“H-how long?”
“Not very,” Jael said. There was no need to remind her about the five hours in surgery and Recovery or the several hours since then.
“Remember what Dr. Patek said, Mackenzie. You need to rest,” Ellen said.
“Your grandmother’s right but, if you’re up to it, I need to ask you a few questions first.”
“Jael,” Ellen warned.
“No, Gran. Has to.” Mac grimaced as she shifted positions.
“What can you tell me about the shooter?” Jael asked.
“Not shifter.” She swallowed hard and closed her eyes again. “Maybe like you. Don’t know. Dressed as delivery man. Familiar but don’t know why. Can’t remember.”
Despite the flash of excitement to hear Mac thought the shooter was familiar, Jael kept her expression neutral. “It’s okay, Mac. We’re working on it.” She lightly brushed the hair back from Mac’s forehead. “We’ve pulled your security video and your neighbors have given us theirs. We’ll find the bastard. You just worry about getting better.”
“J-jackson?” Fear filled her eyes and her grasp on Jael’s hand tightened.
“He’s fine, Mac. He wasn’t hurt,” Jael assured her.
“Where?”
“He and your mother stepped out for a moment to make a couple of calls. They’ll be back soon,” Ellen answered. “The twins got here not long ago. They’re downstairs in the cafeteria getting something to eat. And you are going to be all right. But you have to do as the doctors tell you.”
“W-who was outside?”
Jael cursed softly. Damn Wysocki. “You don’t worry about that, kid. They won’t be back. I promise.” She shook her head before Ellen could say anything. The last thing she wanted was for Mac worrying about Wysocki once more targeting her. “What else can you tell me about the shooter?”
“White, maybe Hispanic. My height. Medium build. Couldn’t tell anything else.”
“That’s enough to start with, Mac. You did fine.”
“Something else. Can’t remember.” She closed her eyes. Her brow furrowed. “S-said he was sorry.”
Jael inhaled deeply. Even having seen the video of what happened, hearing Mac tell her how the man apologized made it all the more real.
“You did good, Mac. Rest now,” she said as the door opened and Dr. Patek entered.
“She’s right, Mac. You need to rest so you and the baby make a full recovery.”
Baby?
Jael looked from Patek to Mac and then to Ellen. Patek nodded in confirmation, a smile playing at the corners of his mouth. Then he moved to stand next to the bed. Leaving him to examine Mac, Jael slipped out of the room. She didn’t care what it took, they would protect Mac. No one and nothing would hurt her again.
A baby. That might be just the news everyone needed to keep from going on the warpath.
12
“I’m back at the station,” Pat said into her cellphone as she stepped off the elevator. “Anything new to report?”
“Mac woke again and heard at least part of my discussion with Wyscocki.” Jael’s frustration couldn’t be denied.
“Shit,”
“Exactly.”
“Were you able to talk with her?”
“For a few minutes. Then Patek arrived and I thought it best to let him try to settle her down again.”
Pat nodded even though Jael couldn’t see. “Was Mac able to tell you anything?”
“Not really. She doesn’t remember much. Whether that’s because of the drugs or the trauma—or a combination of both—I don’t know. But she did confirm what we saw on the video.”
“All right. Where are you now?”
“On my way back to the station.”
“Good. Find me when you get here. There are a couple of things we need to discuss before end of shift.”
Pat slid the phone back into her pocket. A moment later, she pushed open the door and stepped into the bullpen. Day and evening shift detectives worked, some on their own and others in groups of two or three. Phones rang and were quickly answered. She had no doubt informants were being reached out to and pressure was being put on to find out anything that might help them learn the identity of the man who shot Mac.
Leaving them to their work, she reached up and loosened her tie. In that moment, she felt a hundred years old. The strain of Malone’s funeral on top of Mac’s shooting was almost too much. Then there had been that damned press conference. Culver insisted she appear in her dress blues, a reminder to the media how much DPD sacrificed on a daily basis in order to protect the city. Now all she wanted was to hear they’d finally caught a break and were about to bring in the bastard responsible for hurting Mac.
“Listen up!”
Instantly, the bullpen fell silent. With all eyes on her, she crossed to the case board. For a moment, she studied the list of open cases. Too many. But there always were. That was especially true now, when the squad got called in on any serious assault case that might end with a death. Like it or not, she planned to hand off most of those cases, leaving only homicides and one other case with the squad. If Culver or anyone else objected, they could have her badge.
“As of this moment, all cases on the board with the exception of Captain Santos’ that do not involve confirmed homicides are to be kicked back to the referring squads. Tell them they can send them back only when there is enough evidence to list them as a homicide. We work those cases and we find the bastard who shot our captain. Any questions?” She looked around the squad, noting how some of the detectives quickly gathered up files and shuffled them off to the side.
“How is she, LT?” Buttkowski asked.
“The doctors haven’t upgraded her condition yet.” She reminded herself that was to be expected. After all, less than twelve hours had passed since Mac was shot. “The good news, however, is that she has been conscious twice. Sgt. Lindsay spoke briefly with her the last time.”
“Could she tell the sarge anything?” Sears asked.
“Nothing that we don’t already know.” Pat scanned the faces around the room. “Tanaka, report?”
Shelly Tanaka stood and moved to the front of the room. “We still have uniforms in the captain’s neighborhood, doing a door-to-door. The lab’s going over the evidence collected. Mr. Caine gave us the passwords not only to the various electronic devices we took from the house but to his email and social media accounts. There is nothing to indicate he might have anything to do with what happened. LT. I know we never really considered him a person of interest, but I suggest we make it very clear to the brass that he is off that list.”
Pat nodded, unsurprised. “The video from their security system?”
“The techs received the decryption key from the security company that installed the system for the captain.”
Pat pressed her lips together to keep from reacting. No one in the squad except Jael, Norwood and herself knew what the “company” really was.
“They are going over it frame-by-frame, but I’ve got a copy loaded up.”
“Let’s see it.” She and Jael might not have recognized the shooter but maybe someone with the squad would.
Tanaka nodded and switched off the lights in the bullpen. A moment later, the video screen lowered in front of the case board. No one spoke as they waited for the video to begin.
Even though Pat had already seen the video, one hand fisted at her side as the video began. A man wearing what looked like a delivery uniform strolled up the sidewalk toward the front door. He paused halfway there and looked around. Then he reached up and tugged his ballcap down lower over his face.
There wasn’t a sound in the bullpen as the man rang the doorbell. A few moments later, the door opened. Offscreen, Mac’s voice came over the video.
“You’re early.”
The man glanced up. The bill of his cap hid most of his face. It didn’t hide his slight frown or the way he shook his head. Someone gasped he raised his hand, revealing a gun.”
�
�Pause it!” Pat snapped. She stepped forward and studied the gun and the hand holding it. “That’s a Ruger. Can anyone tell what kind of ring he’s wearing?”
“Looks like a class ring,” Norwood commented.
“I’ll tell the techs to get blowups of both the gun and the ring,” Tanaka said.
Pat nodded and signaled to let the video continue playing.
“I’m sorry, Captain. I don’t have a choice.”
The sound of Mac’s purse and briefcase hitting the floor broke the silence. Then the man fired three shots in quick succession. Curses filled the bullpen as they watched him step forward. The gun angled downward and another shot sounded. In the background, they heard Jackson calling for Mac before racing downstairs. At the same time, the shooter turned to leave. He didn’t run. He didn’t even move fast until Jackson appeared in the frame. He ran out of the house, stopping midway across the front lawn as the shooter sped off in the white van. Then Jackson turned and raced back inside.
“He apologized and he called her captain.” Pat ground out the words. “My bet is he knows her.”
“Could he be one of us?” Tim Nguyen asked softly.
Pat wanted to deny it but couldn’t. Not when she’d been asking herself the same question since first seeing the video.
“Anyone recognize him?” she asked. Lots of heads shook but no one answered. “All right, Shelly. Tell the techs to run facial and voice recognition.”
“Already done, LT.”
“I want each of you to remember what you just saw. That bastard gunned down our captain in her own home. I don’t think any of us doubts he knew who she was before he shot her. I want every one of her cases looked at. I want every cop she’s had a run-in looked at, same for ADAs, defense attorneys, anyone. We will find this bastard and we will bring him in. Is that understood?”
“Yes, ma’am!” they answered.
“Jenny, Tim.” She looked to where Sears and Nguyen sat at their desks, their faces masks of fury. “Start digging into the case Mac was scheduled to testify in this morning. That includes the defense attorney. I want your preliminary report on my desk by ten in the morning.”
“Consider it done,” Sears assured her. Nguyen nodded in agreement.
“Timmons, you up for another assignment?” she asked the former detective turned reserve officer.
“You bet, LT.”
“I’m going to give you a list of officers I know have had a beef with the captain. Check them out, but quietly. I don’t want any blowback on them or us if they’re in the clear.”
“Got it, LT.”
Pat started toward her office and stopped. Like it or not, there was one more thing they needed to discuss. “What I’m about to say doesn’t leave this room. If you have a problem with that, step out now.” She waited, relieved when no one moved.
“IAB made a move earlier this afternoon in an attempt to take over the investigation. Two of the rat squad showed up at the captain’s house while I was there. Let’s just say I sent them on their way as soon as I confirmed their captain ordered them there. If that’s not bad enough, Wysocki and two of her goons showed up at the hospital and tried to get in to see the captain and question her husband.”
She gave them a moment to curse and fume. Then she motioned them to silence.
“Let me start by saying Officer Murray did this squad proud. She stood up for our captain and she obeyed her orders even after Wysocki threatened to charge her with obstruction.”
“She did what?” Sgt. Kelsey demanded from where he stood near the door to Pat’s office.
Pat’s lips twitched slightly. Kelsey asked what all of them were thinking. But it was his outrage that struck a chord. Kelsey was renowned for his calm. Few had ever seen him angry. Not that Pat blamed him for being furious. Wysocki stepped over far over the line this time.
“You heard me. She threatened to take Murray into custody and charge her with interfering in an investigation. Murray didn’t waiver and, fortunately, Sgt. Lindsay arrived at that time. Murray’s loyalty to the squad and to the captain will be rewarded.”
Everyone nodded. A few promised to buy drinks or dinner or anything else Murray wanted. Whether she knew it yet or not, Murray had cemented her place in the squad that day.
“As for Officer Kowalski, he will not be returning to this squad—ever. I won’t tolerate officers under my command disobeying orders.” Voice hard, Pat looked around the bullpen, making eye contact with everyone. She wanted to them to how serious she was.
“As I said, Sgt. Lindsay arrived before Wysocki could follow through on her threat. After taking over for Murray, the sergeant contacted Chief Culver. The chief made it very clear to Wysocki and her people that this is our case. But you know as well as I do that she won’t back off for long. She has it in for this squad, for me and for our captain.”
And Wysocki could go to Hell as far as she was concerned.
“That means one thing. This case is now need-to-know only. It isn’t to be discussed with anyone who isn’t part of the investigation. If there’s a leak, I will find out who’s responsible and their head will be mine. Then I’ll turn you over to Chief Culver. Is that understood?”
Everyone assured her it was.
“The conference room next door has been reserved for the duration. That’s our op center for the captain’s case. Culver has a crew coming in to black out the windows and install electronic locks on the door. That door will be secured at all times. Only those authorized to work the case will be allowed entry. When someone isn’t in there working, the case board and all notes are to be locked away. We will move everything in tomorrow once the room is prepared.
“Come morning, I want full updates on all open cases. Until then, if you aren’t chasing down something hot on one of your cases, go home and get some rest. Briefing at 0700 for all shifts. Everyone who isn’t currently on the clock, get out of here.”
“LT, what about you?” Norwood asked.
“I need to brief Chief Culver. Then I’m heading back to the hospital.” She turned to Timmons. “Are we set for people to be with the captain and her family overnight?”
“We are, LT,” he answered. “I’ve got shifts set up for the next week.”
“Good. Thanks.” She smiled in appreciation.
“No need, ma’am. You have me for the duration.”
She nodded, relieved. He made a good addition to the team. “Go home, hug your loved ones and get some sleep. Tomorrow’s going to be another long day.” She watched as the members of the day shift did as she ordered. “Shelly, a moment.”
Once in her office, Pat checked her mail and messages. When Tanaka entered a few moments later, she motioned for the woman to close the door. Then she leaned against her desk as Tanaka took a seat in one of the two chairs in front of the desk.
“What else can you tell me?”
“Other than I may move into the captain’s neighborhood?” Tanaka smiled and shook her head. “I have never worked a case where everyone wants to help as much as those folks do.”
Since Pat knew exactly what Tanaka meant, she motioned for the woman to continue.
“I’ve reviewed most of the videos we obtained from the neighbors. They don’t show much more than the video from the captain’s house. I’ve sent them all to the techs to see if they can pull up something I missed.”
Pat nodded. She wished it was more, but she’d take what she could—for the moment at least.
“Robbery loaned us a couple of uniforms and I’ve got them tracking down traffic cam footage and identifying businesses in the area that might have security cam feeds we can use. The DA’s Office has ADAs on standby, ready to get any warrants we need. But all that will take time. As for the perp, all we know for sure is he turned west out of the neighborhood and headed toward the freeway.”
Pat considered for a moment. If she’d been the shooter, that was exactly what she would have done. Once on the freeway, he could head anywhere. A smart man would head o
ut of state as soon as possible. God, don’t let this guy be as smart as he seemed.
“I know what you said in there.” She nodded in the direction of the bullpen. “But now I need to know for sure if there is any reason to suspect the captain’s husband.”
“Not even the faintest hint of him being involved, LT. Like I said, he’s done everything we’ve asked and more. The video confirms his story that he was upstairs at the time of the shooting. There is nothing to show they’ve had any problems in their marriage. None of the indicators we look for are there. Hell, LT, all her family has cooperated and none of them have mentioned the word lawyer.”
“Good.” Not that’s she’d expected anything else. Still, they had to be sure. “What do you need from me?”
“We need the passwords to her personal email and social media accounts. I asked Mr. Caine about them but he doesn’t have the information. Neither does Mrs. Duncan. By the way, she turned over the captain’s official accounts, with approval from the Chief, and there’s nothing in them that rings any alarms. I’d like to mark off her personal accounts without having to get a warrant for them.”
Pat nodded. “I’ll see what I can do.”
If Mac couldn’t give her the passwords, she knew Mateo could get them. Of course, there might be hell to pay with Mac when she recovered but Pat couldn’t worry about that now.
“Go get some rest now, Shelly. You’ve got nightshift detectives who will keep on it. They’ll tag you if anything breaks,” Pat said as she escorted the woman to the door. “Let’s meet half an hour before the morning briefing.”
“Sounds good, LT.”
Pat started to open the door and stopped, remembering her earlier conversation with Jael. “Before you go, there’s something I’d like you to think about. You don’t have to give me an answer tonight.”
“LT?” Tanaka’s brow furrowed in concern.
“I’d like you to consider taking on Officer Murray. She deserves a chance for her detective’s shield, especially after the way she stood up to Wysocki. I think you’d be the perfect training officer for her.”
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