dead.
Seeing Don looking so much like his brother threw Muirinn off guard. Gray images of that tragic, snowy spring morning suddenly filled her mind, and for a disconcerting moment, she was nine years old again.
She cleared her throat. “My grandfather’s— my —house at Mermaid’s Cove was broken into last night—”
“I saw the report, yes. Vandals, most likely.”
She leaned forward. “I don’t think so, Chief Moran. I’ve just learned that Gus’s newspaper office was also broken into, two days ago. Nothing was taken there, either.”
Moran glanced discreetly at his watch, telegraphing mild impatience. “What is it that seems to be the problem, Ms. O’Donnell?”
“I believe the break-ins have to be connected, and that someone was looking for something in Gus’s papers or computer files.”
His eyes turned flat, inscrutable. Silence hung for a beat. “What gives you that idea?”
Muirinn felt Jett stiffen beside her. She placed her hand on his knee to steady him—and take support from his proximity. “Pardon me, Chief, but what wouldn’t give me that idea? Gus was—” suddenly she didn’t want to mention the Tolkin file, the photographs, what Gus might have been working on. She had a bad feeling about it all, about the way the other cops were eyeing her from the bullpen.
He waited for her to continue.
“I…was just hoping that you’d have one of your men look into it.”
He inhaled deeply, and stood. “We treat all our cases with due consideration, Ms. O’Donnell.” His gaze lingered on Jett for a moment, his jaw tight. “And we allocate our resourcesaccordingly. But we’re extremely short-staffed, given the city budget cuts.”
“Looks like you have a few men to spare at the moment.” Jett interjected, nodding his head to the guys watching from the bullpen.
Moran’s eye twitched slightly. “I’ll see what we can do.” He went to the door and swung it open, waiting for them to leave, his features expressionless.
“Thank you,” Muirinn said, getting to her feet, but she hesitated in the doorway, bolstered by Jett at her side. “Chief Moran, why did it take so long to find him? I mean, my grandfather was missing for over two weeks. Didn’t anyone see his truck parked out at the Tolkin site?”
“There was no vehicle parked out there, Ms. O’Donnell.”
“What?” She shot a questioning glance at Jett. “No one told me that.”
“Our assumption is that Gus hiked out to the mine.”
“You’re kidding. With a heart condition? That’s fifteen to twenty miles out of town. In summer heat. I—”
“Ms. O’Donnell, I really am very sorry for your loss, but I can’t speak to your grandfather’s health condition, nor to his state of mind at the time of his disappearance. All I can tell you is that the ME determined the cause of death to be a heart attack.” His voice softened slightly. “If you want to know more, why don’t you go talk to Doc Callaghan? She was treating your grandfather.”
“I will. I just don’t understand why it took everyone so long to find him down there,” she said quietly. Now that she’d actually voiced it, she was convinced that there was something seriously amiss with the circumstances surrounding her grandfather’s death.
“Really, there’s nothing more to it than meets the eye, Ms. O’Donnell.” Moran smiled.
She met his gaze. “Yes,” she said. “I’m sure it’s all…coincidence.”
Jett thanked the chief for his time, then placed his hand gently on
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