Have you ever seen the Rain? (FBI Series Book 2)

Chapter 29

Chapter 29

Nicholas knew the I-ate-the-canary look across his wife’s face. She was pleased about something and it gave her an extra pep in her step as she came over and sat beside him in the conference room. “What are you smiling about?”

“I walked in on Billie and Dillon.” Her smile widened like she had struck the lotto.

Nicholas cut a glance to Pete who was sitting to his right at the head of the table. “You’re turning her into a matchmaking mini you.”

Pete shrugged, unfazed. “Sasha is smarter than you give her credit for.”

“Because she follows in your footsteps?” Nick rolled his eyes and fought back a smile. He knew Pete the longest having been apart of his CID team months before Sasha and the others, and he knew when the old man was pulling his leg.

“Exactly.”

Leg pulled. “Sure, right.”

“Hey!” Sasha masterfully elbowed Nick in the gut before he saw her move. “Sarcasm doesn’t suit you.”

Their banter was cut short when the guests of topic came in together; Dillon and Billie. Nick agreed with his wife, they did make a nice looking couple. The history between them wasn’t something easily forgotten, he saw it in the way they looked at each other. They shared looks it took years for people to get comfortable with. Nick knew how to read people, it was apart of his job and his every day life to do so, and judging by what he saw between the ex-lovers they were nowhere near done with each other. His baby daughter Elizabeth might get a playmate soon enough.

Sasha’s grin was back in full force, “That was pretty quick.”

Billie blushed a deep red color she couldn’t try to conceal with a well placed lie. “What’s going on, sir?” she focused on Pete.

Nick noticed while everyone was laughing at Billie and Dillon’s embarrassment Detective Marie Gardner was a ball of tension. Her arms were crossed tight over her chest, jaw line set, lips curled inward to keep her words to herself. Hmm interesting, he thought. Another interesting observation came from Justin as he stood back against one of the walls and pretended not to be interested in the whole ordeal.

Nick knew better, having worked with Justin for nearly a year he noted the small give a ways the man carried. While he was standing back looking very bored his blue green eyes were focused like a hawk ready to strike at any minute. That laser like deadly focus was aimed at the back of Dillon’s head.

Pete flashed a smile that wasn’t unlike Sasha’s except he chose to keep it professional, at least until later when there weren’t so many outsiders around. “A uniformed officer was sent to pick up Jill for a positive ID against Kent Kendall. Justin informed me of the digging around you’ve been doing. What have you learned?” he opened up the floor for Billie to take.

She confessed sadly, “Not much. I spoke with my mother and she gave me some insight into what Joey was thinking the night before his murder. He had been trying to talk with both Dillon and I but he never followed up.”

“Why do you think that is?” Pete pushed gently so her train of thoughts could continue their path.

Billie sighed, a hand buried inside her hair. “I think he was killed before he could follow up and he didn’t try harder to call me back because he wasn’t completely sure in his findings. I think there is more he was looking into and he was waiting until something came from that to go hard at Kent and his accomplice.”

Marie asked with her anger all gone and replaced by cop curiosity. “You think he had figured out it was a duo?”

“Yes.” Billie didn’t hesitate. “He didn’t know how to do anything half assed and I know there’s something else out there for me to find.” She always spoke of her brother with admiration. It was that drive she carried that was going to blow the case into the pieces they needed to collect.

Billie tried to hold it together in front of her boss, friends, and fellow cops, but damn it that was getting harder every time she had to slap on a brave face. Under the table Dillon grabbed ahold of the hand she had rested across her knee. His comforting touch made it harder to keep her expression from giving too much away.

She had tried to forget over the years the pull of Dillon Merchant’s touch but he had certainty reminded her of it back in his office just moments ago. She wasn’t sure what came next, she could drive herself crazy trying to figure it out, one thing she was sure of was her promise. She’d keep that promise not to push him away because it was the same thing she wanted.  She had left all those years ago without ever resolving what she and Dillon had, it was past time they figure it out together.

She pushed away all her thoughts, wants, and fears to listen to what Pete and Nicholas were saying to bring the whole team up to speed. Her mind had an ah-ha moment when Nicholas suggested they canvass the church again. “I can handle that.” She didn’t want to seem too excited for another idea that could be worthless. She had never checked out the church with her own two eyes, outside of his home the church was the one place Joey felt the safest. If there was anything else to be found it’d be in the church where he felt safe it’d remain hidden.

She grew antsy to get out of there and find out if this hunch could pan out. Her heart was tight with hope she didn’t want to be send her back down the path of failure. There was nowhere else Joey would stash important information, if there was nothing in the church than there was nothing else to be found and finding Joey’s killers would enter near impossible territory.

Nicholas nodded. “Don’t go alone.” He sometimes worried more than Pete but Billie couldn’t blame anyone after what happened to be a little scared about her and all of their well being.  Pete broke everyone into teams, everyone went with their usual partner like Marie and Rafe, and lastly he asked Dillon to stay by Billie’s side. Surprise surprise. It was no surprise Pete was on the matchmaking train with Sasha. Dillon was also the only person available to go with her to the church. Justin stayed behind to question Kent with Pete. The serial killer was going to have a hard time trying to spew his bullshit to Justin.