Free Fatal Exposure by Gail Barrett Page B

through the file. He read articles about the C.I.D. chief. The groundbreaking ceremony at High Rock Camp. Interviews with Hoffman about his stepdaughter. His public pleas for her to come home. Photos of him receiving awards the camp had won. A photo op with Senator Riggs.
    An hour later, his head pounding with a vengeance, Parker shoved the file aside. He leaned back in his chair and massaged his eyes, unable to deny the facts. The evidence supported Hoffman’s allegations about Brynn. She had a volatile history. She’d run away, resisted everyone’s efforts to help her and refused to tell the truth. All the experts agreed.
    And everything Parker knew about Hoffman backed that evidence up. He waged a tireless war on crime. His reputation was superb. He’d even fought for additional funding to beef up this homicide cold case squad, determined that no murder, no matter how old, would remain unsolved. And no one had done more than he had for at-risk youth.
    Whereas Brynn...
    Parker opened his eyes on a sigh. She’d obviously concealed the truth from him. To be fair, she probably didn’t know he worked for her stepfather. Parker’s business card only listed his rank—detective—not the office where he worked. And even if she nosed around, asking questions, no one would give that information out. But she knew her stepfather ran that camp. He’d founded the place for her sake! So why hadn’t she told him that?
    Unless she had a hidden agenda...
    He stilled. Was that what this was about? Was she using him to carry out a personal vendetta against the Colonel? Was she investigating that Walker girl’s death, hoping to uncover some sort of wrongdoing that would bring her stepfather down?
    And what if she was? Could he honestly help her damage the Colonel’s career? Hoffman had supported him, giving him a chance to prove himself when he was a rookie, despite his father’s crimes. How could Parker betray that trust?
    Feeling manipulated from both sides, he slipped the file folder into his desk, snapped off his desk lamp and rose. Then he stalked through the nearly empty office, his heavy footsteps echoing in the gloom.
    He knew what he should do. He should tell Hoffman the truth—that he’d already located Brynn—and let him handle her. That way there’d be no ambiguities, no subterfuge or guilt. He’d just follow the Colonel’s orders and turn her in.
    But he couldn’t erase that niggle of doubt. Because the truth was, the Colonel had misled him before. He’d withheld information about Brynn when they’d found that photo in Tommy’s shoe. And even if his intentions had been altruistic, even if he regretted his actions now, Hoffman had clearly lied.
    And what if Brynn was right? What if those irregularities in the Walker girl’s file signified something bad? What if the C.I.D. chief was hiding something important, suppressing details about her death—just as he’d hidden his relationship with Brynn? Could Parker take that chance?
    He pushed open the door to the parking lot and stepped outside. Still thinking hard, he stuffed his hands in his jacket pockets and headed across the deserted lot toward his truck. On the surface, the case seemed straightforward. Erin Walker had suffered a relapse, taken drugs and died, just as the autopsy said.
    But Hoffman couldn’t afford any scandals. That camp was the cornerstone of his budding political career. At the slightest whiff of any wrongdoing, Senator Riggs would withdraw his support, and Hoffman would go from rising political star to pariah overnight.
    Which provided Hoffman a motive to keep anything unflattering from coming to light.
    But did Parker dare defy the Colonel’s order and continue to investigate this death? He’d have to lie to his boss about his activities. He’d have to hide his relationship with Brynn. He’d risk arousing the anger of the dead girl’s parents, the wrath of a powerful senator. If he got caught, his career would end.
    He’d also