Breach of Honor

by Janice Cantore

  Adrenaline blasted all the cobwebs from Tess’s brain. Dispatch identified the unit as 2-Adam-9, JT Barnes, but had no luck getting the officer back on the air.

  She was early, hadn’t been able to sleep. Seven months since Paul left and she still wasn’t used to sleeping alone. After a fitful four-hour nap on the recliner in the living room, she’d given up, showered, and decided to head into work early in predawn darkness, at the same time all hell broke loose.

  Tess tried to get on the radio to advise that she was practically on top of the call and would assist, but the click and static of too many units vying for airtime kept her from it. Pressing the accelerator, Tess steered toward Barnes’s last known location.

  A flashing police light bar illuminating the darkness just off Stearns caught her eye. She turned toward the lights onto a side street, and a jolt of fear bit hard at the sight of a black-and-white stopped in the middle of the street, driver’s door open and no officer beside it. It was an area near the college, dense with apartment buildings and condos, cars lining both sides of the street.

  She screeched to a stop and jammed her car into park as the dispatcher wrestled to get order back on the air.

  Tess keyed her mike. Voice tight, eyes scanning. “Edward-7 is on scene, will advise” was her terse remark to the dispatcher.

  She drew her service weapon and bolted from her unmarked car, cold air causing an involuntary inhale. Tess was dressed in a long-sleeved uniform but was acutely aware that she was minus a vest and a handheld radio. As commander of the East Patrol Division in Long Beach, her duties were administrative. Though in uniform, she wore only a belt holster, not a regular patrol Sam Browne. It had been six years since she worked a patrol beat as a sergeant in full uniform.

  But one of her officers, a good one, was in trouble, and Tess was not wired to do nothing.

  “JT?” she called out, breath hanging in the frigid air as her gaze swept first the area illuminated by yellow streetlights and then the empty car.

  The only sounds she heard were the gentle rumble of the patrol car engine and the mechanical clicking of the light bar as it cycled through its flashes.

  A spot of white in front of the car caught her eye and she jogged toward it. Illuminated by headlights were field interview cards scattered in front of the patrol unit as if JT had been interviewing someone and was interrupted, dropping the index cards.

  Someone took off running.

  She followed the line of cards between two parked cars and up on the sidewalk, where the trail ended, and then heard faint voices echoing from the alley behind an apartment building. Sprinting toward the noise across grass wet with dew, she rounded a darkened corner and saw three figures in a semicircle, a fourth kneeling on the ground next to a prone figure.

  “Go on, cap him, dawg! Get the gat and cap him!”

  Anger, fear, revulsion all swept through her like a gust of a hot Santa Ana wind. Tess instantly assessed what was happening: the black boots and dark wool uniform pants told her Barnes was on the ground.

  “Police! Get away from him!” She rushed headlong toward the group, gun raised.

  In a flood of cursing, the three standing figures bolted and ran, footfalls echoing in the alley. The fourth, a hoodie partially obscuring his face, looked her way but didn’t stop what he was doing.

  He was trying to wrench the gun from Barnes’s holster.

  Was Barnes dead? The question burned through Tess, hot and frightening.

  “Move away! Move away now!” Tess advanced and was ignored.

  Sirens sounded loud and Tess knew help was close. But the next instant changed everything. The figure gave up on the gun and threw himself across the prone officer, grabbing for something else. He turned toward Tess and pointed.

  She fired.

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  A NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR

  One of the first incidents of domestic violence I encountered when I was a uniformed police officer happened like this: I was new, low seniority, and working the police station business desk. We processed bails, took walk-in reports, and generally handled nonemergency situations. A young woman entered the lobby. She was obviously pregnant, and she had a black eye and bruised face and neck. She approached me and gave me a name, asking if the man was still in custody. (At that time, arrestees stayed in the city jail for up to three days. When time ran out, they were either released or sent to county jail, depending on the charges.)

  I found the name in the booking log and saw that the man was in custody for domestic violence. He’d been arrested the night before. I gave her the information, and she told me she was dropping charges and that she wanted him released. I asked why, since she was obviously injured. She told me that she was fine, and the rent was due, so he needed to be released. Nothing I said would change her mind. I sent her up to the detective division. Since they were the ones responsible for filing charges, they were the ones who could drop them. (This was before laws that made it possible for the state to be the victim and keep the batterer in jail no matter what the victim said.)

  Eventually the man was released. Sadly, this was not an isolated incident, and though new laws have helped some, too many women stay in abusive relationships. Sometimes the perception is they can “fix” the abuser; other times there is a perception they can’t escape, or they need the abuser. Abusers escalate; they do not de-escalate unless forced to. The first man I arrested for homicide in my career had just shot his live-in girlfriend. Their problems and his abuse were well-known to neighbors and family, and the abuse only ended with her death.

  Domestic violence affects women and men in all walks of life. The relationship that should provide the most comfort and protection is often the most painful. A heart change is the only thing that will stop abuse, and until the abuser is changed at that level, women and men need to do what will keep them safe. My prayer is that anyone in an abusive relationship would come to realize their worth in Christ. As a much-loved child of the King, they do not have to accept abusive behavior from anyone. Pray and ask for help. Resources are available. You are not alone.

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  Thanks to Darrel Wiltrout, a prison chaplain and man of God who shows the love of Christ to the least of these by example.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  A former Long Beach, California, police officer of twenty-two years, Janice Cantore worked a variety of assignments, including patrol, administration, juvenile investigations, and training. She’s always enjoyed writing and published two short articles on faith at work for Cop and Christ and Today’s Christian Woman before tackling novels. She now lives in Hawaii, where she enjoys ocean swimming, golfing, spending time on the beach, and going on long walks with her Labrador retrievers, Abbie and Tilly.

  Janice writes suspense novels designed to keep readers engrossed and leave them inspired. Breach of Honor is her twelfth novel. Janice also authored the Line of Duty series—Crisis Shot, Lethal Target, and Cold Aim—the Cold Case Justice series—Drawing Fire, Burning Proof, and Catching Heat—the Pacific Coast Justice series—Accused, Abducted, and Avenged—and the Brinna Caruso novels, Critical Pursuit and Visible Threat.

  Visit Janice’s website at janicecantore.com and connect with her on Facebook at facebook.com/JaniceCantore and at the Romantic Suspense A-TEAM group.

  DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

  As a police officer, Leah Radcliff handles domestic violence cases from time to time, but she’s unwilling to label her own situation at home as such. What makes her so reluctant to see Brad as an abuser? What does this tell you about victims of domestic violence?

  Clint Tanner’s scar is a physical reminder of a time he tried to be a hero. What does his dad remind him of after that event? What advice does Clint take to heart?

  Leah struggles to maintain a positive outlook on life after being sent to prison. What snaps her out of her funk? How do you change your attitude when the world around seems dark and gray? What sorts of things improve your mood?


  As Clint wrestles with the injustice of Leah’s conviction, he encounters corruption within the police force. What consequences come as a result of this type of abuse of power, both in this story and in real life? Is it possible to have authorities who adhere to a moral code—and how is that moral code defined? Or is the promise of power too heady?

  What advice does GiGi give Clint about getting involved in taking down the Hangmen? When you face a problem that seems too big for you to handle, what do you typically do?

  After a rousing game of one-on-one, Nora makes an observation that gets Leah thinking: “Here we both are, guilty of crimes.” How does this idea change Leah’s perception of the women in prison? What does that statement say about choices we make in life?

  Chaplain Darrel tells Leah, “Life isn’t easy, not for anyone. The difference is how people respond to the difficulties.” How does Leah respond to what life throws her way? How does her response change over the course of the story? What positive examples can she point to? How do you react when life feels too hard?

  Leah’s return to sketching becomes a metaphor for the state of her soul: “first blurry, ugly, and misshapen, then later clearer and more defined.” Read Isaiah 64:8. In what ways is Leah being shaped and more clearly defined throughout this story? Where do you see God molding your life?

  Even after giving Leah advice to leave matters in God’s hands, Clint realizes he’s been taking everything upon himself again. Is there something that you have a hard time surrendering? How do you identify those moments and relinquish control?

  Leah believes “justice has to matter for everyone or it matters for no one.” What does that look like for her? How would Clint define justice? What about the Hangmen? How does this statement work in real life?

  Clint tells Leah, “We all have two sides to our natures.” Do you believe everyone has both inherent good and bad within them? Why or why not?

  Leah is initially on the fence about returning to her job. What convinces her to try to get it back? Is that a good reason to pursue that goal? Where do you see her going in the next few years?

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