My Sister's Grave (Tracy Crosswhite, #1)(44)

“Well, whoever he is, he seems intent on making this difficult for you. Manpelt loves the personal shit.”

“I appreciate the heads-up, Billy. Sorry I snapped.”

“What’s the word on the Hansen case?”

“We’re coming up empty.”

“That’s a problem.”

“I know.”

Williams pulled open the door. “Promise me you’ll play nice.”

“You know me.”

“Yeah, that’s what I’m afraid of.”



The phone on her desk did indeed ring, and later that afternoon Tracy was last to enter the conference room she’d been summoned to. The very fact that she’d been invited to the gathering was unusual. Normally Williams would simply inform her of any decisions made by upper management. She figured Nolasco wanted her there to call her out in front of Williams and Laub and otherwise run around the room pissing on chairs.

Nolasco stood on one side of the table with Bennett Lee from the Public Information Office. Lee wouldn’t be present unless Nolasco was expecting Tracy to approve a statement for the media. She was going to disappoint him. It certainly wasn’t the first time she had over the years and likely would not be the last. She stepped to the side of the table with Williams and Laub.

“Detective Crosswhite, thanks for joining us,” Nolasco said. “Do you know why you’re here?”

“Can’t say I do.” She played the game because she did not want to reveal that Williams had tipped her off. They all took their seats. Lee had a notepad on the table, pen in hand.

“We got a call from a reporter requesting a comment for a story she’s working on,” Nolasco said.

“Did you give Vanpelt my direct line?”

“Excuse me?”

“Vanpelt called my direct line. Is she the reporter requesting a comment?”

Nolasco’s jaw stiffened. “Ms. Vanpelt is under the impression you are assisting an attorney trying to obtain a new trial for a convicted killer.”

“Yeah, that’s what she said.”

“Can you enlighten us?” Now in his late fifties, Nolasco remained lean and in good physical condition. He parted his hair down the middle. A few years back he’d started dying it an odd shade of brown, almost like rust, which stood out even more because it was a different color from the natural shade of his wedge-shaped mustache. Tracy thought he looked like an aging porn star.

“It isn’t complicated. Even a hack like Vanpelt has the basic facts correct.”

“What facts are those?” Nolasco asked.

“You already know them,” she said. Nolasco had been one of the initial screeners of Tracy’s application for admittance into the Academy. He’d also been present at her oral board exams when the board had asked about her sister’s disappearance. Tracy had been forthright in her application and that interview.

“Not everyone here does.”

She fought not to let him get under her skin and turned to face Laub and Williams. “Twenty years ago my sister was murdered. They never found her body. Edmund House was convicted on circumstantial evidence. Last month they found my sister’s remains. The forensics at the grave site conflict with evidence offered at House’s trial.” She avoided specifics, not wanting Nolasco to share any information with Calloway or Vanpelt. “His attorney has used that conflict to file a motion for post-conviction relief.” She returned her focus to Nolasco. “So, are we finished here?”

“Do you know the lawyer?” Nolasco asked.

Tracy felt herself getting angrier. “It’s a small town, Captain. I knew everyone growing up in Cedar Grove.”

“There’s an indication you’ve been conducting your own investigation,” Nolasco said.

“What indication would that be?”

“Have you been conducting your own investigation?”

“I’ve had doubts about House’s guilt since they first arrested him.”

“That doesn’t answer my question.”

“Twenty years ago I questioned the evidence that led to House’s conviction. It made some people in Cedar Grove less than happy with me, including the Sheriff.”

“So you have been conducting an investigation,” Nolasco said.

Tracy knew what he was driving at. Using her official position on a personal investigation would be grounds for a reprimand and perhaps suspension.

“Define ‘investigation.’?”

“I think you’re familiar with the term.”

“I’ve never used my official position as a homicide detective, if that’s what you’re asking. Anything I’ve done has been on my own time.”

“So it’s an investigation?”

“More like a hobby.”

Nolasco lowered his head and rubbed his brow, as if fighting a headache. “Did you facilitate an attorney’s access into Walla Walla to meet with House?”

“What did Vanpelt tell you?”

“I’m asking you.”

“Maybe you should just tell me the facts and save everybody a lot of time.”

Williams and Laub cringed. Laub said, “Tracy, this isn’t an inquisition.”

“Sounds like one, Lieutenant. Do I need a union rep here?”