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Fuck me, I’d screwed up again. “I forgot the SIM cards. We have to go back.”
He didn’t slow down. “What SIM cards?”
“From the inventory on Saturday. They’re in my purse with the broken strap, the one in your trunk. I was supposed to bring them in yesterday.”
“We don’t have time right now. You’re already late—we’re both late. How about I get them and drop them by this afternoon?”
“But I got in trouble for not bringing them yesterday.”
“I can’t help that. I’m getting you to work safely. It’s your responsibility to pack the right shit.” Tough love was coming my way.
I deserved it for being a dumbass. “That will have to be good enough, I guess.”
Two days, two fuck-ups at work, and two sets of thieves. I could only hope these things didn’t come in threes.
* * *
Adam
After dropping Kelly off,I went straight to the field office. Harper had been assigned to the stakeout this morning so Neil and I could work on the Fawkes Crew robberies.
The call from Yolanda still bugged me. Jewelry stolen from the museum the same night the place Kelly and she lived was burglarized was too big a coincidence. Could Yolanda have had a key, a pass, or something else that enabled the theft? SMK’s email was on a Ukrainian site, and her boyfriend was Ukrainian. Something didn’t smell right…
The top thing on my agenda was to get Kelly’s door fixed so at least the house could be locked up. That became my first call when I reached my desk.
The contractor I’d used to work on my back steps agreed to get to the door as soon as he could.
A few minutes later, Dempsey laid eyes on me. “Cartwright,” he yelled. “Now.”
I didn’t dawdle, but he tapped his foot nonetheless. The door slammed behind me, and the eruption began immediately. “What the hell do you think you’re doing calling Donnelly?” He had one hell of a red-hot poker up his ass.
I hadn’t expected that calling the AD to ask about Uncle Jack would become a problem. “I didn’t think—”
“You suredidn’tfucking think.” He took his seat. “There is no fuckingIin team. How could you go over my head like that? That’s not the way it works on my team. You should fucking well know that, you fucking dipshit. Do you have any idea how badly he reamed me because I can’t control you? Crap like that reflects on me, and I won’t fucking tolerate it. One more asinine move and you’ll be downstairs alphabetizing records for the rest of your very short career.”
I got a word in edgewise when he stopped to think of the next thing to yell at me. “The Benson kidnapping is related to the Guy Fawkes Crew robberies, and he had personal knowledge I had to ask about.”
“What you should have done is asked me to ask him what you wanted to know. What possessed you to insult an AD? That is the most boneheaded move ever. You have to learn your place.”
Donnelly had obviously taken my asking about Uncle Jack worse than I’d thought. “Do you want me to call and apologize?”
“No fucking way. I don’t want you to ever talk to him again—not ever.”
I nodded. “I won’t. Promise.” Pissing in his coffee wouldn’t have bothered him as much as having his ass chewed out by Donnelly.
“Get out of my sight, and go relieve Harper on the stakeout.”
“Yes, sir.” I escaped the ASAC’s office as quickly as I could.
* * *
Kelly
Kirby foundme as soon as I got situated upstairs. “Where’s Evelyn? I didn’t see her at all yesterday.”
I locked up my purse. “No idea. I just got in.”
“I’m not waiting for her. Coffee run time.” She started off.
