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“Is there a reason I’m here?” Fifi lifts her chin and steels her frame when my eyes slide back to hers. Almost as though my gaze is a physical strike, she prepares for the blow. “I’m working with Callen this week, Chief. My efforts are better spent elsewhere.”
“Your efforts are better spent where your chief commands them. You remain a George Stanley employee until five p.m., this Friday. For every moment between now and then, you’re expected to work, remain professional, and be where I tell you to be.”
She purses her lips. Stubborn and, sure, hurt. But that’s what happens when you let a man screw with your career. Detective Charlie Fletcher hurt her feelings, sobam, she uproots not only her life, but mine, too.
“Where are we with the Giuliano conference?”
“Dead guy found in the bay?” She brings her hand up and studies her nails. “He’s the third in the last month. Detectives Dawson and Jones will make their statement in their own time. The George Stanley’s position is to receive the bodies, autopsy them, and defer to the investigating detectives for their next steps.”
I look at Doctor Catlin and lift a questioning brow. “Giuliano case?”
“Execution style murder. Short range shot from a nine-caliber pistol. The detectives have run ballistics tests to come to their conclusions.”
“And those conclusions match yours?”
“Yes, Chief. Giuliano didn’t wrap his arm around his own head and shoot himself. This was murder. The case has been pended, awaiting tox results.”
Pursing my lips, I look at Dr. Raquel.
“What?” She throws her hands up in frustration. “We’re working twelve-hour days, Chief. We’re doing what we can and no one on my team is slacking. If you need us to work faster, you need to give me more techs. Until that point in time, there’s nothing more I can do. We’re busting our asses. And this,” she kicks her foot again to indicate leisure. Relaxation. “This meeting is the longest break I’ve had in weeks. So if you could be a little quieter… I’m trying to rest.”
“If that’s all,” Fifi grabs the door again and drags it open. “I’ve left Callen in our office. If we’re done, I’d like to?—”
“We’re not done!”I’m such an asshole! She’s my friend, and like the hypocrite I am, I’m mad at her for leaving for a reason I consider absolutely, abhorrently lame. I’m bringing emotion to the job. But hell if I can switch it off now. “Doctor Emeri.” I swing my attention to Aubree and stop barely short of growling. “Report.”
“Drug deal gone wrong.” She perches on the edge of my desk, her hands on the wood, framing her thighs, and tilts her head so pink streaks fall forward to tickle her face. “Two dude bros who were, according to their friends, buddies. Seems they were arguing over money or drugs. Perp takes out a knife and throws a fit. Vic is cut a dozen times. Lateral incisions. Death by a thousand cuts, so to speak. Vic bled to death in the common hallway of his apartment building. Cops arrived after it was already too late. Perp was crying over his friend when they got there, plugging holes and attempting to keep him alive. He was arrested with his victim’s blood literally on his hands. Case has been declared homicide. Pended, awaiting toxicology results.”
“Stop ordering labs!” Raquel huffs and shoves up from her seat. “There’s a reason we’re over-worked down there on the seventh floor. You have adozenautopsy techs sitting pretty up here. We havethreelab techs sweating down there. You create a bottleneck when every single one of you requests results. We can’t keep up.”
“We can’t afford more pathologists, Doctor Raquel. So you’re going to keep working, and we’ll continue to order the tests we require to pack abody away and know our t’s are crossed.” I peer over at Doctor Flynn, but my desk phone trills, so I lean across and snag it from the cradle. “This is Chief Mayet.” My eyes fly to Fifi, though I don’t mean them to. Nine times out of ten, when this phone rings, she’s the one on the other end, annoying the crap out of me.
But not today.
Not this week, to be honest.
Because she’s leaving, and her replacement is already manning the phones.
“Hi Chief Mayet.” Callen is young. Shy. Completely wrong for the fiery position she’s been hired for. But did anyone ask my opinion?No. “I have Mayor Lawrence on line three for you.”
“Tell him I’ll?—”
“He said he insists,” she cuts in. Already, she knows to interrupt my rejection and push on. “He said it’s important, Chief.”
“Fine.” I scrunch my eyes closed and count the stars that float in my vision. Then I open them again, blinking until I face a dozen stares pointing right back at me. “Fine. I’ll take the damn call.” I slap my finger to the phone’s cradle to end my discussion with the preppy college graduate, but before I hit the flashing three, I wave my team away. “That was a good meeting.”Lie. Lie. Lie.“I’ll come around later to follow up on anything that needs it. You three,” I point at Aubree first, when she makes a move to push off my desk, then I pin Fifi with my stare, and finally, Raquel, “stay. Everyone else can go.”
“Detention.” Frustrated, Raquel slumps back into the couch and drops her head back until it touches the glass. “I don’t recall agreeing to detention.”
“It’s called work,” I bite out. “We’re still on the clock. I’m not done with you yet, but I have to take this call.” I don’t wait for their agreement. And I sure as hell don’t mention the way Fifi’s perfect eyes flicker with anger. I press the number three and connect my call with one of very, very few men on this planet who get to boss me around. “Mayor Lawrence. My assistant assures me this is important.”
He chuckles. First and foremost, he mocks me for my reasonable request not to be disturbed during my workday. “It’s so good to speak to you, Chief Mayet. How are you?”
“Busy.” I stretch the phone cord and skirt around my desk so I can plop down in my seat. “If this is about the Bayside executions, you’re asking the wrong person.”
“It’s not about the Bayside executions.” Though at least his voice tightens. His words come out on a growl. Lawrence isn’t some fat, overfed, over-hyped office pig wildly out of touch with the people he represents.
No, the former district attorney, legal eagle,daddy mayor, Mayor Lawrence is all about dirtying his hands and mingling with the people he works with.
“But since you brought it up,” he decides quickly. “Update on the matter?”
