So when I run into Sully in the corridor outside Family Services, it feels almost illicit. I’m with Minerva and Morris—the three of us are on our way to visit the Floyds—and Sully’s with another cop, a young woman, who’s telling him a story about her weekend. He nods at me but has to keep listening to his colleague. We gather in two awkward rows at the elevators. I press the button, and we all wait for it to arrive.

“And so we didn’t get in until four a.m.!” the female cop says. “It was crazy. Who knew about this town?”

“Yup. It’s full of surprises,” Sully replies, then turns and opens the circle. “How are you doing, Alex? I haven’t seen you in a while. You okay?”

“We’re all great!” Minerva says as she shuffles forward an inch.

Sully ignores her. “Where’ve you been?” he asks. If I can hear the hurt in his voice, so can everyone else.

“Oh, here and there.”

I feel Minerva’s face blasting heat my way.

The elevator arrives, and the others stream inside. I’m about to follow Minerva in, but Sully grabs my arm.

“Can I talk to you for a second?” He draws me to the side. “Excuse us,” he says as the doors begin to close.

“I’ll catch up with you in a second,” I say to my team. The last thing I see before the doors shut completely is Minerva looking like she wants to slice me in half.

“Hi,” Sully says, once the others are gone. He’s so close to me I can smell the soap on his skin. “You haven’t replied to my texts.”

“I’m fine, I’ve just been …” I don’t even bother to finish the sentence. He’ll see right through it.

“I wanted to tell you I looked into those prison records for your sister like you asked.”

I debated taking Ruth at her word, but I couldn’t bring myself to, not when there’s a child involved. And after she told Chase about my spending time with Sully, I felt a little justified in doubting her.

Sully moves nearer to me again, most likely to be discreet, but his face is only inches from mine. It’s making my heart beat faster. “Her timeline matches. She was in jail for the period you asked about. She wasn’t lying.”

“I guess that’s something.”

“Yup. It looks like they went light on actual time served. Good behavior, probably, and it was her first offense.”

That they know of. “What about Hal Nightingale?”

“He’s bad news. A record as long as my arm.”

“I know.”

“But he died two years ago. Got himself in more trouble than he could handle.”