Page 14 of The Sinner’s Son (Sawyer and Royce: Felonies and Fatherhood #2)
A masculine chuckle rumbled down the corridor and made Sawyer smile. “Playing into stereotypes by offering donuts to a cop could backfire and piss him off even more.” Sawyer assumed the new voice belonged to Ricky Nunez, the videographer Alec told him about.
“Fuck,” Alec hissed. “You might be right. We should probably turn around, pack up, and get out of town before they run us out.”
“Oh, stop it,” Marina said. “I was there when you met with Detective Key in Denver, and you guys got along very well. How badly could you have fucked things up already?”
“My behavior was a toss-up between petulant toddler and arrogant asshole. I can’t decide.” Alec sighed.
“So, a petulant asshole,” Ricky said.
Alec snorted. “Pretty much.”
“Well, we’re here now,” Marina said. “Just apologize for whatever you did or said and ask for a clean slate. Detective Key seems like a reasonable man.”
Sawyer crossed the bullpen and poked his head out of the door. “Only after I’ve had my first cup of coffee, Marina.”
The trio stopped suddenly and looked at him with a variety of expressions on their faces.
Alec blushed with mortification and dropped his gaze to the three huge pastry boxes in his arms. Ricky grinned impishly and readjusted the equipment bags slung over his shoulder.
Marina’s arched brow begged the question: And have you?
“Luckily, I’m on my second cup this morning.
” Sawyer gestured for them to come inside before ducking back into the room.
“And the stereotype that cops love donuts exists for a reason,” he told Ricky.
“Some in the precinct might have bitchy thoughts while they devour your gift, but most won’t air their grievances for fear you might take the donuts back.
And the ones who get snarly are hard to take seriously with powdered sugar on their shirts or jelly smears on their faces. ”
Ricky’s dark eyes shimmered with glee as he rubbed his hands together. “I like you. This is going to be fun.”
“I’m hoping our time here is going to be productive,” Marina said. “And award winning.” That latter part added a slight flush to her cheeks. Sawyer hated to break it to her, but accolades were the last thing on his mind.
“And I just want the truth,” Alec said. “No matter the cost.”
Something about Alec’s tone implied that the financial toll of the investigation was the least of his concerns.
Rehashing old trauma to get justice for other victims would be a huge detriment to Alec’s emotional health and could threaten whatever healing he’d managed so far.
Acknowledging that made it easier for Sawyer to find some grace and extend an olive branch.
He led them to the conference room he’d appointed for their use.
“Marina, I can assure you we’ll be extremely productive.
In fact, we have a Zoom call with a victim’s family member at eleven thirty this morning.
Winning awards is all up to you guys.” To Ricky, he said, “Keeping a sense of humor in this line of work is the hardest thing to do, but it’s important.
It keeps us human, and investigators who are still in touch with their humanity are better at their jobs.
So, laughing is great as long as it happens at the appropriate times.
” Sawyer turned to Alec. “Let’s take your peace offering upstairs to the break room to share with the entire precinct.
Then I’ll take you around for some introductions. ”
He looked nervous but nodded. “Do you guys need my help setting up?”
“Nope,” Ricky said as he removed recording equipment from a bag.
“Leave me a Boston cream so I can eat it after I pack in the rest of our gear from the vehicle.” Alec set down the pastry boxes and whipped out a stack of napkins from his back pocket.
He opened the top box, pulled out a glorious pastry with chocolate ganache icing, and placed it on a napkin for Ricky.
Marina sat down and removed a sleek laptop from her bag.
“All of us will need to sit down later today and discuss the production schedule. The interview obviously wasn’t on my calendar, so I’ll need to readjust a few things before our chat.
” She leaned over the table and helped herself to a glazed blueberry cake donut.
Sawyer forced his gaze away from the tempting pastries to address the podcast producer.
“Marina, police investigations don’t work off a production schedule,” Sawyer said.
“I get a lead, and I follow it as far as it takes me, which often includes detours that require my attention. Things develop in real time, not according to an agenda. I know your needs are different, and I will try to accommodate them as best I can. I just need you to remember that we all want the same thing, even when we’re approaching this project from different angles. ”
“Fair enough,” Marina conceded. “I’d still like to sit down and have a conversation about the things I need from you.”
“And I’m happy to do so. How about over lunch? You choose the location, and I’ll treat.”
Ricky jerked his head up. “Is that offer good for all of us?”
“Absolutely,” Sawyer said.
“Do you want a donut before we take them upstairs?” Alec asked him.
“No, thanks. Royce made breakfast before I left the house.”
Alec shrugged. “More for us.” He picked up a cinnamon powdered donut and took a big bite.
Ricky sat back in his chair and waggled his brows. “I’ve heard all about your hottie husband. Are we going to meet him?”
Sawyer turned narrowed eyes on Alec, who coughed a cloud of cinnamon powdered sugar from his mouth. “Went down the wrong pipe,” he said hoarsely. Uh-huh. What else had he said about Royce?
Sawyer turned back to Ricky, who grinned at him like the Cheshire cat. He wanted to say, “Not with that hopeful shimmer in your eyes,” but Sawyer responded with, “It’s inevitable.”
“I’ve heard he’s quite the character,” Marina added. “Maybe he can join us for lunch.”
“That he is,” Sawyer replied. “But I’m not sure he’s available today.”
“I might need extra carbs if this meet and greet doesn’t go well.” Alec wrapped up two more donuts in a napkin and set them aside before he closed the lid and hoisted the boxes into his arms. “I’m ready to face the music.”
“We won’t be long,” Sawyer called out as he led Alec from the room.
Once alone in the corridor, Alec cleared his throat nervously.
“I want to start my apology tour with you. I acted like an absolute asshole last week.” He paused as if waiting for Sawyer to contradict him, then continued talking when that didn’t happen.
“I’ve existed in this hyper state of anxiety the past few years that has continuously drawn out aspects of my persona that surprise and sometimes horrify me. ”
They paused at the elevator, and Sawyer pushed the call button.
“Not gonna lie, Alec. I’ve picked up on big shifts in personality that I find troubling.
” The doors swished open, and they stepped inside the small enclosure.
“You were so reserved during your public speaking engagements in Denver, but then you practically vibrated with energy when we met for our private discussion. And then last week was…”
“A shit show,” Alec admitted. “I’m out of my depths here, Sawyer.
I’m not an investigative journalist. I’m a freelance software engineer who got a phone call from a sheriff’s deputy telling me that my father had suffered a heart attack at a truck stop two and a half hours north of my house.
We hadn’t spoken since I was thirteen years old, and I had no clue he was passing through my state.
Hell, I didn’t know he even had my phone number, let alone listed me as his emergency contact.
The events that followed altered everything I knew about my life and thrust me into a chaotic existence I might never recover from. ”
Alec paused to take a deep breath. “Writing my book wasn’t my way of trying to grab attention.
It was my attempt at therapy, of making sense from the unimaginable.
I bled all the hurt and trauma onto those pages, but I don’t feel any better.
He has more victims out there. The certainty thrums through my body, and I can’t let it go. I won’t heal until I find them.”
Casting Sawyer a rueful grin, Alec said, “That nagging pulse sounds an awful lot like the drumbeats from the Jumanji board game , which should scare everyone. I really need investigators like you to help me see this through, and I’m sorry that my behavior didn’t adequately show my appreciation.
Please give me another chance to do that. ”
Everything Alec said rang true, and it reminded Sawyer why he’d found both the man and his story so intriguing. The elevator pinged softly, and the doors opened. “On one condition,” Sawyer said as he stepped onto the first floor.
“Name it,” Alec replied as he followed Sawyer.
“Do not unleash the animals from the Jumanji game on my city.” The scene with the monkeys stealing a cop car sprang to mind.
“Deal.”