Page 16 of Dead Drunk (Cold Case Psychic #36)

Ronan

Ronan felt like time had stood still or was in fact, moving in reverse. He was certain at least a month had passed in between this moment and the one almost a day ago when they’d decided how to interview Cisco over the Jefferson McGrath case.

The idea of grilling his friend and boss about these murders was going to be hard, there was no doubt about that, but there was something else that would be even more difficult; telling Everly what was happening.

Ten and Ronan sat their daughter down at the kitchen table. Neither seemed to know how to begin, but Everly took care of that herself.

“Uncle Cisco’s in trouble. How can I help?”

Everly asked, folding her hands in front of her.

Ten looked to Ronan, who wasn’t sure how to handle the situation either.

“Why don’t you start by telling us what you know.”

“Not much,”

Everly admitted with a frown.

“I can feel everyone’s anxiety, even Uncle Jude’s. I know that the reason is Cisco, but I can’t see why.”

“Your gift isn’t telling you anything?”

Ten asked.

Everly shook her head sadly.

“Tell me what’s going on so that I can help.”

Ten and Ronan looked at each other again.

“A ghost made contact with a man being held in the Salem Jail a few nights ago. The man was a friend of Madam Aurora, who called Dad to see if he could help the spirit, who claimed he was murdered by a member of the Salem Police department. Dad and I went to see this ghost who told us his name was Jefferson McGrath. He also told us that there were more people who’d been killed the same way he’d been.”

Ronan felt sick to his stomach over explaining the details of a serial murder to his daughter.

“And you all think Uncle Cisco hurt these people?”

Everly asked.

“We have four suspects and Cisco is the last one we need to speak with. I thought it would be easier to invite him here instead of talking to him at the station.”

“He’s gonna be mad, Daddy. Hurt too.”

“We know,”

Ten said, finally finding his voice.

“You’ve known Cisco since you were a baby. Have you ever felt anything off or wrong with him?”

Everly set her chin in the cup of her hands and nibbled her bottom lip.

“No. Neither have you.”

She pointed back and forth between Ten and Ronan.

“That’s why this is so hard. No one saw it coming.”

Ronan nodded.

“We’re all hoping that means Cisco is innocent, but people who commit these kinds of crimes over long periods of time are experts at not showing that side of them to the people they love.”

He thought about Dexter, yes, he was a character on a television show, but he was able to hide the horrible darkness in himself from nearly everyone. When the people who’d seen glimpses of Dexter’s true self spoke up, they’d been dismissed, which also gave Ronan a ray of hope. In the eight years he’d known Cisco he’d never heard rumors of anyone thinking the chief had this same sort of dark side to him. Being the chief put an extra large bullseye on his back, but as far as Ronan knew, no one had taken aim or fired.

Until today.

Ten got up from the table as the doorbell rang.

“I’ll get it.”

Ronan felt as if a million butterflies had just taken wing in his gut.

“I know this is going to be hard, little miss, but there’s no one I trust more than you to help us get to the bottom of what’s going on with Uncle Cisco. One last thing, if you’re able to see something with your gift, good or bad, ask for me to come help with the television.”

Ronan swallowed hard, Christ, he’d just given his six-year-old a trigger phrase, like undercover cops used in dangerous sting operations.

“Just know that no matter what happens, your Dad and I love you and we’re proud of you.”

“I’m proud of you too, Daddy. I can feel how hard this is for you.”

Everly hopped out of her seat and hugged Ronan before she ran into the living room.

Asking for his daughter’s help to solve a murder case with the potential murderer in their home was beyond insane. All Ronan could do was keep his wits about him and hope that with Fitz and Jude, they could figure out what the hell was going on.

“Uncle Cisco!”

Everly sang out from the living room.

“I’m so glad you’re here.”

“It’s good to see you too, honey,”

Cisco said as they walked into the kitchen with Everly holding his hand. Jude, Fitz, and Ten were behind them. They all looked as if they were on their way to a dawn appointment with the electric chair.

“We called out for pizza and wings. Food should be here shortly,”

Ronan said, distractedly. He hadn’t actually called out for food. The last thing he needed was one more innocent person, the delivery driver, in the line of fire. Not only that, but the thought of food made Ronan want to hurl.

As Ronan went to the fridge to grab drinks, the table was dead silent.

“What’s up with you guys?”

Cisco asked, looking around the room.

“I’ve never seen such long faces on the three of you before. Has a case you’re working gone off the rails?”

“Sort of,”

Fitzgibbon said.

“Tell me about it. Maybe I can help.”

Cisco turned to Everly.

“How about you put on a movie? I’ll come watch it with you in a few minutes.”

“Okay!”

Everly wrapped her arms around Cisco and happily danced toward the living room. She offered Ronan a happy smile before she disappeared from view.

Ronan took a deep breath.

“A couple of nights ago, a man named Rhys James was arrested on OUI charges.”

Cisco gave his head a shake.

“Never heard of him. Is he a repeat offender?”

“He is. The man was booked, fingerprinted, and given a cell in the Salem Jail. During the night he heard a voice asking for help. James was the only man in the jail. The voice kept saying, ‘Can’t breathe. Killing me.’ When James was released in the morning, he called a friend, Madam Aurora to tell her what happened.”

“Is this James guy psychic?”

Cisco asked.

“Aurora said he’s sensitive to spirits, but can’t communicate with them like Ten can.”

Ronan sighed.

“Here’s where the story gets a little messy. In addition to hearing the cry for help, James heard a name, Jefferson McGrath.”

Cisco’s eyes lit up.

“I know that man. He was a frequent flier. He had several OUI arrests and died in custody the last time Oliveri and I arrested him.”

It wasn’t unusual for cops to remember the names of people they’d arrested more than once, especially if they’d died in custody.

“Aurora called Tennyson to see if he could help. Using Google, Aurora was able to tell Ten what you just said about McGrath’s record and death. She asked if I could get Ten into the jail to see if he could talk to this spirit and help him cross over.”

Cisco shot Ronan a confused look.

“I don’t understand. This sounds like the usual kind of thing Tennyson does.”

“It was usual until the ghost told Ten that he’d been murdered by a member of the Salem Police Department.”

Cisco’s mouth dropped open.

“You definitely have my attention now.”

“McGrath remembered it had been you and Oliveri who arrested him and later questioned him from his jail cell. Later that night, after he’d fallen asleep, or passed out, someone came into his cell and held him down by the throat before sticking him with a hypodermic needle.”

“Jesus, Ronan! Was the man telling the truth?”

“That’s where things get even messier,”

Jude said, picking up the story.

“We looked into McGrath’s autopsy. It was performed by Dr. Winetrap.”

“Fuck,”

Cisco muttered.

“Do you know how many convictions were overturned because of that asshole?”

Jude nodded.

“Winetrap certainly added a unneeded complication to this case, but there was a photograph of the needle stick in the autopsy, so McGrath was telling the truth.”

“The last thing his spirit said to me was that there were others who’d died the same way in the Salem Jail.”

With a shaking hand, Ten reached for his bottle of water.

“I’m assuming you guys dove into that headfirst?”

“We did. There were three other deaths that were eerily similar to McGrath’s. Craig Ott, Anthony Charles, Lewis Prado.”

Cisco frowned.

“I know those names. All frequent fliers.”

“I had the guys look for commonalities in the four deaths and there were several,”

Fitzgibbon said.

“All four had autopsy photos of needle sticks in their abdomens. All four had been clients of Fallon Kirkpatrick. All four had been jailed by Duncan MacBain. All four had been arrested on the nights of their deaths by you and Oliveri.”

“You all know I don’t believe in coincidences. I assume you spoke to Kirkpatrick, MacBain, and Oliveri?”

“We did,”

Fitzgibbon continued.

“It turns out there was a fraud scheme operating at the SPD. When people were arrested for OUI and would be staying in the city jail for the night, Kirkpatrick offered to be their lawyer for a price.”

“A price?”

Cisco’s eyes filled with anger.

“That fucker works for the public defender’s office. The city pays them, not private clients.”

Fitz nodded.

“Right, but Fallon offered these people a deal. If they paid his fee, in cash, he’d make the OUI charges disappear. The arresting officer would drop the charges or fail to appear for court which would result in the case being dropped. The money was then split between him and the officer who made the arrest, which is bad enough, but if the arrested person refused to work with Kirkpatrick and threatened to spill the details about the scheme, they ended up dead in their cells from an insulin overdose. MacBain asked for immunity in exchange for telling us that he was the one administering the fatal doses. Lastly, he said that he was doing so on the order of someone going by the name Doom.”

Cisco had gone completely still. His face went pale and Ronan could see he was scared.

“Did MacBain tell you who Doom is?”

Ronan shook his head.

“We spoke to Oliveri, who admitted to knowing all of this was going on. He told us that-”

Ronan had rehearsed this moment over and over again in his head. Now that the moment was here, he wasn’t sure he could say the words out loud.

“What did Oliveri tell you?”

Cisco asked.

“He said you were Doom. That you were getting a cut from the money Kirkpatrick collected and that you were the one who ordered the four deaths.”

Ronan felt like he was drowning. He couldn’t catch his breath.

“What?”

Cisco burst out laughing.

“My former partner accused me of being a criminal mastermind and a serial killer?”

He looked around the table, none of the other detectives were laughing. Tennyson looked like he was going to throw up.

“Tell me you’re all fucking kidding and you don’t actually think I did these things, that I’m a killer!”

Fitz took a deep breath.

“Oliveri admitted he’d known about the scheme and kept quiet because you threatened to kill him if he said a word. He said he retired because you killed Chief Alcott and were named interim chief of police.”

“Chief Alcott died from lung cancer.”

Cisco’s eyes darkened. His hands balled into fists. He pushed back from his chair looking like he was going to take on all three detectives.

“You three have pulled some outrageous shit over the last few years but this is the final straw! You bring me here, tell me this bullshit story and try to entrap me! You’re all fucking fired!”

Cisco shouted, his face red, spit flying from his lips.

“I expect you all to turn in your guns and badges by nine tomorrow morning, or I’m sending officers to arrest you all. Do you fucking understand me? I’ll make sure none of you work in law enforcement ever again! By the time I’m finished with you, none of you will even be able to get a job as a fucking mall cop!”

“Uncle Cisco?”

Everly said, from the kitchen doorway.

Cisco spun around and catching sight of Everly, the color drained from his face.

“Everly, I-I forgot you were even here. I-”

“I know you’re angry, but you need to sit down and listen for a second.”

Everly’s attention turned to Ronan.

“You all need to listen to me.”

She walked across the kitchen and climbed into the empty chair between Ten and Ronan.

“Okay, Everly, we’re all listening,”

Ronan said, setting a hand on his daughter’s back. No matter what happened next, he would protect his daughter with his last breath if it came down to it.

“I know you’re Doom, Uncle Cisco.”

Tears filled her eyes and spilled down her cheeks.

Ronan tightened his hold on Everly as feelings of shock and betrayal slammed his body like a rogue wave. He’d worked this case scrupulously, doing everything in his power to prove Cisco wasn’t a killer. Now, with the cold hard truth staring him in the face, there was nothing left to do but arrest his friend, his boss and let the legal system take it from there. An absolute shit storm would follow the arrest. Local and national media would invade Salem. Independent investigators would have to get involved along with the Massachusetts State Police and possibly the FBI. He, Jude, and Fitz would be in the eye of the hurricane, lauded by some, vilified by others. He wasn’t sure he had the strength or intestinal fortitude to weather the storm, but together with his husband, and his partners, Ronan would make it through to better days.

Cisco’s mouth hung open. All traces of anger were gone. In its place was hurt and betrayal.

Everly reached for a napkin and blotted at her tears.

“Moose called you Officer Doom, and the name stuck, because you arrested everyone. He said you would have arrested your Abuela if she jaywalked. I don’t know what bluejays have to do with anything, but you didn’t kill those men.”

Everly looked at Ronan and patted his shoulder.

“You did a good job investigating, Daddy. You too, Uncle Jude and Fitz, but you’re all wrong.”

Fresh tears spilled down Everly’s cheeks.

“I didn’t know, Uncle Cisco. I swear I didn’t know, until you started yelling. I was scared and that’s when I saw something.”

Ronan sucked in a rough breath. His entire body shook and wasn’t sure his body would support him if he tried to stand. Everly saying Cisco was innocent was a good first step. Her gift had never been wrong before, but she was also six years old.

“What did you see, honey?”

Ten asked.

“A bad man with a needle in the hospital. Just like what happened to Uncle Jude. He told Al-plop his time as chief was over. That he was gonna be the new chief and was gonna crack skulls. I saw his face. It wasn’t you. He was a stranger.”

Ronan gasped. He hadn’t heard that phrase since he was a kid and this was the second time in two days someone had said it. “Bobbo!”

“Jesus, Oliveri used to say that all the time when we were on patrol. He liked to rough people up. Nothing made him happier than when people resisted arrest and he could use force. I didn’t think much of it until he showed me a book with photos of bloody mugshots. Called it his greatest hits album. The images were all people he’d beaten up and arrested. It was like his book of-”

Cisco stopped speaking, his eyes widened in apparent horror.

“Trophies,”

Jude said.

Cisco nodded, looking shell-shocked.

“Did I do good, Daddy?”

Everly asked Ronan.

“You did amazing, honey.”

He hugged Everly and peppered her head with kisses.

“We need to find that album, that is if we’re not all still fired.”

Jude and Fitz burst out laughing.

Cisco joined in, with budding tears in his eyes.

“No promises. You assholes actually thought I was a serial killer? A fucking criminal mastermind?”

“We have a lot of compelling evidence,”

Fitz said.

“We found out that you’re living well above your means, which made us think…”

“That I was on the take?”

Cisco rolled his eyes.

“I told you numbskulls that Luca’s grandmother died and left him a boatload of cash. The money was the reason we decided to adopt another baby, because it meant Luca could stay home and not have to get a job. Tell me you remember that conversation.”

“Christ,”

Jude said.

“I said I wanted that giant Millenium Falcon LEGO set for Christmas, you know, the one that costs nearly a thousand dollars.”

“Ronan joked that you could be his sugar daddy,”

Fitz added.

“Cisco, I think I speak for all of us when I say how sorry we are.”

Cisco nodded.

“We have to figure out next steps, but first, can we get some god damned pizza in here?”

“I’ll have god damned pepperoni and sausage!”

Everly said with a giggle. She hopped off her chair and ran toward the living room before she stopped short.

“Oh! I almost forgot to tell you where Doom’s trophy books are.”

“You know where they are?”

Jude asked.

“Way to bury the lead.”

“Yup! I can see them clear as day, but, I miss Brookie, Daddy. So does Aurora and Woofie. I think we should invite them to the beach in Rhode Island, don’t you?”

“Are you trying to blackmail me in front of the chief of police, and two detectives?”

Ronan asked, narrowing his eyes at his daughter.

“What blackmail?”

Cisco asked.

“I didn’t hear any blackmail.”

Fitz shrugged.

“But Everly’s right, Aurora does miss Brooke.”

“You little pirate!”

Ronan snorted.

“Dad and I will call River tonight, fair enough?”

“Okay. There are four albums. All of them are red. They’re hidden in Bobbo’s office under the floor.”

“You mean like in a secret compartment?”

Cisco asked.

“Yup! Oh, and Uncle Cisco, I love the name Marisol! It’s the perfect name for your new baby.”

“Marisol? That was my Abuela’s name. How did you know?”

Cisco grinned at Everly.

“It’s Uncle Luca’s idea. Marisol Vivienne after both of your grandmothers.”

Everly walked into the kitchen.

“Add mozzarella sticks with extra sauce to our order, Daddy! I worked damned hard today!”

Ronan reached for his phone. He called Greek Life and placed the order, adding baklava, which was one of Everly’s favorites.

“Are we good here?”

Ronan asked, sounding tentative.

Cisco sighed.

“Yeah, we’re good. The four of you did what you were trained to do. You followed the evidence and didn’t let any personal bias keep you from coming for me. You’ll probably end up with medals and the fucking key to the city, but there’s gonna need to be a lot of clean up when this story breaks.”

“Yeah, we were prepared for that as well. My first call after I arrested you was going to be to the mayor.”

Fitz shrugged, wearing a guilty look.

“Jesus Christ, you were prepared to bring my ass down.”

Cisco shivered. It was obvious he was thinking how close he’d come to being locked up.

“Yeah, but now we need to figure out how to bring Oliveri’s ass down.”

“I know exactly how to do it. Let’s eat and then I’ll fill you guys in.”

Cisco got up from the table and headed for the living room.

“Everly deserves more than a visit with her cousin after the way she saved my ass. You think she’d like a brand new Corvette?”

“If you get one for her, that means Wolfie and Aurora need to get one too!”

Fitzgibbon teased.

“I can do that!”

Cisco whistled as he headed into the living room.

Ronan sunk into his seat. He felt like his entire body was made of jelly. He, Jude, and Fitz had been minutes away from arresting their friend and boss on a heinous series of charges. Thank God Everly had come to the rescue before it had been too late. The damage that could have been done to Cisco could have sunk his career regardless of whether he’d been innocent or not.

Now that Ronan knew who the real killer was, he wasn’t going to stop until Robbert “Bobbo”

Oliveri was behind bars along with his accomplices.