Revealing Silver Page 15

“I let Nathan take the tape, but I pulled the transcription of the statement and went through it with a fine-tooth comb. That’s why I was up all night.” He flipped it open, thumbing through the copies and notes he’d made until he found the street map he was looking for. He held it out for her to take. “Remy reported she’d been robbed and held against her will. She used some cover story about being new in town and trusting the wrong people. But she pinpointed this address as where she escaped from. That’s got to be where Gabriel was sending the girls.”

  Olivia took the file, calmly looking it over, her eyes moving rapidly as she scanned through the pages. She didn’t make a sound while she read, and Isaac distracted himself with Tiberius, scratching behind the dog’s ear so he’d have something to do with his hands.

  “Isaac.” Her smile was blinding. “This is brilliant.” She flung her arms around him and kissed him enthusiastically, leaving lipstick marks on his cheek and jaw. “You’re brilliant.”

  He smiled because of how good she felt clinging to him half-naked, not because of any self-satisfaction about his so-called brilliance. He hadn’t actually done anything. Any rookie could take notes from a written statement. And getting the statement in the first place hadn’t been some grand scheme except a basic sense of duty and an overinflated ego convinced it could bag the hot chick once he saved the day for her. Olivia didn’t know most of that, though. Too bad he couldn’t hold her and celebrate for the next couple of days.

  “It’s a good start. I pulled the records on the building and got contact information for the new owner so we can get permission to check it out today. If we’re lucky, Remy left us some more clues.”

  “I’ll take anything we can get at this point. Nathan must have been relieved.”

  Another slice of guilt to add to his guilt pie. “I haven’t actually talked to him about this yet. I came here first.”

  “Do I need to talk to him about it, or…?”

  “No. I can do it. I want to do it. He actually apologized to me last night, not that I actually did anything to deserve it, but I think it means he’ll be a little more open to me again.”

  “He apologized for shutting you out?”

  “I think that was part of it, yeah.” Sinking down into the corner of the couch, he leaned his head back and stared up at the ceiling. “He felt guilty that even knowing what he knows now, he wouldn’t have done anything differently.”

  “Isaac.” Olivia settled beside him and took his hand. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  He snorted. “Neither do I.”

  Working all night had been a blessing, because every time he hit a lull, his thoughts strayed back to that interrogation room and Remy’s disembodied voice hanging between them. He’d see Nathan’s face, and he’d see the relief and hope and love gleaming in his damp eyes, and he’d realize all over again it didn’t matter whether he thought he was right or not. People followed their hearts, regardless.

  “If you could go back in time to that night you found the coin, knowing what you know now, would you still pick it up?”

  “Yes. We would have never found Gabriel and Marisol without it, and we never would have saved Stacy. She could be dead right now, but she’s at home with her family. That’s worth it to me.”

  “Yeah, I figured you’d say that.” Not that it made feel any better to be right, but at least in Olivia’s case, he understood her deep-rooted need to save as many people as she could was enough motivation to shoulder whatever trials the coins demanded. “Nathan said he’d still try to follow her. Like it was some deep, dark confession.”

  “It probably felt like one to him. He’s struggling with a lot of guilt right now.”

  “But he didn’t do anything.” He rubbed at his burning eyes with the heels of his hands, though it did nothing to staunch the flood of frustration coursing through him. “I’m the one who stopped him. I’m the one who didn’t remember Remy straight off. Hell, I didn’t even remember about the statement I took until Nathan started nitpicking about everything I could’ve talked to her about.”

  “Hey.” Olivia caressed his cheek, her fingers light and soothing. “Listen, you did the right thing by stopping him. Remy isn’t hurt. She’s even helping us. Nathan might not have been that lucky. You did what any good friend, what any brother, would have done.”

  Isaac shook his head. “He doesn’t see it that way. And I can’t even say I blame him. Remy’s the one who turned his life around. Why wouldn’t he try to hold on to that?”

  “It’s not about that. He loves her whether she saved him or not. But he still wants to be the one to save her.”

  He’d been so focused on how Nathan’s choice reflected on their friendship, or on how Remy had changed it, he hadn’t even considered it from the other angle. Which made him feel like an even bigger idiot. Selfish, stupid…the list went on and on.

  “Maybe you should be the one to give the file to Nathan. You guys don’t need me.”

  “Isaac. That’s not true. If you had any…” She covered his fingers, squeezing them briefly. “It’s not true.”

  “Really? You’re the only one who can use the coins. And Nathan can get all the information from the statement I did. I didn’t even end up helping Remy ten years ago. She just left…” His voice faded away as he realized what he’d said. She just left. A lost opportunity. He’d had no lingering fears about her safety, or he would’ve followed up. That could only mean he’d believed she was all right. He hoped. He’d hate to think he was an even bigger asshole for writing her off just because he’d never gotten anywhere with her.

  “So then maybe you did help her. And I need you. I need your help. I thought…well, I thought I could do this on my own. I’m used to working on my own and I didn’t think this would be any different, but it is.”

  This time when he looked at her, he hesitated. She’d been putting her makeup on, but now that he was paying attention and not lost in his little pity party, he saw the shadows she hadn’t quite hidden beneath her eyes. A line at the corner of her mouth was more pronounced, too, as if held taut for too long to properly smooth out when she was relaxed. The way her steady gaze fixed on him drew him closer, and he settled his hand on her knee.

  “Whatever you want from me, you can have it. But I don’t know what else I can do.”

  “I tried to use the coin again yesterday. Only, instead of buckling in for the ride, I tried to control it.”

  He stiffened. “You what?” But the guilt in her eyes said he hadn’t misheard her. “What is it with these damn coins that turns off the common sense valve in all the smartest people I know? Why would you do that without having me there for you?”

  “And what would you have said if I told you? You would have tried to stop me, and Isaac, this coin…it’s our key to getting Remy back. But it could be worth so much more.”

  “You’re worth more than that.” The sudden image of walking in and finding her passed out on the floor, or worse, sent a tremor through him. He had to pull his hand away, clenching it into a fist for a moment to make it stop. “If you’d told me you would do it whether I was here or not, I would’ve come over to make sure you were all right, no matter how I felt about it. I thought you knew that.”

  “I do.” Olivia sighed. “And as soon as I did it, I realized my mistake. Nothing happened. I was fine and everything was…well, I think it worked. But I knew you should have been there.”

  He didn’t completely believe her claim that nothing had happened. Something always came up. But that wasn’t nearly as important as, “Why do you think it worked?”

  “I was trying to see Stacy, because I knew exactly where she was and…and I had Nathan there to take notes on her behavior. So I could compare. I didn’t quite get to her, but I…the vision started with you and Remy, but I couldn’t tell exactly when. You were talking about something, but I couldn’t tell what. It’s like a dream, you know? You never remember the witty banter. But I moved away and found Nathan. It was…
it was kind of an amazing experience.”

  His mind reeled at her words, trying to grab on to the portion he found the most upsetting. She’d called Nathan instead of him. She’d watched him and Remy together. Her euphoria about a modicum of success, of newfound power, shone through every word. The more she spoke, the more insignificant and awkward he felt, no matter how much she might protest that she’d needed them there. She hadn’t. She’d had Nathan.

  She trusted Nathan more. He’d assumed she’d tried using the coins on her own, but he’d been wrong. She called the one person who she knew might actually be of some help to her.

  “Congratulations.” The word choked in his throat. “Sounds like a step in the right direction.”

  “I need to try again. Today. The sooner I get a handle on this, the better.”

  He couldn’t help it. “What time is Nathan getting here?”

  Olivia’s flinch was so slight, he’d have missed it if he didn’t know to watch for the familiar tightening around her eyes. “Well, he’ll probably be here in about an hour.”

  An hour. And Isaac wasn’t hearing about it until now. He would have found out about it after the fact—again—regardless of how much of a mistake she thought it was to exclude him the day before.

  “It’s a good way to keep an eye out and make sure he’s not drinking.” Keeping his tone neutral didn’t actually make him feel better. Neither did rising from the couch. “Make sure he sees everything in the file, will you, please? I’m not walking through today like it’s the Day of the Dead for nothing.”

  Olivia rose as well. “Stay, Isaac. Please. I’ll make you breakfast.”

  Her offer kept his feet planted, though his pride screamed at him to make a run for it. “You’re not even dressed.”

  “It’ll only take me a few seconds to put on some clothes. Or I can get dressed after breakfast, but in that case, there won’t be bacon.”

  Like Pavlov’s dog, he drooled at the mention of bacon. Walking out would save his ego, but he would be left out of what was going on again. He’d have to suffer through his imagination’s interpretation of what happened instead of seeing it firsthand. Worst of all, he’d give Olivia even more reason to turn to Nathan for help.

  She’d asked him to stay. He could put away his hurt feelings and be an adult for a few hours. Besides, he and Nathan had taken the first step last night in mending the fence. He refused to give Nathan the means to retreat again by leaving him alone.

  “How about I put the bacon on while you get dressed?” He tried to smile. “Then I’m guaranteed to get some that’s not jerky.”

  Olivia kissed him. “I love you. And I’m learning to love your bacon.”

  When she looked at him like that, he couldn’t even think about walking away, regardless of how insufficient he felt. “Just for that, I’ll torch yours anyway. Because I love you too.” Even though you don’t need me.

  The warehouse didn’t look remarkable in any way, though Olivia was glad they reached it after the sun rose over the city and banished the long shadows. Whoever owned the place now had probably bought it at the police auction of Parker’s seized assets with an eye toward selling it, but the collapsing economy had probably cleared the field of potential buyers. Now the building sat empty on a disused lot, though the area surrounding it was already quite busy with men loading trucks before sending them out of the bays. Nobody paid any attention to them, though Olivia’s SUV looked out of place among the trailers and forklifts.

  “There may not be anything here,” Olivia warned.

  “I know.”

  Olivia nodded and dug through her purse, finding the keys Isaac had provided. She wished he was there, but shortly after their rather terse breakfast, he got an emergency page back to the station. Nathan had arrived as he was leaving, eager to get over to the warehouse right away to search for more clues. His eyes were bright and alert, and the morose mood that seemed to follow him like a little gray cloud had been lifted. He almost seemed chipper. That impression only faded when Isaac announced he was leaving—Nathan drew his eyebrows together and his expression darkened slightly.

  Olivia wanted to talk about that. Had Nathan sensed Isaac’s mood? Had he seen something troubling on Isaac’s face? There was no doubt in Olivia’s mind Isaac was upset with them. She could deal with his anger. But there’d been something else swirling beneath his words, an ice current that flowed through every breath and every slight shift in his otherwise static face. She’d taken his agreement to stay for breakfast as a good sign, but food wasn’t enough to comfort whatever bothered him, or bribe her way back into his good humor.

  She would never forgive herself if she let the stupid Silver Maiden destroy what promised to be a fantastic relationship. Everything was still new between them, and fragile because of that. They should have been focusing on getting to know each other, not navigating the minefield they were currently trapped in. She wanted to lock Isaac in her bedroom and not let him out until he was satisfied and confident and not unhappy. But she couldn’t send Nathan to the warehouse by himself. She couldn’t act like this lead wasn’t absolutely critical. Especially since she had no reason to believe Sophe’s murder would be the last related case to land on her desk.

  By mutual, silent agreement, they didn’t discuss Isaac. Maybe Nathan could have offered some insight, but Nathan seemed to be part of the problem. A big part. Isaac’s eyes hadn’t shuttered until she mentioned Nathan’s involvement in her plan, and he’d been nearly venomous when he asked what time she expected Nathan. Mostly, though, she didn’t want Nathan occupying that area of her life. He was Isaac’s best friend and confidante, not hers.

  Olivia unlocked the door, surveying the open, empty area before stepping aside and letting Nathan pass through. Their steps echoed on the concrete, and the click of the door reverberated off the walls. A thick layer of dust covered everything from the rafters down, and Olivia attributed the general sense of unease and the tickle at the base of her throat to that rather than any sixth sense.

  “So. Where should we start?” Olivia asked.

  Nathan didn’t answer her so much as wandered away. Olivia fell into step behind him, letting him lead while her gaze jumped from corner to corner. There truly wasn’t anything to see, but she wasn’t going to let her guard down. She unbuttoned her jacket, letting it fall open so she’d have easier access to her firearm, and it was probably just her imagination, but her pocket felt heavier. Her mind immediately went to the jewelry box with the coin. She’d brought it with her just in case—a justification she used with increasing frequency as her desire to keep the coin with her at all times grew.

  There were offices on the far end of the building, and Nathan went there first. Human waste and the charred remains of fires indicated the rooms were primarily used by the intransient. Olivia wrinkled her nose in disgust, very much hoping that wouldn’t be the sum total of their discoveries.

  “Do you think this place has an underground level?” Olivia asked, when they’d exhausted the small offices.

  “Maybe that’s where that door leads to.” Nathan nodded at a thick, metal door with the words THIS IS NOT AN EXIT.

  “Only one way to find out.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  It didn’t budge on Nathan’s first attempt, but he grunted and put his shoulder into it. She hung back, the tickle in her throat growing more obnoxious by the second. She turned her head to cough into her shoulder, but that didn’t ease the feeling. It spread to her chest in a slow trickle. Another grunt, and Nathan had the door open. He produced a flashlight from his belt, though the tiny beam of yellow light didn’t do much against the darkness that greeted them.

  “Seems like a likely hiding place to me.”

  Olivia nodded. For more than a possible clue, anything could have been down there. Including rats. Just the thought of their long tails and beady little eyes made something wilt inside of her.

  “There’s probably nothing to worry about,” Nathan added.
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  “Then stop talking and start walking.”

  They started slow, carefully picking their steps over the stairs made of grated iron—Thank goodness she’d worn her sensible flats that morning—but Nathan gradually quickened the pace. She kept up with him, wishing she’d had the foresight to bring a larger flashlight. And Tiberius. She usually felt it too dangerous to bring him on searches, but he was a properly trained police dog, and if she couldn’t have Isaac watching her back, she’d like Tiberius’s comforting presence.

  “There’s a door,” Nathan announced.

  “Can you open it? Or is it locked?”

  “Not locked.” There was a click, and then the light swish of the door being pushed open. “Come here. I think there’s something written on the wall.”

  Olivia looked over his shoulder. “What does it say?”

  “Olivia, behind you.”

  Olivia spun around, just in time to see a dark figure melt from the shadows. Her hand went to her gun, but she didn’t have time to pull it from the holster before something slammed against her head. She didn’t black out. She knew she didn’t because she could hear Nathan fighting with the assailant, heard him struggle, even heard the flashlight drop to the floor in a clatter. It blinked out, leaving them all in perfect darkness while the pain roared in Olivia’s head like a train through a tunnel.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Lunch with Isaac wasn’t the chore she’d thought it would be. She’d actually had fun. Isaac hadn’t hounded her about the statement she’d been up until 5 a.m. giving, and his jokes hadn’t been made at her expense, which in and of itself was a huge improvement over the Isaac of her day. Of course, she had to put up with the not-so-subtle appreciative glances, even though she’d deliberately picked a shirt that didn’t show any cleavage. And there was the constant question of where Nathan might be and why Isaac could get away for a long lunch date when his partner couldn’t. She kept those thoughts in the back of her mind and did her best to focus on the present.