Nail on the Head (Detective Kate Rosetti Mystery Book 5)

by Gina LaManna

  I got behind the wheel of my car and realized my grip on the steering wheel was so strong my knuckles were turning white. I had absolutely no interest in spending more time breaking down the thoughts rumbling through my mind, and I desperately hoped that someone had ID’d the body so Jimmy and I could get a move on interviewing his next of kin.

  Before I drove off, however, I had one last impulse that was too difficult to resist. I pulled out my phone, pulled up an old text message thread between me and Alastair Gem, and I typed out a quick message.

  KATE: Got your invitation - congrats!

  I stared at my message for a few minutes. Then I deleted it. Then I retyped it. I changed out the exclamation mark. I was annoyed with myself for how long it was taking me to type out a simple message. Finally, I hit send without looking back, and I set off for the precinct prepared to do what I did best: work.

  Chapter 3

  THE DRIVE TO THE PRECINCT was short. Too short. I’d sort of fibbed to my sister. There was no body waiting for me yet. My phone had beeped mid-drive with a message, but I suspected it was from Gem, and I was too chicken to check it for sure.

  I made my way to our office and passed by the tech room, where I found Asha West typing at her computer. She had nails as long as talons and hair that was braided with beads fixed to the end in such a way that she clattered a little as she moved.

  “Hey,” I said, “any word on the body from this morning?”

  Asha gestured to her headset. “On the phone now,” she mouthed. “Come back in fifteen.”

  I swept past Asha and into the brick room that housed the desks for the TC Task Force division. The task force had been created to have a centralized unit that dealt with particularly gruesome homicides and the like that might span across city lines. We weren’t a big team. It was me, Jimmy, Frankie Dunkirk, and a couple of other detectives. We all mostly kept to our own cases and only shared work when necessary. It was how I liked to work. Mostly alone.

  I came to a dead stop when I found someone sitting in my desk chair. It was a young woman who looked to be barely out of college. She had her hair up in a bouncy ponytail. She wore slim khaki pants and a soft-looking pink sweater. It looked like she’d get along with Jane and her sunshine pajamas.

  I glanced at Jimmy’s desk across from mine. He wasn’t in yet. Dunkirk was at his desk, but he had headphones on and was either knee deep in a grisly murder or reading the latest stats on the Vikings.

  I made my way across the room and stopped before my desk. “Can I help you?”

  “Yes, I’m looking for Kate Rosetti.”

  “That’s me,” I said. “Who let you in here?”

  “Oh, um, Chief Sturgeon.” The young woman swallowed. “I’m Chloe Marks?”

  “Do you have information about an active case?”

  “No. Well, not yet.” Chloe quickly straightened in her chair. Then, as if realizing her misstep, she leapt out from behind Kate’s desk. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to sit at your desk. I’ve just been waiting for you for a little while.”

  I heard a snort from across the room. I turned to find Dunkirk grinning over his computer screen. When he saw me looking and realized he’d been caught, he quickly cleared his throat and ducked his head down behind the computer screen.

  “I’m a detective, Dunkirk,” I said. “I know you don’t have your music on. And the Vikings are going to choke before they get to the Super Bowl no matter what, so you might as well quit stalking the players.”

  “It’s for my fantasy team,” Frankie said, sliding even lower in his chair.

  I turned back to Chloe. “Sorry about that. When did you say you got here?”

  Chloe’s gaze slid over toward Frankie, and she looked uneasy as if she knew he would tattle on her if she lied. “Oh, like, eight thirty.” She hesitated, and then quickly amended, “Okay, seven thirty. I was nervous.”

  “Nervous?”

  “It’s my first day.” Chloe brushed a wisp of hair from her face. “They, uh, didn’t tell you I was coming?”

  “Kate?” a voice barked a command from the door at the far side of the room. “In the conference room. Now.”

  I recognized the voice of Rex Sturgeon. He was the chief of police and my current boss. He wasn’t often in person at our offices, and most of my work with him was done over the phone. At this point, he was more active on the behind-the-scenes work that went into running a police force, in addition to dealing with the media. If he was here in the flesh, it would only be to deliver delightful news, I thought sarcastically.

  I glanced once more at Chloe before making my way toward the chief. Chief Sturgeon didn’t bother to hold the door open for me. He was already seated at the table in the conference room with a cup of coffee in front of him when I arrived. He gestured for me to take a seat.

  “Good morning, Chief,” I said, sitting across from him. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

  Rex Sturgeon was in his sixties with stiff gray hair that stood straight up. He was gruff, built like a tank, and had done his time and worked his way up in the police force. I respected him, even if we didn’t always see eye to eye.

  “I see you’ve met Officer Marks,” he said, skipping any small-talk formalities. “You didn’t give her the warm welcome I’d have expected.”

  “You expected me to give a warm welcome to the woman sitting at my desk telling me it’s her first day?”

  “Look, Kate, I didn’t mean for you to find out like this,” Rex said. “But I left you a message last week, and you didn’t call me back.”

  “I thought it was about my time card.”

  Chief Sturgeon raised an eyebrow.

  “Sorry,” I said, then added, “I did fill it out finally.”

  He simply cleared his throat.

  “Right,” I said. “I’m sorry I didn’t call you back. But who is this Chloe, and what is she doing here?”

  “We’ve got a new initiative for the TC Task Force. We want to start recruiting newer, younger cops and training them from the ground up to be part of the team.”

  “Why would you want to do that?”

  “Look, I know you and Jones and the rest of the detectives here all put in your time. I put in my time too. I know how it goes. But if I’m being frank with you, Kate, you’ve gotten the department a lot of publicity lately.”

  “I hardly think it’s my fault there’s been a higher number of deranged killers in our city than usual lately.”

  “No, but it is your fault for catching them. Which we all appreciate,” Sturgeon said. “We’ve got some additional funding from the city. Mostly thanks to you, though they didn’t say that.”

  “Well, why didn’t you give me a raise?” I remarked. “You didn’t have to hire someone else. I’ll just put in more hours.”

  “You can’t put in more hours. Physically. You’ve got the highest amount of paid vacation saved in the entire department.”

  “I’ve been using some this summer.”

  He blew out a breath. “It’s not only that. Look at your partner.”

  “What about Jimmy?”

  “You’ve got a damn paper chain hanging around his desk counting down the days until he retires.”

  I shifted uncomfortably in my seat. “That’s me being facetious. We all know Jimmy’s never going to retire.”

  “I had a partner for twenty-one years at one point.” Sturgeon leaned back in his seat. His gaze had thawed the slightest amount. “It’s hard to let go.”

  “Did he retire?”

  “She died.”

  “I’m so sorry,” I said. “I didn’t know.”

  He cleared his throat. “Things change, Rosetti. People move on. Be grateful your partner’s only going to be a phone call away at the end of this and not six feet under.”

  I didn’t like this turn of conversation. I’d talked enough about change and the baggage that came with it for one morning. The last person I’d expected to lecture me on life this morning was my boss.


  “That doesn’t explain why Chloe needs to be here.”

  “You’re a sharp detective, Kate. Figure it out.”

  I scoffed, made a face, shook my head. “What? You think some undergrad is going to replace Detective Jones? That’s insane.”

  “She was top of her class.”

  “So she can read books. Good for her.”

  “She’s had two years on the force and has nothing but an exemplary service record. She singlehandedly pieced together two cold cases her supervisor had given her, and I quote, ‘just to kill time.’ We think she has potential.”

  “Maybe, but then she should do her time. If you’re ever going to look for a replacement for...” I hesitated, finding the words difficult to come by. “If you’re looking for another detective to hire if Jimmy retires, there are plenty of officers who have years of service under their belts. All of us here, me and you included, have worked our way up.”

  “She’s being paid an entry-level salary,” the chief said. “She knows she’s going to have years of grunt work ahead of her. Chloe is prepared for that. She wants to learn.”

  “Then have her read a book. Apparently she’s good at it.”

  “From you, Kate.” Sturgeon steepled his hands before him. “You are the best. We’ve got a bright young mind here eager to learn. You’ve got a partner on the verge of retirement and a caseload that doesn’t quit. I get emails from you at three thirty in the morning.”

  “I get responses from you at three thirty-two a.m.,” I shot back. “That’s just the nature of the job. It’s a lifestyle, not a nine to five.”

  “I wasn’t sure if it would come this far, but in case I was unclear, this is a command, not a negotiation.”

  “What exactly is your command, Chief?”

  “Chloe is going to be working here on a trial basis for six months. Think of it like a paid internship.”

  “You mean a fast track to becoming a detective on our team.”

  “She can pore over paperwork for you, run down leads from the tip line—whatever you need. You need help. You’re not a one-woman show, despite how the media likes to portray you.”

  “I like to work alone.”

  “No, you like to work with Jones. And Jones isn’t going to be here forever.”

  I took a deep breath, expelled it slowly. “Is there anything else?”

  The chief looked up at the ceiling. “You can work her hard, Kate, but don’t be an ass.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “Work her hard. That’s what she’s here for. Long hours, tough assignments, candid feedback. You’re right—that is the nature of the job, and Chloe needs to understand that. I’m not asking you to tiptoe around and keep her happy as a clam. But keep an open mind. Maybe she’ll be an asset to you. Maybe she’ll even prove herself worthy of being your partner down the line.”

  “Don’t be an ass.” I stood, nodded at the chief. “Got it. Thanks for the detailed instructions.”

  He gave a short laugh. “Keep that sense of humor, Kate.”

  I turned to leave the room. It wasn’t that I was mad at the chief, but I was annoyed. I was allowed to be annoyed, I told myself. Especially with this heaping pile of news that’d been dumped on me after the complicated morning I’d already faced.

  “Kate,” the chief called to me as I put a hand on the door, “I assigned her to you because you’re the best example we’ve got.”

  “With all due respect, then I need to spend my time doing my job and not giving multiple-choice tests to an intern.”

  He gave a faint smile. “You might be surprised. Plus, it’s only a trial basis. If it doesn’t work out, we’ve only got a six-month commitment. The mayor wanted to see how we were using our new funds and expanding the department, so there you have it.”

  “Ah. It’s the mayor’s doing.”

  “The money is. But I’m the one who chose Chloe. She’s on the clock, Rosetti. Put her to work.”

  I yanked the door open and stomped back to the office. When I arrived at my desk, I found Jimmy sitting behind his. Chloe was standing next to him, and together they were peering into a bag sitting next to his computer monitor.

  “Hey, guys,” I said pointedly. “What’s up?”

  Jimmy jerked his head up sheepishly. “Chloe just introduced herself. I was telling her about this sandwich I got, and she said...” Jimmy shook his head. “Forget it. I know that look, and I don’t want to be in the way. Here’s your cornbread.”

  Jimmy handed me a second bag that was on the other end of his desk. I could feel the warmth of the container inside. A peek in the top showed a huge container of the whipped honey butter I loved so much. I wanted nothing more than to dig into it, but that probably wouldn’t be the most professional way to start my new mentorship role.

  “I’m Kate Rosetti,” I said, extending a hand toward Chloe. In the back of my mind, I was replaying the chief’s orders not to be a jerk and trying my hardest to comply with his wishes. “Sounds like we’re going to be working together.”

  “I’ve been reading up on your latest cases,” Chloe said with a smile. “It’s an honor. Whatever you need, any time of day, just let me know. I am honored to be here.”

  “Right,” I said. “Then how about grabbing a couple of coffees from the café next door?”

  “Sure,” she said. “Black, or...?”

  “Just tell them it’s for Kate Rosetti,” I said. “They’ll know my order.”

  Without another word, Chloe turned and flounced out of the office. She had so much energy I could practically feel it bouncing off the walls. I turned toward Jimmy. He was staring back at me.

  “Coffee?” he asked.

  I grumbled a response and moved to my desk. Mostly, I just wanted to eat some of my cornbread in private while I digested this new turn of events. It’d been sort of a wham-bam sort of morning with one piece of news hitting me after the next. A dead body, Gem’s wedding, a new intern. I had earned a big slab of cornbread with some butter.

  Slouching in my chair, I felt the tiniest bit better as I navigated my way through the food on my desk. A few minutes into my deep-breathing exercises, I felt a presence over my shoulder.

  “Rosetti,” Sturgeon barked. “What’d I tell you?”

  “Uh...” I turned, wiped a few crumbs off my face, and stood. “Don’t be an ass?”

  He nodded. “Where’s Chloe?”

  “Coffee run?”

  The chief looked like he was trying not to roll his eyes. “I’m glad to see you’re putting the new resource to good use.” He glanced down at the cornbread on my desk. “And using your time wisely as well.”

  “Kate.” Asha poked her head in the door at the other side of the room. “We got an ID on the body. Interested?”

  “Excuse me, Chief,” I said, brushing my hands on my pants. “Duty calls.”

  Chapter 4

  I WAS JUST ENJOYING the breath of relief I’d gotten at Asha’s announcement when my phone rang. Pulling it out of my pocket as I walked across the room, I glanced at the name on the screen and just about dropped my cell. Alastair Gem. I declined the call and tucked the phone back in my pocket.

  “Boyfriend troubles?” Jimmy asked from behind me. “Ignoring Russo’s calls?”

  “You need a wet napkin,” I retorted. “I can smell the barbecue on you.”

  “It’s my eau de parfum today.”

  Jimmy and I entered the tech room and moved to stand next to Asha. She cracked her fingers and flicked a glance in our direction as we settled in.

  “You look like you’ve been through the wringer this morning,” Asha said to me. “No offense.”

  “It’s been a day,” I said with a sigh. “I’ll need a margarita later. Or twelve.”

  “I can accommodate that,” Asha agreed, “but I suppose we’ll have to see where you end up on this guy first. His name’s Travis Newton. Thirty-four years old. Male.”

  “Is he married?”

  “Engaged,” Asha said. “He h
as a fiancée named Tammy Kemps. It seems they live together. Travis’s name is on the house deed, but I can’t find another residence for Tammy. Last known place of residence is an apartment she gave up about eight months ago.”

  “When she moved in with Travis?”

  “That’d be my guess,” Asha said. “But you’ll know better if you go to his house and ask her yourself. He’s got a mother and father living and one younger sister. The sister is in college in Iowa.”

  “What did he do for a career?”

  “He worked for Herman and Jones. A law firm,” she said. “It seems he’s some sort of divorce lawyer.”

  My mind flicked back to the broken heart on Travis’s arm. I felt Jimmy’s gaze on me and knew he was thinking the same. It could be a coincidence. But divorce, heartbreak, it did make me wonder if there was something to it. Could the murderer have been a peeved client, perhaps in the throes of heartbreak?

  “I’m still diving into everything else,” Asha said. “I’m guessing by your silence and those shifty looks the two of you are sharing, it’s enough to get you started?”

  “Started on what?” a voice asked behind me.

  I turned around and found Chloe standing there with two coffees. She handed one to me. I accepted and took a sip.

  “Are you kidding me?” I cursed under my breath and handed the coffee to Jimmy. “She did it again.”

  “Sorry?” Chloe asked. “Did I do it wrong? I just told them the order was for you, and the woman said she’d take care of it.”

  I sighed. “Not your fault.”

  “Do you want the other coffee?” Chloe’s name was clearly written on the side of it, but she extended it to me anyway. “I got a plain latte just in case.”

  I shook my head. “It’s all yours. I have your first assignment. I’m going to give you a name, and I need you to find me everything you can on it.”