by C. T. Adams
She glanced over at him when he raised a finger. “Actually, Cara, we don’t have to worry about taking casts. The autopsy results came in while you were out. Doc Sloan said it was an animal attack—probably while the men were sleeping. He said the bites were consistent with a large predator, like a big cat, so we might keep an eye out for a mountain lion or jaguar that might have wandered out of another state.”
Elliot spoke up from the far comer—not his usual seat, and when his eyes scanned the other officers quickly, she noticed he very intentionally didn’t look at his own row. Billy, Stephanie, and David were all in that row. He smelled frustrated and embarrassed, with just a hint of anger.
I’ll have to talk with him very soon. See if he’s having problems with someone.
“We used to have cougars around here. My granddad used to talk about them taking his goats. Might be they’re coming back.”
Cara nodded and fought to keep the relief from her face for a moment, before realizing she didn’t need to. It was perfectly acceptable to be relieved there wasn’t a killer loose in the county—at least of the human variety. Still, she shrugged, hoping her face conveyed she was skeptical. This might be a good way to impart some information without seeming to. It could keep her officers safe until they caught the shifter killers. “We didn’t see any cat prints out there, and the dogs didn’t act odd. But I suppose any-thing’s possible. Make sure if you hear any strange noises while you’re out in the field, to look up. Remember that cats like to go for the head and neck. Who’s on area-wide patrol this week?”
Stephanie raised her hand and Cara pointed at her. “Good. You’re certified with the tranquilizer gun. Keep the case in your squad car. I doubt a cougar or jaguar would approach the town, but just in case, I’ll let Maggie know that if anyone calls in a missing pet report or actually spots a cat, she’s to call you.” The older woman’s ebony hand started to scribble notes on her sheets again. Cara abruptly wondered again why Steph remained working here. She was good enough to go to a much larger area and didn’t have any ties to the region. Most of the other deputies were either fresh out of the academy and putting in road time before rotating to something bigger, or lifers who would never leave the county. But Deputy Dion was an anomaly, not that she was complaining. It was sort of nice to have an experienced, competent officer to train the newbies.
She pointed a stern finger around the room and gave an order she hoped wouldn’t kill anyone. But she couldn’t afford not to give the order, in case anyone ever checked. “Don’t shoot to kill unless your life is in danger. Remember that both cats are threatened in the state. Let Stephanie tranq the animal and call it in. Parks and Wildlife will take it from there. They’ll relocate the cat to a more remote area. And let’s not forget there were others in the van who walked away from the scene. There might be an orphaned, traumatized child out there, alone or with someone. Let’s not let down our guard.” She paused to let the thought sink in before looking around again. When Ziri showed up, any remaining memories about the birds would be seen as traumatic stress of seeing the others die. “Any questions?”
Nobody raised a hand so she nodded at Deputy Seguin. “I’ll let Rick finish up then. I’ll be in my office for another hour or so. If anyone owes me a report on a case—” She stared with raised brows at Billy, who was behind about four reports, “Now’s the time to get them to me.” At least he had the good grace to fidget, although his face and scent were still angry. Paperwork wasn’t his strong suit, but he eventually finished it. “Oh, and Rick—see me before you go.” She tried to keep her tone light, but she noticed a small frown before he stood to take her place. Good. Maybe he’d get the hint.
Still, despite her simmering anger, she nearly collapsed against the nearest wall when she reached the hallway. Nobody had asked any questions she couldn’t answer and Will had been right about the autopsy. Her legs suddenly felt like jelly and a buzzing filled her head from sheer relief. It was all she could do to walk to the end of the hall, which opened into a second office area in front of Carl’s office.
She stared at his name, hand-painted under the gold star. It was still his post. She had to remember that. But it was hard not to want to dig her fingers deep into the pie and claim the job. Do things her own way. Despite her better judgment—despite the pettiness and annoyances, she longed to see her name on that glass. She could do it. She knew she could, if only given the chance to shine. And shine she would. Squaring her shoulders, she strode into the room, ready to face whatever the job could throw at her.
A split row of desks with computers was surrounded by ancient, industrial gray metal file cabinets. Various drawers Were open and Yolanda Marquez was kneeling in front of an open bottom drawer, struggling to stuff in one more manila file folder. The small growling sound that filled the air as the drawer nearly bent on the guides made Cara smile, but then Yo usually made her smile. Other than her sister Rosa, Yolanda was probably her best friend in the world. They’d always wound up as lab and locker partners in school, held their Quinceaneras on the same weekend, attended police academy together, and had lunch at least once a week. So far, the new working arrangement hadn’t changed that. She hoped it never would.
“Hey, Yo. Thanks for sticking around.”
She replied without turning around. “No prob. I’ve been keeping busy.”
Cara looked around at the various open drawers. “So I see. What’s up?”
Yolanda spun around and plopped her tail on the floor, causing her utility belt to splay over her ample hips and ride up. “What’s up is that we need to allocate some budget money to buy more filing cabinets or find some off-site storage. I’m just flat out of room to store open files.”
The words popped out of Cara’s mouth before she could stop them. They were Carl’s words, repeated from the day she’d arrived at the department. “Then I guess we need to close the files.” Yolanda flipped her the bird, and Cara fought not to laugh. But Yo was right. They’d been out of room for files for years. But Carl was stingy with money, because the county commissioners were stingy with money. “Maybe this year we can do something about that.” She was mulling to herself, but realized she’d spoken out loud when Yo’s eyes lit up.
“You really mean it? You’ll make a budget line item for cabinets?” She stood in a rush and nearly bounced across the room, smelling like sweet tangerine flowers. “Eee! I’ll polish your badge, shine your shoes—heck, I’ll buy you lunch for a month if you’ll do that!”
Then Cara did laugh but followed up with mock sternness, with one hand on her hip and the other shaking a finger at her. “Huh-uh. No bribing the sheriff. Ba-ad deputy.”
Yolanda’s full lips and large eyes always made Cara think of a sad puppy when she did her infamous pout. She’d used it on her parents her whole life, and even Carl hadn’t been immune. She’d been the only one of Cara’s friends in town to have gotten a private phone in her room, and her Quince party had been spectacular—the talk of the town, which had probably forced her parents to get a second mortgage on the house. But they couldn’t deny Yolanda anything she asked for when she used the sad puppy pout. She also got more raises than her length of service at the department probably allowed. Thankfully, with Cara constantly riding her not to get greedy, it hadn’t gone to her head.
“But—” Cara continued, now really considering the idea, “You get to figure out how many we can fit in and where to put them. You know the commissioners are going to go all Spanish Inquisition on me when I ask, so I’ll have to show them a workable plan that doesn’t disrupt the office. And I don’t have time to rearrange the office on paper a dozen times. The preliminary budget’s due at next month’s meeting.”
Yolanda looked around the already cramped room—and Cara bet she had suddenly realized her lofty goal might be further away than she planned when she sighed. “Oh sure, pop my pretty balloon.” Another sigh, and then she shrugged and turned professional, stepped behind her desk, and grabbed a stack of papers. “Eh. I�
��ll work on that later, when I’m not so tired. But we really need to talk about your schedule tomorrow. You were already tight, and I had to use a crowbar to fit in everything you canceled this afternoon. I’d suggest copious amounts of caffeine and a pair of those expensive running shoes instead of your Wal-Mart tenees.”
Cara let out a small whimpering sound and swept a hand toward her office. “We might as well sit down and be comfortable.”
A KNOCK ON the door made both her and Yolanda look up, startled out their deep conversation. A quick sniff told her Stephanie Dion was on the other side. The clock showed that more than an hour had already passed. Damn it! She was late to pick up Adam to go to her sister’s house and she hadn’t even talked to Rick yet. But Yolanda hadn’t been kidding about her schedule. “Just a second,” she called out and then returned her attention to Yo. “Okay, so it’s Commissioner Watkins at eight, Mr. Martinez at eight thirty, and then the Nguyen extradition hearing at nine to start?” She raised hopeful eyebrows.
Yolanda shook her head and lowered her face to her hands with a near-sob. “No, no. It’s the commissioner at eight, and the hearing at eight thirty. The county attorney will tell you whether you’re needed to testify. If so, then you call me and I’ll reschedule Mr. Martinez, who’s at nine.”
Cara leaned into the high-backed leather chair and thumped her head against the padded headrest several times. “Write it down for me… please! With the details like calling you. I’ll pick it up when I come in tomorrow.” Even though the task was well within Yo’s job description, she sweetened the pot. “I’ll even buy you an extra helping of peach cobbler at the café next lunch.”
She grinned. “I thought you said no bribery.”
“Oh, that only applies to bribing your boss. I’m allowed to reward my hard working staff—so long as it doesn’t cost the county any money.” They both burst out laughing at that and Yolanda stood up and walked to the door.
“Far be it from me to turn down Rachel’s cobbler! But I’ll expect it to be a la mode for all the extra goodies you want.”
Steph must have heard Yolanda approach the door, because she cracked it open enough to poke her head inside. “All done? I just need a minute, Cara. I know you’re busy.”
Again her eyes flicked to the clock. “No problem, but a minute’s all I’ve got. I’m already late for an appointment. What’s up?”
Stephanie held open the door for Yolanda to exit and then closed it carefully behind her. That was unusual for the deputy, who normally just stood in the open doorway to say whatever she needed to. There were few secrets in a department this small, so something sensitive enough to talk about behind closed doors was worthy of Cara giving her full attention when the woman sat down across the desk from her.
She started in without any preliminaries, but that’s one of the things Cara liked best about her. The scent of roses filled the room. Cara found it amusing that not only was it Steph’s natural scent, but she put on rose-scented lotion every day, which enhanced the rich, sweet smell. “First, you should know that Rick already left.”
Cara clenched fists and gritted her teeth to prevent the string of swear words in her head from escaping. Steph nodded. “Yeah, I figured that would be your reaction, after you said you wanted to see him. Didn’t say a word to anyone either… just walked out the door after the meeting.” She moved herself side to side to get more comfortable in the chair that Yolanda had vacated. “Another thing you should know is that everybody is talking about your meeting with Will and two other men at Rosa’s restaurant today.”
This time, Cara didn’t feel the need to hide a strangled frustrated sound. “¡Madre de Dios! Can’t I even have a simple lunch with a friend anymore?” She turned off her “sheriff” persona and appealed to the colleague and… friend she used to sit next to at the tables. “Really! Would anyone have said a word if I’d done the same thing when I was just a deputy? C’mon, Steph. You know I’d tell people if it was a case or something. Will just wanted to introduce me to a friend who was visiting.”
The woman shrugged and then nodded in a way that said Cara was stating the obvious. Her bright white teeth flashed for a moment when she reached out her tongue to lick across her bright pink lipstick. “Oh, I know that. That part was easy to figure out. No, I’m more interested in the friend than what you and Will talked about. I wondered whether you were interviewing him. Is that what the meeting was about? You don’t have to tell me, of course, but I’m really curious.”
The question caught her cold and she reared back in surprise. “Interviewing him? For what! I don’t have any positions open and certainly don’t need any help at my ranch. Besides, he lives in another state—he’s just visiting.”
Stephanie waggled her head and curiosity grew in her scent. Cara fought not to sneeze. Roses and sickly sweet antifreeze should be banned as a combination. “Maybe yes, maybe no. Someone down at the beauty parlor saw Minnesota plates and caught wind that the guy’s a cop in Minneapolis.”
Cara shrugged. “Sure. That’s how he knows Will. So what?”
The other woman smiled knowingly. “Well, you remember I’ve got a cousin who’s with the St. Paul PD? I asked him about the guy, and it turns out he’s top notch—decorated from here to Sunday and he just put in his notice.” She tapped a polished burgundy nail on the chair arm. “We could really use someone of his caliber if he’s thinking about moving down here.”
Damn, Steph was getting to be a little too good of an investigator. Cara was going to have to start watching her step around the woman. Simultaneously projecting calm and confusion was a little difficult, and she hoped she managed it. It was probably better to stick to half-truths. “Once again, I don’t have any positions—even if he was interested in moving. I’m only sitting in this chair until Carl comes back, so that empty desk next to yours is where you’ll find me in a few months.”
The next words out of Stephanie’s mouth were sarcastic, but in a friendly teasing sort of way and she moved her head from side to side while making little quotation marks in the air. “Oh, puleeze! I’m only sitting in this chair until Carl comes back. You can do better than that, Cara! The office is running smoother than it ever has and you know it! The guys might not like the changes you’ve made, but in my opinion it’s about damned time people started treating law enforcement in this county like a job. The guys are showing up on time… in uniform and making chatter on the radio. Two months before you slapped that demerit in Billy’s file for failure to report, would he have called in that van?”
Cara shrugged one shoulder, not committing the truth to the air. The department had been going to shit under Carl’s rule, and although she was loath to speak badly of a man in a hospital bed, the whole place was turning into a real pouce department since she’d taken control. She was going to hate to see all the improvements go away when he returned. If he returned.
Stephanie nodded and raised one finger into the air triumphantly. “Exactly! He would have considered it to be too much trouble and have just stayed away from that route for a day or so, until someone else spotted the vultures circling.” She shook her head in annoyance. “He’s quite the piece of work. I hope you fire his ass one of these days.” A pause, long enough that Cara nearly felt the need to make some noise, but then Stephanie continued, and she was up to something—the roses had bitter overtones. Apparently she’d been working on this next little speech all afternoon and felt a little guilty. “And, actually, you do have a position open. It’s just been on the books so long that you’ve probably forgotten about it—or maybe you never knew Carl was trying to fill it.”
That one really did floor her and she could feel her jaw drop. “I do? What position?”
Stephanie’s smile was sweet enough to rot teeth. “Truant officer.” She let it sink in for a long pause and then continued. “Remember when the school district increased in size two years ago when they built that new subdivision between here and Junction? Well, they applied for permission from the
state and were approved. But Carl couldn’t find anyone and finally gave up. It doesn’t pay as much as a deputy position, and not every cop likes kids. But this Officer Mueller is apparently great with kids. He was the coach for a bunch of Boys’ Club-Police Department teams-basketball, hockey, and a couple of others. He’s donated free time to shelters and even helps out with the D.A.R.E. project.”
Truant officer. She started to tick off the benefits in her head. Local surname, good record, likes kids. Wow. Would that be a perfect fit, or what?
Stephanie continued. “And I don’t know if you’ve ever looked at the job description, but the truant officer is a reserve deputy. Anything bad-bad happens, and you can call him up. We’d have a spare hand… a real cop with experience. According to Darnell, his beat was one of the worst in the city. He’s seen everything and might be good eyes and ears in the field for drug stuff. Billy and Tom aren’t really up to snuff on anything other than finding meth labs. But Mueller has seen it all—crack, heroin, ecstasy, and every gang under the sun. No way would our local kids be able to put anything over on him. As a bonus, if Carl does decide to retire, he’d be a shoe-in for your old slot.”
Cara found herself nodding thoughtfully while staring at the wall over Stephanie’s shoulder. “I think I have some reading to catch up on.” She turned her eyes to the liquid brown ones opposite her. “Where did you say I could find out more about this position?”
Stephanie stood up with a brilliant smile. Now, oranges and roses… that was a better combination. It reminded Cara of the time she went with her sister to the Tournament of Roses parade. “I’d start with the files from when Carl started looking. Yo probably has those. Then, if you happen to wander by my desk, the statute book is in the out-box. The pages listing the duties are marked with a paperclip—just in case anyone happened to need a copy.”
