Jamie Brodie 01 - Cited to Death

frowned. "That might not be safe."
    "You could come with me."
    Pete groaned. "No, no way. What excuse would you give for me being there?"
    "Um...we could say that you were trying to decide whether to give to a foundation that supports stem cell research, and you wanted to see what kind of thing your money would be going to?"
    Pete laughed. "I had no idea you were so devious."
    "Yeah, you did. That would work, right?"
    "Sure. Whatever. If it'll keep you from charging off by yourself. But we can't tell Kevin."
    "Oh, God no. He'd toss us both off the balcony."
    Pete leaned back, crossed his arms, and gave me a stern look. "Now. I want to know how you knew those suits were Armani."
    I laughed. "Scott was into clothes. Everywhere we went, he'd point out what all the other men were wearing. I got so I could recognize brands pretty well. If we were out somewhere he'd actually quiz me."
    "Geez." Pete looked at me critically. "That's kind of shallow for your taste, isn't it?"
    I shrugged. "He had other good qualities. And, see, now that information has come in handy."
    "Yeah, yeah. I'll give him that." Pete stood up. "Okay. So, back to your case here. If we're right, do you suppose what they've done constitutes fraud?"
    I considered. "I don't see how. It's the fault of the granting agencies if they don't do their due diligence. The information was there for them to find; if they didn't look hard enough to find it, I don't see how that would be fraudulent. Unethical, yes, but legally fraudulent? My guess would be no."
    Pete sighed. "Yeah, that sounds right." He went to look out the sliding glass door. "But there's no place in that scenario for the Welsh article. How does that fit?"
    I shook my head. "I have no idea. And it's hard for me to imagine Dan getting worked up about a breach of ethics on someone else's part like this. Unless he was just trying to protect Ben. But in that case, why wouldn't he just tell Ben? Ben could quietly look for another job, and that would be that."
    "Unless he thought Ben was involved."
    "Yeah...we still have no idea about that. And even if he was trying to protect Ben, that still doesn't explain the Welsh article. And why Dan would enlist me to keep investigating this."
    Pete went to the kitchen and brought back two more beers. "Still some unanswered questions."
    "Yep." I took a drink. "And I'm out of answers for now." I picked up the remote. "Want to watch a movie?"
    We watched a movie, then an episode of "Hoarders" that was on the DVR. Kevin's ex was a hoarder; it was one of the reasons they'd split. He hated the show, but I was fascinated by it. After the show, Pete yawned. "God. Now I feel like going home and throwing everything away."
    "I could understand it if they hoarded books. Maybe. But it's never anything with value at all."
    "But it's not about value, is it? With most of those folks, it seems to be about security. And as I remember, that's what it was for Kevin's ex."
    "How much more secure can you get than living with a cop?"
    "Beats me. Neurosis is not my area of expertise. Psychosis, now, you're singing my song."
    I yawned too. "Speaking of psychosis, how's your textbook chapter coming?"
    "It's coming along. There are a few more resources I have to check for updates, then I think I'll have all the research I need to start writing."
    "Sounds like you need to spend more time at the library." I grinned.
    "I do." Pete gave me a sideways look. "You telling me you'd like that?"
    "Sure. I like having you around. It gives me a sense of security." I snickered. It crossed my mind that if I was amusing myself, I'd probably had a bit too much to drink.
    Pete laughed. "I think you've had a little too much to drink." He stood up and stretched again. "And I'd better hit the road. Got a meeting at 8:00 tomorrow."
    "Ugh. That's early."
    "And you've gotta be at work at 8:00 tomorrow."
    "8:30. That extra half hour makes all the difference."
    "Right." He looked down at me, shaking his head but smiling. Right at that moment he looked like everything I wanted. I stood up and held out my hand. "I think you should stay a little longer."
    He was suddenly serious. "I think that might be a bad idea."
    "Why?" Then it hit me. "You're seeing someone else."
    He made a "you've got to be kidding" face. "No, I'm not. When would I have time to do that?"
    "I don't know." Then something worse hit me. "Or you just don't want me."
    He sighed and shook his head. "You know that's not it. If I thought you were serious,