Author's Notes: Hope you enjoy this chapter, the case is about to come to the forefront of the story.
Disclaimer: still not mine
Family Loyalties
Chapter 12
Riley couldn't sit still. She had tried pacing the length of the small office at the Dulcer Correctional Facility when they first arrived thirty minutes earlier but after the third pass, Con had given her a little growl of frustration and had gently pulled her into a chair next to him, complaining that she was making him dizzy watching her. But even in the chair, her legs refused to cease their movements. Her heels were rising up and down in a motion that caused her knees to be constantly bouncing.
The movement was driving Con crazy, although he knew it was more the nervousness behind the almost frenetic repetition than the bouncing itself. He couldn't blame her for being anxious; she hadn't seen her father in almost two years and there was still no guarantee that he was going to agree to this visit. Con put his arm around her, tucking her upper body in closer to his in an effort to reassure her and then looked over her head to where Joe Hardy was sitting in the chair on the other side of Riley.
Con hadn't protested the younger brother tagging along with them. He wasn't completely sure what Frank and Joe were hoping to learn from Mickey and was even less sure that Mickey would agree to talk to a young man that he didn't even know but he figured Joe's presence would be good for Riley both during and after the visit. Frank hadn't come along, choosing instead to follow up on another lead.
For Joe's part, he could feel the waves of nervousness radiating off both uncle and niece, even if Riley's was more noticeable than Con's. He wanted to ease the tension a little as it seemed they had been waiting for an interminable amount of time. "You know, I don't know who I feel sorrier for, Chief Collig or Frank."
Con smiled and even released a small chuckle. "I wouldn't worry about that combination as much as I would have if you had gone in Frank's place. I'm glad the Chief was willing to help but I'm still not sure even he's going to get any information or help."
The night before after Con and the three boys had finished rearranging the spare room and setting up the bed, Frank had returned to the conversation that had been interrupted by Biff's announcement about the bed.
"Con, do you think we could see the evidence collected at your sister's house?"
Con leaned against the foot of the bed and folded his arms. He only considered the question for half a minute before shaking his head. "Not a chance. What do you think would happen if the two of you showed up at Bayport PD asking to see evidence in a case that had been closed?"
Frank had to admit they would be denied. Con nodded and then put a finger to his lips like he was about to share a secret. "And we actually like you boys. Don't let that information get out. Cloverton is one of those small town good ol' boy precincts. They are very protective about all of their toys and findings. At best they would laugh you out of the station and at worst they'd run you out of town before you could finish your request."
"I actually kind of figured they wouldn't give it to Joe or me but what if you made the request?"
Again Con shook his head. "I'm the brother of the victim. Even if they called themselves doing me a professional courtesy, anything I touched would then be inadmissible in a court since I'm related. You still thinking about that blood?"
He lowered his voice on the last question so Riley wouldn't hear. Giving her statement at the police station had been difficult for her, making her relive all the fears she'd experienced and triggering another minor panic attack. Though Con had been impressed with her quick thinking about trying to save herself, he was worried about how the trauma was going to affect her sleep that night. Currently she was better, joking good naturedly with Joe and Biff and essentially ignoring his conversation with Frank but he wanted it to stay that way.
Frank nodded. "If there was blood on Gina's knife and we can get a sample of it for a DNA analysis then we can at least prove Mickey's innocence even if we don't get a hit on who the real murderer was."
"Someone's been watching too many crime shows." Con mumbled but had to admit that Frank was on to something. "I know the police chief at Cloverton. He offered me a job there when I first graduated from the academy. I almost took the job but I really wanted to work in a bigger town and I knew the atmosphere I'd be working in there. He thinks the case is closed and he's not going to be happy that anyone's questioning the work his men did, especially since Mickey confessed."
Frank's face fell at the thought they'd reached a dead end before they even got started. "What would convince him?"
Con gave it some consideration. "He's a glory hound. He'd do anything that would give recognition to the Cloverton police department - in a positive way."
Frank thought for a couple of minutes. "What if they thought they were helping to solve another cold case for Bayport PD?"
Con raised an eyebrow, "I'm listening."
"What if you had Chief Collig call them and ask to see the evidence. He could tell them that Bayport had a similar unsolved murder and wanted to look through the evidence Cloverton collected to see if he could link Mickey to the unsolved case. Would they turn the evidence over to him then?"
Con nodded. "Probably, but that would mean getting the chief to agree to lie to another police chief. I don't see Chief Collig being too happy about that."
Frank gave Con his most trustworthy and innocent expression. "But you just said you all like Joe and me."
Now Con did snort out loud. The three teens that had been ignoring them looked at him curiously before turning back to their conversation. He leveled his gaze at Frank. "Not that much. But, he did seem pretty taken with Riley at the station earlier. He might agree to do it to help her. I'll give him a call."
Surprisingly Collig had readily agreed to help without pulling in his sympathy to Riley. He had had a previous bad experience with the Cloverton chief that he wouldn't explain and was more than willing to do what he could. He'd promised to drive over to Cloverton personally to make the request and collect the evidence. Frank had asked to tag along and as another surprise, Collig had agreed to that as well.
"Officer Riley?" The warden at the correctional facility returned to the office. Con gave Riley's arm a comforting pat before releasing her to stand up. He hoped the warden had been able to convey to Mickey the importance of seeing them. The warden sighed. "Mickey agreed to see you."
Riley practically jumped up from the seat ignoring the twinge it caused her bruised ribs. Her face was practically alight with the excitement of getting to see her father after so long. The warden gave her a pitying look.
"I'm sorry, Sweetheart; he agreed to see Officer Riley only. He was very adamant."
Her expression quickly changed from excitement to despair. She turned around and walked to the office window, looking out into the parking lot as she tried to keep from crying in disappointment. Con felt bad for her, knowing what this visit meant to her. He came up behind her and hugged her gently. "I know how you feel, Riles, and I'm sorry. I'll do what I can to change his mind while I'm talking to him."
Her body remained rigid but he could see her reflection in the window and could see her lower lip tremble as she tried not to cry. She shrugged using both shoulders, wincing a little as the movement caused a ripple of pain through her injured arm. Then she turned to face him, her eyes revealing a hint of the pain she was feeling but otherwise her expression was pensive. "You won't bully him, right? Cause he can't handle that. Yeah, I want to see him but I want him to want to see me not feel like he's got to."
Con gave her a reassuring smile. "I won't bully him. I promise. Now, you stay here with Joe and I'll be back as soon as I can."
She turned back to stare out the window before Con could move; he gave Joe a hard look as if ordering the teenaged boy to take care of Riley while he was gone. Joe rolled his eyes exaggeratedly as if to suggest that Con hadn't needed to ask him to look after the younger girl. With a heavy sigh and feeling like he was abandoning his niece even if she was in good hands with Joe, Con turned and followed the warden out of the office.
The warden led him down the hallway to a small room, carrying on a conversation the whole way. "I believe you are the first visitor he's agreed to see since he's been here. No, wait I take that back; there was one guy who came to see him a couple of times when he first arrived but that's it. Mickey Davis is a model inmate; he's had some issues with his disorder from time to time but he's never given us any real problems. I feel real bad not letting his daughter come back but I have to honor prisoner wishes. She seems like a nice kid."
"She is," Con agreed. "I don't know if Mickey realizes how lucky he is to have a kid who's as devoted to him as Riley is."
"I've been doing this job a long time. I've seen families torn apart because of a prison sentence." The warden stopped outside a door where an uniformed officer was standing guard. "He's in there. There will be a guard in the room with you and this one on the outside. They aren't there to listen in, just to provide assistance if needed. If you can get him to change his mind about seeing his daughter, just let one of the guards know and they'll send for her."
Con nodded his thanks and stepped inside. His brother-in-law was already sitting behind a small table. Con took a good look at him. Mickey had always had longer hair than most guys but it was always neatly trimmed and he'd always been clean shaven. Now both his hair and beard were in desperate need of a trim. He had an almost wild appearance about him. But his eyes held the same haunted look that they had the last time he'd seen him. Con sat down at the table. Mickey frowned.
"I was surprised to hear you were here," Mickey admitted. Unlike the conversation two days before, there was no hint of a stutter in the man's voice. Then fear filled his eyes. "Newman's brother? Did he…"
"He's in jail. He tried to grab Riley yesterday but Fenton Hardy's son and a friend stopped him before he could do any damage. You don't have to worry about him any more."
Relieved, Mickey nodded running his hands through his wild unkempt beard. "Then why're…"
"I'm petitioning the court for full custody of Riley. My attorney says I'd have a better chance of winning if you fill out a form requesting me as a guardian for her."
"I thought your parents had taken custody. Did something happen to them?" Despite the fact that he knew his in-laws had nothing but contempt for him, he seemed genuinely worried about them.
"Mom and Dad are fine; they're their usual selves. Riley isn't happy with them, and I'm trying to make things better for her."
"Is this what she wants?" Mickey wanted to know, not meeting Con's eyes.
Con wanted to reach across the table and give the man a good shake. He wasn't as quick to want to forgive Mickey for what had happened with the thug who had tried to kidnap Riley as she was. Nor was he happy that Mickey had once again rejected her today. But he held in his temper, more because of his promise to Riley not to bully her father than worry about what the guard in the room would say. "Why don't you ask her? She's right down the hall and pretty desperate to see you."
Mickey hung his head even more. "L…look at m…m…me, Con. D…do you r…r…really want her t…t…to see m…m…me like t…t…this?"
Con knew he'd hit a nerve as he listened to Mickey stutter. He couldn't help but think about what Riley had told him the night she'd told him about Mickey refusing to see her. I need him; even if he's broken, he's still the father I want and need. "Yeah, you've looked better but she's not going to care about that. She needs you, Mickey."
"Won't let us have razors here." Mickey explained, again without the stutter. Con wasn't surprised; Mickey was always more apt to stutter when he was emotionally connected to the subject he was talking about. "Guess I can't blame them. We see the barber once a month and it's not until next week."
"Let her see you, Mickey. She loves you and none of this other stuff matters to her."
"I…I…I'll s…s…scare h…h…her." The worry was evident in his voice. Con gave him a reassuring smile.
"Maybe but she's tough; she can handle seeing your wild and crazy appearance better than she can the pain your rejection causes her."
"Okay." He finally acquiesced. Not wanting to give him an opportunity to change his mind again, Con looked back at the guard and nodded to him. In no time, the door was opening and Riley was practically running into the room.
Mickey rose at her entrance, and in a second Riley was in his arms. It was on the tip of Con's tongue to warn him to watch her ribs, but then he stopped. He'd never seen a person hold someone the way he was currently seeing Mickey hold Riley. The tight grip Mickey had on the teenaged girl reminded Con of a drowning man desperately grasping hold to a life preserver but at the same time it was with such delicacy that you would expect to see someone caressing a priceless treasure. It was such a beautiful sight that it caused a lump to form in Con's throat.
After what seemed like an eternity and yet no time at all, Mickey released Riley to get a better look at her. He cupped her face lovingly in his hands; his thumb brushing gently against the bruise on her face. He winced at the injuries he was seeing before pulling her close to him again. He glanced at Con accusingly.
"Y…Y…you s…s…said she w…w…was okay."
Riley looked at her father, drinking in his image. "I'm fine, Dad. Just bruises. What about you? Are they treating you okay in here? I've missed you so much."
The guard in the room cleared his throat, obviously not happy with the prolonged contact. Mickey gave him a pleading look and the guard reluctantly flashed him two fingers letting him know he had two minutes. Mickey kissed her forehead and hugged her again. Then he reluctantly released her. He pulled one of the chairs on the other side of the table closer to his and gestured for her to sit down. He took hold of her right hand.
"I'm okay, Bug. The first few weeks were an adjustment but this isn't such a bad place. What about you? Con said you weren't happy with your grandparents."
Her right shoulder came up in a one-armed shrug. "Would you be happy with them?"
Now Mickey actually laughed out loud. It wasn't a usual sound for him, but Riley's wry sense of humor never failed to amuse him. "Point taken, Bug. Point taken. I'm so sorry, Riley. I should have never put you in this position. I wish I could go back and change things. Con says he wants me to fill out a form requesting that he be your guardian. I can do that but first tell me the truth; is that what you really want?"
"No."
Her immediate denial not only surprised Con but it also hurt him. He thought he'd gotten past her distrust of him. Mickey too looked surprised until Riley looked at him earnestly.
"What I really want is to live with you. Until that can happen though Uncle Con is the next best person I can think of."
Con felt better and realized he shouldn't have been surprised by her admission. Releasing his grip on her hand, Mickey reached over to Con and took the paper he'd offered him. He filled it out without comment and then handed it back to Con. Then he looked at Riley, reaching out to touch her cheek again. "You are so beautiful, so much like your mother. Should I be worried about the guys?"
She smiled, blushing slightly. "Dad. Don't worry; by the time the boys really start wanting to date me, you'll be out and you can check them out before you let me go out with them."
"Bug, you can't hold out hope on me. By the time they release me you'll probably be married with grandkids."
Riley shook her head. "No, Dad; it shouldn't be that long. Frank and Joe Hardy are investigating Mom's death. They already have a lead and…"
"NO!" Mickey's voice rose sharply causing the guard to take a couple of steps toward them. Con waved the guard off, letting him know that it was okay. Mickey took a deep breath before continuing at a calmer rate. "Sorry. No investigation. All they'll find is nothing but trouble for you. P…P…Please, Con. D…D…don't l…l…let them g…g…get i..i…involved."
Con shrugged. "Too late, Mickey; Joe's down the hall right now hoping to ask you some questions. You remember Fenton Hardy; his sons are just as persistent as he is, maybe even worse. I don't think I could stop them if I wanted to and with some of the questions they've already raised; I don't think I want to stop them."
Mickey opened his mouth to protest further but seeing the hopeful look on Riley's face he stopped. He growled in frustration. "Okay, I'll talk to him, alone."
Riley jumped out of her seat, hugging him tightly. The pain in her ribs didn't matter as much as being in close contact with her father. "Thank you, Daddy."
Knowing the guards were being lenient with time considerations, Con stood. "I'll give the two of you a couple more minutes alone while I go get Joe."
He walked back down to the warden's office. Joe stood up as Con entered. "How did it go?"
"He's not really happy about the two of your looking into the case but he's agreed to talk to you. Just remember, Joe, he's got issues. Pushing him won't get you the answers you want."
Joe nodded. "I'll take it easy on him. Don't worry."
"Don't worry. Yeah, I'll try that," Con agreed wryly.
When Joe entered the room, Riley rose from her chair to say goodbye to her father with a warm hug. She wanted to stay; she'd waited so long for this moment that she wasn't ready to end it. But she knew their time was limited and giving her allotted time to Joe might mean getting her father home quicker so they could have all the time in the world together. "Will you let me see you if I come back again?"
He had protested against seeing her for so long. Now that he'd given in and visited with her; he realized this brief time wasn't enough. If she wanted to see him, he wouldn't put her off any more. "Yeah, Bug. I'll see you."
The smile on her face warmed his heart as he took a mental picture of this moment. It would be an image he'd go back to later when he was feeling down about everything that had happened. She kissed his cheek and turned toward the door. She stopped when she got to Joe, speaking softly so no one but Joe could hear her.
"He stutters sometimes, really badly. It can be painful to listen to and the natural instinct is to finish his words for him. Don't do it. It'll only make him feel worse and it'll make the stutter even more pronounced. Be patient with him."
With a reassuring wink, Joe reached out and slightly squeezed her uninjured arm to let her know that everything would be fine. She gave her father one more look and then left the room. Joe walked to the table and sat down opposite the older man. "Thank you for seeing me, Sir."
"W…w…why are y…y…ou doing this?" Mickey questioned.
"Riley needs answers; my brother and I can find them. She believes you are innocent and I think she might be right. Want to make everything easier on all of us and just tell me what really happened that night?"
"I a…a…already d…d…did."
Joe watched him carefully. The older man wouldn't look him in the eye but he couldn't tell if that was a sign of a lie or just a byproduct of the man's mental illness. "I was hoping for the truth this time instead of the tale you've tried to make everyone believe."
"What did your dad tell you?" No hint of a stutter this time but Joe did hear the hard edge in his voice.
Joe wished he'd been able to talk to his father before coming to the prison but Fenton wasn't due back until later that day. "Not much; I've heard more about the case from Riley and Con. Is it possible that someone you were working for is responsible for Gina's death? Maybe the ones connected to the super blocked file on your website?"
Sweat beaded up on Mickey's forehead and Joe knew he's struck a nerve. "H…H…How d…d…did y…y…you k…k…know a…a…about t…t…that?"
"Riley showed it to us. We need the password."
Mickey shook his head, not willing to budge on that. Joe shrugged, willing to play to a hunch. "Okay, that's okay. It just would have been easier. You know, you taught Riley well. She's pretty good at all that hacking stuff and she's only gotten better at it since you've been in here. She's pretty sure she can get around your encryption program thingy but she'd rather have gone in the proper way."
Reaching for a piece of paper, Mickey wrote down a long complicated series of letters, numbers and symbols. He handed it to Joe with a hard glare. "Talk to your father. He'll tell you it's better to just leave things as they are."
