Free Harlequin Intrigue, Box Set 2 of 2 by Julie Miller

cautioned.
    â€œI’m willing to harass him,” Olivia volunteered with a sarcastic tone. Max pointed across the table and nodded, agreeing with the frustration-fueled plan. “What’s the point of solving these old cases if a judge is going to let the perpetrators go with little more than a slap on the wrist?”
    Trent could feel the tension in the room getting thicker. Cold case work wasn’t an easy assignment. Sometimes evidence degraded or got lost. Witnesses passed away. Suspects did, too. Memories grew foggy with age. And perps who’d gotten away with murder or other crimes that hadn’t yet reached their statute of limitations grew confident or complacent enough over the years that they weren’t likely to confess. So when the team built a solid enough case to convict someone, it sure would be nice if they’d stay behind bars for a while.
    â€œAre we moving any cases we think Asher might be a part of to our active files?” Trent asked.
    The lieutenant nodded. “We should at least give them a cursory glance to see which ones to follow up on. I believe we can use this to our advantage. Katie, will you flag those files and send each of us copies for review?”
    â€œYes, ma’am.” Katie’s head was down and she was already typing. By the time she looked up to see Trent grinning at her geeky efficiency, she was hitting the send button. She smiled back before turning to the lieutenant. “I just ran a search for Mr. Asher’s name, and all those files should show up on your computers by the time you get back to your desks.”
    Trent gave her a thumbs-up before turning back to the others. “It’d be a hell of a lot easier to prove Asher’s connections to those crimes by seeing who he interacts with on the outside.”
    Lieutenant Rafferty-Taylor nodded to him, probably appreciating how his suggestion cooled the jets of the others in the room, especially his perennial Scrooge of a partner, Max. Then she gestured to Katie at the opposite end of the table. “Speaking of connections, Katie, you said you’ve come up with something we need to look at in your research? Shall we get to work?”
    â€œYes, ma’am.” Katie shoved her bangs off her forehead and glanced around the table as everyone waited expectantly. Trent winked some encouragement when their gazes met. She smiled her thanks for his support before looking down at her laptop. She highlighted the first picture on the television screen and turned to point to the gathering of mug shots she’d posted there. “Detailed information is in the folder in front of you, but you can follow the gist of what I think might be a significant discovery up on the screen.” As Trent settled in to listen to the presentation, the rest of them did, too.
    â€œAs you all know, Lieutenant Rafferty-Taylor has had me copying and downloading all of our old print files of unsolved cases into a database and cross-referencing them. There are still more boxes in the archives, but those are cases that are thirty years or older. I’m focusing on more recent crimes where the perpetrator and potential witnesses are likely to still be alive.”
    Max whistled. “You’ve already been through thirty years of open and unsolved cases? Hell, you’re making the rest of us look like a bunch of goldbricks.”
    â€œNot a chance, Max.” She laughed at the gruff man’s teasing compliment. “I’ve been doing this pretty steadily since spring. And I didn’t get shot up and have to go on sick leave, either.”
    Trent nudged his partner. “Or run off to Vegas to get married before reporting back for active duty.” Katie’s dedication explained a lot of her late nights and the pale shadows under her blue eyes. But was all this unpaid overtime she’d put in the reason she had no time for a relationship? Or was it the thing she chose to do to fill