door shut.
Alex met his friend’s stormy eyes. James made a lousy poker
player—his face showed every mood. His shirt hung halfway out of his khaki
slacks, his tie askew.
The case would have an enormous emotional impact on both
Alex and James. It was already a top priority for the entire police department,
which rallied together to find their own kin, related by the fellowship of law
enforcement.
“Tag Shelby, but don’t tip our hand,” Alex commanded, in no
mood for civility.
James dropped in the visitor chair and frowned. “You think
he did it?”
“He has motive. I wouldn’t put it past him.”
James’ frown turned to a deep scowl. “You didn’t bang him
down from detective to desk flunky.”
For the most part, Alex hated Internal Affairs, and his
opinion worsened when Shelby joined the team. “He’s digging for any excuse to
bust my ass to cover up his own fuck-ups.”
James scowled. “Man, he was responsible for the murder of
that witness! He shouldn’t even be on the force in any capacity.”
Alex threw James an impatient look. “Forget that stupid ass.
We’ll work on him later. How about a forensics update?”
James flipped through the file in his hands. “No
fingerprints anywhere in or outside the bedroom. The footprint outside the
window belongs to a man’s size ten-and-a-half athletic shoe. The tread revealed
no worn spots. Forensics is working it to determine the perp’s weight.”
“Window latch?”
James leafed through a couple more pages in the file. “Jiggled
open with a knife or similar object. Standard latch. Andrea removed the screen
last week for you to fix.” James held up his hand and rushed on. “Don’t blame
yourself, man. Anyone could have bypassed the screen. And the lock on the
window’s the same as the others in the complex.”
“I was supposed to fix the screens and install new locks on
the windows this weekend.” Alex slammed his fist on the desk. A stack of closed
case files careened to the floor in a jumble. Alex shoved them aside roughly
with his foot.
“He knew what he was doing.” As usual, in a crisis or an
intense case, James’ voice remained even. Alex didn’t know what he’d do without
James taking the lead right now. “It was premeditated.” James leaned back in
the chair and laid the file on the desk. “The guy would have found a way in, no
matter what kind of lock. Or he’d have snatched her some other way.”
Alex rubbed his scar. Who took his niece? And why? His gut
continued to churn with the lack of evidence.
“I’ve divvied up the interviews. Sterling and his team are
on the people at the school, neighbors and others. We’ll take the principals.”
He studied the list again. The first names at the top: Grantham
and Samantha Chamber, Lisette’s paternal grandparents. A grimace hardly
displayed his loathing adequately. He didn’t savor the prospect of speaking
face-to-face with the man who wanted custody of his niece. Not that day. He’d
tear Grantham’s head off. James might have to do that interview alone.
Alex’s body ached as if he’d just run a cross-country
marathon. He lifted a fresh roll of antacids from his desk drawer and shoved it
into his pants pocket. “Let’s do it.”
* * * * *
The idea of working with Juliana and seeing her again after
all these years when he could do without the distraction caused apprehension,
confusion, rage and an array of other emotions to war within him. James had coerced
Alex into taking Juliana to Andrea’s condominium to examine Lisette’s bedroom. Juliana
had suggested to James in her interview that she might recall more if she saw
the room in person. She assured the detectives that she wasn’t a touch
telepath, but she sometimes recalled new details at the crime scene.
Alex and James agreed to play by the rules and interview the
Chambers without Juliana. They would include her for a second round of
interviews, if warranted.
After compromising on the division of work,
Alex met his friend’s stormy eyes. James made a lousy poker
player—his face showed every mood. His shirt hung halfway out of his khaki
slacks, his tie askew.
The case would have an enormous emotional impact on both
Alex and James. It was already a top priority for the entire police department,
which rallied together to find their own kin, related by the fellowship of law
enforcement.
“Tag Shelby, but don’t tip our hand,” Alex commanded, in no
mood for civility.
James dropped in the visitor chair and frowned. “You think
he did it?”
“He has motive. I wouldn’t put it past him.”
James’ frown turned to a deep scowl. “You didn’t bang him
down from detective to desk flunky.”
For the most part, Alex hated Internal Affairs, and his
opinion worsened when Shelby joined the team. “He’s digging for any excuse to
bust my ass to cover up his own fuck-ups.”
James scowled. “Man, he was responsible for the murder of
that witness! He shouldn’t even be on the force in any capacity.”
Alex threw James an impatient look. “Forget that stupid ass.
We’ll work on him later. How about a forensics update?”
James flipped through the file in his hands. “No
fingerprints anywhere in or outside the bedroom. The footprint outside the
window belongs to a man’s size ten-and-a-half athletic shoe. The tread revealed
no worn spots. Forensics is working it to determine the perp’s weight.”
“Window latch?”
James leafed through a couple more pages in the file. “Jiggled
open with a knife or similar object. Standard latch. Andrea removed the screen
last week for you to fix.” James held up his hand and rushed on. “Don’t blame
yourself, man. Anyone could have bypassed the screen. And the lock on the
window’s the same as the others in the complex.”
“I was supposed to fix the screens and install new locks on
the windows this weekend.” Alex slammed his fist on the desk. A stack of closed
case files careened to the floor in a jumble. Alex shoved them aside roughly
with his foot.
“He knew what he was doing.” As usual, in a crisis or an
intense case, James’ voice remained even. Alex didn’t know what he’d do without
James taking the lead right now. “It was premeditated.” James leaned back in
the chair and laid the file on the desk. “The guy would have found a way in, no
matter what kind of lock. Or he’d have snatched her some other way.”
Alex rubbed his scar. Who took his niece? And why? His gut
continued to churn with the lack of evidence.
“I’ve divvied up the interviews. Sterling and his team are
on the people at the school, neighbors and others. We’ll take the principals.”
He studied the list again. The first names at the top: Grantham
and Samantha Chamber, Lisette’s paternal grandparents. A grimace hardly
displayed his loathing adequately. He didn’t savor the prospect of speaking
face-to-face with the man who wanted custody of his niece. Not that day. He’d
tear Grantham’s head off. James might have to do that interview alone.
Alex’s body ached as if he’d just run a cross-country
marathon. He lifted a fresh roll of antacids from his desk drawer and shoved it
into his pants pocket. “Let’s do it.”
* * * * *
The idea of working with Juliana and seeing her again after
all these years when he could do without the distraction caused apprehension,
confusion, rage and an array of other emotions to war within him. James had coerced
Alex into taking Juliana to Andrea’s condominium to examine Lisette’s bedroom. Juliana
had suggested to James in her interview that she might recall more if she saw
the room in person. She assured the detectives that she wasn’t a touch
telepath, but she sometimes recalled new details at the crime scene.
Alex and James agreed to play by the rules and interview the
Chambers without Juliana. They would include her for a second round of
interviews, if warranted.
After compromising on the division of work,
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