Page 27 of The Sinner’s Son (Sawyer and Royce: Felonies and Fatherhood #2)
S awyer rubbed his tired eyes and willed the caffeine to kick in.
Noise from the bullpen filtered into his office, and he assumed Holly or Topher had arrived, looking daisy fresh and camera ready for their press conference.
Damn, had those arrests just happened the day before?
But it was Alec who shuffled through his open door, looking like a zombie.
Sawyer didn’t know skin could look that shade of gray, but the proof swayed in front of his desk.
He hadn’t expected to see Alec again so soon after dropping him off at the hotel he’d booked until the SPD released his rental house.
“Sit down before you collapse,” Sawyer demanded. “What are you doing here?”
Alec dropped into the office chair and closed his eyes. “I have to do something productive, or I’ll go out of my mind.”
“Have you slept?”
Alec shrugged. “Here and there?” He opened his bloodshot eyes. “What about you?”
“Same.”
More bustling came from the bullpen, and Sawyer caught snatches of conversation between Alec’s team. Marina carried a takeout bag and a drink carrier. She met Sawyer’s gaze and nodded toward the conference room.
“Your cavalry and carbohydrates are here,” he said.
Alec must’ve drifted to sleep because he jerked upright, wide eyes darting around the room. “What?”
“I don’t think you’re going to be much help in this condition,” Sawyer said. “I hope you didn’t drive here.”
Alec shook his head. “Not until your guys finish searching my car. Marina and Ricky are staying at the same hotel. They dropped me off at the door before they went to get breakfast.”
“And you practically arrived down here at the same time?” Sawyer pressed.
Alec’s shoulders rose and fell dramatically with a deep sigh. “I waited upstairs, hoping to run into Cory so I could apologize for my shitty behavior Wednesday night. But no such luck.”
Sawyer sympathized, he truly did, but Alec was in no condition to help anyone, least of all himself.
“Look, I get the impression that Cory only would’ve been happy with one outcome that night.
He realized it wouldn’t happen and bailed instead of talking to you like an adult. What part of that is your fault?”
“Maybe, but I could’ve—”
“Had sex with him to spare his feelings and really send the wrong signal?” Sawyer asked.
Alec slumped back in the chair. “Yeah, okay. I still could’ve handled the situation better.
” He briefly closed his eyes and inhaled a shaky breath.
“I really connected with Dane. I mean…I can’t remember a time when someone didn’t ask about Andrew.
He didn’t care about my notoriety. And it felt like he was having a good time too, and I instinctively knew that was a rare and precious thing for him.
Our conversations didn’t get too deep, so I didn’t know what was going on in his life.
He deserves better.” Alec met his gaze. “I can’t allow myself to think he’s dead.
I wish there was something more I could do to help. ”
Sawyer’s cell phone rang before he could respond. He didn’t recognize the number and considered letting it go to voicemail and then decided against it. “Head on in and get some breakfast. It might help.” Alec slowly stood as Sawyer accepted the call. “Detective Sergeant Key,” he said.
“Good morning, it’s Talia Atwood calling. I have some great news.”
Sawyer snapped his fingers to get Alec’s attention and pointed at his phone. “Good morning, Talia. It’s good to hear from you.”
“You’ll really think so when you know why I’m calling.”
“Speakerphone,” Alec whispered before hurrying out the door in a sudden burst of energy. He returned quickly with a recording device in his hand.
Ahhh. That’s what sparked the man back to life. “Alec is here with me. Would it be okay if I put you on speakerphone so we can record the conversation?”
“Of course,” she said.
Sawyer tapped his phone, and Alec pressed Record. “Now we’re all set. What do you have for us, Talia?”
“I tracked Becca down through Facebook, and we talked at length last night. Remember, she’s the one who mentioned the photographer to the police officer.”
“Yes,” Sawyer and Alec said.
“Obviously, Becca was curious about why I was reaching out after all these years. I tried not to overstep, but I told her about our conversation. I worried she wouldn’t talk to you otherwise. Becca struggled for so long after Monica disappeared.”
“It’s okay,” Alec said. “It’s impossible to keep an investigation like this a secret for long.”
“I’m fine with it too,” Sawyer added.
“Oh, good,” Talia sighed. “Becca agreed to speak to you both and gave me her contact information.”
“Could you please email it to me?” Sawyer asked.
“Of course. I have more good news. My mother came through like I knew she would. She found photographs of Monica wearing her cameo choker. I will overnight those to you, but in the meantime, I’ve scanned them into my computer this morning and will add them to the email.
The photos are thirty years old and not the best quality to begin with, so my scans aren’t great. ”
“It’s a place to start though, Talia. Thank you so much,” Sawyer said.
“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 recognized his 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 with him ? Am I on speakerphone?”
“You are,” Sawyer said. “But we’re not recording.”
“Is he there?”
“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 a relaxed 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.”
Cory hummed noncommittally and followed Sawyer, who hurried into the conference room so he wouldn’t get caught. Marina looked up from her task and raised a brow.
“We’ve asked Cory to come down from forensics to see if he can enhance the photographs Monica’s cousin sent us,” Sawyer said.
Marina and Ricky exchanged a knowing glance before turning their rapt attention to the door behind him. Sawyer didn’t know how much Alec had told them, but they at least knew about Cory.
“Make yourself comfortable,” Sawyer told him, gesturing to the long table. He introduced Marina and Ricky to Cory and explained their roles in the project. “Ricky is going to record this for the podcast, right?”
“Yes!” Ricky snapped his fingers. “I got my equipment right here.” He hoisted a small video camera, made a few corrections, and gestured for them to resume their conversation.