He glared at me. “Look at my leg,” he snapped as he tugged up his pant leg and showed me the dark, knotted mass of flesh that remained even after all the surgeries. “This is what happens when you mess around going after mobsters. And I was the lucky one, unlike my partner, who’s six feet deep and rotting in a pine box,” he snapped. “So when I say no, I mean no. Find a different way to make detective. I’m not helping you.”

My face grew hot as my jaw tightened. “Why do I ever expect you will?” I snapped back. “You didn’t help back then, and you don’t help now. Let’s be honest; the only thing you care about is yourself.”

“You have five seconds to get out of my presence before I knock you on your ass.”

We stared each other down, but I was the first one to cave. I turned on my heels, cursing myself out as I walked away like a little punk. I moved to the door, and my mother cut off my retreat.

“Oh, don’t leave, Tex,” she said softly. “I know your father’s cranky, but that’s just because of his leg,” she said, trying to reassure me. She reached out and rubbed my back. “Won’t you stay for dinner? Maybe spend the night for once.”

My heart clenched, and shame settled on my shoulders. I felt bad not staying around for her, but I couldn’t stand being around him. On top of everything else, he’s robbing me of my mother. The thought made the heat rise in my chest again. I glanced toward the living room.

“Sorry, Mom, but I’m working a lot lately,” I said, which wasn’t a complete lie. “I can’t stay the night. Maybe we can grab something to eat one day.”

Her smile faltered, but she pulled it back into place. “Ah, okay,” she said, lifting her head and shaking off the sadness I saw in her eyes.

“Kate!” my dad bellowed, swallowed by a litany of swears.

“I better help him. He’s probably ready for his nap,” she dusted her hands off on her apron and pointed a finger at me. “Do not leave until I finish your sandwich.”

I smiled at her. “Okay, Mom.”

She jogged to the living room and cooed to calm my father’s irritated tirade. I could hear them traveling up to the second floor and shook my head. The old man was too stubborn to downsize and get a house with one story, so, of course, it was mom’s responsibility to help him out.

The sound of their footsteps faded as they went to the bedroom. I took the opportunity to jog down the basement stairs and walked to his office. The door was locked, but a quick walk over to the shelves and a dig around in the jars and I found the key. He always thought it was such a clever spot.

I slid the key inside the lock and let myself into his office. There were stacks of files in boxes, but the most important ones were in the filing cabinet. Out of the two of us, he was the organized one and as much as I hated that shit when I was younger, right now I was grateful for it. I opened a drawer, flipped through the files and found the one I was looking for.