The Rookie's Assignment

by Valerie Hansen

  “I think so.” He noted her grimacing as she tried to right herself. “I didn’t get my foot all the way inside before he hit us but it’s okay. I don’t suppose you were able to ID that driver, either.”

  “No. I was too busy saving your hide, and we shouldn’t go in pursuit until we get the okay on the safety of this damaged vehicle.”

  “Then I guess that makes us even in the rescue department. You can let go of me now.”

  Nick wondered if she could hear the pounding of his heart. He certainly could. It took immense effort to convince himself to release her and let her slide away.

  The crestfallen expression on Keira’s face led him to anticipate her quandary. “Do you want me to call it in?”

  “No. I’ll do it.” Her lips were pressed into a thin line and she was obviously dreading making a report in which she admitted damage to department property while it was in her care.

  Nevertheless, she gathered up the mike where she’d dropped it when they’d been sideswiped, checked frequencies and keyed it to announce, “Dispatch, this is unit four. All officers are okay after a hit-and-run but this unit’s been damaged. We’ll need assistance.”

  Nick listened to the ongoing radio conversation without comment. His partner was all business and sounded totally professional as she gave their location but he could tell she was shaking, inside and out.

  Instinct told him to pat her on the shoulder the way he might have a fellow male officer. Good sense told him to keep his hands to himself and remember that his partner was not one of the guys—even if that was how she claimed to see herself. Good sense won.

  FOUR

  To Keira’s chagrin, her brother Douglas and two other patrol cars arrived quickly, red-and-blue lights flashing. She climbed out to face the music, surprised when Nick stayed close beside her.

  She’d thought, for a split second, that the captain might revert to his older-brother habits and hug her as they met but thankfully he restrained himself.

  Keira managed a smile. “Hi. This time, Nick gets the credit for saving my neck.”

  Douglas arched a brow and scowled at her partner just the same. “Oh? Who was driving?”

  “Nobody. We were parked,” Keira announced, waving her hands for emphasis. “Just sitting there minding our own business when a truck came along and sideswiped us.” She made a face. “And no, we couldn’t see who was driving or get the license number. But it shouldn’t be too hard to find an old, light-colored pickup with part of the FBPD logo from that door stuck to his dented fender.”

  “Okay.” Captain Fitzgerald turned to give instructions to the other officers before continuing to question her. “If you were in the car, what part did Delfino have in all this?”

  “I wasn’t totally inside,” Keira told him. “Nick saw we were about to be hit and jerked me out of the way.” Her smile grew naturally when she glanced over at her partner. “He’s lucky I didn’t slug him before I realized what was actually happening.”

  “Can you give us a better description of the truck? Anything? Make, model, year?”

  “It was old and rusty,” Nick said, citing a possible manufacturer. “Half-ton. Probably mid-eighties vintage, maybe a little older. The plates weren’t visible. And the driver looked male, although I wouldn’t swear to it.”

  “Okay.” Douglas glanced past them to where Hank Monroe was gathering paint scrapings from the creased side of the SUV. “I’ll check it over. Doesn’t look like there’s much damage other than cosmetic. As long as that door still latches you might as well keep driving it until we have a chance to send it out for repairs.”

  “This shouldn’t go against Keira’s record,” Nick said. “It wasn’t her fault. There was no way she could have avoided being hit.”

  “Noted.” Douglas was eyeing Nick as he spoke and Keira felt compelled to defend him, as well.

  “Neither of us is responsible,” she said firmly. “We came here to look at the condo, that’s all.”

  “There was no indication of trouble prior to this incident?”

  She could tell that her brother didn’t believe they’d had no forewarning so she decided to mention the other truck. “Actually, we had wondered if we were being followed after we left the inn but I don’t think the guy who hit us was the same one we’d been watching, so I can’t see any connection.”

  “Followed? Explain.”

  “That was my assumption,” Nick said. “I noticed a vehicle behind us and because Keira—Officer Fitzgerald—didn’t recognize it, we were on our guard.”

  “And?”

  Agreeing with Nick, Keira said, “That’s all there was to it. We thought we saw that particular vehicle parked down by the Smiths’ place so I loaned Nick my radio while he went to check it out. He’d just come back when somebody else decided to remodel my door.” She made a disgusted face as she glanced toward the patrol vehicle.

  “We’ve been talking about installing dash cameras,” her brother said. “Maybe this will hurry up the process.” Looking past her, he assessed the scene as he handed her his personal radio. “Here. Take this till you can get an extra for Delfino. Hank and I’ll check the Smiths’ place just in case there’s any evidence over there but I wouldn’t hold my breath.”

  “Unfortunately, I didn’t get close enough to see much,” Nick said. “I think that driver took off because he spotted me. I’m just thankful I was back here in time to help Keira.”

  “So am I,” the captain said as he extended his hand to Nick. “Thanks.”

  “All a part of the job,” Nick replied, accepting the friendly overture. “And while you’re here I may as well tell you that I’ll take the apartment—unless you’ve changed your mind.”

  “Fine with me.” He quoted a monthly rate. “We won’t need a long-term lease, will we?”

  It didn’t surprise Keira to hear Nick say, “No. I won’t be here long,” but it did take her aback when she felt a twinge of disappointment.

  “What do you say we head back to town and grab a bite to eat?” Nick suggested as they drove away.

  “Okay. Normally I’d suggest we eat at the Sugar Plum Café but in view of your recent hike up the river, I think it might be best if we went to Connolly’s Catch, down by the marina. It’s a lot more casual and the view of the bay is great.”

  “Suits me. You’re driving. Is it far?”

  “Not at all.” She was grinning. “I knew you’d like the condo. It has everything a bachelor like you needs. No carpets to vacuum, a simple kitchen, no yard to mow, windows that overlook half the town and two restaurants within walking distance, including the one we’re about to visit. And your neighbor is a fellow cop so there’ll always be somebody to watch your back.”

  “What makes you think I need someone to do that? I thought this was basically a safe little town.”

  “It was. Until you got here.”

  He saw her shiver and decided to keep the rest of his thoughts to himself. After all, she knew about the murderer in their midst and if he mentioned that case too often she was bound to think he was attacking her doctor brother. That was the next person he wanted to meet, Nick decided easily. He’d encountered sociopaths who could skillfully hide their deviant behavior but most murderers were not that clever. If Charles Fitzgerald was half as normal as his sister insisted he was, he’d be easy to figure out.

  “Well, here we are. What do you think?”

  Nick glanced up at the colorful, enormous sign above the seafood-restaurant roof while Keira parked. “Connolly’s Catch. Interesting. At least it’s not Fitzgeralds’ Fishery or something like that. I was beginning to think there were no other families in town.”

  She led the way up the wooden steps and onto the porch before she paused to say, “I have to confess. Vanessa Connolly, the owner, is my aunt. She and Dad are brother and sister.”

  Nick smiled and politely held the door for her to pass. “Why am I not surprised?”

  “There’s one more brother in that generation, t
oo. Remember? I told you Uncle Mickey is the fire chief.”

  “Right. Guess I’d better behave myself, then. You’ve got me surrounded. I think I’m going to need a program to keep all the players straight.”

  “You’ll catch on. All you need to remember to stay out of trouble with my relatives is to assume everybody in town is kin. Well, except for the Hennessys and a few other families. Burke Hennessy will probably be Dad’s chief rival for the mayor’s job now that my grandfather has announced his retirement.”

  “Hennessy. Hmm. That name rings a bell,” Nick murmured, outwardly directing his attention to the eclectic decor of the restaurant. It was New England kitsch and then some. Nets draped in the corners were dotted with blue-and-green antique glass floats. Harpoons hung crossed on the walls below paintings of whalers in longboats. The jawbone of a whale was suspended above the dining area and the tabletops were reminiscent of the worn plank decks of sailing ships.

  “That’s probably because Burke Hennessy was the first one to insist we should blame Charles for Olivia’s murder and he hasn’t shut up about it since,” Keira said softly. “Don’t believe a word that man says. I don’t care what kind of political connections he claims because he’s a lawyer—I wouldn’t trust him as far as I could throw him.”

  She cupped a hand around the side of her mouth to add, “It might be best if you didn’t repeat what I just said. I’m supposed to be impartial.”

  “Yeah. We all are. It’s just not that easy, is it, rookie?”

  “Nope. The more I learn about this job, the harder it gets, and the more I appreciate other officers. It’s tough out there, especially when you can’t tell the good guys from the rest.”

  “Welcome to the club.”

  Her pretend pout was so cute and so appealing he had to chuckle. Keira Fitzgerald might not be nearing the kind of job perfection she’d strove for but there were other aspects of her persona that were certainly endearing.

  Not that he’d dare come right out and tell her so. By the time he was through working in her hometown, his name would be mud. In the long run, it didn’t matter whether he judged her department to be innocent or guilty. He’d still be the undercover investigator who had had to lie to them all in order to do his job and that was the criteria they’d judge him by. In their place he’d have felt exactly the same way. Betrayed.

  He breathed deeply, turning an intended sigh into a feast of the marvelously enticing aromas that surrounded them.

  Keira stood on tiptoe to wave hello to a middle-aged woman with an infectious grin.

  “This is Vanessa Connelly,” Keira said as soon as she joined them. “Aunt Vanessa, meet Nick Delfino, a detective from Boston.”

  The older woman shook his hand firmly and regarded him as if he were an interesting specimen caught in one of the fishing nets adorning the walls, although he wasn’t sure what he might be a specimen of. The minute she spoke, however, he got a pretty good idea.

  “So, Aiden paired you two up, did he? My, my. Maybe he’s finally taking some of my advice. It’s about time.”

  “Nick and I are just working together for a few weeks,” Keira insisted, “so don’t start in on us the way you did with Douglas and Merry O’Leary, okay?”

  “Hey, I didn’t do anything. The good Lord made those two compatible, not me.”

  “Right.” Keira rolled her eyes. “I’ve been telling Nick how great the food is here so we’d better grab a table. You never know when we might get a call and have to leave in a hurry.”

  “I’ll take your order myself and put a rush on it,” Vanessa promised. “The special today is clam chowder and crab cakes. How does that sound?”

  Nick nodded and grinned. “If it tastes half as good as this place smells, it’ll be the best thing I’ve ever eaten. Bring it on.”

  “Me, too. And iced tea, please,” Keira said. “We’ll sit right here.”

  Nick reached to pull out a captain’s chair for her but she was already plunking down in a different one. Edging his own chair around slightly so that his back wasn’t to the door, he joined her.

  “Still nervous?” Keira asked.

  “Still careful,” he replied with an arched brow and a half smile. “I try to never sit where I can’t see what’s coming. It’s an old habit.”

  “And probably a good one.” Keira shifted slightly to make more room for him on her side of the small table. “This is the kind of thing I meant when I said I wanted to learn from you. My brothers and the rest of the officers in Fitzgerald Bay are much more relaxed than you are and I want to be prepared for anything.”

  Nick noticed her barely perceptible shiver. “Good. That means you’re still open to new ideas. A lot of cops are so set in their ways they refuse to learn.”

  Leaning her elbows on the table to come even closer, she lowered her voice. “Actually, I want you to think out loud when we’re going over evidence together. Ask me anything you want, no matter who it involves. Please?”

  “If you’re sure that’s what you really want.”

  “I’m sure. It’s possible that you and I can put our heads together and come up with another suspect, or at least eliminate Charles.”

  “And if we can’t?”

  “We will. I know we will. There must be something we’re missing. Something that points to the real killer. You brought the murder weapon and the other evidence back with you since the lab was done with them, didn’t you?”

  “The bloody rock? Yes. And the victim’s shoe. There were no usable prints on any of that stuff.”

  “What about the dolphin charm found near her body?”

  “That may have been lost on the beach months ago, maybe last summer. There’s no way to tell. And no, it didn’t have any fingerprints on it, either.”

  Keira straightened to make room for the bowls of steaming chowder Vanessa was placing on the table in front of them and thanked the older woman.

  Nick was glad they’d been interrupted. Of the two blood types found on the rock, only one had belonged to the victim. If Keira had read the lab reports she knew that, too.

  Until he’d had a chance to interview more townspeople, he figured it would be best to limit their discussion of those particular clues. They led straight to her brother Charles.

  Because her partner had grown so quiet and subdued while they ate, Keira decided to try to draw him out with questions. “I’ve been thinking,” she began.

  He slowly lowered his soup spoon. “Uh-oh.”

  “Very funny. I just wonder if maybe those guys in the trucks were only passing through. Either or both of them could have been criminals, of course, but maybe they had nothing to do with ransacking your room.”

  “Do you believe in the Tooth Fairy, too?”

  “Okay, okay. You don’t agree. Am I right?”

  “For a change, yes.”

  His lopsided half smile pleased her beyond anything she’d expected and encouraged further banter. “For a change, huh? You sound more and more like my brothers every minute and you’ve only been here a few days. I hate to think what you’ll be like after a month.”

  “Maybe it won’t take that long to solve the murder,” Nick said. “I’m going to want a DNA sample from Charles.”

  Now that was a surprise. She scowled. “Why? He already provided one.”

  Watching her partner’s face, Keira made a deduction that was very upsetting. “Wait a sec. You think he—we—may have falsified evidence?”

  “I didn’t say that.”

  “You didn’t have to. Nobody would mistake the implication. You want to take a sample yourself because you don’t trust us.”

  When Nick swiveled to look at her, she could tell he was hesitant to say more. Well, he didn’t have to. She knew precisely what he’d meant.

  “Look, Keira, wouldn’t you rather the second sample was taken and proved to be a match to the first? It would help the state police and your brother at the same time.”

  “The truth is in the first sample Cha
rles gave.”

  “Okay. But Olivia worked for his family. There’s still a good chance that some of the material found under her fingernails belonged to a Fitzgerald. The question is how it got there and whether that’s all that was found.”

  “You have results that I don’t know about?” Keira asked.

  “We do have more than one blood sample from the rock that we believe was the murder weapon. Unfortunately, the blood type is a common one and it does match your brother’s.”

  “I read that in the preliminary toxicology report. So?”

  “So, the best way to clear his name is send a new sample for typing and a DNA test. If the prime suspect wasn’t related to you, you’d jump at this chance. Admit it.”

  “Okay. Maybe you’re right. But you’re not going to pin this murder on an innocent man. We won’t allow it.”

  “Do you actually believe I came here to frame him?”

  Keira sighed. “No. But I’ve heard of cases where men spent years in prison before the truth came out and they were freed. Charles has small children to raise. He needs to be there for them, not locked up over some trumped-up evidence that an overzealous prosecutor decided to use.”

  “You’re really afraid for him, aren’t you?”

  She knew Nick was reading her just the way he’d claimed he could. Well, maybe she was a little transparent but Charles was her big brother. She loved him. And she loved his twins, Aaron and Brianne, too. They were only two years old, their mother had deserted them, and now the nanny they’d grown attached to in her place had been murdered. What would happen to the poor little things if their daddy was hauled off to jail?

  Before she could decide how to rebut Nick’s suggestion that she was fearful, he reached across the table and patted the back of her hand. His touch was gentle and the look in his hazel eyes warmed her to the marrow in her bones.

  “I promise you one thing,” Nick said quietly. “I will never assume anyone is guilty unless I have solid proof. And I’ll give your brother the full benefit of the doubt. That’s another reason it’s important to take a second swab for DNA. It’s the surest way to rule him out.”