“Where are we headed?”

“To talk to McCafferty’s uncle and then CPS.”

“I hate CPS.”

Matt wasn’t surprised. He knew Michael had a dicey childhood.

“Andy Knolls contacted them this morning and I need to light a fire under them. Tony Greer is expediting a warrant for CPS records, but I don’t have it in my hot little hands yet. I’m hoping by the time we’re done with the uncle, we’ll have it.”

The entire reason Matt wanted to meet with Charlie McCafferty’s uncle was to make sure he had had no cause or inclination to kill Banks or any of the others. Almost immediately upon meeting him, Matt crossed him off the list. He was retired and babysitting his three young grandchildren. His wife was baking cookies. He had pictures of his family everywhere—four kids, seven grandchildren, and his sister and her family including Charlie from years ago, plus recent photos of Charlie and his family.

Not that a close, happy family would preclude someone from murder, but after a five-minute conversation, Matt didn’t think the uncle had it in him. He got the sense that a lawyer had convinced the family to sue after the accident, and the uncle regretted that decision.

“I was grieving and I wanted someone to blame. I just didn’t realize how my actions impacted Charlie. He had to keep reliving the accident, talking about it, and it wasn’t helping him. I was relieved when the judge threw it out, because if he didn’t, that would have meant more years of stress on Charlie. I think the lawsuit was one of the reasons he decided to go to college on the East Coast, and I blame myself for that.”

His wife came over and put her hand on his shoulder. “Don’t, honey. Charlie needed to start fresh.” She smiled at Matt. “We go out there for a visit every fall now. Charlie doesn’t like to visit here. He came in for Karen’s wedding—they were always so close. It hurts, but we don’t want him to have to relive the accident. Going to Boston was good for him, and that’s where he met Megan. It was meant to be.”

Matt thanked them for their time and left.

He called Tony on his way to CPS. “I need that warrant. You know how these bureaucrats are.”

“I’m getting there. I’ll email it as soon as I have it.”

Matt hung up.

“Not good news?” Michael asked.

“He’s working on it. Let’s see what we can get without it.”

Michael drove to the county administration building where Child Protective Services was located. He was quiet, but Matt didn’t intrude. Michael had a tough childhood in Chicago and the Navy had saved his life. Matt knew this from the personnel file, not because Michael talked about it. He’d been in and out of foster care from the time he was nine until he enlisted.

Fortunately, the warrant came through as Matt was talking to the director. And because Andy Knolls had paved the way, CPS had already started researching the file. Matt didn’t have the kid’s first name, but with his father’s name they were able to pull up the records digitally.