Page 71 of No Rules
Ryan wasn’t sure when he’d grown attached to Alex, but he had. The scene they’d done the evening before had only cemented that. Jesus, the way the boy had submitted, completely surrendering without holding anything back. Was there a more heady feeling for a Dom? And a bigger compliment? It showed the depths of Alex’s trust in Ryan—a trust he wouldn’t betray.
Ryan had made clear to everyone else in the house that Alex was off-limits to them—at least for now. In the future, that might change, but Ryan wanted to train Alex a bit more before allowing others to use him. When he’d told Alex, the cheeky shit had asked Ryan if that rule applied to Ryan as well. He’d easily agreed since he hadn’t been with anyone but Alex for a while now…though he hadn’t even done that consciously. Weird.
He glanced over at Alex, who seemed unfazed by the cold, his sunny disposition shining through whatever the weather. “Ready for this?”
“Absolutely,” Alex replied with a confident smile. “We’ve got some solid leads to share, and I have to believe he’ll take them seriously.”
“Let’s hope Baxter’s in a listening mood.” Ryan strode toward the entrance with Alex close behind.
As they entered the station, Detective Baxter stood waiting for them, leaning against the front desk with a steaming cup of coffee.
“Detective Baxter.” Ryan didn’t think they needed to shake hands again, and Baxter seemed to agree, making no moves either.
“Mason, Beck, good to see you both. Let’s talk in my office.”
They trailed behind Baxter, passing desks cluttered with paperwork and computers with screensavers displaying family photos or sports logos. Stacks of case files were still piled on every available surface in Baxter’s cramped office. The detective cleared a couple of chairs for them, setting aside papers that threatened to avalanche to the floor. “New cabinets still haven’t arrived. It’s a pain in the ass.”
Ryan would go insane if he had to work in chaos like that. “I can imagine.”
Ryan and Alex settled into the chairs across from Detective Baxter’s desk, the worn leather creaking under their weight.
Baxter sat and took a sip of his coffee. “I assume you had a reason for wanting to talk to me?”
“Damn right we do,” Ryan said. “Our investigation has turned up some interesting connections.”
“Talk to me.”
Ryan had been on the other side of this situation plenty of times, and he knew how important it was to present a solid case. That was why he and Alex had prepared a comprehensive file for Baxter, in which they had laid out everything they had found. But he’d give him the highlights first. “Have you come across Charles Jeffries in your investigation?”
“Name vaguely rings a bell, but fill me in.”
“Marilyn Vandervliet reported him for animal abuse last year. As a result, he lost a lucrative syndication deal and ran into financial problems.”
“You think he wanted revenge?”
“Exactly.” Ryan leaned forward. “We think he used a vet named Victor Thornfield to get access to Sam’s Promise. Thornfield allegedly has a gambling habit and has lost a lot of money, which landed him in financial trouble as well. And since he was working for Jeffries when that complaint for animal abuse was filed, his reputation took a nose dive. He lost some big-name clients.”
“I recognize Thornfield as one of the people who had backstage access,” Baxter said, putting his coffee down.
“We have a witness who saw the two of them together when Jeffries cashed his bets. He won big betting against Sam’s Promise.”
Baxter quirked an eyebrow. “How big?”
“Our source said it was one of the biggest sums he’d ever paid out.”
“It doesn’t show up on the list of bets. A sum like that would’ve caught my attention.”
“He placed multiple bets, either himself or through others, but he cashed them at the same time. Our source remembered him, since he’d been a regular. And, of course, he could’ve used that money to pay Thornfield.”
Baxter turned to his computer screen and tapped a few keys. “He never made it onto my radar. I see from my notes that I’ve come across his name in the investigation, but he was never a suspect. How’d you find him?”
“Alex had the idea that the case might be related to Marilyn’s outspoken stance on animal rights, so we combed through the reports filed with the NYRA last year and focused on the ones mentioning her name. That’s how we found Jeffries. He was at the track that day. We identified him in the footage.”
“Ballsy,” Baxter said. “Showing up at the scene of the crime. That proves he’s either confident enough not to get caught or stupid. Maybe both.”
“Jeffries had motive, means, and opportunity,” Ryan said. “Thornfield would’ve had access to the EPO and Sam’s Promise before the race.”
Baxter nodded. “I agree. Your timing is interesting, as the DA has returned the case to us due to a lack of evidence against Ms. Vandervliet. At this point, they’re not prosecuting her.”