“Did you see anything or anyone suspicious? Anyone who maybe shouldn’t have been there? Did you hear anything?” When Everton looked up at him, Sloane knew they were back to square one. How was it possible for a Therian to murder a Human with so many other Therians under the same roof and have them not sense anything?
“I’m really sorry, Agent Brodie, I was only there to work. I wasn’t paying much attention to anything else.”
“Why were you hiding?”
Everton stared at him as if the answer was obvious. “I saw the news. The moment they said they were looking for an Unregistered Felid, I knew what was going on. Even if I was innocent, I couldn’t show up here and say so. Not that it made a difference in the end.”
“Why Greenpoint?”
“I live there,” Everton replied, his head hanging in shame.
“With your family?” Sloane asked, not surprised that a family would be living in a hostile place like Greenpoint, but that Everton would have his there. The guy was already risking so much for them. The thought saddened him. Everton was simply another Therian child the world had never wanted, discarded, and forced to fend for himself whatever way he knew how while he tried to understand what he could possibly have done wrong to deserve such a fate.
“God no.” Everton shook his head, looking horrified by the suggestion.
“Everything I earn goes to my family, to keep them somewhere safe, with food, clothes, and education for my kids. I’d die before I let them end up at Greenpoint. It’s filled with Therians who refuse to acknowledge their Human side. Sometimes I wonder if they have any Humanity left in them.”
“Thank you, Lloyd.” Now that the interview was over, came the even shittier part. Sloane mulled it over in his head, his gaze falling on Everton. He knew what Everton’s reply would be, but he made the effort regardless. “I don’t suppose it’ll do much to give you an extended period to register?”
Everton gave him a sad smile. “Thank you, but no.”
“Okay.” Sloane turned to Ash. “Hand me the TIK.” He took the black band from Ash and stepped up to Everton with an apologetic smile. “I need a sample of your DNA and confirmation of your classification. You’ll need to be held until the lab confirms the blood found on Mr. Ortiz isn’t yours.” Sloane slipped the cuff around Everton’s arm, tapped in his thumbprint passcode and started the scanning procedure. “If you’re cleared of all charges, you’ll be released and given a week to register. I can’t guarantee there will be a next time, Lloyd.”
“Thank you.” Everton put his hand over Sloane’s and smiled warmly at him. “You’re a good guy.”
Sloane couldn’t bring himself to say anything. He nodded and finished the analysis before removing the TIK with Everton’s full details and handing it to Ash. When he spoke, his voice was rougher than intended. “Agents Keeler and Guerrera will escort you to the holding cell.”
Ash and Letty took their positions on either side of Everton and with a final nod of thanks from Everton, they silently escorted him from the truck. Sloane hoped that spending some time in the holding cell might make Everton change his mind. Maybe if he got a glimpse of what his future could be, he’d think about his family and decide they were more important. Sacrifices had to be made by everyone, Sloane was fully aware. He’d made plenty of his own throughout his life. There was no point bemoaning what could have been.
Sloane had been given a second chance, and if he had to play the game in order to make the most of that chance, then so be it.
“What now?” Cael asked softly.
“Now, we wait for the lab results on Ortiz and pray something comes up. We have to solve this case. There’s something we’re missing.”
“Well, in the meantime, why don’t you all take the rest of the night off,” Maddock said, heading for the end of the truck. “I’ll let you know about the DNA results as soon as we’ve got them, as well as anything new. Lieutenant Sparks is trying to get the Chief of Therian Defense to prioritize all our lab work. He wants this case solved as quickly as we do, so I suspect we’ll be granted approval. Calvin, Hobbs, my office. Sloane, park the BearCat and lock up, then hit the showers with everyone else.”
“Yes, sir.” Sloane stepped to one side as Calvin and Hobbs wordlessly followed their sergeant. It looked like Maddock was going to deal with their teammates himself. Sloane didn’t know what had prompted Calvin to break formation like that. It wasn’t like him to be so reckless. Sloane addressed Rosa and Cael. “You two go ahead and brief Intel, and then hit the showers. We’ll take care of the truck.” Sloane closed the doors after Rosa and Cael, securing them before making his way to the front cabin and addressing Dex. “You can unload your equipment into one of the cages and stick your vest in your locker.”
“Okay, thanks.”
Sloane climbed into the driver’s side while Dex put away his rifles, backpacks, and most of his other equipment, leaving his thigh rig and tac vest on. Sloane had Dex bolt the door behind him when he walked into the cabin. As soon as Dex was in the passenger seat and buckled up, Sloane got them moving.
“They gonna be okay?” Dex asked solemnly.
“Who? Calvin and Hobbs?”
“Yeah.”
“You know your dad. He’ll scare the shit out of them, and make sure they know they fucked up, especially since they put his kid in danger.”
“Maybe I should have a word with him,” Dex said with a frown, slouching in his seat as Sloane drove the BearCat up the ramp that led to the parking garage.
“Not a good idea, Rookie.”
“I don’t want him giving me special treatment because we’re family,” Dex replied irritably.
“First of all, he’s not giving you special treatment. No one thinks that. Maddock treats you the same as everyone else. But if someone stupidly puts your life at risk, he’s going to pull a combo move of pissed off sergeant and enraged dad. There’s no way around that. He’s the same with Cael. You think your dad goes easy on Cael? If anything, he’s harder on him, but he does it because he wants his boys safe. You’re lucky, Rookie. Most of us never had that.”