Could the day get any worse?
She shoved open the door and stepped into the corridor outside the security wing. A frown pulled at her lips as she looked around. The officer she’d left stationed there was nowhere in sight, his chair empty. Part of her knew Wysocki had dismissed him. But another part already planned on teaching him a lesson about duty he wouldn’t ever forget.
That had to wait, however. Protecting Mac and her family took precedence.
Jael used the keycard Patek gave her to enter the security wing. As she did, she pulled her phone from her pocket and sent a short text to Pat, letting her know Wysocki was there. Then she moved purposefully down the corridor to where Officer Murray continued to stand her post outside Mac’s room even as Captain Julia Wysocki and two IAB detectives tried to get past her.
“I won’t say this again, Officer. Step aside or you will be brought up on charges of hindering an investigation,” Wysocki said.
Instead of answering, Murray stood her ground, blocking the door to Mac’s room. Feet shoulder width apart, arms folded behind her as if she were standing at parade rest, the young officer stared past the IAB captain, her expression cold and hard. Not once did she acknowledge the woman or the two detectives with her.
“You had your chance.” Wysocki motioned to the detectives. “Cuff her and take her downtown. After you read her her rights, let her call her rep,” Wysocki ordered.
One of the detectives took one step forward. Jael chuckled softly to see him come to an abrupt halt as Murray rested her right hand on the gun at her side. As she did, Murray looked directly at Wysocki.
“Ma’am, I will once again remind you of my orders, orders I will not disobey.” Murray’s determined expression and the seriousness of her voice should have been enough to warn off anyone with an ounce of common sense. Apparently, that didn’t include Wysocki. “Lt. King and Chief Culver ordered the protective detail, of which I’m part of, to stand guard and let no one who isn’t a member of Captain Santos’ medical team or on an approved visitors list inside. You and your detectives are not on that list. My orders are, therefore, to stand my post and not let you through until you present me with clearance from either my lieutenant or the chief of police.”
“Officer, I outrank you and I outrank your lieutenant. You will step aside.” Wysocki stepped forward into Murray’s personal space.
“Captain, I understand you outrank me and my lieutenant, but my orders are, as I said, from not only the LT but from Chief Culver himself. I suggest you take it up with him because I am not standing down.”
Jael smiled proudly. When this was all over, she needed to buy Murray a drink. Few cops had the balls to stand up to a senior officer, much less an IAB captain. Murray obviously did, proving she had a spine and that she was loyal to Mac, Pat and to the squad. That sort of loyalty deserved to be rewarded. More than that, Jael intended to do everything possible to keep Wysocki from targeting the young woman for simply doing her duty.
“Officer Murray, I’ll take over now. Step inside and assure the captain’s family that everything is under control.” As she spoke, she looked forward to taking on Wysocki.
“Yes, ma’am.”
With that, Murray reached behind her and opened the door just wide enough to slip inside. Jael watched, nodding slightly as the young woman took up her post in front of the door, her body blocking the view through the narrow window. Satisfied, Jael moved to where Murray had stood. As she did, she wondered how the IAB captain would respond to having to deal with a seasoned veteran of the force.
“Sergeant Lindsay, I assume you will be more cooperative than Officer Murray,” Wysocki began.
Butter wouldn’t have melted in the woman’s mouth. Not that it mattered to Jael. She had absolutely no intention of doing what Wysocki wanted.
“Ma’am?”
“I need inside to interview both Mr. Caine and Captain Santos if she’s up to it.”
Jael reached for the clipboard Murray had left on the chair to the right of the door. She made a production of checking it before replacing it on the chair. Once she had, she assumed much the same position Murray held and stared past Wysocki. As she did, she made a mental bet with herself about how long the IAB captain would wait before finally losing her temper.
“Sergeant?” Wysocki drawled it out, her growing frustration clear.
“With respect, ma’am, Officer Murray was following orders. You and your people are not on the approved list. Therefore, I have no choice but to deny your request.” She learned how to deal with officers like Wysocki in the Corps. Be respectful but firm and always have the brass at your back.
“Sgt. Lindsay, you will stand down and step aside. That is a direct order.” Wysocki tried staring her down.
Instead, Jael focused on a spot over the woman’s shoulder and waited.
“Sergeant, unless you want to find yourself up on charges that will end your career, you will do as I say. We are here to investigate your captain’s shooting and that means we need to interview her husband. He was the only person present at the time of the offense and he must be considered a person of interest.”
Anger flared but Jael kept her expression carefully neutral. Wysocki was nothing if not predictable. Next thing, she’d probably suggest Mac had done something to bring the shooting on herself.
“Captain, my orders, as well as Officer Murray’s, come directly from Chief Culver and were reinforced by Lt. King. Chief Culver instructed us to stand guard and let only those on this list inside. He also instructed Lt. King and her squad to investigate what happened to Captain Santos. Unless and until the Chief rescinds his orders, I can’t do as you say.”
As she spoke, she activated her phone. She did two things without more than glancing at the screen. The first was to activate the phone’s camera to record her conversation with Wysocki and the second was to call Chief Culver. She had no problem playing cat and mouse with the woman for the rest of the day, but she didn’t want Jackson and the others upset in the process. So she would do what Mac had when she took command of the investigation into the ambush murders of King and the others. She’d call in the big guns to deal with the IAB CO.
“Sir, Sergeant Lindsay here,” she said when Culver answered her call. “I am standing post outside Captain Santos’ room.”
“Is there any change in your captain’s condition?” he asked in concern as she put the call on speaker.
“Negative, sir. Unfortunately, we do have a situation, one I’m afraid only you can deal with.” If that didn’t clue him in on why she called, nothing would.
“Explain, Sergeant.”
“Captain Wysocki and two members of her squad are here, sir. They apparently dismissed one of the officers standing post outside the security wing. I arrived in time to see them trying to convince Officer Murray to stand down and let them into Captain Santos’ room. Murray refused, citing your orders but Captain Wysocki insisted. When Murray repeated her orders and suggested the captain contact you, Captain Wysocki ordered her detectives to take Murray into custody.”
“I beg your pardon, Sergeant. Would you repeat that?” Culver’s disbelief was clear.
“She told her detectives to take Murray in on charges of interfering in an investigation. I stepped in then, sir, and instructed Murray to move inside Captain Santos’ room. I took over her post at that time. I consulted the list of approved visitors and neither Captain Wysocki nor any of her squad are on it. The captain refused to stand down and, in fact, said she was here to question Captain Santos. She also stated Mr. Caine is a person of interest.”
“I see.”
Such a simple comment and one that held a great deal of meaning. Jael’s lips twitched as Wysocki turned an interesting shade of purple. At the same time, the two detectives suddenly became interested in the tips of the shoes, the ceiling, anything except their captain. Jael had no doubt they hadn’t seen anyone stand up to their boss before. Perhaps they would think twice before trying to bully good cops a
gain. If so, at least something good had come from all this.
“Captain Wysocki.”
“Sir?” She glared at Jael and tried to reach for the phone.
Jael shook her head, all but daring her to take it.
“I believe my orders to you this morning were quite clear. This is Lt. King’s investigation. Unless and until she finds some reason for IAB to be called in, you have no reason to interfere in the case.”
“Sir, I’ll remind you again that it is departmental policy for IAB to investigate whenever an officer is the victim of a crime. More than that, Caine must be questioned about what happened, if for no other reason than to rule him out as a suspect.”
Silence hung thick for a moment. “Sergeant Lindsay, you were first on scene, correct?” Culver asked.
“Yes, sir.”
“Did you see anything to indicate Mr. Caine might have been involved with what happened?”
Jael looked straight at Wysocki as she answered. “Negative, sir. Mr. Caine was clearly distraught over what happened. He and a neighbor were doing all they could to staunch the captain’s bleeding when I arrived. Mr. Caine has cooperated fully with investigating officers, giving consent to a search of the entire property, allowing access to the house’s security system, including its cameras, as well as all electronics. He also gave a preliminary statement to me and a full statement to Detectives Sears and Nguyen.”
“It would seem, Captain Wysocki, all the bases are being covered,” Culver commented. “Or is it your position Lt. King and her squad aren’t capable of conducting the investigation?”
“Sir, you know what I mean.”
“What I know is that you have once again tried to insinuate yourself and your squad into an investigation without cause. Worse, in doing so, you disobeyed a direct order from this office. I suggest you stand down now and get back to the house. I want to see you in my office at which time we will discuss this concerning trend you’ve developed where Captain Santos is concerned. I assumed I’ve made myself clear.”
“Yes, sir.” Wysocki said nothing else as Culver thanked Jael for bringing the matter to his attention. Then he reconfirmed his earlier orders. “I’m not done with you, Lindsay,” she rasped as Jael ended the call.
“Captain, I suggest you consider very carefully before you say anything else.” Jael waited, giving her a chance to do just that. “Chief Culver’s orders are clear. I will not disobey them. Neither will any of those assigned to protect Captain Santos.”
“Protect!” Wysocki all but spat. “You’re covering for her and you’ll take the fall just like she will. I don’t care if it’s the last thing I do, I promise you’ll pay.”
“Ma’am, you really should have learned your lesson the last time you tried to take on Captain Santos. She’s a good cop, the best I’ve ever worked with. Whatever your problem with her is, it’s your problem and you are letting it cloud your judgment. I suggest you step back and reconsider before you make a bigger fool of yourself.” Now she took a step forward, purposefully moving into Wysocki’s personal space. “Captain, if you think Mackenzie Santos is a hard ass, I promise you I’m far worse. Remember that if you decide to come after me. If that day comes, you’d better make sure you don’t miss because you won’t get a second chance. Not only will I prove you acted out of personal malice, I will prove you have a vendetta against Captain Santos. Now I recommend you get a move on. The clock is ticking and I doubt you want to keep Chief Culver waiting.”
For a moment, it looked as if Wysocki might say something. Then the woman turned to the two detectives and jerked her head toward the end of the corridor. As they stalked off, Wysocki turned back, her expression hard.
“This isn’t over,” she said.
“I beg to differ, Captain. However, if you want to press the issue, I’ll be glad to contact my advocate.”
She watched as the three IAB detectives pushed open the doors at the end of the corridor and disappeared from sight. She continued watching the doors for a few moments, making sure they closed and locked. Satisfied, she sagged against the door, relieved things hadn’t gotten any more heated. Then she pulled her phone from her pocket and ended the recording. She thought for a moment before emailing it to herself, to Pat and to Mac’s and Jackson’s attorney. She knew better than to take any chances where Wysocki was concerned.
“Jael?” Jackson asked in concern the moment she stepped inside Mac’s room.
“Give me a sec and then I’ll answer all your questions.” She turned to Murray and placed a hand on the young woman’s shoulder. “Lolo.” She smiled when Murray ducked her head at her use of her nickname. “I don’t want you to worry about what happened out there. You did exactly as you should have and I’ll make sure the LT knows. Chief Culver already does, and he has your back, as do I. If Wysocki or her goons try to cause you any problems, you let me know. Understand?”
The young woman nodded once, her relief clear.
“Now I need you to find out what happened to the uniform who was supposed to be on duty outside the entrance to the wing. There was no one there when I arrived. Once you have, let me know where he is and why he left his post.” And she would figure out then how best to deal with him. But that wasn’t anything Murray needed to worry about. “Then I want you to get something to eat. I ’ll stay here until you return.”
Murray nodded and slipped out of the room. Jael turned her attention to the others. Jackson and Elizabeth sat on one side of the bed, Ellen on the other. All three looked as if they’d aged a decade in the last few hours. Worry etched lines in their faces and filled the room almost like a living entity. But it was the fear in Jackson’s eyes when he looked at Mac that tore through Jael. She didn’t want to think about how any of them would react if Mac didn’t recover.
Without a word, Jael moved further into the room, her attention on her former rookie. Mac lay motionless except for the slow rise and fall of her chest. A sheet and light blanket covered her from the shoulders down. Thick bandages covered the wound at her neck and Jael saw more bandages at her left shoulder. The machines above her head beeped softly. She looked so pale and fragile, but she lived. That was all that mattered.
“Jael?” Elizabeth prompted.
“Sorry.” She rubbed a hand over her face, more to give herself a moment to gather her thoughts than anything else. “Wysocki from IAB and two of her rat squad wanted inside to talk to Mac and Jackson.”
“What?” Jackson’s eyes flashed dangerously. “I thought Culver left orders to keep her away from Mac.”
“He did and you don’t need to worry about her. Culver not only knows what she tried and he’s ordered her to report to his office. He’ll make sure she understands this is the last time he’ll put up with her coming after Mac.”
Not that she believed it would keep Wysocki from trying to interfere again. Sooner or later, she’d try again to force her way into the investigation. The woman had it in for Mac and until they knew why, they wouldn’t be able to stop her.
“There’s more.” Elizabeth spoke simply but it didn’t fool Jael. Mac’s mother was one of the area’s top attorneys. She knew how to read people and knew when they weren’t telling everything they knew.
“She said she needed to get Jackson’s statement since he might be a person of interest.”
“She said what?” Jackson’s chair skittered across the floor as he surged to his feet.
“Jackson, calm down.” Jael glanced back at Mac, praying she didn’t overhear. Then she waited until Jackson retrieved his chair and returned to his place next to the bed. “Culver squashed that right away. We pointed out that you not only gave me a preliminary statement but a more detailed one to Sears and Nguyen. Not to mention you didn’t demand we secure a warrant to search the house and electronics or to get your security videos. Also, to make sure there can be no confusion about what was said by whom, I recorded everything.”
“I want a copy,” Elizabeth said firmly.
Jael shook her he
ad and then held up a hand when Elizabeth started to argue. “I’ve already sent a copy to Callie. Let her handle this for now.”
Elizabeth’s mouth firmed. A moment later, she nodded. Then she stood. As she did, she reached for the cellphone resting on the table next to Mac’s bed. “I’m going to make a couple of calls. Jackson, I suggest you talk to Callie. Let her know Wysocki was here and that Jael sent her a video file. Ask her how she wants you to respond if that bitch shows up again. Tell her I think it is time we find out all we can about Captain Wysocki and why she has it in for my daughter. I’ll be back shortly.”
“She’s right, Jackson. Go make your call. I’ll stay here,” Ellen told him.
He nodded and leaned over to lightly kiss his wife’s forehead. Then he stood and walked toward the door. As he passed her, he rested his hand on Jael’s arm. A moment later, he stepped outside and closed the door behind him.
Jael blew out a breath and moved around the bed. She looked down at the woman she trained as a rookie and who had quickly become family. Twice now, she’d stood at Mac’s bedside, wondering if she would survive her injuries. That was two times too many.
“Have you found anything to explain what happened?” Ellen asked softly.
Jael shook her head and dropped onto Jackson’s chair. “Nothing solid. But the squad is working as hard on this as they did on Mike’s case or when Pat and the others were taken.”
Ellen glanced at her granddaughter, her expression worried. “I want the one who did this to her.”
“Trust me, you’ll have to get in line.”
“N-no.”
Jael looked at the bed, disbelief and hope filling her. Mac lay there, her eyes open. Pain etched deep lines in her face. She swallowed hard once and looked around. As she did, her brow knitted and then fear flashed across her expression. Before she could try to sit up, Ellen stood and gently held her against the mattress.
“Lie still, child,” her grandmother said.
“Dear God, kid, you’ve had us scared.” Jael stood and reached for Mac’s right hand. As she did, Ellen sent for the doctor. Mac turned her head on the pillow and looked around. Then she closed her eyes, grimacing in pain.
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