“Yeah,” Layne agreed, “and her husband used to be center on the football team, he’s no less solid twenty some years down the line but his devotion to wife and family, coupled with his gun collection, means you should not go there.”

“Can a man pay a woman a compliment?” Devin asked cantankerously and shrugged on a shirt.

“Sure,” Layne replied and Devin buttoned his shirt, his eyes locking on Layne.

“Well, now that we got all the heartwarming reunion shit outta the way, you run off what you got for me. I’m goin’ to the po-lice station to take a shower and I’ll want it ready when I get back.”

It was clear Devin took some time last night to get the lay of the land. He’d never been to the ‘burg but he knew where to get coffee and where the police station was, two things Devin Glover was sure to take note of on any assignment.

“Dev, no one knows you at the Station,” Layne reminded him. “You can’t waltz in there and take a shower. You can shower at my house.”

“Your house two blocks away?” Dev shot back.

Layne grinned at him. “No.”

“Be back,” Dev stated, grabbing his coat and hoofing it out the door.

Blondie barked at it.

Layne tagged the file and walked into his office, hitting the power button on his computer as he picked up the phone to call the Station and tell them a crotchety old man was going to stroll in like he owned the place and take a shower and their best play was to let him. Kath picked up at reception at the Station, Dev showed up while Layne was talking to her and she instantly agreed.

Layne went to his e-mail and found Merry’s intel about Astley and he also found that Natalie didn’t f**k around. As promised yesterday, she’d sent an e-mail with the names of people at work she thought might be able to help. She added addresses, phone numbers and copious commentary and she even made notes of who she’d already contacted to let them know someone would be calling them, helping out by making cold contacts warm. Checking the e-mail, Layne noted she’d sent it by eight o’clock last night and there were fifteen names on her list, eleven of them she’d already contacted.

Natalie, Layne had discovered yesterday, did not like Dr. Jarrod Astley, this e-mail was added proof and indication that she really did not like him.

He printed off the e-mails and put them in the file he’d created when he’d done his searches two weeks ago, making notes on the searches of what was probably now bogus due to Astley’s recent activities. He needed to start looking into TJ Gaines and he unfortunately didn’t have time to re-run Astley’s shit.

He’d begun work on Gaines, and was not liking what he was finding, when his cell rang. The display said “Colt Calling”.

“Layne,” he said after he put it to his ear.

“Hey Tanner, you busy today?”

“Yeah but what’s up?”

“Merry gave us the rundown on Stew. I got a guy you might wanna talk to.”

Layne sat back in his chair. “When?”

“I gotta go with you. He’s not fond of strangers,” Colt told him.

“Right. When?” Layne repeated.

“How’re you fixed to meet me at the Station at one?”

“I can do that,” Layne replied.

“Got it. See you then.”

“Later.”

Layne flipped his phone shut and Devin walked in carrying another cup from Mimi’s.

“That for me?” Layne asked.

Devin looked him in the eyes and took a sip, this being his answer.

Then he walked to the desk opposite Layne, held out his hand and grunted, “File.”

Layne grinned, picked up the Astley file, reached across the desk and gave it to Devin.

Devin weighed it with his hand moving up and down and asked, “How long you been workin’ this?”

“Haven’t really. There isn’t much there.”

Devin put his cup down on Layne’s desk and opened the file, his eyes skimming the paper on the top. “Rely too much on computers these days,” he grumbled.

“It’ll get you started.”

Devin looked at Layne. “How deep do you wanna bury this guy?”

“So deep he won’t remember what oxygen feels like.”

Devin studied him. Then he nodded, grabbed his cup and turned to go.

“Dev,” Layne called and Devin turned back. “Dinner, my house, be there at five thirty so I can introduce you to the boys and try to talk you into behaving yourself so my girl Rocky and my son’s girl Keira don’t run screaming into the night.”

Devin’s eyebrows shot to his hairline. “Only person I can be is me, boy.”

“Why don’t you try on a different personality for tonight?” Layne suggested.

“Women love me,” Devin shot back.

Layne grinned and muttered, “Right.”

“You wait and see, I’ll have them eatin’ outta my hands.”

“Just as long as you don’t try to do that literally.”

Devin grunted. Blondie, standing next to him looking up at him and likely wondering why he wasn’t petting her, barked. Devin glared at the dog and then he disappeared.

Layne chuckled and turned back to his computer.

An hour later he’d run through every scrap of information in TJ Gaines’s personnel file twice because he could not believe what he’d found and he’d printed it out. He’d also made some calls based on info from the file, typed up quick notes and printed those out too. He was in Mimi’s and Mimi was handing him his Americano when his phone rang.

The display said, “Raquel Calling”.

Seeing Rocky’s name on his phone, he made a decision, smiled at Meems, turned toward the door, flipped the phone open, put it to his ear and greeted her with, “Hey sweetcheeks.”

“Hey Layne. Did you run the searches?”

“Yep.”

“Well?” she asked when he said no more.

“You get a break?”

“Sorry?”

“Do you get a break, Rocky?” He walked through the door, gave a quick, sharp whistle and Blondie, waiting outside for him with her nose pressed to Mimi’s glass the entire time he was inside, likely wondering if Layne was getting her a seriously gourmet dog treat (Mimi’s coffees were great but her baked goods were so f**king fantastic, Layne wanted to watch Rocky eat one, guaranteed orgasm). Blondie wagged after him as he headed down the sidewalk to his SUV. “I wanna talk about what I found face to face,” Layne finished.