I agree, Tony is losing his mind, but it is his daughter.”
“He’s basically throwing all of you under the bus to get her back,” I say. I’m pretty sure they already know this, but it’d be nice to remind Shepherd that Tony might not have his best interests in mind.
“True. But that’s only if your father releases who it is putting these videos up, which he has not.”
“Of course he will! He’ll have them hunting Tony down as soon as he gets wind of this whole thing,” I say as Shepherd turns back to the computer and types in “Chief of Police William Oliver missing son.”
The first thing that pops up is a video from this morning that Shepherd clicks on.
My father is the focus, wearing a dark suit and a somber look. “As I’m sure most of you are now aware, my son has been taken. At this point, we are unsure who has taken my child from me, but I am determined to get him back. I’m determined to find him because…” He turns away from the camera and covers his face for a moment before turning back. “I’m sorry. This is very hard for me, as I’m sure you can understand. Right now, I’m asking that if any of you know anything about this video or have seen my son, please contact us immediately. I just want my son home again.”
The video cuts over to some newsperson and Shepherd pauses it.
Shepherd is watching me closely and I realize that he’s trying to read me. It’s like he thinks he can just open me up and pull out what he wants. “He seems pretty upset,” he says.
“Of course he is.”
“Yet he’s not releasing any information on who’s doing this.”
I shrug as I force my expression to stay unreadable. I don’t want him to think I know more than I do. “Well, he’s not just going to announce it to the public. I’m sure he’s talking behind the scenes and stuff… you know, to other officers.” And I realize how badly I hope this is true. My father really wouldn’t let this just happen to me without doing anything about it, right?
He’s silent as he watches me. “That’s a good point.”
“What? You think my father doesn’t care?” I ask.
“Why is your father so adamant to not open a case about Rose?”
“Why would he waste resources on Tony’s daughter? Tony’s a fucking psychopath. I wouldn’t waste shit on him or his family either.”
“Rose was a bit of a bitch, but she was a good person. And like you try to tell me you have nothing to do with the wrongs of your father, why do you think Rose should be included in the wrongs of her father?”
I look away from him as I try to think about the answer to this without getting cornered in something I don’t want to be cornered in. Though Shepherd is caught up in all of this, he might be right. He does seem to think about this logically, which makes him different from Tony and the rest. “What if my father doesn’t know anything, and that’s why Tony won’t let me go?” Is it stupid that I hope this is the answer Tony comes to?
“I don’t know. But I feel like your father’s not as dumb as he’s pretending to be.”
I lean against the desk, feeling like I need something to support me. “What if… you let me go, and I go ask him for you? I promise I’ll come back.”
He gives me a look. “Why didn’t I think of that? Do you think you could be back by teatime?”
“Remind me what time that is again?”
“Three at the latest.”
“Deal. Want to shake on it?”
He shakes his head. “Oh, I’m much more of a pinky promise kind of guy,” he says as he holds his pinky out.
I hook it with mine. “Deal.”
He grins as he pulls his hand away and turns back to the computer.
“What are you doing?”
“Watching porn,” he says as he pulls up his email.
I’m glad he’s lightening up with me some. The Shepherd I originally met wouldn’t let me get away with anything, or joke about things. I probably have a better chance of getting this version to care about me. “Again? I’d think you’d get tired of porn after a while.”
“I’d think you’d get tired of being annoying after a while.”
I think about it for a moment. “No. I’m just working my magic to get you to like me so you