before the door slammed in their faces.
They’d seen enough, smelled enough. A loud crash from inside the apartment had Darin with his shoulder to the door.
When it opened, Gina went in fast. Gun drawn.
It was a freakin’ meth lab.
Gagging at the stench that seemed to triple in the small room, Gina concentrated on the three young men. They had to be in their late teens or early twenties, looked like clean-cut college kids. Definitely didn’t resemble the druggies or drug dealers she’d encountered in her time on the force.
Right now they were scared out of their skulls.
“Don’t shoot,” the youngest cried out as he fell to his knees.
Darin handcuffed him, turned to the next kid, as the third ran to the back room. Gina was right behind him.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
The young man was at the window.
Gina moved closer. “Put your hands where I can see them.”
She grabbed the hand working the lock, jerked it behind the kid, and slapped on a cuff. None too gently she grabbed the other hand and did the same.
Pushing him ahead of her they filed back to the living room where Darin had the others in cuffs.
“Did you call it in?” Gina asked.
“On their way,” he said looking around.
“Pretty good business you guys have here.”
“Until you showed up,” the youngest said.
“Shut up!” one of the trio yelled. “We don’t know a thing about this. We’re just visiting.”
“Don’t have to convince us,” Gina said. “Convince the judge.” It would be hard to do with this much evidence. The trio was headed to jail or to juvie.
“We’ll be out before you can get us booked. My dad will see to it.”
“Good for you,” Gina said. Why not? Bigger fish than these were out as soon as they were brought in. Talk about a revolving door...
“Think your dad can explain this?” Darin asked.
From the look on the boys’ faces, Gina doubted any of their dads were privy to their kid’s moneymaking project.
She walked around the room and snapped a dozen pictures with her hidden camera before she joined Darin.
“Did you see the shoebox full of money? Mostly hundreds. No telling how much they were pulling in,” Gina stated.
Darin nodded. “They have enough meth cooked up to service half the city.”
“Or blow up the building,” Gina muttered.
“That, too.”
Several hours later the boys were booked, the meth lab photographed, fingerprinted, and dismantled.
By the time Gina and Darin got back to the squad room the others had left for the day.
They were at their desk when the captain interrupted them.
“It’s been a long day. Paperwork can wait until morning.”
“You sure?” Gina asked. “Won’t take long.”
“Get out of here,” he said as he headed to the door. “Both of you did a good job today. Take advantage of my generosity. Doesn’t happen often.”
“That’s the damn truth,” Darin said as the door shut behind the captain. He threw his paperwork into a drawer. “Captain Wells is usually a hard-ass.”
“Let’s go before he changes his mind.”
“You go ahead. There’s something I want to check,” Darin answered.
She threw him a questioning look, but left. She had something of her own to check out.
When she showed up at lock-up, Darin was already there.
“Kids out yet?” she asked, hiding any surprise she might have felt at seeing him there.
“What do you think?”
“Thought so.”
“We put them in. They get out. We put them in again…”
“I know,” Darin said.
Gina waved and took off. It was true, but all the cops could do was their job. It was up to the courts to finish it. All too often they didn’t.
Right now her concern ran to her real job. So far, Callahan gave out no signals he wasn’t who and what he was supposed to be, a good cop doing his job.
Could be an act put on for the sake of a new partner.
Or he could be totally innocent.
Either way her job wasn’t near completion. She hadn’t turned up a single clue to
They’d seen enough, smelled enough. A loud crash from inside the apartment had Darin with his shoulder to the door.
When it opened, Gina went in fast. Gun drawn.
It was a freakin’ meth lab.
Gagging at the stench that seemed to triple in the small room, Gina concentrated on the three young men. They had to be in their late teens or early twenties, looked like clean-cut college kids. Definitely didn’t resemble the druggies or drug dealers she’d encountered in her time on the force.
Right now they were scared out of their skulls.
“Don’t shoot,” the youngest cried out as he fell to his knees.
Darin handcuffed him, turned to the next kid, as the third ran to the back room. Gina was right behind him.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
The young man was at the window.
Gina moved closer. “Put your hands where I can see them.”
She grabbed the hand working the lock, jerked it behind the kid, and slapped on a cuff. None too gently she grabbed the other hand and did the same.
Pushing him ahead of her they filed back to the living room where Darin had the others in cuffs.
“Did you call it in?” Gina asked.
“On their way,” he said looking around.
“Pretty good business you guys have here.”
“Until you showed up,” the youngest said.
“Shut up!” one of the trio yelled. “We don’t know a thing about this. We’re just visiting.”
“Don’t have to convince us,” Gina said. “Convince the judge.” It would be hard to do with this much evidence. The trio was headed to jail or to juvie.
“We’ll be out before you can get us booked. My dad will see to it.”
“Good for you,” Gina said. Why not? Bigger fish than these were out as soon as they were brought in. Talk about a revolving door...
“Think your dad can explain this?” Darin asked.
From the look on the boys’ faces, Gina doubted any of their dads were privy to their kid’s moneymaking project.
She walked around the room and snapped a dozen pictures with her hidden camera before she joined Darin.
“Did you see the shoebox full of money? Mostly hundreds. No telling how much they were pulling in,” Gina stated.
Darin nodded. “They have enough meth cooked up to service half the city.”
“Or blow up the building,” Gina muttered.
“That, too.”
Several hours later the boys were booked, the meth lab photographed, fingerprinted, and dismantled.
By the time Gina and Darin got back to the squad room the others had left for the day.
They were at their desk when the captain interrupted them.
“It’s been a long day. Paperwork can wait until morning.”
“You sure?” Gina asked. “Won’t take long.”
“Get out of here,” he said as he headed to the door. “Both of you did a good job today. Take advantage of my generosity. Doesn’t happen often.”
“That’s the damn truth,” Darin said as the door shut behind the captain. He threw his paperwork into a drawer. “Captain Wells is usually a hard-ass.”
“Let’s go before he changes his mind.”
“You go ahead. There’s something I want to check,” Darin answered.
She threw him a questioning look, but left. She had something of her own to check out.
When she showed up at lock-up, Darin was already there.
“Kids out yet?” she asked, hiding any surprise she might have felt at seeing him there.
“What do you think?”
“Thought so.”
“We put them in. They get out. We put them in again…”
“I know,” Darin said.
Gina waved and took off. It was true, but all the cops could do was their job. It was up to the courts to finish it. All too often they didn’t.
Right now her concern ran to her real job. So far, Callahan gave out no signals he wasn’t who and what he was supposed to be, a good cop doing his job.
Could be an act put on for the sake of a new partner.
Or he could be totally innocent.
Either way her job wasn’t near completion. She hadn’t turned up a single clue to
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