To Protect & Serve (7 page)

The chief motioned for them to be seated. “Alex is heading the drug task force aspect of the case. The homicide squad is handling the death investigation, but Alex has been read into the specifics. You have my word—”

Councilman Chambers raised his hand to stop the chief. “No disrespect, Rudy, but I want someone on my daughter’s case who knew her. I don’t want this handled like any other case. I want them to
care
what happened to her. And she always spoke so highly of Lieutenant Troy.”

Alex started to speak, but Lancaster replied, “Byron, I can assure you that none of our death cases are considered routine.”

“I’m sure, but you’d want the same thing if she were your daughter.”

The comment stopped Rudy Lancaster. Alex knew it touched his heart as a father. After a beat, he said, “I’ll make sure everyone knows Alex has the lead.”

Seeming satisfied with the chief’s answer, Chambers returned his attention to Alex, asking, “What can you tell me?”

“At this point, the team is still being assembled that will look into the drug-related aspect of the case. It would be helpful if you could give me a list of the people Stacey associated with, professionally and personally. I know she went into counseling after graduation but we hadn’t had a chance to talk about it much.”

The knowledge that they never would saddened Alex to her core. Why hadn’t she kept in closer touch?

“I’ll give you anything you need. But please keep me in the loop.” Byron Chambers took a notepad the chief offered and wrote furiously for several minutes. “This is everyone I can think of. I’ll check with her mother and see if she can add anything.”

Chief Lancaster stood and moved around his desk toward the door. “We should probably be going, Councilman. The press conference starts in five minutes. Hopefully someone will come forward after we’ve made the appeal. Alex will keep us both informed every step of the way.”

Alex knew the chief’s last statement was not just a reassuring comment for Byron Chambers’s benefit but an indirect order to her. After shaking hands with both men, she headed back to her office and poured a fresh cup of coffee. As she sipped she went over the names on the councilman’s list. Stacey Chambers was obviously a very popular and well-connected woman. Her register of contacts resembled a who’s who of Granville politics and society. It would take an entire team of officers weeks to interview everyone. She decided to let the homicide glory boys handle the legwork and her guys would take any really promising leads.

Unfortunately, no one on the list stood out. Her next hope was that someone Stacey worked with or counseled at the Granville Drug Rehab Clinic would have some worthwhile information. Once she had the names from every other statement, she could cross-reference them with known associates of the other victims. Maybe there would be a connection. And just maybe, if they were really lucky, someone would respond to the councilman’s appeal for information.

*

Alex’s desk phone buzzed and Shirley’s sharp tone reverberated against the predominately bare walls in her makeshift office. “Lieu-ten-ant?” She pulled the word out like hot taffy. “Sergeant Price is here. You remember her, don’t you?”

“I’m not sure. Refresh my memory.” Her secretary knew she and Beth had attended recruit school together and remained best friends.

Beth opened Alex’s door and shot her the bird. “Does this refresh your memory?”

“I’ll take it from here, Shirley,” Alex said into the speaker. “And hold my calls for a while. We’ve got a lot of work to do.”

Beth closed the office door and dragged a worn fabric armchair next to Alex’s. “I’d know that tone of voice anywhere. You’ve already gotten a call from the soul-sucking bitch. Right?”

“She left a message on my machine last night, but I didn’t listen to it.”

“I told you, Alex. It’s not going to work. Helen’s not a team player. She’ll either try to take over or she’ll blow the whole case with her petty power plays. Just remember what she put you through on that other task force, and there wasn’t nearly as much at stake.” Beth shook her head. “She’s just aching to ride you down that dark road again.”

“Thanks. I promise to keep her at arm’s length.” A Helen-induced uneasiness crept into Alex’s mind. Distracting herself, she slid a handful of M&Ms from the mason jar turned candy dispenser on her bookshelf. “Want a hit?”

“No, thanks. Do you have some names for me to look at?”

“I’ve narrowed it down to a dozen, but that’s as far as I can get.” Alex pushed the files in front of Beth. “You’ve been in Vice/Narcotics for a while now and you’ve been a field sergeant. You know how things work.”

“Guilty on all charges.”

“So tell me what you think.”

For the next few hours they discussed the pros and cons of each officer, reviewed their previous work assignments, evaluations, Internal Affairs jackets, and field performance. They narrowed the list to four names, two male and two female.

“All right, boss, I’m tired of looking at paper and I’m hungry as hell,” Beth said. “Can we continue this over lunch? And you’re buying.”

“Sounds good to me.” Alex welcomed the break to erase Keri Morgan from her mind. She kept resurfacing as the number one choice, even if the chief hadn’t made his choice clear. But Alex’s defenses still warned against it as they walked across the street to the deli.

She and Beth settled into the last church-pew booth. The early lunchers at the Main Street Deli had already claimed most of the wall-hugging booths and were busy swigging sweet tea and eating the barbecue lunch special. The blue-haired waitress smiled when they came in and shouted their usual order to the cook.

Beth studied the pained look that crossed Alex’s face. “I’m sorry about Stacey. I know you liked her a lot.”

“Yeah, she was a great kid. That’s just one more reason I’ve got to make sure we do this by the book.”

When Alex’s chef salad and Beth’s cheeseburger platter arrived, Beth took a mouthful and returned to business. “In that case, I don’t think you should eliminate her just because you like her.”

“Who?” Alex tried for her most innocent look, but her clenching jaw and the heat in her cheeks gave her away.

“You know exactly who—Keri Morgan. We’ve been over these files a dozen times and you have yet to say one thing about her, pro or con. That tells me you like her. And if you like her, you don’t want to work with her because, because, because…pick a reason. You’ve got a lot of them.”

“It’s not that I like or dislike her. She’s already on the team, chief’s orders, unless there’s a very good reason not to have her.”

“Then why are you working my ass off going through all these files?”

“Because I need to know how she stacks up on her own merits, not because of a political favor the chief owes one of his commanders. You’d do the same thing if you were in my place.”

Beth searched her face. “Yeah, I would. But you do like her. I know how you operate. You stay closed off by avoiding anything that resembles feelings.”

“Okay, so she’s attractive and, do I need to remind you, a subordinate.
And
if that’s not enough, she seems impulsive and emotional. Would you trust her on a case this big?”

“You bet I would. Your other candidate’s been on the force a long time. She’s got more experience but she’s also got a better chance of being known by Davis or one of his associates. Keri can be impulsive, but that often works in her favor. She’s got keen instincts and she’s got a hard-on for dopers that started about a year ago.”

“What brought that on?” Last time Alex had an in-depth conversation with Keri, the only thing she seemed serious about was covering her bent partner’s ass.

“I’m not sure if something happened or she just developed her skills in drug investigations,” Beth said. “Give her a chance. I’ll keep you both out of trouble.” She gave Alex a plastic grin and batted her eyes.

“That brings me to the last reason I asked you to help. I’d like you to be my team sergeant.”

Beth’s forkful of French fries hovered in midair. “You really do want to throw me in the fire, don’t you?”

“You’ve got experience, and I trust you with my life.”

“When you put it like that, how can I refuse? But there’s something you need to know.”

“Yeah?”

“I’ve arrested Davis before, and he’ll probably remember. I broke his damn smart-assed jaw when he resisted. So I won’t be much use to you undercover or even on close surveillance.”

“That’s fine. I need you for planning, direction, and supervision, but thanks for telling me.”

“Absolutely. So, who’s the final pick?”

“Steve Alston from Vice/Narcotics. He’s the best, and I think they’ll get along.”

“That’s a great idea. It sounds like you’ve got your team. When do we meet the others?”

“I’ll call you as soon as I can pull it together. Thanks for your help.”

“You bet. And stay away from psycho bitch. You want me to tell Keri about the job?”

“No. I’ll do an interview first, just to be on the safe side. I don’t want her, or anyone else, thinking she was an automatic choice.”

“You got it, boss. This’ll be the first time we’ve worked together. It could get interesting.”

Alex’s mind flipped through the things that could go wrong with the case: the team, the supervisors, the politics, and her mixed feelings about Keri Morgan. Right now she felt like she could handle anything, even the latter. Whether the same would prove true for Keri was another matter.

Keri lurched into groggy consciousness. The afternoon silence of her parents’ house was shattered by the ringing of her bedside phone. Any possibility of a nap before her shift disappeared. She grabbed the offending device and held it to her ear.

“Yeah…”

“Officer Morgan?”

“Yeah?”

“This is Lieutenant Troy. I’m not disturbing you, am I?”

Immediately awake, Keri bolted upright in bed coming to seated attention. “No, it’s fine, what can I do for you?”

“If you recall in lineup last week I referenced a Narcotics task force. I was wondering if you had any interest in being a part of that assignment.”

Keri shook her head to clear away the haziness of sleep, unsure that she’d heard correctly. “I’m not sure I understand.”

A slight edge of irritation hardened the voice on the other end of the line. “I asked if you’d consider the task force assignment.”

The pulse in Keri’s temples throbbed and she felt almost light-headed. A woman she detested was offering her the position of her dreams, and she had never been more confused. “I’m not sure how to answer that, Lieutenant.”

“If you have a few minutes before your shift today, I’d like to talk with you about it.”

“I’ll come in early.” Keri’s heart pounded with a combination of excitement and trepidation. She wasn’t sure what Alex Troy had up her sleeve. Was it possible that she was trying to make up for past wrongs?

“My temporary office is beside Vice/Narcotics Division in the annex on First Street,” Alex said. “Park in the gravel lot across the street and walk over. And please don’t wear your uniform.”

“Yes, ma’am. I’ll see you shortly.”

Keri jumped out of bed in her T-shirt and gym shorts the minute the phone hit the cradle. She dashed into the kitchen, grabbed a Diet Coke from the refrigerator, popped the top, and took a hefty swig. As she guzzled it, she looked at the brown plaid den furniture her parents had purchased on their thirtieth wedding anniversary. A series of mixed memories ensued: her parents sitting on the sofa holding hands watching television, her sick mother lying in the recliner dazed and confused. Herself, knocked to the floor in front of the coffee table. She emptied the soda can and discarded it, along with her sadness, just as her father walked into the kitchen.

Bobby Morgan moved around the table between them and approached the refrigerator from the opposite side. He always gave her a wide berth when they shared space, her unspoken rule. “Thought you were gonna take a nap before your shift.”

“Got called in.” Keri took her usual defensive sideways stance, glancing at her father periodically but never really making eye contact.

Bobby opened a Coke and leaned against the sink. His brown work boots were covered with dirt from the garden and his face was flushed from the heat. “You want something to eat? I could make you a sandwich right quick. I’m fixing one for your mom.”

Keri could see he was trying, but sometimes the memories were just too strong. “No thanks, Dad. I’ve got to go.”

“Will you be back for dinner? Kevin and Jean are coming over. I’m making your favorite, fried chicken and mashed potatoes.” His attempt at a smile vanished and Keri felt guilty.

“I don’t think so.” She thought of her twin brother and his overbearing wife and was glad duty called. Kevin as a pussy-whipped husband wasn’t a pretty sight. They both knew she had all the guts in the family.

*

When in doubt, Keri reverted to the top three rules her mother taught her: Listen before you speak, Be honest, and Be yourself. Waiting outside Alex Troy’s office, she tried to control her breathing. She paced the small, sparsely furnished reception area, fingering the police-badge key ring her mother gave her on her last birthday. It already showed signs of the constant rubbing Keri applied for luck. She needed more than luck today with the Ice Princess.