The Rookie Club: Dead Center Part 23

She heard the quick intake of his breath and felt his sobs as they let loose.

"Jamie," he croaked, and she held tighter as if she could squeeze the pain right out of him.

"I'm here, Tony."

"You're it, Jamie. You're all I've got."

"I'm not going anywhere, T. You've got me."

He gasped and sobbed harder, and she closed her eyes, the tears flushing down her cheeks. They stood there for a long time. She thought about their families and about Tim, about Emily Osbourne and Hailey and Mackenzie and even about Natasha Devlin. About all that life had handed her and all she knew was yet to come-the never-ending cycle of hardships. And the moments of relief. The tiny grains of joy. They were there, too.

As she loosened her grip, swiped the tears from her face, she wondered what obstacle would come next-a new rape victim, another attack?

Surely, things never settled for long.

Then she considered that maybe she'd had enough. Maybe this time would be different.

Maybe.

Chapter 26.

Monday morning traffic was b.u.mper to b.u.mper on 101 heading south toward the bridge, which had seemed empty over the last few months. Everyone said that there were fewer people on the roads because of the high cost of tolls and gas. Well, if everyone was taking public transportation, there must have been some sort of ma.s.s shutdown that morning.

Jamie arrived at the station house late and already sweating underneath a navy wool blazer.

As she rushed through the department door, Dorothy, the s.e.x Crimes secretary, snarled, "You're late."

Jamie bit her tongue and pa.s.sed the woman without a comment. "Hag," she whispered loud enough for a few others to hear as she knocked on the conference room door.

"Come in."

She recognized her captain's voice and opened the door. The small room was full, and it took a few seconds to absorb all the faces that surrounded the pitted old table. To her left, at the head of the table, was her own Captain, Ben Jules. Next to him, Linda James then Mackenzie.

Jamie stopped on her. "You're out. You okay?"

She nodded without speaking. Her face looked worse today-the bruising deeper, the swelling worse. One eye was completely closed. At least she was there. She could think and walk. Speak. She would survive.

Chip Washington sat beside Mackenzie, and beyond him was a man she didn't recognize. She finally made it around the table and found Hailey Wyatt on her left.

"Sit down, Vail," her captain said, pounding on the table in an unfamiliar gesture of impatience.

Jamie took the closest chair.

"You know everyone?"

She looked around and nodded. The man at the other head didn't stand and didn't offer a hand. "Captain David Marshall, Homicide." Hailey's boss.

Jamie nodded and looked over at Hailey, who raised an eyebrow just slightly. It was strange to be in a room with all their superiors. The rookie, Mackenzie Wallace, and her captain, Linda James. Jamie and Captain Jules. Hailey and Captain Marshall. They rarely met like this, and within seconds, Jamie wanted to leave.

As soon as she was seated, Captain Jules turned to Mackenzie. "Officer Wallace, in your statement, you said you were certain that Officer Scanlan wasn't your attacker."

Mackenzie nodded.

"You still sure?" he asked.

"Positive."

Jamie sat forward. "It's all related, somehow, Captain-Devlin, the rapes, Mackenzie's attack."

Jules nodded. She'd already told him her theory when they'd spoken yesterday. He looked up at Hailey's boss, Captain Marshall. "They want to work it as one case, share information. I don't have a problem with that. Do you?"

Marshall steepled his hands. "Wyatt's got two high-profile homicide cases going. I can't have her pulled off of them on any tangents related to rape or any other crime. I need some arrests made on these murders."

Jules frowned and opened his mouth to speak, but Linda James interjected. "Officer Wallace would like to help. She's sharp and will be good for legwork and that sort of thing-phone calls, follow-ups. Plus, she won't be doing her beat for a while-not until we catch this guy."

Marshall frowned and started to shake his head.

"Chief Jackson agrees they should work it together," Jules added.

Jamie watched Jules, wondered if he was lying. It seemed odd that he would have talked to the chief of police on Devlin's murder, especially since it was Marshall's case, not his, that was so high profile. Maybe it had to do with Scanlan.

Marshall didn't test him. Instead, he looked at her with narrowed eyes. "Fine. Get to it, ladies. But don't let this conspiracy theory trip you up. You've discovered some coincidences but nothing to prove it's anything more. Not yet anyway."

Captain Jules began to address Marshall on a few logistics.

Mackenzie turned to Jamie and whispered, "Where do we start?"

"I'm going to drag Marchek in, see if you can ID him in a lineup."

Mackenzie nodded and Jamie could see her throat tighten with anxiety.

Jamie kept her voice low. "If we trust the message we got, I guess the best place to start the murder investigation is with men Natasha was involved with inside the department."

Linda nodded. "If this guy's a cop and he killed Natasha, that seems like as good a place as any."

"That's going to be a long list," Jamie said. To Hailey, she whispered, "Maybe there will be a stutterer on it."

Hailey nodded, eyes narrowed.

Jamie watched her. "You have an idea."

"I think maybe I know who to ask first."

From the corner of her eye, Jamie saw Linda and Mackenzie exchange a questioning glance.

But when Hailey's gaze met hers, Jamie knew exactly whom she meant. If Daniels was having an affair with Hailey, why not Devlin, too?

h.e.l.l, everyone else had.

"People. People," Marshall called, returning the focus to the meeting at hand. "Is Daniels coming in with Officer Scanlan or are we done? I've got a briefing in twenty minutes."

Jules glanced at Jamie.

"I'm ready," she said.

Washington opened the door and waved them in. Scanlan came in behind Daniels. He took the seat beside Jamie.

Jules spoke first. "Okay, we're all here to talk about the incident on Geary on Friday night. Officer Scanlan has agreed not to press charges against his fellow officers. So we can avoid an investigation on that."

Jamie sent a glare at Scanlan and turned to Captain Jules. "That's a load of c.r.a.p."

He raised a hand. "Let me finish."

She crossed her arms and tilted her chair back.

Scanlan put his foot under the leg of the chair and pushed her back.

She lost her balance and the chair toppled backwards. Hailey grabbed hold of the chair in an attempt to stop her from falling on the floor. The chair hit the wall, preventing Jamie from landing on her a.s.s. She rocked it back onto all four legs and was out of the seat in two seconds. She bent over Scanlan, fist raised. "Listen, a.s.shole. You touch me again and I'll shoot your fat a.s.s."

Jules was up, too. He took her arm and pulled her back.

Hailey stood beside her. "He knocked her back, Captain. He was out of line, not her."

"Enough," Daniels said. "If we can't act like adults, then we'll have to put someone else on this case."

"Fine by me," Jamie said. "You want to take it?"

Daniels' face reddened.

Jules led Jamie to the other end of the room, away from Scanlan, and motioned for her to sit in his chair. "He's got something to help, Jamie," he said, motioning to Scanlan. "Let him get it out and we can get rid of him."

She nodded.

He wiped his brow and turned back. "Officer Scanlan, watch yourself. Your father doesn't run s.e.x Crimes. I do. You understand me?"

Scanlan dropped his head. "Yes, sir."

"Okay, Daniels. Let's hear what your boy has to say. Then I want all of you out of here."

Daniels didn't look happy, but he nodded at Scanlan. Scanlan leaned forward in his chair, rested his elbows on his knees. Jamie glanced around the room, settling on Mackenzie. Mackenzie gave her a quick look and Jamie thought she saw a smile behind the very swollen lips.

"I drove Natasha-uh, Inspector Devlin-back from the awards banquet that night."

"And you had s.e.x with her?" Jamie interrupted.

Daniels glared at her.

Scanlan shook his head. "No." He kept his head down.

Jamie felt a shift in the room. She looked at Jules, who looked perplexed. He didn't know, but Daniels looked distinctly uncomfortable. Marshall looked awkward and annoyed, and Washington didn't meet her gaze. No one spoke. What the h.e.l.l was going on?

"Someone had s.e.x with her in that office just before she was killed," Jamie said. "And you brought her here."

"I didn't have s.e.x with her."

Jamie watched Scanlan. His face was ruddy, sweat beading on his lip. He looked like a school kid in the princ.i.p.al's office. "You're lying."

"Enough," Daniels snapped.

Jamie stared at Bruce Daniels. He looked away. They were lying-both of them. She glanced at Washington, who studied his hands. What were they hiding? Jamie opened her notebook to the pages where she'd noted Roger's findings. She skimmed the words. Devlin had two samples of s.e.m.e.n inside her-one six or so hours old, one within a half hour of her death. The most recent sample contained no sperm.

According to Roger, there was no way to determine why the second sample was aspermatic. It could have been a genetic anomaly or the man had undergone a vasectomy. Pure odds favored the vasectomy. She looked at Scanlan, frowning. He was young. He'd never had children. Why would he have a vasectomy?

She looked up at him, glanced at Daniels. "Did you bring Devlin back to meet someone else?"

Scanlan's eyes widened.

Daniels spoke up. "I think it's enough that Officer Scanlan has told us that he wasn't with Devlin that night."

"It's not enough, Officer Daniels," Jamie retorted. "Because whoever was with Devlin that night is a key suspect in her murder."

"I have to agree with Inspector Vail," Jules piped in.

Daniels looked at Scanlan, who seemed to plead with his eyes.

And suddenly it made sense. Scanlan's discomfort, the other men's awkwardness, the vasectomy. "It was your father, wasn't it? He was the last person to have s.e.x with Devlin?"

Scanlan dropped his head into his hands.

Daniels sank back into his chair, let his head fall back.

Washington shrank down in his chair.

Someone else uttered a curse under his breath.

The room silenced.

Jamie glanced at Hailey. She shook her head. Deputy Chief Scanlan was the last person to have s.e.x with the murdered inspector.

Their case had just gotten a h.e.l.l of a lot more complicated.