by V. K. Powell
“Sure.” Beth checked her wristwatch. “Want to work out now? It’s still early.”
“No, let’s skip it tonight,” Alex said. “I’ve got to get some rest so I can get this task force rolling in the next few days.”
“That’s right, go to your old home with your old things and think about this old problem that’s getting ready to be brand new. Take it from me, nix this thing quick, Lieutenant. You don’t need Helen Callahan in your life again.” Beth’s tone was teasing, but Alex knew she was very serious.
She was also dead right. The last thing Alex needed was another round in the ring with the only woman who had ever made her wonder if life was worth living.
Chapter Four
The next morning during their warm-up at the running trail, Pat’s inquisition began. “Who was that gorgeous auburn-haired vixen last night in the parking lot? The way that gym suit clung to her body made me want to run interference. Do you know her? Is she single? Can I meet her?”
Keri bit down on her lower lip. She could tell Pat was nowhere near finished with this topic.
“Did you get a load of how she was looking at us?” Pat sighed. “It was like she was trying to decide between calling the fire department to hose us down, the vice squad to arrest us for indecent conduct, or just joining us. It made me horny, watching her watching us.”
Keri’s heart raced uncharacteristically. Thinking of Alex Troy as anything other than her nemesis was unsettling. A tingle of physical uneasiness rippled through her body. Alex had given them a scathing look, but Keri interpreted it as her usual disapproval.
Pat finally noticed Keri’s silence. “What? Are you going to hook me up? That’s what friends are for.”
“That was Alex Troy.”
“The Lieutenant Troy? Damn, she’s hot.”
“She was hot, all right, but not in a good way. If looks could kill, I’d have been dead when she crossed that lot last night.”
“Okay, so I’m letting my hormones get the best of me—again.” Pat focused unnecessary attention on her shoelaces.
Keri thought again about the look Alex gave her and Pat last night and wondered why it felt so personal. Maybe she was too focused on the past. She just needed to do her job and let her performance speak for itself.
“It probably wasn’t personal,” Pat mused. “The senior staff is the same at the hospital. Always worrying about the department’s reputation. What are the chances you’re going to have to deal with Troy, anyway? You’re not even in the same division.”
“Are we running today or talking?” Keri took off at a sprint.
“Hey, wait up. I didn’t mean to piss you off.” Pat huffed, trying to catch up.
Keri slowed her pace. “You just hit a sore spot.” Another of many where this woman was concerned. “She’s going to be handling the Narcotics task force I told you about last night.”
Pat stopped and caught her breath. “You’ve always wanted to be in Narcotics.”
“Exactly. And now it looks like my chances are shot to hell. Whoever gets on this team is pretty much assured a permanent slot in Narcotics.”
“Is there anybody who can help you?”
Keri understood what she was getting at. Politics would be pretty much the same in a hospital or a police department. Nothing was ever beyond favoritism, bribery, or blackmail. “Even if I could pull some strings, I’m not working with this woman. I just can’t, Pat. After the way she’s treated me, I could never expect a fair shake. End of story. Let’s change the subject.”
Pat easily converted to her default topic of choice: sex. “Great. So when are we going trolling again? There’s nothing so wrong that can’t be fixed by a hot, anonymous fuck.”
Keri smiled at the ease with which her friend talked about, and through the years, engaged in sex. Pat’s philosophy about relationships was simple—do your best until one of you gets over it, then move on. Keri had begun to wonder if there was something wrong with her physically. She enjoyed sex but had never experienced the all-consuming passion people raved about. Perhaps it would be different if she were in love with someone.
“I guess I could handle a little stranger sex,” she said. “It couldn’t hurt my frustration level.”
Pat threw up her hands. “Sex isn’t to be ‘handled.’ You need to jump in with both feet and go wild. How many times have I told you that you don’t have to love everybody you sleep with, despite what you read in the lesbian handbook.”
Keri smiled. “Don’t get me wrong. I enjoy sex, at least the physical part. It’s the lack of emotional connection I have a hard time with.”
She slowed her pace, then stopped, taking in the glassy stillness of the lake. Pat stood behind her and wrapped her arms around Keri. Her warmth and compassion filled Keri with a deeper longing. She craved such intimacy with a lover. Why did it seem so hard to find?
“This is what I’m talking about.” She leaned back into Pat. “I’ve never felt this level of intimacy with anyone I’ve slept with. When someone holds me, it’s usually for sex. But I want a friend and a lover. Maybe I’m asking too much.”
“You just haven’t met the right woman,” Pat said. “Believe me, when you do, all the loose ends will connect just fine. Meantime, don’t sell yourself short for anyone. You deserve to have exactly what you want.”
Keri nudged Pat and nodded toward the track. “Thanks. Let’s go.”
Making the turn at their halfway mark, Keri was ready for a change of focus. “So what about you, my wise friend?”
“What do you mean?”
“Come on, don’t play dumb with me. How’s your love life?”
Pat jogged several minutes before responding. “Same old, same old for me. I’m basically the opposite of you. I fall for anything in a skirt, love them as long as it lasts, and move on. They never seem to love me back anyway, so it’s just as well.”
Keri was touched by the sincerity in Pat’s voice. “What did you just tell me? You haven’t met the right woman yet, either. And when you do, she’ll see the same great person I do and she’ll love you back.”
“We’re so good for each other’s egos. Why haven’t we ever slept together?”
Racing her friend to the end of the trail, Keri called back, “Because it’s just sex to you, and I want to fall in love. What a perfect way to end a good friendship.”
*
Being summoned to the chief’s office before start of business was never a good sign. The long hallway leading from the back stairway to the executive suites lacked the usual din of the workday, but Alex heard urgent voices echoing as she approached the partially opened door. She tapped lightly and immediately understood the chief’s tense expression when he waved her in.
“You know Councilman Byron Chambers,” Lancaster said. “We’re just discussing the investigation.”
“Councilman Chambers, I’m so very sorry for your loss. Stacey was a wonderful young woman. She’ll be missed.”
The man in front of the chief’s desk shook hands with her, tears pooling in his eyes. Even with the obvious differences, Alex could have picked him out of a lineup as Stacey’s father. His reed-thin frame was more angular where hers had been curvy and soft, but they both had the same intense blue eyes. Stacey’s had always shone with laughter and promise. His mirrored the anguish so apparent in his defeated posture and pale features. He cleared his throat and said, “So, Chief Lancaster tells me you’ll be leading the investigation.”
The chief motioned for them to be seated. “Alex is heading the drug task force aspect of the case. The homicide squad is handling the death investigation, but Alex has been read into the specifics. You have my word—”
Councilman Chambers raised his hand to stop the chief. “No disrespect, Rudy, but I want someone on my daughter’s case who knew her. I don’t want this handled like any other case. I want them to care what happened to her. And she always spoke so highly of Lieutenant Troy.”
Alex started to speak, but Lancaster replied
, “Byron, I can assure you that none of our death cases are considered routine.”
“I’m sure, but you’d want the same thing if she were your daughter.”
The comment stopped Rudy Lancaster. Alex knew it touched his heart as a father. After a beat, he said, “I’ll make sure everyone knows Alex has the lead.”
Seeming satisfied with the chief’s answer, Chambers returned his attention to Alex, asking, “What can you tell me?”
“At this point, the team is still being assembled that will look into the drug-related aspect of the case. It would be helpful if you could give me a list of the people Stacey associated with, professionally and personally. I know she went into counseling after graduation but we hadn’t had a chance to talk about it much.”
The knowledge that they never would saddened Alex to her core. Why hadn’t she kept in closer touch?
“I’ll give you anything you need. But please keep me in the loop.” Byron Chambers took a notepad the chief offered and wrote furiously for several minutes. “This is everyone I can think of. I’ll check with her mother and see if she can add anything.”
Chief Lancaster stood and moved around his desk toward the door. “We should probably be going, Councilman. The press conference starts in five minutes. Hopefully someone will come forward after we’ve made the appeal. Alex will keep us both informed every step of the way.”
Alex knew the chief’s last statement was not just a reassuring comment for Byron Chambers’s benefit but an indirect order to her. After shaking hands with both men, she headed back to her office and poured a fresh cup of coffee. As she sipped she went over the names on the councilman’s list. Stacey Chambers was obviously a very popular and well-connected woman. Her register of contacts resembled a who’s who of Granville politics and society. It would take an entire team of officers weeks to interview everyone. She decided to let the homicide glory boys handle the legwork and her guys would take any really promising leads.
Unfortunately, no one on the list stood out. Her next hope was that someone Stacey worked with or counseled at the Granville Drug Rehab Clinic would have some worthwhile information. Once she had the names from every other statement, she could cross-reference them with known associates of the other victims. Maybe there would be a connection. And just maybe, if they were really lucky, someone would respond to the councilman’s appeal for information.
*
Alex’s desk phone buzzed and Shirley’s sharp tone reverberated against the predominately bare walls in her makeshift office. “Lieu-ten-ant?” She pulled the word out like hot taffy. “Sergeant Price is here. You remember her, don’t you?”
“I’m not sure. Refresh my memory.” Her secretary knew she and Beth had attended recruit school together and remained best friends.
Beth opened Alex’s door and shot her the bird. “Does this refresh your memory?”
“I’ll take it from here, Shirley,” Alex said into the speaker. “And hold my calls for a while. We’ve got a lot of work to do.”
Beth closed the office door and dragged a worn fabric armchair next to Alex’s. “I’d know that tone of voice anywhere. You’ve already gotten a call from the soul-sucking bitch. Right?”
“She left a message on my machine last night, but I didn’t listen to it.”
“I told you, Alex. It’s not going to work. Helen’s not a team player. She’ll either try to take over or she’ll blow the whole case with her petty power plays. Just remember what she put you through on that other task force, and there wasn’t nearly as much at stake.” Beth shook her head. “She’s just aching to ride you down that dark road again.”
“Thanks. I promise to keep her at arm’s length.” A Helen-induced uneasiness crept into Alex’s mind. Distracting herself, she slid a handful of M&Ms from the mason jar turned candy dispenser on her bookshelf. “Want a hit?”
“No, thanks. Do you have some names for me to look at?”
“I’ve narrowed it down to a dozen, but that’s as far as I can get.” Alex pushed the files in front of Beth. “You’ve been in Vice/Narcotics for a while now and you’ve been a field sergeant. You know how things work.”
“Guilty on all charges.”
“So tell me what you think.”
For the next few hours they discussed the pros and cons of each officer, reviewed their previous work assignments, evaluations, Internal Affairs jackets, and field performance. They narrowed the list to four names, two male and two female.
“All right, boss, I’m tired of looking at paper and I’m hungry as hell,” Beth said. “Can we continue this over lunch? And you’re buying.”
“Sounds good to me.” Alex welcomed the break to erase Keri Morgan from her mind. She kept resurfacing as the number one choice, even if the chief hadn’t made his choice clear. But Alex’s defenses still warned against it as they walked across the street to the deli.
She and Beth settled into the last church-pew booth. The early lunchers at the Main Street Deli had already claimed most of the wall-hugging booths and were busy swigging sweet tea and eating the barbecue lunch special. The blue-haired waitress smiled when they came in and shouted their usual order to the cook.
Beth studied the pained look that crossed Alex’s face. “I’m sorry about Stacey. I know you liked her a lot.”
“Yeah, she was a great kid. That’s just one more reason I’ve got to make sure we do this by the book.”
When Alex’s chef salad and Beth’s cheeseburger platter arrived, Beth took a mouthful and returned to business. “In that case, I don’t think you should eliminate her just because you like her.”
“Who?” Alex tried for her most innocent look, but her clenching jaw and the heat in her cheeks gave her away.
“You know exactly who—Keri Morgan. We’ve been over these files a dozen times and you have yet to say one thing about her, pro or con. That tells me you like her. And if you like her, you don’t want to work with her because, because, because…pick a reason. You’ve got a lot of them.”
“It’s not that I like or dislike her. She’s already on the team, chief’s orders, unless there’s a very good reason not to have her.”
“Then why are you working my ass off going through all these files?”
“Because I need to know how she stacks up on her own merits, not because of a political favor the chief owes one of his commanders. You’d do the same thing if you were in my place.”
Beth searched her face. “Yeah, I would. But you do like her. I know how you operate. You stay closed off by avoiding anything that resembles feelings.”
“Okay, so she’s attractive and, do I need to remind you, a subordinate. And if that’s not enough, she seems impulsive and emotional. Would you trust her on a case this big?”
“You bet I would. Your other candidate’s been on the force a long time. She’s got more experience but she’s also got a better chance of being known by Davis or one of his associates. Keri can be impulsive, but that often works in her favor. She’s got keen instincts and she’s got a hard-on for dopers that started about a year ago.”
“What brought that on?” Last time Alex had an in-depth conversation with Keri, the only thing she seemed serious about was covering her bent partner’s ass.
“I’m not sure if something happened or she just developed her skills in drug investigations,” Beth said. “Give her a chance. I’ll keep you both out of trouble.” She gave Alex a plastic grin and batted her eyes.
“That brings me to the last reason I asked you to help. I’d like you to be my team sergeant.”
Beth’s forkful of French fries hovered in midair. “You really do want to throw me in the fire, don’t you?”
“You’ve got experience, and I trust you with my life.”
“When you put it like that, how can I refuse? But there’s something you need to know.”
“Yeah?”
“I’ve arrested Davis before, and he’ll probably remember. I broke his damn smart-assed jaw when he resisted
. So I won’t be much use to you undercover or even on close surveillance.”
“That’s fine. I need you for planning, direction, and supervision, but thanks for telling me.”
“Absolutely. So, who’s the final pick?”
“Steve Alston from Vice/Narcotics. He’s the best, and I think they’ll get along.”
“That’s a great idea. It sounds like you’ve got your team. When do we meet the others?”
“I’ll call you as soon as I can pull it together. Thanks for your help.”
“You bet. And stay away from psycho bitch. You want me to tell Keri about the job?”
“No. I’ll do an interview first, just to be on the safe side. I don’t want her, or anyone else, thinking she was an automatic choice.”
“You got it, boss. This’ll be the first time we’ve worked together. It could get interesting.”
Alex’s mind flipped through the things that could go wrong with the case: the team, the supervisors, the politics, and her mixed feelings about Keri Morgan. Right now she felt like she could handle anything, even the latter. Whether the same would prove true for Keri was another matter.
Chapter Five
Keri lurched into groggy consciousness. The afternoon silence of her parents’ house was shattered by the ringing of her bedside phone. Any possibility of a nap before her shift disappeared. She grabbed the offending device and held it to her ear.
“Yeah…”
“Officer Morgan?”
“Yeah?”
“This is Lieutenant Troy. I’m not disturbing you, am I?”
Immediately awake, Keri bolted upright in bed coming to seated attention. “No, it’s fine, what can I do for you?”
“If you recall in lineup last week I referenced a Narcotics task force. I was wondering if you had any interest in being a part of that assignment.”
Keri shook her head to clear away the haziness of sleep, unsure that she’d heard correctly. “I’m not sure I understand.”
