LITMIR.BIZ

       TWO

      Mike’s first call was to his buddy Hawk Jacobson. Hawk was another private investigator, and while they both preferred working alone, they also helped each other out on occasion.

      “What?” Hawk answered.

      “I need help.”

      “Again?” Hawk’s tone was dry.

      “Yeah, I know. Don’t worry, I’ll return the favor.”

      “Except that I don’t get into trouble the way your family tends to.”

      Difficult to argue that one. Each of his siblings had a career in some kind of law enforcement and had been in danger more times than he could count over the past few years. Hawk’s assistance had been instrumental in proving his brother’s innocence when Mitch had been framed for murder last year.

      “I heard Duncan O’Hare hasn’t been seen since noon. It’s too early to file a missing-persons report, but I have reason to believe he’s in trouble. Any chance you can find out more? He has a partner, doesn’t he? A guy named Peter Fresno?”

      Mike could hear the sound of fingers tapping on a keyboard. “Yeah,” Hawk agreed. “Peter Fresno is O’Hare’s partner, working out of the fifth district.”

      “I need to talk to him.”

      Hawk snorted. “Good luck. Getting the address of a cop is nearly impossible. They protect that information closer than Fort Knox protects gold.”

      “Not if I can find another cop to provide that info to me.” Mike had two brothers and a brother-in-law who were all Milwaukee cops. He didn’t like asking them to break their code of ethics, but the lives of an innocent woman and her son were on the line. In his opinion, that trumped work ethics. “Anything you can find out would be helpful.”

      “Okay.” Hawk disconnected from the line.

      Mike sat for a moment, staring at his phone, debating who to call. His brother Miles was a homicide investigator. His brother Matt was a K-9 officer and his sister Maddy’s husband, Noah, had just taken his detective exam, earning himself a gold shield.

      May as well start at the top, he thought, scrolling through his contact list to find Miles. His brother answered almost immediately. “What’s up?”

      Mike sighed. “I guess it’s my turn to need assistance.”

      “Hey, man, don’t take it so hard. It was only a matter of time,” Miles said in a consoling tone.

      Mike couldn’t help but chuckle. Hawk was right—the Callahans did have a way of getting into the middle of danger. “It’s not really me, but a friend. A woman and her son.”

      “Really?” Miles’s voice rose with interest. “Tell me more.”

      Mike rolled his eyes. Now that all the other Callahans were married and having kids, he was the only single guy left. A fact his family never let him forget. “Knock it off. I was keeping an eye on a suspect’s house when I witnessed an attempt to kill a woman and her child. I was able to prevent that from happening and am now keeping her safe.”

      “Did you report it?” Miles asked.

      “I’m reporting it to you right now. Because I trust you, Miles.” And he didn’t trust all of the cops on the force. “Unfortunately the car involved in the drive-by shooting took off and I didn’t get a plate number. There may be shells or bullet fragments on the scene, so you need to send a few uniforms over to Duncan O’Hare’s house to check it out.”

      “O’Hare?” Miles voice rose sharply. “The son of the police chief? That O’Hare?”

      “Yeah. And his daughter, Shayla, was the intended victim.”

      Miles whistled. “This has to go straight to the top, Mike.”

      Exactly what he was trying to avoid. “You do what you need to do. But I’m working the case my way, and there’s a guy I need to talk to. Peter Fresno. He’s an MPD cop working out of the fifth district. I need his contact information, address and phone number.”

      There was a long silence on the other end of the line. Mike knew he was asking a lot and if Miles couldn’t, or wouldn’t, help him, he wasn’t so sure Matt or Noah would, either.

      “I’ll see what I can do,” Miles finally said. “You think Duncan’s partner is responsible for the shooting?”

      “No, I don’t. But he may have information that can help.”

      “You’re skating on the edge here, bro. You used to date Shayla, didn’t you? Are you sure you’re not letting your emotions cloud your judgment?”

      Maybe, he silently admitted. Shayla and Brodie were the true innocents in this mess. “Look, two days ago I witnessed a meeting between Duncan O’Hare and the alleged leader of the Dark Knights, Lane Walters. I’m telling you, O’Hare has crossed over to the dark side.”

      “The chief’s son? A dirty cop? Seriously? You better have hard-core proof to back up an allegation like that.”

      “Exactly. Which is why I need your help.” Mike paused and then added, “I’ve never asked you for this kind of favor before, Miles. You know how much I prefer to work alone. This is critical or I wouldn’t ask now.”

      Miles let out a heavy sigh. “Okay, okay. I’ll call you back in a few.” Miles clicked off and Mike stared down at his phone once again.

      The case was important but his thoughts kept returning to Shayla, the woman he’d once loved, and her son.

      For a brief moment he’d thought the boy was his, but the math didn’t add up. Four years ago, the night he’d left the academy and his father had practically disowned him, he’d turned his back on his faith and his family, seeking solace in Shayla’s arms.

      They’d been seeing each other for six months by then and, knowing they’d gone too far, Mike hadn’t hesitated in asking her to marry him. He’d been ecstatic when she’d agreed. They’d secretly made plans to go to the courthouse, but a week later his father was murdered. Ian O’Hare had instantly been appointed interim and then permanent chief of police.

      From that moment on, especially after he’d heard Duncan and Ian talking about secretly supporting the Dark Knights, Mike had become obsessed with learning the truth.

      An obsession that had torn him and Shayla apart.

      But there was no sense in rehashing the past. Keeping Shayla safe was his priority. Hearing that she wasn’t running from the boy’s father had been slightly reassuring. But he still thought it was strange that the guy had let her drive from Nashville to Milwaukee alone, especially knowing that her father was sick in the hospital. Shouldn’t he be here, supporting her?

      Unless the guy was already out of the picture? Divorce or death... He winced and inwardly shrugged. As Shayla pointed out, her personal life was none of his business.

      He rose and crossed the room to listen intently at the connecting door. There was nothing unusual past the muted sounds of the television.

      He was about to step over the threshold to question her more about Brodie’s

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