Behind the Badge

by Susan Sleeman

  Garber hung up. “I was wrong. There’re a few more of these bikes in the county than I thought, but Larry gave me a list of owners so I can follow up.”

  “Good. That’s the first solid lead we have. Anything else happen while I was with Windsor?”

  “Baker asked if you’d stop in.” He nodded toward the conference room. “He’s still talking to the girl.”

  “Let me know what you turn up on the bikes.” Russ clapped Garber on the back before heading down the hallway.

  This teenage girl had showed up earlier claiming she’d attended the party where Dixon plied Sydney’s sister with alcohol. And the girl claimed she had information to help with this investigation. Russ wanted to talk with her, but then Windsor had shown up and Russ had passed her off to Baker.

  The girl slouched so far down in the chair he thought she might slide off. Dressed in a revealing V-neck shirt, skinny jeans and high-top sneakers, she had eyes glazed with drug use.

  “Chief,” Officer Baker said and nodded at the girl. “Rachelle, go ahead and tell the chief what you told me about Dixon’s arrest.”

  The girl picked at her purple fingernails. “After Nikki’s sister slapped the cuffs on the dude, she went all kamikaze on him. Gettin’ in his face and yelling that if he ever came near Nikki again, she’d kill him.” She paused as if she’d dropped some big bombshell.

  “And then what happened?” Russ asked.

  “Well, nothing, but, I mean, she was really mad. I thought she might kill him right there.” She sat up a bit. “So when I heard he was dead, I figured she did it.”

  “That it?” Russ asked Baker.

  He nodded and added a knowing look that Russ didn’t like.

  “Outside,” Russ commanded. When they both moved into the hallway, Russ jerked the door closed. “You really think Deputy Tucker offed Dixon?”

  Baker shrugged. “Maybe. At least it’s possible. I’m not sure what I would’ve done if Dixon had taken advantage of someone in my family like that.”

  Russ ran a hand around the back of his neck. Maybe he needed to give the reasoning more thought. If he were in her situation and he’d caught Zack drinking, what would he have done? A boy wasn’t as vulnerable to a predator like Dixon, but still, Russ wouldn’t want anyone to expose his son to drugs and alcohol, and Russ would make sure the creep who did so paid. But how far would he go?

  Actually, the most important question here was how far would—did—Sydney go? Maybe Sydney was in on what went down last night. Maybe the killer was planning to take her out not for what she saw, but because she was part of the operation. Maybe…but his gut told him otherwise.

  Still, he had a job to do. That included following this investigative avenue. “I’m not liking her for this, but follow it up. Keep it between you and me for now.”

  “You got it,” Baker said.

  “And follow up on this girl. Let’s see if she has any connection with Dixon and if this impromptu interview is her way of trying to cover it up.”

  “Right.” Baker spun and returned to the room.

  His mood somber, Russ headed back toward his office. At the end of the hallway, he spotted Sydney coming through the door, dressed in a clean, well-fitting uniform that emphasized the length of her fantastic legs. A few long strides took her into the bull-pen area.

  Garber and Officer Plank stood near their cubicles. As they followed her progress, their gazes filled with appreciation. She offered them a passing smile as if she didn’t see the fuss she was creating.

  Russ wanted to yell at his men for acting like teenage boys, but what good would that do? Even with the strain of the night lingering on her face, she was a gorgeous woman. Tan, smooth skin. Eyes wide with long lashes. He couldn’t make his men not look at her. But he wanted to. More than he cared to admit.

  Garber tossed out a lame pickup line. Russ chewed on the inside of his mouth to keep from saying something. Sydney laughed and fired back a comment that confirmed she was used to this kind of situation. A rookie in law enforcement, she wasn’t a rookie in dealing with unwanted male attention.

  In the hours he’d sat outside her house last night, he’d cemented in his mind his decision to keep their interaction professional. He couldn’t let the mere sight of her derail his plan. He certainly didn’t want to end up sporting the same goofy look that was plastered on Garber’s face. He’d start by asking about her threat to Dixon.

  He took a defensive stance and steeled his mind for her arrival.

  “Something wrong?” she asked when she came closer than he’d have liked.

  “Tell me about threatening Dixon the night you arrested him.”

  “Can we do this somewhere more private?” She tipped her head to the side.

  He followed her gaze and found his men still gawking at her. He tossed a glare their way and they scattered.

  “Let’s go to my office.”

  When she sat and crossed those legs that went on for miles, he perched on the side of his desk and waited to hear her explanation.

  “You don’t really think I killed Dixon, do you?”

  This wasn’t how he’d expected her to start. “You didn’t tell me last night that you threatened the guy, so what am I supposed to think?”

  “I just needed to blow off some steam. After I yelled at him, I forgot all about it.” She sighed. “I shouldn’t have lost my cool on the job, but I didn’t kill him.”

  “What about that unresolved issue from last night? You ready to tell me about your service weapon?”

  A brief flash of unease crossed her face before she controlled it. “My gun’s right here.” She clapped a hand on her holster. “Would you like to see it?”

  He should trust her, but her expression said she was keeping something from him. It might not have anything to do with this case or it might have everything to do with it, but he knew actually asking to see the weapon would do more harm than good in their working relationship.

  If she was going to confide in him, she needed to trust him, so he’d drop the subject for now. “I’ll take your word for it.”

  She seemed to sag in relief.

  Yeah, he was on-target here. She might not have killed Dixon, but something was going on with her that she didn’t want him to know about. He was more determined than ever to ferret out the truth. No matter how long it took.

  SEVEN

  Facing Russ across his desk, Sydney rested her hands on the desktop as he clicked on his computer keyboard, opening the other pictures from her phone. He’d accepted her answer about her gun, but his eyes said he wasn’t letting the issue go.

  She hated not telling him the truth. She hadn’t technically lied to him, as the gun in her holster was a service weapon, but it was a lie of omission, nonetheless. She only hoped that news of her missing gun didn’t get out, as she’d hate to have to tell him why she hadn’t been forthcoming.

  “Here we go.” Russ pointed at his monitor.

  She leaned closer to look at the first picture of Dixon’s street.

  “See anything?” Russ asked.

  “Nothing worth killing me for,” she answered.

  He clicked to the next picture. They studied the version nearly identical to the first. He clicked again. Same scenario.

  He tilted his head sideways. She spotted a small scar on his chin that she’d not noticed before. He didn’t have this scar back in high school. She’d spent four summers studying everything about him. She would’ve seen it.

  Odd that she hadn’t noticed it last night. Or this morning at breakfast.

  Maybe it was visible now because he’d shaved since she’d last seen him or because she was so close to him. Close enough to catch the lingering fragrance from his minty soap. So masculine and appealing, her attraction to him magnified tenfold.

  “Is something wrong?” she heard Russ ask, but she didn’t want to break the moment just yet.

  “Syd?”

  “What? Oh, no. Just thinking.” She stabbed a finger at the
photo on the screen. “That’s the girl who took off when I arrived. Might help to ID her.”

  “I’ll print this out so we can follow up.” As he turned back to the monitor, his gaze slid over her, telling her he’d noticed her discomfort. His lips curved in that cocky smile she found irresistible.

  Well, she’d resist it. At least she’d do her best. The last thing she needed right now was to fall for another guy who’d bail on her. She needed to keep her focus on the work.

  “I got your fax.” Russ lifted copies of the arrest reports she’d sent to him when she’d stopped to talk with Sarge. “Nothing glaringly obvious in here, but I already have one of my men following up with the people you arrested. Maybe one of the teens’ parents had the same reaction as you did to the judge’s sentence and decided to take things into their own hands.”

  “I’m not really sure how that would explain the texts asking for the item from Dixon’s house. Still, it’s a lead we can’t ignore.”

  He went to retrieve pictures of the girl from his printer and stood looking down on Sydney. “I’ve scheduled a meeting so we can bring everyone on the team up to speed and reassign as necessary. I’m assuming you’ll want to join us.”

  She nodded.

  “Then follow me.” He spun on his heels.

  She didn’t know what was up with the formal tone he’d adopted since she’d arrived today, but it was good that he didn’t seem to be aware of her as a woman. This would only help them focus.

  He took long strides down the hall. He was nearly six feet tall and she had a hard time keeping up. It was almost as if he was trying to run away. Maybe he’d detected her interest in him and he was trying to run from her, as he had in high school.

  He abruptly peeled off left and into a room where three officers were seated at a long table. They didn’t seem surprised to see her, so he must have informed them she’d be representing the county on this case. No one looked particularly angry to see her here, but the room was thick with tension.

  “Everyone, this is Deputy Tucker.” Russ motioned for her to sit.

  She nodded her greeting, then chose a spot at the end of the table where she could clearly see everyone without having to swivel her chair.

  “Okay,” Russ said. “Let’s go down the line. Give updates on your assignments. Be sure to start with your name for Sy—Deputy Tucker.”

  Sydney saw a few eyes widen at Russ’s near slip of her name, but no one commented.

  “I’m Bill Garber,” the officer to Russ’s right said. “We met in the bull pen.” He stood and winked at her.

  She felt her face flush over the reference to the way he’d tried to pick her up out there. She willed it to stop, but the heat flooded all the way to the top of her head.

  He tacked up photos of Dixon on the board. “We’ve run the vic’s background. He’s from Portland. Haven’t located any family yet, but he was on the P.D.’s narcotics radar.” He glanced back at the other officers. “He’s never been arrested by them, but Portland P.D. agreed to follow up with his known associates. Anything worthy of our attention and they’ll contact me.”

  “What about his rental house?” Russ asked.

  “The state crime-lab investigators will arrive in a few hours. After they finish the murder scene, they’ll move on to his house. I’m still following up on the dirt-bike lead. You all have the photos of the bike. We’ve issued a BOLO.” He scrubbed a hand across his face. “I haven’t had as much luck with the cell phone the texts originated from. It’s a prepaid registered to a Portland address, so I have Portland P.D. working on it and hope to know more later today.”

  “Keep up the good work, Garber.” Russ’s honest praise was refreshing to see. Sarge never told the deputies they were doing a good job, just found ways they could do better. “Okay, next.”

  “Officer Baker,” the man next to Garber said. “I’m making progress on Dixon’s phone log. Dixon received numerous calls from the same number as the texts. Should finish running down the rest of the calls by afternoon.” He paused to take a deep breath. “I’m also working through the list of students present at Dixon’s first arrest. I’ll be interviewing the parents this afternoon to see if any of them decided to take action for Dixon supplying their kid with alcohol.” He let a knowing look settle on Sydney.

  So this was where Russ got the info that she’d threatened Dixon. She wouldn’t justify this allegation with a response.

  “Good.” Russ clapped his hands together. “So it looks like we’re moving along. Deputy Tucker and I’ll head out to the town houses to talk with the construction foreman and Dixon’s coworkers.” He handed the photos he’d printed to Garber. “These are shots outside Dixon’s house from the night of his drug bust. Anyone recognize the girl?”

  Garber studied the photos and passed them down the line. Each officer looked at them then gave negative responses.

  He held up his hand when the third officer tried to give back the photos. “See if the principal at the school can ID this girl.” He clapped his hands. “I don’t have to tell you this’s a priority, but we still need to keep up with the regular workload. So make sure you balance the two without breaking my overtime budget.”

  As the meeting broke up, Sydney watched Russ interact with his men. Though they’d just discussed murder, once the official meeting ended they’d taken on a familial kind of easiness, with Russ assuming the role of the father figure. It was easy to see the respect they held for him—an admiration far different from the deference Sarge demanded from the deputies who served under him.

  She loved her job, but hadn’t realized until now how much better it would be with a leader devoted to making the men the best they could be. Russ was that kind of leader. She imagined he was probably that kind of father. Maybe that kind of life partner…

  She watched him and wondered why his marriage broke up. Had he been the cause of the breakup? If so, what had he done?

  Seriously, what difference did it make?

  As she came to know the upstanding man he’d become, her attraction went beyond his good looks. But that wouldn’t change the fact that Nikki still needed her, and Russ had been clear last night when he said he couldn’t handle raising a teen.

  She sighed. Russ met her gaze with a questioning one of his own. She shrugged to tell him not to worry about her. But his knowing look told her he wouldn’t give up that easily on finding out what was bothering her.

  Yes, he was a man who cared. A man who right now seemed as if he cared too much for his own good. Maybe hers, too.

  Russ didn’t know what had happened at the meeting to make Sydney clam up, but she’d been too quiet for his liking on the drive to the town houses. She seemed to be brooding about something ever since he caught her sighing at the end of the meeting. He’d opted to respect her privacy so far, but this might have to do with the case. He had so little to go on that he had to ask what was troubling her.

  “It’s not like you to be so quiet.” He gave her an encouraging smile and returned his focus to the road. “What’s going on?”

  From the corner of his eye, he saw her shrug.

  “Same shrug as in the conference room,” he said. “If you’re holding something back about this investigation, I hope you’ll change your mind and tell me about it.”

  She looked away. “There’s nothing you need to know.”

  “So have you gone back to feeling guilty about Dixon?”

  She groaned. “You don’t give up, do you?”

  “That’s what made me such a good homicide detective,” he said with a wink.

  She shifted to face him. “If you were so good at it why’d you leave?”

  He shook his head. “Oh, no, you don’t. We were talking about you, not me.”

  “Now who doesn’t want to talk?”

  He slowed at the stop sign and looked at her. “You tell me what’s bothering you. I’ll tell you why I left Portland.”

  “You first.”

  “Uh-uh. You go f
irst or we don’t have a deal.”

  “Fine.” She sighed. “It’s really no big deal. I was a little jealous over how well your team works together. Sarge doesn’t encourage teamwork. He calls all the shots, and we can’t question anything.”

  This wasn’t at all what he’d expected her to say. “Are you unhappy in your job?”

  “Unhappy? No…I like it. I’m just saying I would work better under your style of management than Sarge’s. But I guess that’s the only way he can operate.”

  “Too many years in the military to roll any other way.” Nearing the crime scene, Russ turned on his blinker. “I can tell you I’ve never seen another P.D. where everyone calls the commanding officer Sir. In most places that’d peeve the commander.”

  “Actually, I don’t mind that. Makes me remember I’m a rookie and still have a lot to learn so I can be the best deputy I can be.”

  “Never imagined you’d end up in law enforcement. At least from the arresting side of the coin.”

  “Thanks a lot.” She shot a playful punch to his arm.

  He faked an injured look. “I’m just saying you were a bit rebellious in high school.”

  “Only in my looks and maybe my smart mouth, but once I found God, I’d never do anything to break the law.”

  “You and religion. That’s another story I need to hear.” He swung into the parking lot.

  He expected her to clam up or demand his reason for leaving Portland before giving him any other information, but she smiled and took a deep breath. “Coming to faith is a story I’ll gladly share. One day my mom was so mad at Nikki for spilling milk that she threatened to give her away.” She shuddered. “I thought she’d really do it. I panicked. Called 911.”

  He shifted into Park and watched her face contort with pain. His heart ached with the desire to remove it, but he knew from dealing with his ex-wife that nothing he could say would ever take away the heartache caused by an alcoholic in a drunken spree.

  He also knew from AA that talking about the pain helped. She didn’t have to be a recovering alcoholic to benefit from the principle.