Page 31 of Capture My Heart

Trey ran his hands through his hair and dropped to the edge of his desk. What just happened?

He didn't know, but one thing he did know, he needed to get upstairs before his sister gave Stinky too many treats. Brie always spoiled his skunk.

Chapter 7

"Brie, Brie, Brie" Amy chanted as she climbed the stairs. The girl might be over twenty-one, but she had to be ten years Trey's junior. Not that Amy cared. She caught her scowl as she passed his door and smoothed out the wrinkles on her forehead. The girl did have curves. Heck, even Amy couldn't help but watch the way she bounced out of the office a few minutes ago.

Why was she thinking about her anyway? It didn't matter who Fenley screwed.

No, it wasn't about who he slept with, it was about the fact he was lying to her.

Focus on the important facts, Larson. Not the redhead across the hall.

Unlocking her door, Amy gave one more glance across the hall before dropping her bag on the counter and closed the door. Why hadn't she noticed the girl before? It couldn't be a new relationship. Both she and Fenley were totally comfortable. How could she miss this? Amy wouldn't lie to herself. Yeah, she'd noticed her sexy neighbor’s comings and goings for the last couple months, so how did she miss a couple big... okay, really big things like him having a girlfriend and being a cop?

And now he wanted to talk to her about this case. His face hid it well, but the fact she could bounce a quarter off his taut muscles the way they tightened when she mentioned a dirty cop was hard to miss.

Amy had been tuned in to the man's body for a while now, so no way she would miss that.

She’d suspected foul play in the Finden case, but a dirty cop? There had been a lot of strange things going on at the station, but it wasn’t until Gus’ death that Amy suspected corruption.

Her mind ticked through the events of the night Finden died. She had just come in from her shift—she’d pulled nights that week.

She set up her laptop and opened a new document. On the top, she put the date of the incident and started by listing questions.

What had she done that day? She had already been questioned by both Peterson and her Sergeant. But it didn’t hurt to revisit that day, so she wrote a quick summary with as much detail as she could remember from the day four months ago.

Next question, who was in the building? She added everyone she remembered seeing from the desk clerk to the custodial.

Other questions made her fingers fly across the keys, but the one that kept floating to the front of her mind was why? Why would a cop do it? Finden was dirty–no doubt, so why risk it?

APD was a typical suburban department and she knew them all—a dozen or so patrol officers, six detectives, two sergeants, and the chief, not to mention the office staff. They were a family. But she knew not all the members of a family had the best interest of the whole in mind.

She pushed back from the table and crossed to the fridge. With the door open, she surveyed her options. Milk, wine, pop, or water. She slammed the door and opened the cabinet above. This called for something stronger. She pulled down the bottle of JD and a glass, then poured herself two fingers high of the amber liquid before returning to the computer.

Her eyes focused on the list of names. One stood out, hers. She tipped her head back and chugged the liquor. She knew why Fenley didn’t tell her he was investigating this. She was on the list.

Fuck if she knew why, but the thought that he could believe her to be a dishonorable cop shot a sharp pain right behind her sternum. She rubbed the spot with the palm of her hand and looked in the empty glass.

The email icon blinked and a new message indicator flashed. The cursor hovered over the icon. She paused. Her luck it would be more crappy news, but she clicked it anyway.

Sender: Henrietta West.

Amy sat up taller before focusing on the two-line message.

“Officer Larson, I know my father had a meeting with you the day he died. He called me right after you left. Could you please meet me? Henri.”

Would Gus have told his daughter what he wanted to tell Amy? Maybe. She typed a response and set up a time for them to meet the next day for lunch.

Amy closed her laptop and stretched. This was good. She needed to find the missing piece to tie Gardiner to her father’s death. Henrietta West might have the link.

Now, if she could only clear her name off Trey’s corrupt cop list.

She peeled off her shirt as she entered the bathroom. Shucking her pants, she turned on the shower. Not much she could do about him. Maybe a hot shower will help.

The steam billowed in the tiny white bathroom. Shampoo lather ran down her face. She knew she was innocent, if only she could convince Fenley of it.

Maybe she could find the dirty cop.