by V. K. Powell
Breeze and Craig started mumbling to each other. JJ was surprisingly quiet.
“The meet is at the warehouse at 247 Lewis Street and I want everybody available. I’ll have an op plan worked up by thirteen hundred hours. Be back here by then for assignments.”
“Bullshit.” JJ stared directly at Greer.
“Don’t start, Jake,” Fluharty warned him.
That was absolutely the wrong approach. Greer cringed as JJ stood and addressed the group. “Bullshit. Just because Greer’s tapping that reporter’s ass doesn’t mean we should drop everything to help her.” The room went deathly quiet as this new information registered. Everyone turned their attention toward her.
Breeze started. “You’re screwing Saldana? Jesus, she’s hot.”
Craig whistled. “Damn, girl, you’re fast.” It was the first time Greer had heard the young computer guru say anything even remotely suggestive.
JJ was not deterred. “What’s the matter, Greer, need help proving I’m a lousy detective? And after the stunt she pulled last night, you’re still backing her, Sarge?” Greer wondered if JJ hated her. His recent behavior certainly wasn’t that of a friend. It had to go deeper than this case.
Now JJ had Fluharty’s attention. “What stunt?”
“Tell him, Breeze.” JJ obviously wanted everybody involved in her humiliation.
“Somebody better damn well tell me, and now,” Fluharty bellowed.
Greer decided it would sound better coming from her. “I was in your office last night looking for a document from the Saldana file. Breeze came in, thought I was a burglar, and nearly shot my ass.”
Breeze defended himself. “Well, you were sneaking around in the dark.”
“Did you find it?” Fluharty asked. “I gave you everything in the file.”
“No, I didn’t find anything else.”
“That’s beside the damn point,” JJ said. “I don’t think we should let a reporter do our job for us. If this informant has anything to contribute to the case, we should get it directly from him, not through a third party. How reliable is that?”
Sergeant Fluharty motioned for everybody to calm down. “Look, the guy isn’t comfortable with us. He’ll talk to her. If he provides something new, we’ll do what we usually do—verify. I want this thing settled ASAP. I’m tired as hell of all this bickering on the squad. We’re covering her meeting today and that’s that. Be back here at thirteen hundred for assignments—and bring a better attitude—all of you. And, Greer, my office before you leave.”
Greer swore under her breath on the way to the sergeant’s office. She wanted to catch JJ before he slid out and resolve their inventory of differences. This impasse couldn’t continue. Sooner or later he’d have to face her and all the questions piling up between them. She tried to call his cell but he didn’t pick up.
Fluharty didn’t offer her a seat. “What were you looking for in my office last night?”
“I thought there should be a guest register from the hotel, but I guess JJ didn’t get one. I couldn’t find it.”
“Ask next time. It looks damn suspicious having you poking around my office after hours. Ever think of asking JJ directly?”
“He isn’t exactly open to chatting with me about this case or anything else right now.”
“Straighten this shit out. It’s getting on my nerves.” He waved her toward the door.
Greer gathered her briefcase and walked to the parking lot. She spent the morning conducting follow-up interviews and making courtesy calls on victims who were still hospitalized. Even though she wasn’t getting any new cases at the moment, she still had a pending caseload. The routine tasks occupied her mind and kept her from doing the one thing she deeply wanted to do—call Eva. After a quick sandwich at the diner and another attempt to contact JJ, Greer finally dialed Eva’s cell number.
“Eva Saldana.”
“It’s Greer. Have you come to your senses yet and decided to let the police handle this?”
“Well, hello to you too, Detective. I’m meeting the informant, but Tom’s coming along, so relax. It’ll be fine. Besides, I promised to call you afterward.”
But Greer detected a note of uncertainty in Eva’s tone. She wasn’t quite as confident as she’d been the night before. Greer’s guilt about going behind her back to provide cover disappeared. If anything happened to Eva, she wouldn’t be able to forgive herself—from a purely professional standpoint. And the political fallout would be disastrous. She envisioned the headline: CNN REPORTER INJURED WHILE INVESTIGATING BROTHER’S DEATH. The thought made Greer’s stomach churn.
“Greer, is there anything else?” Eva asked.
“No, just making sure you hadn’t changed your mind. Please be careful.”
“I will.”
“Okay, then, good-bye.”
“Greer, thank you for last night. It was…” Eva seemed to be trying to choose the right word. In the silence Greer imagined the slightest hint of affection and the need to express exactly the right sentiment. “Nice.”
Nice? Nice was the kiss of death. Nice was what you said to someone you didn’t want to encourage. Nice was just shy of boring. Her disappointment surprised her. “Yeah, right. Talk later.” She hung up and headed back toward the office for the briefing.
An hour later the squad was strategically positioned inside the warehouse on Lewis Street waiting for the meeting between Eva and the informant. Dark clouds intermittently shaded the afternoon sun and made the ramshackle building seem even more ominous. Sergeant Fluharty covered the back exit, JJ was a quarter way around the interior behind some boxes, and Craig was diagonally across from JJ under a loading platform. They could’ve used Breeze, but he’d been called into court at the last minute.
The warehouse was a large area for only four officers to cover, but they’d make the most of it. Greer was stationed across from the sergeant, lying in a shallow vehicle service bay. The musty smell of the warehouse mingled with the faint remnants of oil and lubricant that discolored the concrete surrounding her. Everybody was in place and well hidden when Eva and Tom arrived at exactly 1400 hours.
They moved toward the center of the space and Greer heard the low hum of their chatter. The sun penetrated the clouds and blackened windows barely enough to distinguish color and features. Even in this dusty, unkempt setting Eva looked gorgeous. Her casual clothes were immaculately tailored, and the bright shades complemented her olive complexion. An emerald green turtleneck and a multicolored blazer topped a pair of rust corduroy slacks. She seriously outclassed the dilapidated surroundings and her jeans-and-T-shirt-clad companion. Greer’s discomfort grew as she watched Eva and the time slowly ticked by. Something was off. She could feel it but couldn’t put her finger on what it was.
Thirty minutes passed and the guy still hadn’t shown. Confidential informants were notoriously late, and her squad mates would have even less patience for this one. Since this was her operation, sort of, she could probably call it, but she wanted to give the man and Eva the benefit of the doubt.
“Okay, guys.” Sergeant Fluharty’s voice sounded in her earpiece. “I’ve got movement from the rear but can’t see anybody yet. Be sharp.”
Greer poked her head over the rim of the service bay and looked in Fluharty’s direction. She couldn’t see anything in the shadows that covered the back of the building. As she strained to detect any shape or movement in the darkness, adrenaline surged through her. She wanted to alert Eva, but that would defeat the purpose of being there.
Another shaft of afternoon sun suddenly broke through a crack in the crumbling building and illuminated Eva and Tom like a spotlight. A gunshot exploded like a bomb in the quiet, then another, and a few seconds later a third. The sunlight disappeared as quickly as a flashbulb and Greer couldn’t see anything. She didn’t move initially, waiting for the next volley. When her vision adjusted, she looked toward the center of the room and saw Tom and Eva hit the floor like marionettes cut loose from their strings.
Greer’s heartbeat drowned out any other sound, and her nose burned from the sulfuric odor of gunpowder. She looked around and saw the other officers peering from their hiding places. The effects of her adrenaline surge would wear off soon and she’d be able to hear. Unsure if the threat had been neutralized, she remained in position and prayed the people beneath her were unharmed. The anxiety she’d experienced about Eva changed to fear. If she was hurt—
“Greer?” The voice was muffled. “Greer, is that you?”
“Eva, stay down.” Greer looked toward JJ as he emerged from his place of cover. He gave the thumbs-up indication that all was clear. She rolled off Eva and grabbed her in a hug. “Are you all right? Are you hurt?”
“No, I’m fine but…”
Greer followed the direction of Eva’s gaze. Tom Merritt was lying on his back and a patch of blood stained his white T-shirt. “I need an ambulance,” she yelled to JJ.
“On the way,” he answered. “I’ve got patrol setting up a perimeter to look for this guy.”
“Craig, take care of Eva,” she called. Then she turned to Eva. “Please stay with Craig until the ambulance arrives. You don’t need to see this.” She directed Eva away from Tom’s body and knelt beside him.
Greer pulled up Tom’s shirt and saw the bullet hole in his chest. She bent over and listened for breathing but heard none. She checked for a pulse, nothing. Greer went through the motions of CPR until the ambulance arrived and took over. The look they exchanged confirmed that Tom was already dead.
She sat back on her feet exhausted from her efforts. Her hands were coated with thick, sticky blood, and the sickly sweet smell assaulted her senses. Thank God it wasn’t Eva’s, but what the hell happened?
She cleaned her hands on a wipe the paramedics provided and walked toward where JJ, Craig, and Eva were standing inside the doorway. JJ issued orders to arriving patrol units and directed the crime-scene techs. She looked around for the sergeant, thinking he was probably coordinating the units outside. But he usually checked on his guys first thing.
As if she and JJ had the same thought, they stared at each other. At that moment her earpiece clicked open and she heard a faint voice. “Officer down. Officer down.”
“Jesus, he’s hit!” Greer ran toward the rear exit where Sergeant Fluharty had been positioned. The sergeant lay behind a stack of shipping crates, a pool of blood spreading out from his body. “Medic, over here.” She knelt beside him and visually searched for injuries. Blood oozed from a wound above the vest line. Fortunately, his chest rose and fell with each breath. He was still alive.
The paramedics arrived and took over, nudging her aside. JJ placed a hand on her shoulder. “He’ll be all right. Why don’t you go to the hospital with him? We’ll need updates on his condition. Craig and I’ll stay here and start the investigation.”
She wanted to stay and help, but she also wanted to be with Fluharty, and Eva looked like she was in shock. Maybe she needed to be checked over as well. “Okay. I’ll wait for you there.” She took Eva’s arm and steered her toward her vehicle. Greer doubted that Eva had ever seen someone she knew gunned down, much less been standing beside them when it happened. Her brown eyes were wide with fear and she was uncharacteristically quiet.
On the drive to the hospital, Greer thought about the meeting gone wrong and the case. Somebody definitely wanted Eva Saldana dead. What did she know? Was she withholding information about her brother or the investigation? The “informant” had no way of knowing that Tom would be accompanying her, so Eva had to be the intended target.
The thought of Eva being on a killer’s hit list unleashed rage inside Greer. Eva hadn’t been in town long enough to make any real enemies. And for someone to want her dead because she raised questions about her brother’s death disturbed Greer. Someone had a great deal at risk—enough to kill for. She tightened her grip on the steering wheel as she pulled up to the hospital.
When they stopped at the emergency-room entrance, Greer placed her hand over Eva’s where it rested on the seat between them. She hadn’t spoken the entire trip. “How are you doing? That was pretty rough back there.”
Eva looked at her with eyes drowning in tears. “He’s dead, isn’t he?”
Greer wanted to reassure her, to say something to ease her pain, but she couldn’t sugarcoat the truth. “Yes.”
Eva’s tears fell freely. She turned away from Greer as sobs shook her body. “I don’t know how you do this job. And your sergeant—what if he—” She wiped her cheeks. “I’ve seen people shot before, not quite so close and not anyone I knew. I’m sorry. I know this isn’t easy for you either. Let’s go check on him.”
“Would you mind if I hugged you first?” Greer wasn’t sure where the request came from, only that it was heartfelt. She wanted confirmation that Eva was okay and that she’d be with her as she faced Fluharty’s condition.
Eva scooted across the seat and into Greer’s arms. Her hug warmed and comforted her, like Clare’s old blanket did. Greer relaxed into the embrace and absorbed the consolation that Eva offered. It had been too long since she accepted solace from another person. She held tight for several minutes then eased away. “I guess we should go in.”
When they entered the ER doors, Bessie was waiting inside and embraced them both. “Are you all right?” Her concern was obvious as her cool blue eyes made a quick examination of Greer for injuries. “Do either of you need to be checked out?”
“Eva may be in shock.”
“I’m fine,” Eva said. “See to the others.”
“If you’re sure, honey.” Bessie turned back to Greer. “Take her to my office. There’s fresh coffee. I’ll come get you when I know something about Fluharty.”
“Thanks, Bessie.” Greer led Eva to the office around the corner from the emergency room. She poured them each a cup of coffee and sat in a chair by the window while Eva paced.
“What happened out there, Greer? What were you doing at the warehouse? Had you heard something about the meeting?”
“No, I decided I couldn’t let you go alone. I asked the sergeant if we could cover the meeting.” Greer paused, considering whether to censor her next comment. But having faced death, Eva had earned her honesty. “I’m so glad you’re okay, and I’m sorry about Tom.”
“It’s my fault he’s dead. I shouldn’t have involved him in this.” Eva gestured around the room like her situation was obvious, then dropped her hands in resignation.
“You couldn’t stop Tom when he smelled a story. That’s one of the things I admired and disliked about him. He was excellent at his job and he wouldn’t want you to feel guilty. It’s not your fault. But I promise we’ll find out who’s behind his death. The meeting was obviously a setup, but why and by whom?”
“We’re missing something, Greer. Someone must have killed my brother because of something he inadvertently discovered. Whoever did it thinks I have access to that information.”
Greer crossed the room and hugged Eva against her. Eva’s return embrace was as natural as if they’d done it hundreds of times—close but not demanding, stimulating but not sexual. A hunger flared in Greer deeper than the flesh, but she refused to acknowledge its source. “Don’t think about that right now. Let me find out about the sergeant and I’ll get back to work. I will get to the bottom of this.”
The afternoon sunlight that flooded the small office had melted into twilight before Bessie finally came back with news about Fluharty. “He’s okay, honey. The shot was a clean through and through below the shoulder. If it had been a few inches lower, he’d be a goner. He’s sedated, but you can see him for a few minutes. The chief and the rest of your squad just arrived an
d wanted to go in together.”
Eva followed Greer and Bessie down the narrow hall but stopped at the exam-room door. Her reserve slipped as the emotions of the day overwhelmed her. She couldn’t look at Fluharty without seeing Tom and wondering why he died instead of the sergeant. “I can’t do this.”
Greer looked surprised. “You don’t have to go in. But don’t leave, okay?”
“Go check on your friend. I’ll wait here.” Eva gave Greer a forced smile and turned toward a small seating arrangement near the exam area. When she saw Greer and Bessie go into the room, she collapsed on a small settee.
The energy suddenly drained from her. She’d managed since the shooting, but now her defenses refused to hold together. As she recalled the scene, her hands shook. Bullets whizzed through the air. One ricocheted off a piece of metal somewhere in the cavernous space. The second ended in a dull thud next to where she stood. That was the shot that struck Tom in the chest. The third and final shot was more muffled and indistinct. How did she so clearly remember three gunshots and the unique sound of each?
Eva wiped at the perspiration that formed on her forehead. She’d interviewed soldiers and police offices after shooting situations, and they often couldn’t remember how many times they fired. But she was certain of her recollection. Her auditory senses had captured the incident in slow motion and replayed it precisely. None of the memories she carried from her assignments in war-torn areas were as vivid or frightening.
But while bullets were flying around her in the center of that chilly, abandoned warehouse, Eva wasn’t panicked or even noticeably afraid. Her past didn’t flash before her eyes. She thought about all the things she’d die without doing—the future she wouldn’t have. At that moment she regretted most not having a stable life with a loving partner.
Eva remembered the feeling of safety when Greer shielded her with her body. She was certain that Greer would protect her no matter the cost to her personal well-being. How did a person learn to be so selfless, to face death for someone she barely knew? If Greer would sacrifice herself for a virtual stranger, what would she do to protect someone she loved? Eva buried her face in her hands and cried. She’d never know that kind of love and devotion.
