Hidden - Laura Griffin Page 0,9
been in some. Last time was . . . I don’t know, two or three months ago?”
“You remember the case?” Bailey asked.
“GSW.” She leaned back against the counter and stirred her oatmeal. “I remember the kid was a bleeder.”
“Kid?”
“Oh, you know. Nineteen or twenty. Something like that. We saved him, but he lost a kidney.” She scooped up a bite, giving Bailey a suspicious look. “So, what’s the deal? Please don’t tell me you’re dating another cop.”
“He’s the lead on this case I’m writing about.”
“The murder from the hike-and-bike trail?”
“It’s not confirmed as a homicide yet, but yeah.”
“Was it a sexual assault?”
“Don’t know yet. The detective’s dodging me.” Bailey pictured him standing beside her car last night as he’d handed her his business card. Whatever rapport she’d managed to build seemed to have evaporated overnight. She’d texted him this morning to ask about the autopsy timing, but he hadn’t responded.
The coffeepot beeped, and Bailey stepped over to the cabinet to get down a pair of mugs.
“That’s for you,” Hannah said. “I’m not having any.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah, I’m tapped. I’m going to get a shower and crash.”
Bailey poured coffee for herself and dumped several scoops of sugar into it. She perched on the stool and watched her sister over the rim as she took a sip.
“So, what do you hear about him?” Bailey asked.
“Not a lot.” Hannah took another bite and squinted as though she was trying to remember something. “Seems like I heard talk about him a while back, though. I think he or someone he works with got caught up in something.”
Bailey’s ears perked up. “Something bad?”
“I don’t think it was bad. I just can’t remember it.”
“When was this?”
“Had to be a year ago, at least. Maybe longer.” She shook her head. “I don’t remember what it was, though. He’s not exactly talkative. His partner’s the chatty one.”
“Really? Maybe I’ll try him.”
“Her.” Hannah turned and put her bowl in the sink. “Kendra Porter. Long blond hair, big boobs, thin. You can’t miss her.”
So, Jacob’s partner looked like a Barbie doll. Interesting. Bailey filed that away, along with the “something” Jacob had maybe gotten caught up in.
Hannah was watching her suspiciously, probably knowing she had more than a professional interest in Jacob Merritt. Bailey had sworn off cops after her relationship with Skip Shepherd had ended badly.
Actually, the ending part had been okay. It was your typical this-isn’t-working-maybe-we-should-see-other-people conversation. But then Bailey started covering the crime beat and did a big exposé on a couple of bad cops, and Skip caught heat from people who assumed he’d been her main source. Skip had shown up at her apartment and demanded that she tell him where she’d gotten her inside information, so he could get himself off the hook with his friends, and Bailey had refused. She wouldn’t out her sources, period. So Skip had called her a bunch of names and left, and she was pretty sure he’d gone on to spread a lot of crap about her with his friends in the department.
After that it had taken Bailey months to build up some decent rapport with people outside Skip’s circle so that she could do her job effectively.
“So, you’re not interested in this guy?” Hannah asked.
“Of course I’m interested. He’s a source for my story.”
Hannah lifted an eyebrow at her as her husband entered the kitchen in sweatpants and a faded T-shirt, with Bailey’s one-year-old nephew in his arms. Drew started squirming and reaching for his mother.
“Ma-ma!”
Her face lit up as she crossed the room. “There’s my boy. I missed you!”
Matt kissed his wife as he handed over the baby. “When do I get to be your boy?” He squeezed her butt, and she swatted his hand away.
“Stop! I’m all grubby.” She propped Drew on her hip as she opened a cabinet and took down a box of Cheerios.
“Hey, Matt.”
“Hey, Bay.” He grabbed the mug Bailey had gotten out for Hannah and filled it with coffee. “You’re up early.”
“I’m headed to work. Just thought I’d drop in.”
Hannah sank into a chair and settled Drew in her lap, and he immediately reached for a stack of dish towels. She moved them out of his grasp and distracted him with a handful of Cheerios. Drew wore the green T-rex pajamas Bailey had given him for his birthday. He carefully picked up a Cheerio and put it into his mouth, getting slobber all over his fist.
“Bailey’s on the front page this morning,” Hannah told Matt.
“Way to go.”
“Thanks.”
Hannah bounced Drew on her knee. “You