Daddy's Adorable Assassin (Daddy's Little Deviants)

I snagged my shirt from the back of the chair in the room and slipped it on. I was ready to go. Cosmo was already dozing off, looking like an angel. An angel that caused a ton of trouble. He was worth it, though. He was. I kissed his nose, and he scrunched it up as if it tickled.

“Be safe, Daddy.”

Such an odd thing for him to say.

“You too. You know the rules.” Especially the one about Agent Ellis.

“Yes, Daddy. I do.”

“Don’t disappoint me, sweetheart. I don’t want that man around you.”

He smiled lazily. “You’re so hot when you’re jealous.”

“Just don’t try to make me jealous on purpose.” I kissed his cheek. “Sleep in if you want, and for god’s sake, don’t touch the stove.”

I grabbed my car keys and wallet and headed out. The blue sedan parked across the street rubbed me the wrong way, but I ignored the urge to confront Ellis and warn him to leave Cosmo alone and do his job. That was a bit hypocritical.

At the police station, I first called Barney to let him know I was in. Then I went to speak with Dixon if he had any updates for me.

“You owe me a big, juicy steak, man,” he said when I walked into his office.

“You found something?”

“I think so.” He took up a folder on his desk and handed it to me. “I scoured the database of all the babies born in the year your friend would have been born.”

I flipped open the folder to six names.

“This is what you came up with? This can’t be right.”

“Those names remained after I crossed off the ones who didn’t fit the profile. Some of the kids are still with their parents. Of those six, two died, and there are death certificates to show they’re legitimately dead. Of the four left, two were reported missing. Now this is where it gets tricky.” He pointed at the name Finn Lawry. “I think we’ve found our guy right here. He was reported missing when he was two years old, but get this. The mother was found murdered. We never found the killer, but you worked on the case.”

“I did?”

“Yes, it’s one of the cold cases you have on your desk.”“Are you sure?” At his deadpan stare, I flushed. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to question you. This is amazing work, Dixon. You went far beyond what I expected.”

He gave me a card on which he’d scribbled a name and an address. “Figured I could save you the time, since this isn’t your field of expertise.”

“What’s this?”

“The mother of the deceased woman, Celeste Lawry ”

I read the name. Karen Lawry. She lived right here in the city.

“Seriously, man. You name the time and place, and that steak is yours.”