Page 50 of The Sinner's Son

“You’re welcome. Sending it through now. Will you keep me posted with any updates?”

“Absolutely. Have a good day.”

“You too. Bye now,” she said before disconnecting the call.

Sawyer pulled up his email on his desktop and clicked on the images at the bottom. Alec rounded his desk and peered over his shoulder. “These are pretty fuzzy.” And it only got worse when Sawyer tried to zoom in on the choker.

“Do you have anyone on staff who can enhance the photos?” Alec asked. “And perhaps make the images sharper?”

Sawyer grimaced. “We do.”

Alec stopped the recording. “Cory?”

“Uh-huh. I can do this by myself if you think it will be too awkward,” Sawyer offered.

“No. This is too important, so I need to set everything else aside.”

Sawyer hoped the forensic analyst felt the same way. He looked up Cory’s extension in the directory and dialed. “Here goes.”

Cory answered just before the call transferred to voicemail. If he hadn’t identified himself, Sawyer wouldn’t have recognizedhis voice. The guy who answered was a hollowed husk of the vivacious person Sawyer knew. “Oh, hi,” Cory said when he realized who’d called. His attempt at perkiness fell flat, and Alec cringed. “What can I do for you?”

“We are hoping you could enhance some photos for us to make the images clearer,” Sawyer said.

“We?” Cory asked dryly. “Is this for the project withhim? Am I on speakerphone?”

“You are,” Sawyer said. “But we’re not recording.”

“Ishethere?”

“I am,” Alec said. “I know you’re upset with me, and rightfully so, but I hope that won’t stop you from helping us close an investigation.”

“Will you include me in the podcast?” Cory asked.

“We’d like to, but only if that’s something you want,” Alec said. “We can keep your contribution anonymous if that’s your preference.”

Cory snorted. “I might as well get something out of meeting you.”

“Ouch,” Sawyer mouthed as he rubbed his chest.

Alec dismissed his taunting with an eye roll. “Should we come there? It would be Sawyer, the videographer, and me.”

“Sounds like it will be easier if I come to you,” Cory said. “I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

His arrival took more like twenty minutes, and Sawyer understood why when Cory came through the door. If Sawyer hadn’t known to look for him, he might not have recognized the young guy. His sandy-brown hair looked slicked back, maybe wet even, but the differences didn’t stop there. Cory wore his typical work outfit of khaki pants and an SPD polo shirt, but he seemed…edgier, maybe? Sawyer tried hard not to stare as he looked for the specific differences besides his hairstyle. His pants fit differently. Perhaps they were a slim fit instead of arelaxed cargo style. Cory wore a leather cuff bracelet embellished with stamped letters and metal accents. It seemed vaguely familiar to Sawyer, so he must’ve seen him wearing it before, even though it felt out of place. The biggest difference was the flat, sharklike expression in his honey-brown eyes. Where had his sparkle gone? Had one disappointing night out really set him back this far? He must be going through something else.

“I’m ready,” Cory said, keeping his dull gaze locked on Sawyer. “Where are the photographs?”

“Let’s go into the conference room so we can document the interaction,” Alec said with mock cheerfulness.

Sawyer led the way, thinking Cory would be right on his heels, but Alec asked him to hang back for a minute.

“Can I take you to lunch so I can apologize properly?” Alec asked, his voice heavy with regret.

Sawyer slowed his gait so he could eavesdrop, and his effort paid off.

“No,” Cory said flippantly. “Today doesn’t work for me. Maybe tomorrow.”

“Okay, yeah. Just let me know when and where.”