"I am."
Rosenthal chuckled a little and waved toward the second chair. "Jesus, you're young. Or am I just old? I swear the new recruits are starting to look like kids to me. Maybe I should start thinking about retirement."
"I'd be bored to death in retirement."
Ryan could barely sit still for more than thirty minutes at a time. He didn't sleep much either. Last night, after his argument with Mariah, he'd managed a whopping four hours. Luckily, he was used to it.
"Damn straight. Me too, actually. I'll probably die on the job. Now, can I get you a cup of coffee? It's terrible but it's hot."
"I'm good, but thanks." Ryan sat down, the legs of the chair scraping on the gray tile. "I was hoping we could talk about Brad Harrington's case. Is the coroner report in yet?"
Rosenthal tapped the papers in front of him. "I got it this morning. It looks like blunt force trauma to the head. There's a dent in the side of his skull that matches the shape of the metal pipe found near the body."
"So...murder?"
It left a nasty taste in Ryan's mouth to even say it. This was what he hadn't wanted to hear.
"It looks that way. I doubt he accidentally fell and hit the side of his head on a pipe."
"I made you copies of the official case file," Rosenthal went on. "It includes all the statements from the time of the disappearance plus the photos from the site where the body was found. The little evidence we were able to find is in this box but I'm afraid I can't let you take it. I can let you look at it, though, and you're welcome to take pictures."
"That's very accommodating of you. I appreciate that."
"I'm guessing you don't always get a warm welcome when you show up," the other man said with a grimace. "Personally, I'm glad that you're here to take the lead on this case. Skip Harrington has been breathing down the necks of the mayor, the governor, both senators, and God knows who else. They in turn scream at my boss who screams at me. I don't like to be yelled at. I'm funny that way. So you being here is going to take the heat off of me. I'll let you deal with the powers that be, and I'll just do my job."
"I don't have a problem dealing with Skip Harrington."
"Better you than me. My boss said that you were friends with the victim. I'm sorry for your loss. I should have said that first thing, and for that I apologize."
"Thank you. It was a long time ago. We were childhood friends. Brad was basically a good guy. He sure as hell didn't deserve this, no matter what happened that night."
Rosenthal was giving him that look...one that was questioning whether Ryan was wealthy as well, but then also wondering why he would be a former cop.
Ryan wouldn't be giving the officer the details of his relationship with the Harringtons.
"So what are your next steps and how can I assist you?" Rosenthal asked. "We're stretched thin as hell here but this case is high profile and we're under pressure to close it as quickly as possible."
"After I look through this file and evidence, I'm going to visit the site and take a look around. I'll also re-interview everyone that I can find from that night."
The detective was nodding as he took another sip of coffee. "We've definitely got our work cut out for us here."
"There is something that you can do to help me, actually."
"Name it."
"The Harringtons mentioned a serial killer that was working Chicago at that time killing college kids. I don't remember seeing anything in the papers about it but I'd like to take a look at the case files to see if there are any similarities."
"That was never proven." Rosenthal scowled and placed his cup down on the table. "It was only one detective's theory that got picked up by the newspapers. There was no serial killer offing college kids."
"I'd like to look at the files anyway," Ryan replied in his most soothing tone. He wanted to keep the cops on his side and cooperating. "That way I can tell the parents that I did my due diligence. I had some information that my firm pulled for me but I want to make sure that I cover all of my bases."
"If that's what you want. I'll get the files pulled and have them messengered to you. Where should I have them sent?"
Ryan pulled out his little notebook and scribbled down his address, making sure that his apartment number was legible. He didn't want any morbid crime scene photos being delivered to Mariah by accident like last night's dinner.
They talked for a few more minutes, splitting the work with Ryan taking on the lion's share. That's what he was there for, after all; plus he was familiar with most of the people involved.
The detective left Ryan alone to look through the evidence of which there was not much. Brad's clothes, his phone and wallet. That was it.
The phone was a complete write-off after years of rain and snow. The screen was cracked as well and Ryan couldn't help wonder how that had happened. It hadn't been cracked earlier that fateful evening. He was sure of that.
Each piece that was inside the wallet had been taken out and preserved in a plastic bag. There was the usual - driver's license, credit cards, a condom, and a few faded photos, weathered from the elements, but surprisingly clear. The heavy leather of the wallet must have protected them.
Ryan copied down the credit card numbers so that he could run them to see Brad's spending habits.
But the pictures...
One was of Brad and his brother Sebastien, both smiling and happy as if they didn't have a care in the world. From the background, it looked like the day that Brad had started college and they were helping him move into the dorms.
The second photo was of Caroline, a candid shot when they were out partying one night.
The third photo was all of the guys - including Ryan - taken in Aspen. He had a clear memory of that day. They'd spent hours skiing and having fun, and they'd eventually hit the ski lodge for a hot drink, purely non-alcoholic because none of them were of age. Carl had asked a man at the next table to take their picture.
I have the same one in a scrapbook at home.
An actual photograph on paper. Not a digital image on his phone. Carl had made sure that everyone had a copy as a souvenir. As if Ryan would ever forget that trip. Had it been the best vacation ever? Maybe. It sure seemed like it at the time. They'd all been around eighteen and looking forward to graduating high school and going on to college. Their parents were friends and decided to take this trip and for once they'd given Ryan and his pals a hell of a lot more freedom than they ever had before.
The only thing they were expected to do was meet their parents for dinner in the evening. That was it. The rest of the time they could do as they pleased. All of them had had the time of their lives just hanging out with one another and goofing around. It felt like the world belonged to them and that anything was possible. At times, Ryan missed that feeling of invincibility that only someone young can truly feel. He'd been so sure about everything back then, certain that he knew it all.
Now? He didn't know shit. Was that the definition of maturity? When you realize that you don't know anything?
He took pictures of the bagged evidence with his phone and then packed it back into the box. His stomach was queasy from the coffee he'd drank this morning. Seeing a young man's life summed up in one cardboard box didn't sit well with him. No one deserved to have their life cut short like that, though. No one. It made him more determined than ever to find out what happened that night. Brad deserved it and so did his family.