Lucas was betting the kid’s eagerness would win over his need to follow the standard operating procedures bible according to Regan.
“Harris,” Lucas said, appropriating an empty chair from the cubicle next door. “I have a project for you.”
“Yeah?” Harris’s eyes brightened, then he scrunched his eyebrows. His trusting nature had made him the brunt of more than one joke around the office.
“I hear you’re a whiz with that computer.”
Harris shrugged. “I can work my way around a keyboard.”
“I need some information, and I don’t have time to look for it.”
“Sure.” Harris turned away, returning his attention to the computer screen.
“I need a background on the following people.” He took a piece of paper from his pocket, looked at the names he’d written. Putting Juliana’s name on the list bordered on betrayal, but how else was he supposed to help her? If he understood more of the situation, he could make sure everything went off right. Then everyone would end up happy. Juliana would get her daughter back. He would snare the Phantom. Even Rules-and-Regs could crow about the thief’s capture and get the SAC off his back. Still. He placed the page torn from his pocket notebook on the desk, hesitated, then slipped it across to Harris. “Off the record.”
Renewed interest sparked in Harris’s eyes. “Off the record?”
“Not just criminal, personal, too. Can you do that?”
“Possibly.” Harris glanced at the paper. “Who are these people?”
“Does it matter?” Lucas was not about to explain the complicated web of this situation to anyone until he absolutely had to.
“Might.” Harris looked up, and shot him with an uncertain look. “Does Regan know about this?”
“No.” Lucas had nothing against rules and regulations, or chain-of-command formalities. He followed them whenever he could. But sometimes gut feelings had their place, and this was one of those times. He simply didn’t have time to dot every I , cross every T , or placate every hard-nosed supervisor.
Shaking his head, Harris stared at the names. “I don’t know. Regan’s strict about protocol. He’s not going to like this. I’m still on probation. I don’t want to be stuck at a desk for the rest of my career—or get busted out because you put me between a rock and a hard place.”
Lucas let the room’s noises fill the space between them. The silence was a gamble, but the decision had to be Harris’s.
Harris straightened. His mouth parted, then snapped shut. “Has this got anything to do with the Phantom?” He was trying to hide his eagerness, but practically salivated at the thought of doing some work on an important on-going investigation. He was hooked. All Lucas had to do was reel him in.
“If you can get that information for me today, I can nab him tomorrow.”
“You’ll cut me in on the action when you close in on him?”
“I’ll make sure you’re part of the team.” Lucas stood up and handed Harris a card. “My cell phone number’s on the back. Call me as soon as you have something.”
“How thorough do you want it?”
“Hey, boss, got a minute?” Walters shouted in warning. R-and-R was back.
“As thorough as you can get it. I need something by tonight. I’ve got to go. And Harris…”
“Yeah?”
“You haven’t seen me.”
Smiling, Harris cleared his screen and pulled up another. “Right. Prince Valiant, he’s still on surveillance somewhere in New Hampshire, isn’t he?”
Lucas wound his way to the door, gave Walters a salute of thanks, and slipped out before old Regs could skewer him with questions he didn’t want to answer.
One more day and he could balance his transgressions with the Phantom’s capture.
Before he left the building, he stopped at the communications division and sweet-talked a tech into letting him borrow one of the newest trap-and-trace recording systems still being tested. The favor cost him the promise of an afternoon of batting
“Harris,” Lucas said, appropriating an empty chair from the cubicle next door. “I have a project for you.”
“Yeah?” Harris’s eyes brightened, then he scrunched his eyebrows. His trusting nature had made him the brunt of more than one joke around the office.
“I hear you’re a whiz with that computer.”
Harris shrugged. “I can work my way around a keyboard.”
“I need some information, and I don’t have time to look for it.”
“Sure.” Harris turned away, returning his attention to the computer screen.
“I need a background on the following people.” He took a piece of paper from his pocket, looked at the names he’d written. Putting Juliana’s name on the list bordered on betrayal, but how else was he supposed to help her? If he understood more of the situation, he could make sure everything went off right. Then everyone would end up happy. Juliana would get her daughter back. He would snare the Phantom. Even Rules-and-Regs could crow about the thief’s capture and get the SAC off his back. Still. He placed the page torn from his pocket notebook on the desk, hesitated, then slipped it across to Harris. “Off the record.”
Renewed interest sparked in Harris’s eyes. “Off the record?”
“Not just criminal, personal, too. Can you do that?”
“Possibly.” Harris glanced at the paper. “Who are these people?”
“Does it matter?” Lucas was not about to explain the complicated web of this situation to anyone until he absolutely had to.
“Might.” Harris looked up, and shot him with an uncertain look. “Does Regan know about this?”
“No.” Lucas had nothing against rules and regulations, or chain-of-command formalities. He followed them whenever he could. But sometimes gut feelings had their place, and this was one of those times. He simply didn’t have time to dot every I , cross every T , or placate every hard-nosed supervisor.
Shaking his head, Harris stared at the names. “I don’t know. Regan’s strict about protocol. He’s not going to like this. I’m still on probation. I don’t want to be stuck at a desk for the rest of my career—or get busted out because you put me between a rock and a hard place.”
Lucas let the room’s noises fill the space between them. The silence was a gamble, but the decision had to be Harris’s.
Harris straightened. His mouth parted, then snapped shut. “Has this got anything to do with the Phantom?” He was trying to hide his eagerness, but practically salivated at the thought of doing some work on an important on-going investigation. He was hooked. All Lucas had to do was reel him in.
“If you can get that information for me today, I can nab him tomorrow.”
“You’ll cut me in on the action when you close in on him?”
“I’ll make sure you’re part of the team.” Lucas stood up and handed Harris a card. “My cell phone number’s on the back. Call me as soon as you have something.”
“How thorough do you want it?”
“Hey, boss, got a minute?” Walters shouted in warning. R-and-R was back.
“As thorough as you can get it. I need something by tonight. I’ve got to go. And Harris…”
“Yeah?”
“You haven’t seen me.”
Smiling, Harris cleared his screen and pulled up another. “Right. Prince Valiant, he’s still on surveillance somewhere in New Hampshire, isn’t he?”
Lucas wound his way to the door, gave Walters a salute of thanks, and slipped out before old Regs could skewer him with questions he didn’t want to answer.
One more day and he could balance his transgressions with the Phantom’s capture.
Before he left the building, he stopped at the communications division and sweet-talked a tech into letting him borrow one of the newest trap-and-trace recording systems still being tested. The favor cost him the promise of an afternoon of batting
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