Debra Burroughs - Paradise Valley 04.5 - The Color of Lies

by Debra Burroughs

  “You follow him down, I’ll go out front.” Colin fled the apartment and flew down the stairs. As he ran out the front entrance to the building, he saw their suspect come out of the alley between the buildings and race down the street.

  Colin took off in foot pursuit, his gun lowered to his side as he ran. “SFPD! Stop or I’ll shoot!” he called out, but the man kept going. He chased the suspect for a couple of blocks when a police cruiser, sirens blaring, abruptly stopped in front of Colin, cutting him off from his suspect.

  The two officers jumped out of their car, a male and a female, and drew their weapons on Colin from behind the protection of the car doors. “Drop the gun!” the male officer ordered.

  “I’m a cop, you idiots!” Colin screeched. He looked down the street. The perp was gone. It was too late to do anything about it. What else could he do but set his gun on the ground and raise his hands.

  “Against the wall!” the female officer ordered as she approached, her weapon still pointed at him.

  Colin turned and put his hands on the wall. “Did you hear what I said? I’m a cop, and you two geniuses just let my murder suspect get away!”

  When she began to pat Colin down, he told her she’d find his shield clipped on his belt. As she was reaching around him, Charlie ran up to them, holstering his gun as he approached, trying to catch his breath.

  “I’m Detective Charlie Spencer,” he said, breathing hard, holding out the gold shield that hung on a chain around his neck, “and this is Detective Colin Andrews. Let him up.”

  Charlie turned his attention to Colin. “Where’s Antonio?”

  Colin pushed off from the wall and spun around. “These rookies got in the middle of my catching him.”

  “Sorry, Detectives,” the male officer said, putting his firearm away. “We got a report there was someone chasing a man with a gun. In this neighborhood, that usually means some kind of drug deal gone wrong.”

  “Do I look like a drug dealer?” Colin asked angrily, flapping one side of his open leather jacket and smoothing his tie. “Really?”

  “You never know these days,” the female officer said, holstering her gun.

  “Hey, I know you.” Colin’s eyes narrowed as he frowned at the female officer. “You’re the girl from last night. Miranda, right?” The hair was different, pulled back into a low bun below her hat, but the deep brown eyes and full lips were the same.

  “Girl from last night?” Charlie mused, raising his eyebrows up and down.

  “Good memory, Detective.” Her gaze lingered on Colin’s for a moment. “Well, we’d better let you two get back to work. Sorry for the mix up.” She and her partner turned and climbed back into their cruiser, leaving Colin and Charlie frustrated with the way things had turned out.

  “That woman has an attitude on her,” Charlie said, “but she’s a looker.”

  Chapter 3

  The next morning, in the briefing room at the beginning of the shift change, Charlie and Colin stood in the back of the room, arms crossed, leaning against the wall. The room was crowded and noisy with uniformed officers sitting at the rows of tables, a few standing along the sides, making notes of anything new the Watch Commander had to announce.

  The Commander waved his arms, signaling everyone to quiet down. “I’d like to have you meet a couple of new officers in our precinct, Miranda Cruz and Arnell Humphries.” He asked them to stand. “Arnell transferred in from Oakland, and Miranda is a rookie, just finished her training at the academy. So, make both of these guys feel welcome,” the Commander said, clapping his hands.

  The room followed his lead and broke out with applause as the two took their seats.

  Charlie leaned over to Colin. “Maybe I’ll get her number.”

  “Go for it, tiger,” Colin replied smugly—the girl didn’t date cops, let Charlie find that out the hard way. Colin did. He chuckled quietly.

  The meeting concluded and Miranda twisted out of her chair. Colin stared at her from the back of the room and their eyes met. His gaze locked on hers for a couple of seconds until she looked away and walked out. Was there a spark of interest there? Maybe not dating cops was more a suggestion than a rule.

  ~*~

  “So that’s how it happened, huh?” Ernie gave a little smile. “It’s hard to resist a pretty face in a uniform.”

  “Guess it was.” Colin looked down at Emily, her own pretty face so battered and distorted. “This one never wore a uniform.”

  “True…but my guess is she has the same fire in her eyes Miranda did. And she does carry a gun.”

  “True on both counts, Ernie, only Emily’s a little softer, sweeter.” Colin’s voice faltered.

  “Did you work any cases with Miranda?”

  “A few.”

  “Tell me about ‘em.”

  Colin’s gaze lowered as he stroked Emily’s hand, wishing she’d wake up, give him some sign she was coming out of it.

  “It’ll take your mind off your worry, son. Go on, tell me.”

  “All right.” Colin wiped a hand across his moist eyes. “I must be allergic to something in here.”

  “Must be,” Ernie said, letting Colin off the hook for tearing up. Then, Ernie sat back in his chair and laced his fingers over his stomach. “I’m listening.”

  ~*~

  A few weeks after he’d met Miranda, Colin and his partner needed some uniformed officers to go with them as backup to make an arrest in a gang-related murder case they were working. Miranda was one of the four officers the Captain assigned to the job.

  In the crowded conference room, where those involved assembled, Colin noticed her fastening her bullet-proof vest and checking her weapon, as were the others. He announced the address where they were to meet and the precise time.

  Once they were assembled outside of the rundown old house, where they had reason to believe their suspect was holed up, Colin pointed at two officers and motioned for them to go in with him and Charlie, one to stay out front, and Miranda to cover the back door in case the suspect tried to make an escape.

  Colin watched her, with her gun at the ready, as she quietly moved to the back, keeping her head down as she passed a couple of windows before disappearing from his view.

  Then Colin pounded on the door, announcing who they were and that they had a search warrant, demanding they open up. The sound of swift movement inside brought Charlie to the front and he kicked the door open. He and Colin ran in, the two other officers close behind.

  Chasing the men down in the other rooms, scuffling with a couple of them as they resisted arrest, one of the men made it out the back door. Colin, who was in the front room at the time, heard the back door slam shut. He knew Miranda was alone out there.

  He raced out the front and down the steps, heading for the rear. As he rounded the corner of the house, shots rang out.

  Miranda!

  One of the suspects was running toward him—a dark-skinned man in ragged jeans and a white t-shirt, shooting back at Miranda, who was scrambling to her feet. The man must have knocked her down as he flew out of the back door.

  When the man who was running spun back around to face forward before reaching the sidewalk, Colin sucker punched him, then twisted the gun out of his hand. By the time Miranda reached the front of the house, Colin had the man on the ground in handcuffs.

  Embarrassment colored her face.

  “I only took my eyes off the back door for a second. A loud noise came from the house next door, and I turned away for just a moment. As I was turning back, the guy bolted out the back door and mowed me down.”

  “You’d better keep a closer watch next time.” Colin motioned to one of the other officers to take the suspect away. “You all right, Cruz?”

  Her face still appeared flushed. “I’m all right.” She brushed the dust off her uniform. “It’s the adrenaline, you know. I haven’t been shot at before.” She paused to pull in a breath. “He surprised me. It won’t happen again.”

  “Are you sure you�
��re okay?” Colin asked again, sticking his finger through a bullet hole in the upper part of her sleeve. “A little to the left and it would be a whole nother story.”

  Miranda looked down at her sleeve. She blinked and swallowed hard. “I guess if he’d been a better shot, I’d probably be dead.”

  Colin nodded. “Probably.”

  ~*~

  Back at the precinct, Colin took off his protective gear, and then went to the break room. He noticed Miranda pouring a cup of coffee, then grabbing a chair at one of the tables. She set her cup down and stuck her finger in the hole in her sleeve again, wiggling it around, a look of distress on her face.

  “Pretty lucky today, Cruz.” Colin said, taking a seat beside her. “Maybe you should buy a lottery ticket.”

  She smiled at him. “Yeah, maybe.”

  “Hey, a bunch of us are going to O’Flaherty’s after work. You’re welcome to join us.”

  “I’m not much of a drinker,” she said.

  “Neither am I. I just like hanging out with the guys—commiserating, you know. There aren’t many people who understand what we do.”

  She nodded and the corner of her mouth tugged upward.

  “Have a Coke or something. It’s in your best interest to get close to this group, become one of the guys. These are the people who are going to have your back.”

  “I know. It’s just hard being one of the guys,” she gestured to herself, “when you’re a girl.”

  Colin grinned—he definitely hadn’t overlooked her feminine form. “I’m sure you won’t be the only female cop there. McNally and Franklin usually show up.”

  “I guess a soda or two wouldn’t hurt—as long as they’re diet.” She shrugged and took a sip of coffee, grinning back at him. “All right, you’ve convinced me.”

  “Need a ride?”

  Chapter 4

  “Sounds like she had a close call there,” Ernie said.

  Colin stood and stretched, remembering her knack for getting in harm’s way. “It was. She had a few of them.”

  “But you two weren’t dating yet, were you?”

  “No, it took me awhile to get her to break her rule.”

  “The no-dating-cops rule?” Ernie asked.

  “Yep, that’s the one.” Colin took his seat again.

  ~*~

  In the weeks that followed, Miranda and Colin had worked together and hung out with friends after work. Colin had asked her out alone on several occasions, but she’d always shot him down. Over time, though, Miranda began to soften on her stance to never date a cop, specifically him, and she’d finally said yes.

  “Don’t make me regret breaking my rule, Detective Andrews.”

  “I’ll do my best, Officer Cruz. Pick you up at eight?”

  They went out, and as the weeks turned into months, Colin and Miranda spent more and more time together—dinner at Tarantino’s on Fisherman’s Wharf, picnics in Golden Gate Park, walks along the beach, hiking in the hills on Angel Island—and their romance blossomed.

  After six months of dating, he took Miranda to meet his parents. His mom insisted on making lunch and serving it on the deck. The sun was shining high in the sky, peeking between puffy white clouds, and their deck had a partial view of the bay.

  While his dad was doing his best to entertain Miranda out on the deck, Colin went to the kitchen to help his mother carry the food outside.

  “What do you think of her?” Colin asked, stepping beside his mother as she tossed the green salad.

  “She’s beautiful, honey. Seems very nice.”

  “I’m glad you like her, Mom. I think I’m falling in love with her.”

  “Oh, dear. That worries me, Colin.”

  He looked at her and noticed worry lines around her eyes. “Why?” He picked up the platter of grilled fish with one hand.

  His mother turned to face him. “I worry enough about you, hon. I know how dangerous your job can be. And Miranda’s a cop, too, right?”

  “Yes…” he said slowly. What was she getting at?

  “Well, dear, if you marry this girl, you’ll both be out there,” she waved her hand toward the window over the sink, “putting your lives on the line every single day. What about the children?”

  “What children?” Colin grabbed the serving bowl of rice pilaf with his other hand.

  “My grandchildren,” she said, poking him in the chest with her index finger.

  He frowned. “Oh.” He hadn’t thought that far ahead. He and Miranda hadn’t even talked about getting married yet, let alone kids.

  “Exactly.”

  ~*~

  Ernie leaned forward in the chair, resting his hands on his knees. “I remember your mom and dad mentioning you dating Miranda—and they liked her. But you’re right, your mom did say it made her nervous knowing you were dating another cop.”

  Colin nodded. “You know moms, they drop little thoughts into your head and, bam, before you know it you can’t stop thinking about what they said.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean, after that, when Miranda would be in the field with me, I found myself trying to protect her, giving her the safest positions.”

  “You loved her. You wanted to keep her safe. That’s understandable.”

  Colin shook his head. “It was unprofessional of me. The other officers’ lives were just as important—or least they were supposed to be.”

  ~*~

  Colin pointed at a house up ahead. “There’s the address,” he said to his partner, who was behind the wheel of their unmarked car. “Pull over.”

  They had learned that their suspect, Antonio Jones, was visiting his girlfriend in a rundown flat. Going to the door and knocking, they announced themselves.

  A young black woman, looking like she had just gotten out of bed, answered the door. “Whatchu want?” she asked, scowling at the men.

  “I’m Detective Andrews, this is Detective Spencer. We’re looking for Antonio Jones. Is he here?”

  “Whatchu want wit’ him?”

  “Just want to talk to him, ma’am,” Colin said.

  “He ain’t here. He was, but he’s gone now.” She started to close the door when Charlie forced his hand out to stop it.

  “Mind if we look around?” Charlie asked.

  The woman glared at him. “You got a warrant?”

  “How about we arrest you as an accessory to murder?” Charlie countered.

  “Murder?” the woman shrieked. Her eyes grew big. “Lordy, lordy, what’s that fool gone and done now?” She shook her head. “I’m not goin’ to jail for that piece of—”

  “We need to look around, make sure he’s not here, ma’am,” Colin said. “Because, if you’re lying to the police—”

  “Well, you can save yourselves some time, boys. He ain’t here.” The woman poked her head out and glanced up and down the street, then lowered her voice, as if she was afraid of being overheard. “He’s over at Winston Hardaway’s place, but you can’t tell him I told you that.”

  Colin and Charlie exchanged a glance, then Colin returned his gaze to the woman. “Winston Hardaway? The drug dealer?”

  “Yeah, that’s him, but I’m good as dead if he knows I told you cops anythin’.”

  “We won’t tell him. Promise,” Charlie said as he pulled a small notepad and pen out of his coat pocket. “What’s the address?”

  The woman gave them Winston’s address, along with cursory directions.

  “If you’re lying and Antonio is here,” Colin warned, “we’ll be back with that warrant, and you’ll be the one who gets hauled to jail.”

  “I ain’t lyin’. Check it out,” she said, pointing at the address on the notepad. “Just don’t go tellin’ him you heard it from me.”

  Colin and Charlie climbed back in their car.

  “What do you think?” Charlie asked.

  “Let’s get some backup. If that woman’s right, we could be walking into a dangerous situation.”

  “I agree. Call it i
n.”

  Colin phoned the station and asked for six uniforms to meet them out front. He gave the address and instructions to congregate half a block north of the property.

  “You got your vest on under that dress shirt?” Charlie asked.

  “Always. You?”

  “Yup.”

  ~*~

  Charlie and Colin met with the officers, explaining the plan and where each of them should go. One of those officers happened to be Miranda. As Colin spoke, his gaze met hers and he thought again about what his mother had said.

  “Cruz, you and Humphries stay out front on the sidewalk. Watch for any runners.”

  Counting on the element of surprise, Colin and the others gingerly climbed the steps to the porch. Colin motioned with his hand for two of the officers to go around back. As soon as they were around the side of the house and out of sight, he kicked the front door open. With guns drawn, he and Charlie rushed inside, followed by the two remaining officers.

  Several men scrambled around the living room, guns blazing, firing at the police as they dove for cover. One ran down the hallway and Charlie pursued.

  Colin pulled back behind the entry wall and quickly glanced out the front window. Humphries appeared to be just below the porch and Miranda was standing on the sidewalk, their guns leveled, prepared for any action spilling out of the front of the house. A bullet whizzed past Colin’s head and he returned fire.

  Another perp made a run for it toward the bedrooms and Colin followed under cover fire from one of the other officers. The gunfire in the living room had stopped, when he heard what sounded like a shot fired out in front of the house. In the hallway, he stopped dead in his tracks.

  “Adamson, back here!” Colin hollered, and the officer came running from the direction of the living room.

  “I have to go out front. One of the gang members ran into the bedroom. Check it out, then find Charlie.”

  Colin burst out the front door, his gun raised. Antonio Jones had grabbed Miranda from behind and was holding a gun to her neck. Colin looked around for Humphries and found him splayed on the walkway, blood pooling beneath his head.