Our Little Nowhere [mxm]

One Two Three, What You Don't Know About Me

Jeff was in too much of a good mood to let anything bother him. He was sure that Abram would make his routine morning call to check in on the status of Sasha's custody. He tried to pretend that they were friends and as if he had never hurt Sasha, and it drove Jeff nuts.

Jeff let it all roll off his shoulders, and today was no different, except he hoped he could keep the smile out of his voice and refrained from telling Abram off completely. He still had to act at least superficially professional and impartial, he tried to remind himself.

El was already at the office, waiting for him like usual. He was never quite sure when she came in to work; she was just always already there, even when he made it in at seven. She was sitting on the edge of her desk and hopped to her feet when he came in. "I heard from your friend, Troy, on the Res," she said.

Maybe something could kill his good mood after all. "What is it?"

"I guess Abram is looking for a private investigator," El explained. "We don't know if he's found one yet, but it's out there."

A private investigator for what person, exactly? He hoped Abram wasn't stupid enough to try and blackmail the judge in the case, but Jeff, Micah, and even Kate were all ample targets. Especially himself and Micah. Jeff bit the inside of his cheek, hard. "Can you find out if he's been able to hire anyone? And if so, who?" If it was someone local, Jeff might be able to apply pressure.

It was more of a thing that his father was likely to do—Jeff didn't threaten people or try and tell them to pick a side. He knew they had to make money too. But he hoped in this case they would see reason, and not take a paycheck from someone like Abram.

"I can try. I'll see if Troy can keep an eye on who he contacts or something," El said, already going for her phone. "There can't be that many of them around here though, right? Maybe we can make our own list. But after that, what can we do?"

"Talk to them," Jeff said with a shrug.

El stared at him blankly. "Talk to them how?"

"That's not what's important right now." Jeff waved her off. "Just see if you can find out who it is." He knew a few were friends with his dad and of that same generation. Jeff might be able to work that in their favor—he wouldn't tell them not to work, just to be sure they didn't find anything.

He knew he kept himself enough under wraps that he didn't think he was going to be discovered, but Micah was his own person who had had less to lose in the past. Jeff didn't want to ask and he didn't want it to come up, but if someone started asking, it might.

He held in a long sigh. He could figure this out.

He went into his office and let the door shut behind him. He settled into his chair and started doing his own research, just like El suggested. He could make is own list and try and figure out who Abram was likely to hire, or if they would own up to it.

El was however back at his door in a second. "Uh, someone is here to see you."

"Abram?" Jeff had just spoken to him on the phone. He wouldn't be showing up would he?

El opened his door further, only to reveal Liz standing behind her. Jeff tried to correct his slouch in his chair without seeming like he'd been caught doing something. He hadn't been caught doing anything. Maybe this was how Micah felt when he saw the police—he wasn't doing anything wrong, but what if they thought he was? What if she thought they were hiding something? Because they were.

"Liz, hey, hi, how can I help you?" Jeff asked, pretending to straighten out his desk. He didn't have anything out that could get him in trouble, not unless she wanted to know that one of his deputies had gotten into a fender bender and the civilian wanted them for it.