Izzy stood in his living room and thought about her response. “I know hiring a private investigator might seem a bit extreme, but after giving it more thought, I realized I needed help.” She had not consulted Aiden before she made the decision to hire the PI because she knew he might push back against it, thinking the two of them could do it all on their own. But she figured it was best to outsource this to a professional if she really wanted to dig deep. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner, but I was waiting to see if he actually turned up anything.”

Aiden crossed his arms. “Well, I assume the fact that we’re having this conversation means he did find something, right?”

She could tell he was a little ticked off at her, but he was so even-tempered that he didn’t really show it. And for that she was appreciative. “Here’s the deal. The PI examined the sergeant’s entire social media presence and went even deeper than that, following up on all his connections and interactions. Even though the sergeant had a lot of privacy settings on some sites, some of his connections did not, which allowed the PI to get to them.”

Aiden raised an eyebrow. “Don’t leave me in suspense.”

“The PI believes the sergeant had relationships with a couple of women who were quite a bit younger than he was. I’ve gotten both of their names, and I’m going to go talk to them.”

Aiden’s expression softened. “Izzy, has it occurred to you that you might not find the answers you want? Maybe these relationships were purely consensual.”

Yes, she had thought about it, but she at least had to check it out. “We have to run down every lead. If it’s as you say, then fine, I’ll move on. But given the conversation I had with Alicia, I think there’s going to be a pattern here. Powerful men like this don’t normally have just one victim. If my hunch is right, there might be a whole host of people who had a motive to hurt the sergeant.”

Aiden nodded. “Yeah, I guess you’re right about that. What can I do to help?”

“This is something I need to do on my own. I’m actually going to meet one of the ladies in a few minutes. It’ll be better if it’s one-on-one, just like I did with Alicia.”

He hung his head. “I feel so useless right now, but there’s nothing I can do to help you.”

That was the furthest thing from the truth. “Aiden, you just being you helps me more than you know. You’re always there for me, and you’re my rock during this difficult time.”

“I just wish I could be more useful. Do you need a ride to wherever you’re going?”