Page 27 of Charmed Forces
“Is it locked?”
“Always.”
“Are my brothers okay, Captain?” I asked. “You’re worrying me.”
“Is there any reason why they wouldn’t be?”
“Okay, enough with the questions and poking around our kitchen cupboards. What’s going on?” asked Solomon, losing his patience as I maintained a worried frown.
“Can I take a look at your garage first?” asked Captain Brandt.
“No,” said Solomon. “I’ve been polite long enough by letting you and your officers take a look around my house. If you don’t tell us what’s going on, I must ask you to leave. You can come back with a warrant.”
“Detective Daniel Graves is wanted for three murders,” said Captain Brandt. “He’s missing, assumed armed and dangerous, and anyone who aids or abets him will be charged with assisting a fugitive. If you have any knowledge of his whereabouts, now’s the time to tell me.”
I looked at Solomon and raised my eyebrows while placing a hand over my heart and gasping. Finally, as I fake struggled with my composure, I said, “I haven’t seen him all day.”
Chapter Six
My phone was going crazy.
“I guess everyone’s heard by now,” I said as my mom’s picture flashed on the screen for a third time. “I really should answer that call.”
Solomon rested his back against the front door, having just told Captain Brandt and his officers to leave. “They’ll come back with a warrant,” he said. “He’s pissed we didn’t let him inside the garage.”
“If they can get one.”
“I think they’ll get one and it’ll give them something to do.”
“You don’t mind them coming back? And why not let them see the garage?”
“Nope. I’ll bet fifty bucks they’re already on their way around to the garage via the alley. There’s nothing to see, but they don’t know that yet.”
“I’m not taking that bet.”
“Because I’m right?”
“Because we’re married and what’s yours belongs to me already.”
The edges of Solomon’s lips twitched. He reached for his phone and tapped at the screen. A moment later, he turned the screen to me. I leaned in and watched Captain Brandt examine the garage lock, then the keypad on the wall. “It hardly matters if he comes back, he won’t find anything. Daniel’s prints can easily be explained since he’s family. I wiped down the few blood smears he left and threw the rags and your top in the washing machine so they won’t find anything in the garbage. All his clothes went into a bag with him, along with his backup weapon and the blood I drew.”
“It’s almost like you’ve done this before.”
Solomon smiled. “There’s nothing unexplainable in the garage either. If they seriously think we’d keep him stashed there, then they’re worse than stupid.”
“Where are we keeping him?” I asked.
“I can’t tell you because I don’t know.”
“But you do know whom he’s with?”
“Fletcher and Flaherty.”
“That’s a relief.” I let out the tense breath I didn’t know I’d been holding. I’d worked with Steve Fletcher and Matt Flaherty on a number of cases and knew them both to be trustworthy. Along with Delgado, and Lucas, the duo were the original hires to the agency; Fletcher was ex-CIA and Flaherty was ex-PD. Both enjoyed the thrill of PI work without the headache of their previous careers. They were resourceful, intelligent, and deeply loyal. I wasn’t sure if they’d had much opportunity, if any, to get to know Daniel but I figured they’d be well acquainted soon enough. “Are they staying with him?” I wanted to know.
“Yes, they’re escorting him now to a medic to run tests and someone else we can trust to arrange a safe house. He’ll be well looked after as he regains his memory.”
“Ifit comes back. I wish we knew for sure he was drugged.”