“Is something wrong?”
“No, I forgot I had dinner reservations with Leslie.”
Oh no. I was wrecking his plans, so I stood and pulled him to his feet. “Go. Please. I don’t want anyone else’s night ruined. I’ll be fine. Promise.”
“Sydney.”
I waved away his concern. It would be nice to have some time to myself in order to get my thoughts together. “No, please go. I’m going to go to bed. I’ll be fine. I need some time alone to process.”
Finally, Wesley relented. “Okay, I’ll go, but if you need anything, call me.”
“I will. Scouts honor.” I gave a little salute.
Wesley walked to the door and opened it partially, but before he left, he looked back at me. “If you want me to have an IT person look at the jump drive before we turn it in, I can arrange that.”
“Thanks, Wesley. Let me have a few minutes to think. But I’ll turn it in with you as my lawyer.”
“Good.”
Wesley pulled the door completely and then took a step back in surprise. “Oh, Officer Murphy, I didn’t realize you were there.”
“Yeah. That happens.” The words were stiff and further fueled my
aggravation. Why is he being a jackass to Wesley?
Wesley looked back at me, asking silently if I was okay, and I nodded. He allowed Mike to enter the room and then he left.
The irritation and antagonism between Mike and me were palpable. Our stances were stiff and angry. I crossed my arms over my chest and refused to say anything.
Mike finally broke the silence. “What jump drive, Syd?”
So, he had heard. “I’m not accountable to you, Officer Murphy.”
I felt bad knowing my words hurt him. He shook his head and ran his hand through his hair. “What is your problem?”
“My problem? My problem? You can’t be serious. Because I involved you in this, I had to turn over everything today. Things my grandfather had left me. In. His. Will. You and I both know something far deeper than we could have imagined is happening. And we just handed over evidence that we need to solve this. Who knows if these Alchemists have moles in the police department. The police haven’t been able to solve anything for years. I might have a chance to figure it out. Finally know what happened to Vickie.”
I took a deep breath, feeling more worked up than I’d been before.
“Fucking hell. There is a dead body. It takes precedence over your little scavenger hunt.”
It felt like he’d slapped me. “That dead body was my best friend! Of course I know this is more than a scavenger hunt, you asshole. I would have told the police at some point.”
“Like the jump drive?” he countered.
I pressed my lips together. I shouldn’t have taken it, but I was too emotional and overly worked up. I was growing even more pissed, and so was Mike.
“So, what are you saying, Syd?”