As he lowers himself into her seat, and pours over the evidence before him her words echo in his head. He questions if he should apply a dunce cap for not seeing the obvious sooner. He dives head first down the rabbit hole.
The sound of Kenny clearing his throat in the doorway jars Aiden from a restless sleep atop Vera's desk. He peels the page from his face as he regroups into a sitting position.
"Have you cracked the case?"
"Our fearless leader has cracked the case, as per usual."
"Any leads you want me to follow up on?"
"No, I've got it covered."
"I did brew a fresh pot of coffee. I can bring you the pot… and a straw."
"That pretty much sums it up."
"Boss rang in, and said she is ill. She asked me to contact Maggie's bank and see if she had a safe deposit box."
"Did she?"
"Aye."
Aiden consumes his body weight in coffee, and then speeds off to Maggie Wilson's bank. A obese, middle-aged male bank employee retrieves the safe deposit box for Aiden. Aiden opens the box to find an envelope with his superior's name on it. The bank employee hovers over the table where Aiden has perched himself atop the aluminum chair with the envelope.
"Certainly I need not remind you this is a murder inquiry, and I do not require your presence."
The balding branch manager wearing a white button down with a button missing nods, and exits the room. Aiden carefully sifts through the pages. When he is finished he carefully secures them in the envelope for transit to the office.
Outside the station the manila envelope of information taunts him from the passenger's seat. As he sits in the car he carefully contemplates his next move. The mobile in his jacket pocket begins vibrating furiously. He feels a sense of relief, followed by a wave of anxiety as Vera's number illuminates the screen.
"Boss please give me some guidance."
"I cannot in any official capacity offer you guidance, Aiden."
"I am not asking for professional guidance. Your hunch was right. Maggie had a safe deposit box. She had obtained all of the records Hazel Wilson left for her in regards to her adoption. I have reason to believe that Micah O'Rourke's son, James had motive to kill Maggie Wilson. There was a series of email exchanges between the two of them. Apparently she was overseeing a campaign for one of their businesses when she came to realize they were engaging in a host of criminal activities. There was a letter detailing how she put all of the pieces together. She was in fear for her life. There as a plane ticket to Houston, Texas in the envelope. It seems that she owned rental properties in Houston, and she had been given permission to work remotely. Boss I can't bring Jimmy O'Rourke in for questioning without revealing too many details. I can't sell his motive without revealing the truth."
"A little girl is rendered motherless because of this. The pursuit of justice outweighs any sense of duty to protect a reputation."
"Ma'am, are you sure? There are other channels I have access to."
"And every one of those is beneath you," the line goes silent.
He enters the squad room with the manila envelope tucked beneath his arm. His colleagues watch him as he moves toward them with his head hanging, as if he has just been gutted. Kenny spins in his direction as he passes his desk.
"The look on your face suggests your lead didn't pan out."
"I know who murdered the victim," Aiden reveals in a solemn tone as he places a picture on the board. They begin to gather nearby.
"Why the long face?" Jack questions.
Kenny studies the photo on the white board, "Jimmy O'Rourke? That is Micah O'Rourke's lad. What has he got to do with any of this? The lot of them are despicable characters, and they certainly have a penchant for crime. I am unaware of any connection to the victim."
"Maggie Wilson was in charge of a marketing campaign for O'Rourke motors. As we have heard from everyone that knew Maggie, she was an upstanding human being. She worked hard, she volunteered, and she was a doting mother. By all accounts she was an incredible human being with scruples. There are emails between Maggie, and James O'Rourke that clearly outline that she would not represent him because of his ties to criminal activities. In fact Maggie was planning on ousting his entire operation."
"What emails? There weren't any emails from her work, or personal account," Jack recalls.
"She used a fake name to sign up for a free account."
"How did Maggie know about the O'Rourke family, and their criminal activity? To my knowledge all of them have kept their noses clean since Micah O'Rourke was released from prison."
"Jack do you recall how chatty the neighbor was?"
"Yes," Jack confirms.
"Apparently Maggie Wilson has always been an enthusiast of mysteries. She knew about the history of the O'Rourke family because there was a copy of a case file in her adoption packet."
Kenny furrows his brow, "Aiden, what are you talking about? Why would there be a case file?"
"It was the case file on Micah O'Rourke. There was enough evidence to put him away for life," Aiden continues, undeterred.
"He only served ten years, it was a crying shame," Kenny points out.
"I believe the thumb drive in this envelope will list over forty years of corruption, and criminal activity."
"Aiden! What is the connection?" Mark growls.
"Micah O'Rourke is Maggie Wilson's biological father. That is why the case file was included. It was to protect Maggie in case the truth ever came to light."
"Was he listed on the birth certificate?" Jack inquires.
"No. The birth mother did not list him on the birth certificate."
Mark chimes in, "How do you know? The adoption records were destroyed years ago."
"There were copies of records retained by the birth mother, as well as the adoptive parents," Aiden admits.
"How did you track them down? Are you saying you've already spoken to the birth mother?"
"She's the one who gave me the lead."
Without a word Kenny retires to his seat. Jack, and Mark eye Aiden suspiciously.
