Unauthorized Affair

by Lisa Ladew

  After a 50 minute stop at the DA’s office, the fastest he could make photocopies and set up a surveillance screen for the DA, they were back in his truck, heading to the police department. He parked in the first open stall he could find and practically vaulted out of his truck.

  “Where are we going?” Jen whispered, as she ran to keep up with him in the PD hallways.

  “Chief’s office. To request a search warrant. If he says no, we can assume he’s the mole.”

  “Hunter, that’s brilliant!”

  “We’ll see. Do you have your phone on you? The one that’s wired for surveillance?” He knew she did, but watched her to see if she understood what he wanted.

  Her eyes went wide. “Yes.”

  “Good.” He stopped just outside the reception area for the Chief’s office and flipped on his phone, pulling up the app to the surveillance camera. “They’re watching at the DA’s office too. But if I’m wrong, I’m going to lose my job.”

  Worry lined her face, but he didn’t give her time to voice it. He pushed open the door and she followed.

  “I have an appointment to see Chief Carver,” he told the woman at the desk.

  “Go right in.”

  Hunter knocked on the door and was called in by a voice inside. He pushed the door open and walked to one of the chairs opposite the chief’s desk. Jen took the other one, pulling her arms and legs in, trying to look small and unimportant. Chief Carver was a compact man with dark hair and impressive eyebrows. He spoke forcefully into the phone, holding up one finger to Hunter. Hunter nodded and waited, his heart thudding painfully in his chest.

  When Chief Carver finally got off the phone he gave Hunter a menacing look. “What about Fiore Savoy, Foley? It’s taking you forever to go through that evidence file.”

  “We’re done Chief, and I think we can get him on racketeering and conspiracy.”

  The Chief raised his eyebrows. “That’s it? Let’s see it.”

  Hunter held out the file and Chief Carver went through it, flipping each page with a grunt. Finally he spoke. “This is pathetic. There’s not enough here to make anything stick.”

  “But there’s enough there for a search warrant. If we find something at his house to corroborate it then we’re golden. He’ll go down.”

  The chief seemed to notice Jen for the first time. “What’s she doing here?”

  “It’s her bust, if we make one. She’s responsible for getting the file and the rest of the evidence.”

  Chief Carver pressed his lips together. “Where is the rest of it? I heard there was a wallet.”

  “There is. It’s in the evidence room.”

  “Well what about the wallet? Are you going to go for murder 1?”

  Hunter shrugged. “With no body? We could dig up the yard around his house, but I doubt he was that stupid.”

  From the corner of his eye, Hunter watched Jen pull her phone out of her pocket and press a button nervously, like she was silencing it. He stood and took a step away from her, gesticulating aggressively. “Look, we don’t need a body to get him for racketeering. If we do it right we can get a federal conviction and he’ll go away for life anyway. Once he goes down we can lean on his operatives and if they plea bargained, maybe someone will spill where the body is.”

  Jen’s arm moved to the Chief’s desk in the far corner of his vision. She had done it.

  “Absolutely not. There’s not enough here to request a search warrant. Leave it with me. Maybe you missed something. And bring me that wallet!”

  “Yes sir.”

  Hunter stood quickly and strode to the door. Jen followed him.

  Outside, Hunter doubled his pace. He heard Jen running to keep up with him. He slammed open the stairwell door and pulled his phone from his pocket. He felt himself shaking, he was so angry. He clamped his jaw shut and felt the muscles there straining and clenching. If he saw what he thought he was going to see on the phone, he was going to go back in there and knock the Chief on his ass.

  The picture from Jen’s phone on the Chief’s desk swam into view. Hunter cycled through the cameras until he saw the chief, grainy and distorted, but there. He was feeding papers into his paper shredder. Hunter clenched his fists, not sure where the papers came from. Wanting to be sure before he lost it completely. The chief took out his phone and made a phone call. “Boss,” he said. Hunter shook his head, clamping his hands shut so hard they ached. Jen touched one gently and looked at him questioningly. He held a finger to his lips and lifted the phone, trying to hear the Chief’s next words.

  “I’ve got the file. It’s bad. I’m destroying it now but you’ll have to take them all out.” And then he recited the address to the safe house where Ryker and Ivy were.

  Hunter pressed a button and the images disappeared. He pulled up his contacts and speed-dialed Ryker. “You guys get out of there. He’s coming. Get out of there now!” He hung up and started back towards the door, murder written on his face.

  Jen pulled at him. “Hunter, you can’t go in there. Even though you’re right, if you try to take down the Chief and no one knows why, you're the one who is going to end up dead.” He was pulling out of her grasp. She wasn’t even sure if he heard her. She tried again. “Please Hunter, get hold of yourself! For me!” He stopped and dropped his head. Jen caressed his hand lightly, trying to get it to relax. She could hear his ragged breathing. Slowly, she saw his muscles relax, saw his aggressive posture loosen.

  “You’re right. Come on.” He prepared to dial another number as she followed him down a flight of stairs, but his phone rang in his hand. “Foley,” he said, menace in his voice.

  The DA let loose a flood of swearing and instructions in his ear.

  “Yes ma'am. I saw it too. I’m going to Assistant Chief Powell right now,” he answered, then stuffed the phone in his pocket.

  He pushed past the receptionist in the next office, ignoring her cries to stop. He threw a look back over his shoulder and saw Jen talking to her, holding her hand on the woman’s phone. Rip it out of the wall, sweetheart, he thought. Whatever you have to do to give me a few minutes here.

  Assistant Chief Powell was at his desk. He was older than the Chief, by at least ten years, and had been an officer fifteen years longer, his beer belly growing a little each year now that he didn’t have to wear a uniform. Talk around the station said Powell should have been elected police chief, but Carver had charmed the voters somehow. After his election, in order to alleviate the cop on the street’s outrage at his election, Carver had appointed Powell one of his Assistant Chiefs. But there was no love lost between the two. In fact, they often butted heads over what was best for the officers. Plus, Powell had been Hunter's Captain while he had been a patrol officer. Best damn Captain in the department. Always had his officers' backs.

  Powell looked up at the intrusion, his eyebrows drawing together, but then his face relaxed pleasantly as he recognized Hunter.

  Before Powell could say anything Hunter started talking, his words tumbling out. “Chief, you gotta call the DA, right now. It’s an emergency. Chief Carver is feeding information to Fiore Savoy. He just gave an order to have me killed. DA says we are to arrest him.”

  Assistant Chief Powell sat stock still for a second. Probably trying to process this complete shake up of his world. Hunter snatched the phone off his desk and dialed the DA’s number, then held out the receiver. Powell just looked at it, then seemed to come to life.

  “Sonuvabitch,” he whispered, taking the receiver and pulling it to his ear.

  After a short conversation, Powell stood up. “Just me and you, Hunter. No hesitation. He has a gun on his hip and another in his desk. You got handcuffs?” Hunter pulled them from the pouch on his belt and tried to hand them to Powell. “No, you keep them. We go in fast, me first.”

  Hunter nodded and followed Powell out of his office. Jen had indeed ripped the secretary’s phone out of the wall and pitched it into the hallway. “Delia,” Powell bellowed. “Get upstairs, ge
t all the secretaries away from the Chief’s office. Nobody makes any phone calls. I’m arresting Chief Carver, but you don’t breathe a word of that until it’s done, or unless we need help.” He pointed at Jen. “Who’s that?”

  “Undercover officer.” Hunter answered.

  “Good. Delia, she’s in charge. Officer, you follow us up the stairs. If we holler for help you make sure the officers coming in know the Chief is under arrest per the DA.”

  Jen nodded tightly and pulled the stunned secretary to her feet, preparing to follow them upstairs.

  Chapter 25

  Jen’s ears filled with the sounds of feet pounding up the stairs. She followed Hunter and the assistant chief, pulling Delia behind her. Delia puffed and panted already, and they hadn’t even made it up the full flight of stairs. Jen hoped she wasn’t about to have a heart attack. As they burst through the door, Jen actually dragging Delia now, she saw Hunter’s boots disappear into Carver’s office. The yelling started immediately. She pushed Delia in front of her. “Tell the secretary to come with you now.”

  Delia told the shocked-looking secretary who was staring open-mouthed at the door to the Chief’s office. Jen looked back and forth down the hallway, trying to decide where they should go. “What’s down there?”

  “R-records,” the woman answered.

  Jen could hear smashing and crunching sounds coming from the office. “Both of you, get down there, and get under something. Don’t come out till I say so.” She watched the women hurry that way, grabbing onto each other for support. She turned to the Chief’s door, wondering if she should go in.

  Someone in the office roared in pain, forcing Jen’s decision. She ran to the door and pushed it open. The Chief’s desk was overturned, Hunter and Powell were both on top of Chief Carver, trying to force his hands together enough that they could handcuff him. Carver fought with every ounce of strength he had, and each of the men had blood on him; Carver on his face, Hunter in his hair, and Powell smeared across his shirt.

  Two feet in front of Carver’s face was a gun, lying impotently on the carpet. But if Carver got one hand free… Jen sprinted into the room and snatched the gun up, moving sideways and pointing it at Carver’s head. Carver struggled for a moment longer, then gave up, dropping nervelessly to the carpet. Hunter snapped the final handcuff and leaned back, panting.

  Assistant Chief Powell stood up and put his hand out for the gun in Jen’s hand. She gave it over. “Nice job, young lady, now get back out there and holler if anyone tries to come in this door.”

  Jen nodded mutely and ran for the door, trying to calm the adrenaline that was still pouring into her bloodstream.

  She paced back and forth in front of the door, eying the stairs, the elevator, and the hallway. No one came. She heard Hunter and the Assistant Chief talking at the same time from behind her. They both seemed to be on the phone. Chief Carver never made a peep.

  The elevator dinged. Jen stared at it as it slid open, and a uniformed officer came out. “Someone’s here!” she yelled over her shoulder. She walked toward him with her hands up. “Listen to me for a second—” He cut her off.

  “I’m here to replace you. I know what’s going on. They want you in there.”

  Jen looked at him, shocked, convinced he was about to overpower her and rush in. Instead, he turned around and faced the doors she had been watching.

  “There’s two women hiding in records. They can come out but don’t let them make any phone calls.”

  “Got it.”

  Jen pulled the door open and entered the office. Chief Carver sat on the floor, bleeding all over his pants. His face was set in rage. Hunter put a hand over his cell phone and told her, “Call Ivy and Ryker, tell them to come here quickly.”

  Jen grabbed her phone off the desk and dialed Ivy’s number.

  “Hello.”

  “Ivy, you guys OK?”

  “Yeah, we’re just driving around.”

  “Come to the police station, up to the Chief’s office.”

  “OK.”

  Jen clicked off and watched Hunter and the Assistant Chief, who were both barking orders into their respective phones. A few minutes later the door pushed open behind her and four people filed in, three men and a woman, all dressed in business suits. Jen recognized the woman as the District Attorney.

  Hunter came close and whispered. “Go outside and wait for Ivy and Ryker. We’re going to do simultaneous search warrants on the Chief’s house and each of Fiore Savoy’s houses within the next 2 hours. You, Ivy, and Ryker are with me if you want to go. You’ll have to wait in the cars, but you can observe.”

  Jen nodded, her heart beating in anticipation. A search warrant. Did that mean they were arresting Coleton’s dad?

  ***

  Six long hours later, Jen peeled off her gloves and climbed into the patrol car next to Ivy and Ryker. She hadn’t seen Hunter in more than three hours. She didn’t even know if he was still on site.

  After the initial entry, they’d watched from the car as everyone in the house had been filed out in handcuffs. There’d been no shooting and no fighting. Savoy had apparently been too secure in his belief that the police would not try to touch him without him knowing, and he’d been caught totally unaware. One woman, five men, and two children had been brought out, the children eventually getting to leave in a car with the woman. Jen had tried to determine which one was Coleton’s dad. The oldest, meanest looking one, she finally decided. And she recognized one of the men from the pictures of the fences Hunter and Sgt. Sadler had handed them on the first day.

  After some initial recovery, Hunter had come out and gotten them and put them to work emptying out three sheds behind the house. They found absolutely nothing of interest, until Ryker almost fell through the rotting floor in the last shed. Pulling up the floorboards revealed an underground cavern with tunnels reaching all the way to the house and beyond. Nobody had let the recruits down there, but Jen had heard the talk. Some people were speculating the tunnels reached downtown and had been dug when Fiore’s father had been in charge. Probably for quick escapes from robberies, or just eluding the police.

  It had been heavy, dirty work, and Jen ached. Finally, they’d been told the next shift was coming in to continue the work and they were relieved of duty and would be given a ride back to the station. Jen asked after Hunter, but no one knew.

  Back at the station, the three of them sat in the waiting room, discussing what to do now.

  “I’ll text Hunter. We can’t go anywhere till we hear from him,” Jen said.

  The door opened and Hunter walked in, carrying three big bags. Jen saw no signs of tiredness on his face. He motioned to them to follow him and strode confidently through the department to the briefing room. Hunter pushed the door open and plopped his bags on the long table. “You guys come in here and sign for your work today. Thanks for helping out.”

  A shout of “Foley!” rang through the large room and cops sitting in chairs and milling around turned to see him. Several clapped. Three came up and shook his hand. Each time, Hunter turned and pointed out Jen, Ivy, and Ryker. “I wouldn’t have been able to do it without these three recruits. They uncovered almost all of the evidence.” Jen had her hand shaken several times, and she was surprised to see actual respect in the officers’ eyes.

  As the last officer, a tall skinny man with red hair, shook her hand, then Ryker’s, then Ivy’s, Hunter said, “By the way guys, this is your new boss, Sgt. Rice. He is in charge of the recruit class.”

  Jen’s ears rang with the words new boss. “You’re not our boss anymore?” she asked Hunter, hope blooming in her chest. Hope that this man would finally be hers. That this night would finally be about them. That her life-affirming, naughty plans could finally be enacted.

  “Nope, case is over with the arrests tonight. You three may have to testify at some point, but you can join the next recruit class which starts in two weeks.”

  “We’re not in danger anymore?” Ivy asked. />
  “We’re going to keep you in a hotel for at least another few days— we have to assume all the safe house addresses have been compromised— but I have a feeling that once we finish rounding up the people who are being implicated by what we uncovered today, there will be no one left on the streets for you to be in danger from.”

  Ryker pulled Ivy to him and kissed her on the forehead, then he gave Jen a low five. Jen’s grin spread over her face slowly, but solidly. She tried to catch Hunter’s eye but he wouldn’t look at her. Her grin slipped a little.

  The door to the room opened and Assistant Chief Powell walked in. He spotted Hunter and headed for them. He shook Hunter’s hand. “Good work out there tonight.” Before Hunter could answer, Powell changed the subject. “The DA has appointed me Chief until the next election.” Hunter grabbed his hand back and pumped it.

  “Congrats Chief! It should have been you all along.”

  Powell smiled, then dropped his hand. “I need an assistant chief.”

  Hunter rolled his eyes back and took a deep breath like he was thinking. “You want my opinion?”

  “No.”

  Hunter pulled his head back a little. Jen looked at both men nervously.

  “I want you to be my assistant chief.”

  Ivy clapped her hands and clasped them to her mouth. Ryker shuffled his feet and chucked Hunter on the shoulder. Hunter looked stunned. Jen took a step back and felt her heart fall through the floor. He would be crazy to say no. But if he didn’t, he’d be her boss again. A cold shiver of heartbreak ran through her.