Chapter 17

"How'd you do?" Charlie asked Mika as she walked back into the Major Crimes Unit. Rex was in his usual spot watching the rest of the busy office.

"Well Richard is a peach. If he didn't have a hand in this, I'd like to find something to bust him for," she told him.

"That icky?" Charlie wondered.

"I need a shower. He thinks he's slick and so far, I think he's right. I could not get any DNA from the guy. He didn't want a drink; he didn't put his hands on the interrogation room table. I have forensics going over the room just in case but we may be dead in the water on that one," the Special Victims detective shook her head.

"William gave me DNA on a drink cup. Kelly is running it now," he told her.

"That's a bonus. You think he did it?" Mika wondered.

"I think that if Richard could convince Danny Bauman that he needed to bust into a place holding a gun, then I think he could convince his own cousin to lick an envelope," Charlie said.

"Why even hang out with this cousin if they haven't spent time together?" Mika asked.

"William said that Richard reached out because of the will. He also said that he didn't want anything to do with it. Figured his folks knew better," he told her. Mika nodded. This family had a lot of secrets.

"Oh, good you're here," Joe smiled as he exited his office. Charlie gave him a look and Mika did the same. There was a glass wall and door in Joe's office, he should have been able to see that.

"Yeah, we are. What's up?" Charlie asked.

"Mika, Lynn and I were just talking and I need you to help her get to victims' services. Get your take on her while you do," Joe said. Now Charlie was understanding. Lynn was sitting in the office and she could see what he was up to from there. Though it looked like she'd been using up most of Joe's tissues.

"You got it. Anything I should know?" She inquired.

"Family secrets. They are possibly worse than we think," he told her. This was more Mika's territory and the detective squared her jaw and headed into his office. She took Lynn out of Major Crimes and Charlie turned to Joe.

"You think she's making it up?" The detective wondered.

"She'd have a sick mind if she did. I can't wrap my head around why this was all kept secret," his boss admitted.

"Family secrets are some of the toughest to crack. There is usually a lot of fear involved. I think we need to focus on how Richard Moffat knew Danny Bauman," Charlie said.

"Yes, until we get the DNA back from the envelope," Joe nodded.

"I know you're talking about me," Jesse said. He hadn't turned around from his computer screen this whole time – completely absorbed in something. Charlie wasn't even sure that he noticed the equipment he'd set down on his desk after the interrogation of William.

"Yes, we are. What are you up to?" Charlie asked.

"I've been digging into the patient list that the judge so graciously agreed to letting us see," Jesse admitted.

"Nice! So, what do you have?" The elder detective wanted to know.

"Well for starters, Lynn Moffat is on this list. There's no way to tell if Richard drove Lynn to her appointments but even so that doesn't mean they never interacted. If you remember, Moffat coached hockey when his kids were younger. So, I dug deeper into the league, which is still running out of the Mount Pearl Ice Rink. Richard and Danny played hockey on the same team. Their connection goes back a ways so the question is – why now? Was Tim Watkins about to blow the whistle on something?" Jesse wondered.

"Joe, what exactly did she tell you?" Charlie turned his focus to his boss.

"She only alluded to knowing about what was going on in that house. Somehow though I don't think she was immune. She kept pulling at her sleeves like she was trying to hide something – almost like compulsive behavior. Honestly, I think she may have had issues with illegal substances."

"Tim Watkins took on tough cases, which meant he heard some terrible things. If Lynn were about to crack, it had to be more than just about her father. He was dead. Tim could not have made the hard decision to break confidentiality on that, but if there are ongoing problems with her brother…" Charlie gave them a look.

"Then Tim could call his concerns in and break confidentiality. Someone was in danger and he had a duty to protect them," Joe nodded.

"I think we found our motive," Jesse said.

"Yes, but how does William fit in?" Charlie wondered. No one answered his question as Kelly came in through the Major Crimes Unit doors.

"Guess whose DNA is on the envelope?" She asked.

"William's?" Charlie wondered.

"Oh, you're no fun," Kelly chuckled as she handed him the report.

"Bring him back in," Joe said. Charlie nodded and called for Rex to join him. The loyal dog hopped off his perch and followed him out the door of the unit. Charlie pulled out his phone on the way out of the building and called Sarah. He gave her a quick update before asking,

"You ready for round two?"

"Always," she couldn't help but chuckle, despite it being a bad idea.

"I'll be back after the interrogation," he promised.

"Solve the case, Charlie. I'm not going anywhere," she told him.

"I know. I love you," he said as he helped Rex into the car before hopping into the driver's seat.

"I love you too. Give my love to Rex," Sarah said. The German Shephard barked in the background.

"He loves you too," Charlie chuckled.

To Be Continued…