Read Online Cross & Crown by Abigail Roux - Free Book Online Page B

“Congratulations, you’re our newest special consultant.”
    Kelly grunted. “Are you serious?”
    “You have to promise the city you won’t sue if you die.”
    “How could I sue if I died?”
    “A paralegal,” Hagan said without looking up from his computer.
    Nick barked a laugh. Kelly rolled his eyes and yanked the pen from his hand, signing the consent form before either of them could make another joke.
    “What am I supposed to be specializing in?” Kelly asked.
    “Treasure hunting,” Nick answered, still grinning widely.
    “You’re insane. Seriously. Did you get checked out when they let you out of the Corps this time?”
    “No.” Nick put a hand on Kelly’s head as he slid off his desk. “Come with me.”
    “Are you… high?” Kelly muttered as he followed.
    “There may have been a little too much caffeine consumption this morning, but it’s evened out.”
    “You sure about that, bud?”
    Nick laughed and ushered Kelly into what appeared to be a break room. The man from last night, JD, was sitting on one of the sofas. He stood when they entered, shuffling nervously.
    Kelly went over to shake his hand. “How are you feeling?”
    “I’m good, thanks.”
    “Still no memory, though,” Nick added. He had his hand on the small of Kelly’s back, his fingers sliding beneath the belt. Kelly was almost positive he didn’t realize he was doingit. “We’re going to work on maybe trying to jog something loose. I was hoping you’d sit in with us.”
    Kelly took a seat beside Nick. He knew what Nick wanted him to do without Nick having to ask him: he was using Kelly as a lie detector test without letting JD in on the fact that they were testing him.
    Nick flopped a folder on the break room table and gestured for JD to sit with them. “Okay, I’m going to show you some pictures—just hold them up and then set them down. You don’t say anything, just let them sink in, okay?”
    JD nodded, glancing between them uneasily.
    Nick opened the folder and took the top photo. He held it for a few seconds, then laid it on the side of the pile. He went through several more, and Kelly focused on JD’s eyes. Whenever he thought he saw a glimmer of recognition or a reaction of any sort, he would tap Nick’s thigh beneath the table and Nick would lay that photo sideways.
    When they got through the whole pile, Nick separated them, taking only the photos he’d set down sideways. “Okay,” he said to JD, still smiling warmly. “This time if you get anything, let us know. Okay?”
    “Okay.”
    Nick held up the first few photos. Kelly couldn’t see what they were, but as he watched JD’s face, he could see the man struggling to remember. He’d figured out what they were doing. He knew the photos in this second round were somehow more important than the first. Kelly’s heart went out to him. He looked so lost and frustrated.
    On the fifth photo, JD held his hand out. “Stop,” he said urgently.
    Nick froze, holding the photo up as JD stared at it.
    “I’ve seen that,” JD whispered. He plucked the photo from Nick’s fingers and scowled at it. “This feels familiar to me. I know I’ve seen this before. What is this?”
    Nick glanced at Kelly, and suddenly he looked grim. He rested both elbows on the table and frowned at JD. “It’s one of the items that was stolen from the bookstore. We got the IDs an hour ago.”
    JD’s head shot up, his eyes widening.
    “It’s a brooch worn by a Revolutionary War soldier during the Battle of Bunker Hill. The owner’s daughter said it’d been in their family for over two-hundred years.”
    JD’s mouth worked silently, and he looked from the photo to Nick and back. “So since I recognize it… does this mean I stole it?”
    Kelly glanced at Nick, holding his breath when Nick met his eyes. Nick looked truly regretful. He joked about being the bad cop and how everyone here considered him a hard-ass, but Kelly knew better. Nick had the purest heart of anyone he’d