Names, dates, DOBs, addresses. Still on the line with Jack, she jogged up the stairs to change into work clothes and apologize to Cooper for postponing their date.
âAnna, one more thing,â Jack said. âThis is a sensitive case. Emilyâs father is the president of Tower University. Dylan belongs to Beta Psi, a college fraternity in the Skull-and-Bones tradition. Four U.S. presidents were alumni, along with countless senators and CEOs. People are already making calls. These are the big boys. Handle them with care, and watch your back.â
âGot it.â
Sheâd prosecuted congressmen, street gangs, serial rapists. She could handle a bunch of frat boys.
3
B y the time Anna changed into a black pantsuit, FBI Agent Samantha Randazzo had arrived at Cooperâs house. As Anna jogged down the steps, Cooper was letting the agent into the foyer. Samâs eyes scanned the house in wonder. It was an old lumber baronâs mansion, rehabbed by Cooper till it shone with its former glory.
âSam!â Anna rushed down the steps and hugged her friend. âYouâre still in town.â
âItâs gonna take some time to wrap up the Upperthwaite investigation,â Sam said, hugging her back. âGlad to get the old team back together. What is this place?â
âDetroitâs best hope,â Anna said. âFBI Agent Samantha Randazzo, meet Cooper Bolden, my . . . friend.â
âNice to meet you.â Samantha sized up Cooper with the same sharp eye sheâd focused on his house. Cooper gave the women two portable mugs filled with steaming coffee.
âYou know the way to an agentâs heart,â Sam said.
Anna gave Cooper a chaste kiss, conscious that she was doing it in front of Sam, who had been invited, then uninvited, to her wedding with Jack.
âGood luck,â Cooper said. Heâd been calm and understanding when she told him that Jack asked her to work this case. Of course you have to help, heâd said. He hadnât questioned the wisdom of working with the man sheâd tried so hard to get over.
A knock at the front door interrupted their good-bye. On the front stoop was a big man whose powerful arms were covered in tattoos. His nose had been broken, more than once, and a scar crossed his chin. He wore a leather motorcycle jacket and held up a tiny pink tutu. âWonât this look adorable on Leigh?â
âHi, Grady,â Anna said. âJodyâs in the living room.â
âThanks.â
Grady kissed Annaâs cheek, shook Cooperâs hand, and walked through the house. Anna was glad to see Leighâs father here. Jody deserved a good time on a Saturday nightâand the baby deserved a chance to get to know her daddy. Grady was a bartender whose one-night stand with Jody had led to Leigh. Heâd only recently learned that he was the father. When Jody was pregnant, facing years in jail, she desperately wanted her baby to go to Anna, and Anna only. Jody hadnât told Grady about her pregnancy. He learned when he saw her sitting in the courtroom cradling a huge belly. The new parents were still getting to know each otherâat a much slower pace than theyâd started.
Cooper took Annaâs coat from the rack and held it up. She slipped her arms into it, thanked him again for understanding, then stepped out with Sam into the chill of the night.
A black Durango with federal government plates was parked on the driveway. Anna climbed into the passenger seat, while Sam got behind the wheel. Although Anna was sorry to bail on Cooper, she welcomed the sense of getting back in the saddle, the opportunity to make a difference. There was nothing she liked more than heading out with a good agent and trying to set the world right.
âWhatâve we got so far?â she asked.
Sam steered the big truck onto the street and pointed to an iPad on the console. âTwo surveillance videos. Why is