Touch of Red (Tracers #12)(59)

“Those child fingerprints,” Rachel said. “Will they hold up in court? I’m not familiar with the technology.”

“IR microspectroscopy,” Brooke said. “Basically, you use infrared light to visualize the print. The technology is fine. That’s not the problem.”

The prosecutor leaned back. “What is the problem?”

“Well . . . everything.” Brooke looked at Ric, hoping for support. His expression was unreadable, so she turned back to Rachel. “Based on the location of the prints, and the time frame they were left there, it’s probable the child was at the crime scene at the time of the murder. He’s potentially an eyewitness, and as such, he’s in grave danger.” She looked at Ric. “Did you tell her about the shooting last night?”

“Attempted shooting,” the lieutenant said. “The boy wasn’t hurt, and we haven’t established who the target was.”

“But—”

“The fingerprints,” Rachel said, cutting Brooke off. “Are they solid enough for court? I understand these prints don’t exist anymore, so I need to make sure our documentation is impeccable if we intend to use them.”

“Everything’s solid. I’ve got plenty of photographs and they’re all time-stamped. But, again, that isn’t the issue here. Cameron Spence is eleven years old. This whole ordeal has been traumatic for him, and we’re not even certain he knows anything—”

“He knows plenty.” Rachel looked at Reynolds. “Isn’t that what the child psychologist said? The boy seems scared, but underneath all that, he’s hiding something?”

“That’s a theory,” Brooke said. “It’s not an established fact. Maybe he didn’t see anything, but regardless, a close friend of his family is dead, and this child is going through a trauma right now, and the last thing he needs is to get pulled into this case.”

“I understand your concern,” Rachel said, “but I at least want to talk to him. We need to base this investigation on usable evidence, which means something that isn’t going to get tossed out by a judge. We need to sit him down with a sketch artist and see what he’s got.”

Brooke’s chest tightened. “I don’t recommend that at all.”

The prosecutor quirked an eyebrow. “Is that right?”

“That’s right.”

Rachel smiled. “Well, we appreciate your input on the forensic evidence.” In other words, she didn’t give a shit what Brooke thought about the rest of it. “Thank you for taking the time to come by,” she added pointedly.

Seething with frustration, Brooke stood up. She shot a look at Ric before exiting the conference room and pulling the door shut behind her.

The bull pen was bright and crowded, and Brooke stood still for a moment to compose herself. She thought of Cameron being hauled in here for an interview and felt sick to her stomach.

Callie strode into the bull pen, followed closely by Sean. Brooke’s heart did a flip-flop in her chest as his gaze homed in on her. He crossed the sea of cubicles, and the intense look in his eyes told her something big had happened.

“What are you doing here?”

“I . . .” She cleared her throat. “Rachel asked me to come in and go over the fingerprint evidence.” Brooke studied his face. “What happened?”

“A lot.”

Callie stopped beside them. “We’re in the conference room, Sean.”

He didn’t even acknowledge the comment as Callie walked off. He was too busy staring down at Brooke.

“Come here.” Sean took her hand and pulled her into a break room. It was empty, luckily. Brooke tugged her hand free.

“We’ve had some new developments.” Sean rested his hands on his hips.

“Is this about the body at the lake?”

“You heard about it?”

“Just what was on the news.”

He gazed down at her, and she realized he wasn’t going to tell her more because she wasn’t officially involved in that case.

She huffed out a breath. “You need to talk to Rachel. You need to convince her to leave Cameron alone. She wants to sit him down with a sketch artist.”

“I know.”

“Sean. Think what could happen. He could end up dragged into a trial.”

“He might not have to testify. We may just need the sketch to help get an ID.”

Brooke’s stomach clenched. “Are you hearing yourself?”

“What?”

“You were there last night! You saw him in the hospital, for God’s sake.”

“And?”

“And I can’t believe I’m the only one concerned about this boy’s safety.”

“That’s not true, and you know it.”

The muscle in his jaw bunched, and she could tell she’d struck a nerve. Good. She wanted him as pissed off about this as she was. Maybe he’d stand up to the damn prosecutor.

“A sketch is a tool for investigators,” he said. “It doesn’t mean he’s going to trial or that he’s going to be dragged into anything.”

“You sound like Rachel.”

“Rachel’s right. I’m right.” He raked his hand through his hair. “Look, I hear what you’re saying, but you’re not used to seeing cases from this angle. This is a homicide investigation, and we need to use every lead available to close in on a suspect and get that person into custody.”