“Will do.”
Reese picked up as though they’d planned it when Brantley looked at him. He wasn’t sure how it was they worked so well together, but it did seem to be the case.
“Our focus is finding Cedric Hawkins, but I believe, to do that, it’ll help to get some background on the two suspicious deaths. Trey, you and Evan reach out to Detective Mathis. Find out where the dead bodies are, then head to the morgue, talk to the medical examiner.”
Trey’s eyes were wide when he said, “The … ah … morgue?”
“You can handle it,” Brantley told him, his tone both mocking and assuring at the same time.
Trey looked a bit green at the idea but nodded in agreement.
“Give us two minutes,” JJ told Trey. “We’ll have that information so you can let the detective brood for a bit before we piss him off more.”
Reese continued. “Baz, you and Allison need to go to the investment company, talk to the secretary and anyone else who last saw Hawkins. I also want you talkin’ to secretaries or assistants to the other two partners. See if you can talk to any chatty employees. I’m sure someone’s got some input on the matter. We need as much information as we can get.”
Baz nodded.
“Charlie, you and Slade can head to the country club. I’m not sure how far you’ll get, but question anyone who’s there. Find out who saw Hawkins last, what he was doin’, and if they know where he might be. Also, Mathis mentioned Jacobs’s body was found in the locker room. Sweet-talk ’em into showin’ you around, get a feel for what might’ve happened there.”
“And if they refuse?” Charlie asked.
“We’re not law enforcement,” Brantley noted. “We don’t have any jurisdiction. However, you can let ’em know the family hired us, see if that’ll get you through the doors.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Charlie said.
Reese scanned the room. “Brantley and I will go to Hawkins’s house, talk to the wife.”
Brantley took over. “JJ, start by findin’ out where Hawkins’s vehicle is. Get contact information for his kids; the detective said he has three. Scan his social media, see if he’s interactin’ with anyone we should talk to. Friends, girlfriends, whatever.”
“You’re assuming he’s having an affair?” Allison asked, her tone accusatory.
Reese considered commenting, but he left it to Brantley.
“I’m not assumin’ anything. Right now, I’m tryin’ to find a missin’ man. Someone knows where he is.”
“What if he just wanted to get away? Took a vacation?”
“Is that what you want us to go on?” Brantley countered. “That he’s hidin’ out by himself? Thought to tell no one? Not his wife, not his employees?”
“It’s possible,” she argued. “I don’t think it’s wise to automatically assume he’s havin’ an affair.”
Reese was stunned. Why was she so tripped up by this?
Whatever the reason, he was grateful he wasn’t the one facing off with Brantley right now.
Allison continued as though she was the sole defense for the victim. “For all we know, he’s a pillar of the community. I don’t think it’s fair to doubt his fidelity.”
To his surprise, Brantley didn’t say anything more on the subject. Whether it was because he was at a loss for words the way Reese was or because he was trying to temper his response. Either way, Reese was happy the debate was coming to a close.
“I’ll loop everyone in as I get information,” JJ announced, drawing all attention to her.
“Let’s get out there and find this guy,” Brantley barked. “We’re wastin’ time.”
Reese whistled for Tesha to follow, then headed out behind Brantley, doing his best to be optimistic.
*
Still trying to process the argument that had just transpired, Baz waited for Allison to gather her things before leading the way out to his truck.
She didn’t speak for the first few minutes of the drive and for that he was grateful. Especially since she seemed to be fuming, breathing through her nose as though attempting to rein herself in. For the life of him, he couldn’t figure out why she’d gotten so heated by the subject, and he’d seen the same bewildered looks on Brantley’s and Reese’s faces.
They’d just hit the open highway, heading to meet with the employees of HJW Investments, when she sighed heavily, said, “Is Brantley always like that?”
Baz cut a quick look her way, turned back to the road. “Like what?”
“So … I don’t know…” She sighed again. “I’m not even sure what the word is.”
He opted to fill in for her. “Assertive? Determined? Blunt?”
She looked over at him, her blue eyes glittering with what looked like frustration.
Baz didn’t know the first thing about Allison Bogart, aside from what he’d learned during the interview process. She had been assigned to the special victims unit out of Dallas for the past decade, didn’t have a problem talking herself up, and from what she’d told him, she deserved all the credit she’d been given and then some. To put it simply, she was proud of her accomplishments and wanted everyone to know it.
That was the extent of it, though. He wasn’t sure if a personal entanglement spurred her response to this situation or if she merely enjoyed playing devil’s advocate.
“Those weren’t the words I was thinking,” she said with a huff. “More along the lines of … angry and mean.”
Wow. He hadn’t picked that up from Brantley at all.
While Baz thought Allison could be successful in this unit if she gave it a chance, he still wondered what Brantley saw in her that everyone else hadn’t. The consensus for her had been she was too confrontational, too eager to be in charge, yet Brantley had wanted to give her a chance, and Reese had backed him up. Baz didn’t have anything against her, but he would admit he hadn’t been all that keen on partnering with her today.
“I still can’t believe the way he talked to that detective,” Allison bitched. “It was like he was railroading him. Doesn’t he know this man has cases to handle? Real cases. Homicides. I’m sure he’s got more than two, but to hear Brantley talk to him, the guy sits on his thumbs all day.”
Baz didn’t see it that way, but he’d also had the pleasure of working with Brantley for nearly a year now. The man was blunt, straightforward, and he got the job done. It was that simple.
“And did you hear Reese? He’s going on the assumption this guy’s got a girlfriend.”
“He doesn’t?” Baz asked, cutting his gaze to her briefly.
“I have no idea.”
“But you’re going on the assumption he doesn’t.”
“I am not.”
He cocked an eyebrow, looked back to the road.
“Fine. I might’ve jumped the gun on that one, but he did, too. He reminds me of a drill sergeant.”
“You were in the military?”
Allison exhaled heavily. “No. But I’ve—”
“Brantley’s a Navy SEAL,” he told her, interrupting. “He’s been a leader long enough to know there’s no time to waste when it comes to this. And Reese was in the Air Force. They’re used to a certain structure, and they lean on that to get things done.”