To Protect & Serve (6 page)

“Did you get a chance to talk about it at all?”

“Oh, no. She issues decrees from her high perch and rides off into the sunset unconcerned about their effects on her minions.”

Sliding her hand over Keri’s on the console, Pat ventured into the hot zone. “Is it at all possible that your past with this woman is casting everything in a bad light? You obviously still have very strong feelings about that. I’d hate to see that stuff interfere with your career forever.” She gave Keri’s hand a squeeze. “And how anyone could accuse you of dishonesty, I have no idea, sweetie.”

Knowing Pat would see through anything but the truth, Keri acknowledged, “I’m not sure what I think, or why, anymore. But I know one thing for sure. I could
never
work for her, no matter how much I want to be on that task force. I don’t trust her.”

“I’m really sorry, Ker. I wish there was something I could do. Just keep the faith. It’ll work out.” Glancing at her watch, Pat opened the Jeep door. “Wish I could stay and talk because I know you’re too wired to sleep, but duty calls. We’re meeting in the morning for our run, right?” When Keri nodded, Pat added, “Get out and give me a hug.”

Keri exited the vehicle and joined Pat in a full-body hug. “I love you, girl. And thanks for listening.”

Pat hugged Keri tightly. “I love you, too. And remember another very important thing…never say never.”

At that moment Lieutenant Troy walked through the lot toward a red Corvette parked on the street. She paused, surveyed Keri and Pat with a lingering visual examination worthy of a couple of nudists. Without a word, she continued to the curb and joined a woman Keri recognized as Sergeant Beth Price.

As the two officers headed back into the station, Keri cringed. She could just imagine what Alex was thinking. Probably
Slut.
Or worse,
Unprofessional.

*

“So, did you see any good prospects for the task force tonight?” Beth asked.

Alex bit back the reply that burned on her lips. Did Keri get off making out in public? Her embrace with the dark-haired woman was just another example of her immaturity. At least she wasn’t in uniform. Alex decided her response to Keri’s behavior was concern for the department’s image. Had Keri been a male officer groping his girlfriend, she’d have had exactly the same reaction.

“That Morgan girl we just saw in the parking lot was impressive on a hostage call, although that display just now wasn’t exactly what I’d call appropriate behavior outside the police station.”

“From what I hear, she’s a damn good officer.” Beth hesitated.

Alex knew her friend well enough to know there was more to the story. “But?”

“Nothing about the job. She has a few family issues, like we all do. But you would, too, if your old man throttled you every time you tried to take a liberated breath.”

Alex’s body stiffened as though she’d been fisted in the gut. How could a parent strike their own child? For that matter, how could anyone hit a person he or she supposedly loved? Her mind flashed to Helen and she forced the memories away immediately, resenting their power to surface.

“How do you know about her father?”

“I overheard one of the guys on her squad talking about it. Keri speaks her mind, and that didn’t set well with her father. Her twin brother was apparently the chosen one, always pampered and protected. He didn’t have Keri’s adventurous streak.”

Alex tried to make sense of this latest news in the context of what she thought she knew about Keri Morgan. “But doesn’t she still live with her parents?”

“Yeah, she moved back to help out when her mother developed Alzheimer’s. Her dad’s supposedly mellowed a lot with age, and stopped drinking. He’s in poor health now, too. Heart, I believe.”

“I can see why she’s always joking around. I had no idea. But how can you live with someone abusive?”

Beth cleared her throat. They both knew the answer to that question and didn’t need to revisit it now. “I think she’d be worth a look for the task force if you can get past your first run-in with her. Besides, that turned out all right in the end.”

“I don’t think she’d agree with you. She still seems pretty angry.” Alex chose not to tell Beth that Keri Morgan was virtually on the project already. She needed more information about the young officer before finally adding her name to the short list. Maybe with just the right piece of intel she could talk the chief out of a personnel assignment that could only prove disruptive and unproductive for the entire team.

“Give her some slack,” Beth said. “She doesn’t know all the facts about that incident three years ago and you do.”

“I don’t have time to baby-sit on this one. Councilman Chambers is already climbing the chief’s ass about Stacey’s death. She was a great kid, but her father can be a pain in the butt. I don’t blame him, though. I’d be doing the same thing if she was my daughter.”

Beth stopped halfway up the building steps. “Is this really just about Morgan sulking over past history? Or is there something else?” Her sideways smile told Alex she liked the young officer’s potential and looks.

“I’m afraid she’s a time bomb waiting to go off, and I don’t need to be dealing with anybody’s issues in addition to…” Alex felt her insides tighten.

“In addition to what?” Beth eyed her with concern.

Alex hesitated, knowing her friend’s reaction would be immediate and strong. “Layton PD is in on this.”

“Oh, hell no. Who do I have to talk to? Ain’t no fucking way this is happening. You know Callahan will try to make you look bad and take over the case. And you can bet your sweet ass that she’ll try to get you in bed again—that’s a given.”

“It’s a done deal, Beth. I’ve just got to work with it. I want this guy bad, and if he had anything to do with Stacey’s death, I’ll find out and bury him. Besides, there’s a promotion waiting for me.” Just the thought of it quickened her pulse.

“One more promotion won’t change anything in this shithole of male ego and favoritism, and I don’t think it’s worth the fresh hell of dealing with Callahan again. Besides, it’s not like you do it for the money.”

“No, I don’t. So will you come by tomorrow and look over some names with me?”

“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.

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.”