by Terri Reed
They stood side by side outside the entrance for a long moment after her father’s car drove away. Henry understood they needed to discuss the kiss, but he was afraid if they talked about it, any discussion would somehow lessen the moment and force them to come to terms with breaking the rules.
All night, he’d wrestled with his conscience over allowing the intimacy. He’d put her career at risk. Not to mention his own. Yet he didn’t regret kissing her, not when doing so had felt so right, so natural. The kiss was imprinted on his memory. Something he’d never forget. But also that he’d never repeat.
“I hope you—” he said.
“I was thinking—” Olivia said at the same time.
Henry chuckled. “Please, ladies first.”
“Okay. I think we need to run a background check on Parker Wilton.”
Henry studied her for a moment. That wasn’t at all what he’d expected her to say, but he’d go with it. Back to work. Better to keep the professional wall up. “Okay. It might be best if we have Eden run it.”
“Good,” Olivia said. “I need to speak with her anyway. You can make the introduction.”
He led her to Eden’s office. The technology expert was at her desk and she swiveled her chair around as they entered.
“Well, hello,” Eden said.
“Eden, this is Lieutenant Olivia Vance,” Henry said.
Eden’s eyes widened and she stood. “Nice to meet you.” Her curious gaze turned to Henry. “What can I do for you?”
“We were hoping you could pull some information about a young man named Parker Wilton,” Olivia responded, drawing Eden’s focus. “He’s a person of interest in a case.”
Henry’s eyebrows shot up. Did she think this kid had something to do with the vandalism last night? Or the bombing? Riley had met Parker in her summer college class, after the incident with Davey Carrell.
Eden resumed her seat and her fingers flew over her keyboard. “Let’s see,” Eden said. “Parker Wilton. Age nineteen. No criminal record. Mom, Karen Wilton. Also no criminal record.” She hit a button and her printer whirred, then spit out a sheet of paper. “Here’s the home address.”
“Thank you,” Olivia said, taking the page and handing it to Henry. “I have some other questions for Eden. We need a moment alone.”
“Uh, sure. We’ll wait in the hall.” Henry stared at the paper as he and Cody exited Eden’s office. Parker lived in Red Hook. Something pinged at the back of his brain.
He grew antsy as he waited for Olivia to finish speaking with Eden. He hoped the unit’s technology expert told Olivia her theory that he was being set up. Plus, he needed to have Eden do another search.
Finally, the office door opened. He pounced before Olivia could walk out.
“Eden, could you look up Davey Carrell’s home address?”
“Detective Roarke.” The censure in Olivia’s tone echoed on the small space. “You are not going there. You know you have to stay away from anything to do with Carrell.”
“Bear with me, here. I have a suspicion and I need to see if I’m right,” he said.
Eden shrugged and sat down at her computer again. “Hmm. Seems Davey Carrell’s family also lives in Red Hook.”
“What high school did Davey and Parker attend?” Henry asked.
“Just because they live in the same section of the city doesn’t mean the two young men know each other,” Olivia pointed out.
Eden’s fingers flew over the keyboard. “They both graduated from South Brooklyn Community High School.”
Henry turned to Olivia. “We need to talk to Parker and Davey.”
She stared at him for a long moment. “You’re right. But you can’t go near Davey. I was planning to interview him anyway. I’ll go to both of their homes and talk to them.”
“I can talk to Parker,” Henry said.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Olivia countered.
“Hey.” Detective Bradley McGregor popped his head inside the doorway. “Henry, I heard what happened to your K-9 vehicle. That’s just unbelievable.”
“Yeah, I doubt Gavin’s going to be too happy with me,” Henry said.
Olivia frowned at him. “He can hardly blame you for the vandalism.”
Henry shrugged. “Still, it happened on my watch, in my possession.”
Olivia arched an eyebrow. “There are just some situations in life you cannot control.”
“Spoken like somebody who knows,” he quipped, remembering Olivia’s comment about her own need for control.
Bradley chuckled, his gaze bouncing between them with a speculative gleam. “You two are funny. Gavin’s called an emergency staff meeting. He wants us all there.”
Eden rose from her chair. “We’re coming.” She shooed Henry and Olivia out of her office. “Move it, you two. You can debate who’s going where after the meeting.”
Henry and Olivia followed Bradley and Eden, but when Olivia stopped in the hallway, Henry walked back to her side as the other two disappeared into the conference room.
Henry searched Olivia’s pretty eyes. “Are you coming?”
She worried her bottom lip. He was captivated by the way her teeth tugged on the tender flesh and he wanted to kiss away her worry. That was so not going to happen.
“I kind of intruded on the last one.”
“You didn’t intrude. You made a sound suggestion.” Henry held out his hand for her to take. “You’re more than welcome. Come on.”
She eyed his hand then gave him a very stern look. “Henry, we need to keep things professional.”
Though her words stung, he appreciated that she was drawing a boundary. He saluted her. “Yes, Lieutenant.”
She made a face at him. “Smart aleck.”
He chuckled and held the door open for her. Henry and Cody walked in behind Olivia and edged to the left of the doorway, finding a spot to stand against the wall. Olivia hesitated, then moved to stand beside him. She gave him a sheepish glance that had him wanting to put an arm around her and hug her close.
Instead, he crossed his arms over his chest and paid attention to his boss, Gavin, who stood at the podium at the front of the room. He had dark circles under his eyes. Apparently he’d pulled an all-nighter.
“Listen up, everyone,” Gavin said, drawing the attention of the group gathered. “Despite a patrol car parked outside Officer Noelle Orton’s house every night for the past few months, last night someone attempted to break in to steal Liberty. Noelle called for backup and we had the house surrounded within minutes. This was a win. We caught the guy.”
Henry would have liked to have been in on that takedown. Liberty was one of their best K-9s, a yellow lab whose detection work, particularly in stopping gun smugglers, had prompted the bounty. Unfortunately, the light-colored dog had one black splotch on an ear that made her an easy target. Henry couldn’t stand the thought of someone hurting one of their dogs or their officers. But he had had his own incident to deal with last night.
Gavin continued, “When we interrogated the suspect, we confirmed that there is a ten-thousand-dollar bounty on Liberty’s head. Of course, we’ve known this from informants and because there have been several attempts on Liberty’s life, but this is the first time we’ve gotten it straight from a suspect’s mouth. We cut a deal with the suspect and promised to process him out of state if his intel leads to the arrest of the person who put out the hit on Liberty. The suspect says he only knows the gunrunner by the name of Gunther and that he operates out of Coney Island.”
Gavin’s gaze locked on to Henry. “Henry’s vehicle was also vandalized last night. Our unit is under attack. We must be vigilant at all times, people. On another note,” Gavin said, “Thanks to the suggestion of Lieutenant Olivia Vance, the FBI has put Agent Caleb Black on the McGregor and Emery murders.”
Beside Henry, Olivia made a pleased littl
e noise in her throat. He bumped his shoulder into her and whispered, “Told you. Good idea.”
Though she didn’t acknowledge him, she smiled and kept her gaze on Gavin.
“Agent Black caught a break quickly and reported that he’d intercepted Randall Gage, whose DNA puts him at the crime scene of the McGregors’ murder—”
Several members of the K-9 unit cheered.
Gavin held up his hand and waited until it was quiet. “Unfortunately, Gage managed to evade Agent Black and escaped. This happened upstate in the Catskills.”
A grumble swept through the room.
“Agent Black has vowed to continue to track Gage and keep us apprised of his progress,” Gavin finished. “Now, I want all of you to be extra careful out there. Dismissed.”
Henry pushed away from the wall as Gavin called out, “Henry, Lieutenant Vance, hold up.”
A chill of apprehension slithered down his spine. Had his boss somehow found out that he and Olivia... No, of course not. Still, tension knotted his shoulders. “Yes, sir.”
Gavin waved over Officer Lani Jameson and her dog, Snapper. While Gavin conferred with Lani, Henry led Cody out of the path of officers exiting the room.
Olivia sidled up to him and asked in a hushed tone, “What do you think he wants?”
“Probably to know when you’re going to file your report.” He cringed at the sharpness of his tone.
Her eyebrows dipped and her expression hardened. “Soon.”
“Good to know.” He didn’t understand his sudden irritation. Or maybe he did. Guilt. Guilt for kissing her. Guilt for having feelings for the IA investigator that could land them both in hot water. He ran a hand over his shaved head in an ineffective effort to relieve the pressure building there, warning that a migraine was brewing.
Officer Noelle Orton and her K-9 partner, Liberty, stopped beside Henry. Cody scrambled to his feet but stayed in place. The other dog, a beautiful yellow lab with a big, black smudge on her left ear, ignored Cody and sat at Noelle’s side.
“Lieutenant, have you met Officer Orton?” Henry asked.
“We have not had the pleasure.” Olivia shook hands with Noelle.
“Noelle is a rookie with our unit. She is a former trainer at the NYC K-9 Command Unit in Queens. Several months ago, she and her partner, Liberty, foiled two military-weapon gun smuggling operations worth millions at Atlantic Terminal. Ever since, that bounty Gavin mentioned in the meeting, has been on Liberty’s head.”
“Well done,” Olivia told Noelle.
Noelle gave her a slight smile and nodded. Henry had the distinct feeling Noelle wasn’t too happy. Though having a bounty on your partner would do that.
As soon as the room was clear, Gavin moved from the podium to stand in front of Henry. Lani and Snapper hung back as if waiting for further instructions.
To Henry, Gavin said, “You’re to stick close to the station for the foreseeable future. Hannah is expecting you in the training center. You’ll work with Noelle and Liberty among others today.”
Henry glanced at Olivia. “But what about Oliv—I mean Lieutenant Vance?” His boss had told him to keep her safe. Henry didn’t like the idea of her working alone.
“We’ve got that covered,” Gavin said. He focused on Olivia. “Lieutenant, I’ve spoken to your superior officer. And he is in agreement. Lani and Snapper will provide you backup while you are conducting your investigation.”
Henry rolled this new development around in his mind. He trusted Lani and had no doubt that Snapper would be protective of both his handler and Olivia. That was what the dog was trained for, after all.
Gavin continued, “Your father would like extra precautions taken to guarantee your well-being.”
Olivia gaped at the sergeant. Henry winced, because he had no doubt she was livid at her father’s machinations. Henry couldn’t blame her father. Captain Vance had not only his daughter to protect, but a grandchild. And though Henry understood Olivia didn’t want to be treated differently because she was pregnant, Henry thought an extra layer of security was a good thing. Especially because he couldn’t go with her to talk to Davey Carrell. But no one had told him to stay away from Parker Wilton.
“I think it’s a good idea,” Henry said.
She whipped her head toward him, her eyes sparking with anger. She focused back on Gavin. “I don’t need a bodyguard.”
Gavin leveled an intense stare on her. “With all due respect, Lieutenant, you have become a target because of your close proximity to Detective Roarke during your investigation. No one is saying you aren’t fully capable of handling yourself. Backup is to ensure everyone’s safety. I trust you are close to finishing your review of the case and will be able to move on to other investigations.”
Olivia pressed her lips together, presumably to keep from arguing. Finally, she nodded. “I am close to being able to present my recommendations to the review board. I have gone over the reports and interviews from my predecessor as well as my own interviews, but I have a few more questions I need answered. I’d like to interview Davey Carrell. Then I should be able to turn in my report.”
“Excellent,” Gavin said. “Lani will accompany you to the interview.” To Henry, he said, “Training center. And you do not leave without checking in with me. Are we clear?”
Henry’s stomach dropped. Tracking down Parker Wilton would have to wait. He wished he could take a moment alone with Olivia to make sure she...what? Was okay with the situation?
There was nothing okay with the situation. The faster she finished her investigation, made her recommendation and moved on to another case, the safer she would be. At least he prayed so.
With a nod at Olivia, he and Cody walked away with Noelle and Liberty. Unsure when he would see Olivia again, he couldn’t quell the anxiety taking root. He lifted a prayer for her safety, even as he felt annoyance at himself for caring. Despite his best effort, his heart had grown attached to the Internal Affairs officer.
* * *
“I know you’re not happy with me tagging along,” Lani said as she steered her K-9 SUV through midday traffic. “I completely understand. I married to the chief of the NYC K-9 Command Unit in Queens. Doesn’t exactly endear me to everyone.”
Olivia sighed and reined in her frustration. “It’s not you. I’m actually glad to have you with me. It wouldn’t have been appropriate for Detective Roarke to accompany me to interview the person accusing him of police brutality.”
Lani slanted Olivia a glance before returning her gaze to the road. “Yes, that would be a problem. You two have grown close.”
Startled by the observation, Olivia’s heart rate picked up. “Why do you say that?”
“Remember, I fell for my superior officer,” Lani commented. “I recognize the signs. But we made it work. I transferred out.”
Olivia could see herself falling for Henry if the circumstances were different. But they weren’t, so entertaining ideas of a romance with the handsome detective was out of the question. Unless...she left the force. Her mind shied away from the thought.
Lani drove them through the Red Hook neighborhood of Brooklyn and Olivia pointed to one wing of a red brick, multistory structure. “That building there.”
After parking, Olivia and Lani, with Snapper trotting alongside, entered the building and found the Carrell apartment on the eighth floor.
Mrs. Carrell opened the door. She was a stout woman with dark hair that curled around her face, giving her an impish appearance. Wariness entered her dark eyes. “Can I help you?”
Olivia introduced herself and Lani, then said, “I’d like to speak with Davey.”
Mrs. Carrell frowned. “Why? Our lawyer told us not to let him talk to anyone without him present.”
“I can certainly have Davey brought to a station house, if you prefer,” Olivia said.
A tall young man wearing
a neck brace and a cast on his left wrist walked out of the back room. “It’s okay, Ma. I’ve got nothing to hide.”
Olivia recognized Davey Carrell from the pictures taken the night of the incident.
Mrs. Carrell shook her head. “But the lawyer—”
“I’ve got this,” Davey insisted.
Mrs. Carrell didn’t appear happy but walked into the kitchen.
“What do you want to know?” Davey asked, his gaze straying to Snapper. The German shepherd’s brown eyes watched the young man intently.
Olivia pulled out a pen and notepad. “Tell me what happened on the night of your injuries.”
Davey recounted his version of the events that took place in Owl Head Park. His story was consistent with his statement given at the time of the incident. He’d been at the skate park and attempted to leave when Henry grabbed him, twisted his wrist until it broke and then injured his neck when Henry took him to the ground. Davey’s words sounded wooden as if he rehearsed them, which Olivia supposed he had. But he couldn’t maintain eye contact while giving his statement. A red flag or simply a sign of immaturity? “Do you know Parker Wilton?”
Davey stilled. “Who?”
Olivia narrowed her gaze. “You two graduated from the same high school.”
Shaking his head, Davey said, “Nope. Never met him. Now, you should go or I will call my lawyer.”
“Thank you for your time,” Olivia said, and they left the apartment.
“He was lying,” Lani stated in the hallway. “The way he shut down your questions once you mentioned Parker...he knows this Parker person.”
“I agree. But the question is why lie about it unless he and Parker are working together?” Olivia filled Lani in on the information she had about Parker and his possible connection to Davey. “We need to find Parker.” She glanced at the time on her phone. “He should be in class with Riley now. Do you mind a trip to Brooklyn College?”
“We’re at your disposal,” Lani said.
Olivia was glad to have the backup and couldn’t wait to speak to Parker Wilton. Then she could put at least one part of this investigation to bed. The sooner she wrapped up, the better for everyone’s sake. Including her own.