Page 46 of In Cold Blood

Noah scanned the room and eyed Thorne. She cut him a glance while pecking at her keyboard. Weaving around the multiple desks, Noah crossed the room. “Deputy Thorne?”

She lifted her eyes and a smile formed. “That’s right. Good memory.”

“You have a face that’s hard to forget.”

Her eyebrow rose. “How did it go?” she asked.

Noah jerked a thumb over his shoulder. “Oh, that. Perfect. Couldn’t have been better. Actually, I was hoping to speak with you about Luke. A friend of mine said that you were involved with Operation Heat Wave, is that right?” Before he finished, she leaned back and cut Roberts’ office a glance and smiled.

“Let me take a wild stab. Roberts didn’t give you anything, did he?”

“Sure he did.”

“That’s why you’re asking me,” Callie replied, rising from her seat with some paperwork in hand. Noah followed her across the room.

“I was told Luke was investigating the disappearance of Keith Erikson. A game warden. Are you familiar with that?”

“Uh-huh,” she said, glancing over her shoulder toward Roberts’ office. Noah could tell she was treading carefully. She knew as much as he did that giving out information to someone so close to the victim could mean her neck on the chopping block. Callie inserted some paperwork in a folder and set it down on a desk.

“And?”

“You know I can’t speak to you about that.”

“Okay, then what about Operation Heat Wave, Cyrus Keller,or the fact that my brother had his eyes on the Graysons? What can you tell me about that?”

She gestured toward the lobby and led him around a corner where they were out of sight and earshot. Her voice lowered. “Listen, out of respect for your brother, I can answer some questions but this is not the time or place, Noah.”

Noah saw that as a green light. Knowing full well the chances of getting another moment with her would be slim once Parish’s lips started flapping, he dived in. “What is the connection between Game Warden Keith Erikson and Cyrus Keller?”

She let out a sign of resignation. “Cyrus saw Keith Erikson as a bully with a badge. After Erikson went missing, Cyrus was pulled in by Luke. Cyrus was the prime suspect because of his history. Discrepancies in timelines on the night Erikson went missing, and changes in an alibi put Cyrus in the crosshair. Luke felt he had enough even though others were advising him that it might be a little hasty. Charges were brought and Cyrus had his day in court. However, due to a lack of evidence presented by the prosecution, the case was withdrawn and he was let go.”

“Do you think Cyrus went after Luke?”

“I don’t know. There were any number of people that had a reason to kill him. Your brother was knee-deep in bringing down some heavy hitters in the drug world. That creates waves, Noah. A loss of revenue. It wasn’t just a few bags of coke. He took down the motherlode in this county. As for Erikson. All I can tell you right now is that Luke thought Erikson had stumbled upon something big enough to make him a target. And that was the reason why he went missing. What that was I don’t know. He didn’t share everything with me and I’m not sure he wanted me to know. I rode with him, we busted a few people, and he took me under his wing. That’s it.”

Noah nodded. “Were you one of the officers on scene?”

“I was.”

“Who else?”

She glanced away. “Good day, Noah.”

“Look, I want in on this case.”

“Can’t do that.”

“I understand but at least can you share what you find out? Throw me a bone.”

“I could lose my job.”

“You said you would answer some questions.”

“And I have. Now if you would excuse me. I have a lot of work to do.”

“With Parish?”

She turned back to him. “You know him?”