“So often I blocked her number,” Cat said shrugging. “Damnit.” Then she looked over at Jovina, “I’m sorry babe, I really didn’t expect her to show up here.”
Jovina shook her head, “No, it’s okay, I can handle her.”
Cat looked over at her, her look assessing, “Feel free to bring out your inner Latina bitch.”
“Her brother in law won’t have a problem with that?” Jovina asked, “Isn’t he your boss?”
Cat chuckled, “Yeah, he’s my boss, but he also knows Bet and everyone in the family knows her deal.”
“The family,” Jovina repeated.
Cat shrugged, “Our law enforcement family.”
Jovina nodded, “So who was on the phone, you called him Blue?”
“Yeah,” Cat said, “That’s Christian Collins, we call him Blue, because, well… you’ll see. He’s actually Joe Sinclair’s cousin.”
“And Joe Sinclair is?” Jovina asked, trying to remember if she’d heard that name before.
“Joe has been with Midnight from the very beginning, she calls him her ‘second’, like second in command, even though they don’t actually work for the same place anymore. They’re best friends.”
“Okay,” Jovina said nodding, “And who else is coming from San Diego?”
“Well, there’s Kevin Elmasian, we call him Mace, he’s the newest member of the team, he’s a transplant from Washington, but he’s a great narc. Just to warn you, he has ADHD really bad, and sometimes he gets a little off the rails if he forgets his meds, or doesn’t take them soon enough. We all kind of keep an eye on him.”
Jovina smiled, they really were like a family.
“And then there’s Jeanie Curtis, she’s married to another one of our team mates Pony. He’s actually related to Joe through marriage…” she laughed then, “I guess it sounds really bad when you lay it all out like that.”
“No,” Jovina said, shaking her head, “It sounds like you are all close, and that sounds nice.”
“And lastly there’s the boss, Dave Dibbins, the older gang calls him Dibbs, he’s also been with Midnight for many years. And he’s also the best damned narc I’ve ever met. You’ll like him, he’s a sweetheart. He’s married to Susan, who is nothing like Bet.”
“And Elizabeth and Susan are the AG’s nieces?”
“Yes, they’re actually her husband’s nieces, but hers by marriage.”
Jovina nodded, “Okay, got it,” she said, grinning, “There isn’t going to be a test is there?”
Cat laughed, “No, trust me, no one would pass it, unless they’re part of the family.”
Later as they parked, Jovina looked over at Cat. “Do you think that Dave’s wife would be willing to talk to me?”
Cat looked surprised by the question, “Susan? I’m sure she’d talk to you, but what about?”
Jovina shrugged, “I was just thinking that she might be able to give me some insight into what it’s like to be with a narcotics officer.”
Cat looked back at her for a long moment, smiling softly, “I’m sure she’d be happy to talk to you. I told you, she’s nothing like Bet, she’s very sweet.”
“Good,” Jovina said, moving to get out of the car, “I need to get up to speed here.”
“What do you mean?” Cat asked, walking around the car to take her hand, even as she shouldered her gear bag.
“Well, I’m kind of behind here,” Jovina said.
“Behind who?” Cat asked.
“Elizabeth,” Jovina answered.
“In terms of what?”
“Well she’s part of a law enforcement family,” Jovina said.
Cat laughed at that, stopping to look at Jovina, “Babe, she’s from a rich family, she’s not from our part of the family.”
“What do you mean?” Jovina asked, confused.
“I mean, Rick’s family has some money, but his sister, Bet’s mom, married money, so she’s never been part of the law enforcement life.”
Jovina looked back at Cat, extremely surprised by this information. “I thought…” she began, her voice trailing off as she realized she’d just assumed.
“No babe,” Cat said, shaking her head, “In fact she still doesn’t understand any of this,” Cat said, gesturing to the building they were walking up to, “And likely never will.”
“But…” Jovina began, trying desperately to understand.
“But what, babe?” Cat asked, trying to figure out what Jovina was so worried about.
“I just thought that she understood all of this about you, and that she knew how you were and what you did, and how you did it, and…” again her voice trailed off as she shook her head.
Cat smiled, her look incredibly amused, “No, babe, no, she does her own thing and it has nothing to do with what I do.”
“Oh,” Jovina said, so simply that Cat had to laugh.
With that, Cat led Jovina through the doors to the LA Division of Law Enforcement office.
After signing in and being escorted to the area that the task force was going to be situated, Cat happily noticed they’d been given a patio area where they could smoke. It was a bonus and she knew it and she imagined that it had come straight from Jericho who understood the need to smoke at times. She’d asked reception about whether or not they had the names of the task force members and was told that yes they had. She was already being referred to as SAS Roche’.
“Guess I got a promotion,” Cat said, grinning.
“What’s an SAS?” Jovina asked as Cat prowled around the office area set aside for the team.
“Huh?’ Cat queried, “Oh, it’s Special Agent Supervisor, it’s what Jericho was talking about making me if I decided to join her agency.”
“Supervisor…” Jovina said, her look pointed.
“Yeah,” Cat said, nodding and knowing what Jovina was thinking.
If she was a supervisor she wouldn’t be in as much danger. She didn’t have the heart to tell the girl that Midnight had fought off gang members as the Chief of Police of San Diego PD.
Fortunately she was spared answering when the door opened and in walked Jeanie, Christian and Kevin.
“Hey!” Cat said, happy to see her teammates.
Everyone hugged, laughing and joking. Then Cat turned to Jovina, “Jovi, this is Blue, Jeanie and Mace,” she said, gesturing to each of them.
“It’s nice to meet all of you,” Jovina said, smiling.
They were an interesting looking group. Blue was tall with a strong build, narrow waist, jet black hair and the lightest blue eyes Jovina had ever seen, he was movie star handsome. Mace was a little shorter, lankier with brown hair that was drawn back into a ponytail but with very nice moss green eyes, he looked very rugged, but also handsome at the same time. Jeanie was a beauty, a little smaller than Cat, with long wavy chestnut brown hair and warm brown eyes, and she had a great inviting smile.
“So, where’s the boss?” Cat asked, looking at her co-workers.
“I thought you were the boss,” came a voice from behind her at the door.
Cat turned and grinned, seeing Dave standing there with Susan and Elizabeth behind him.
“Nah, you’ll always be the boss to me,” Cat said, grinning as she moved to hug him.
“Sorry about the, um, baggage,” Dave whispered to her as he hugged her.
“Blue warned me,” Cat said, before she pulled back to look up at him, “Thanks for coming, I know you’re always busy.”
“Anything I can do to help,” Dave said, nodding.
Cat turned to Susan then, hugging her, “Good to see you,” she said, patting Susan’s belly, she was pregnant with she and Dave’s second child.
“You too,” Susan said, smiling at Cat, “you’re looking well.”
“Eh,” Cat said, shrugging, then her eyes were on Elizabeth. “So, what are you doing here?”
“Well, hello to you too,” Elizabeth said, her English accent all upper crust.
Cat looked back at Elizabeth, her blue eyes na
rrowed slightly. Jovina glanced back at Cat’s teammates and saw varying degrees of support and concern on their faces. Blue winked at her.
“Don’t start with me today Bet,” Cat said finally, her tone no-nonsense.
Elizabeth started to say something, but the door to the office opened again and in walked Midnight, Jericho and Devin James.
“Good, you’re here,” Jericho said, walking over to Cat, and looking over at the other narcs in the room.
“Director, this is Dave Dibbins, Christian Collins, Jeanie Curtis, and Kevin Elmasian.”
Jericho extended her hand to each of them, “Thank you all for coming, I really don’t know what I would have done at this point.”
“We understand the need to protect our own,” Dave said, his tone strong.
Jericho nodded, thanking the Gods that Midnight had the kind of people she did.
“Hi kids,” Midnight said, walking over to her group, hugging them each in turn. Then she looked at all of them, “I talked to Kyle and he’s agreed to lend you to me for the duration of this case, we’ll make it up to you, I promise. But I know I don’t need to tell you that Jericho needs your best on this.”
The group nodded, their looks serious. Jovina was beyond impressed with the way these people worked. She knew she was seeing something that wasn’t common place.
A little while later, Jericho briefed them all with the latest information they had. Introducing Devin and explaining Devin’s qualifications. Even Cat was surprised to hear all the work Devin James had done for various departments and agencies. It was an impressive resume. After her briefing, Jericho asked Cat to come up and see her in an hour, that she wanted to discuss a few things. Cat nodded, Jericho left then.
Elizabeth took that opportunity to walk up to Cat, she noted that Cat’s chin came up warily the moment she did.
“Don’t be like that,” Elizabeth said, “I’m not here to fight with you.”
“Then why are you here?” Cat asked, her tone plaintive.
“Can we please talk?” Elizabeth asked, glancing around at the eyes that were watching them at that point, even though they were all ostensibly setting up their work areas. “Privately.”
Cat sighed, then she turned walking over to Jovina and calling over to Susan who walked over to her.
“Susan, do you think you and Jovina could go upstairs to the cafeteria and grab some coffee? Jovi said she wanted to pick your brain about something.” She said, winking and Jovina.
“Of course,” Susan said, smiling, knowing full well that Cat needed to talk to her sister, and so she was trying to make it easier on Jovina. She was happy to help.
After Jovina and Susan had left the room, Cat walked into her temporary office and picked up her cigarettes and lighter. She then turned, leading Elizabeth out to the patio area. As the door closed behind the women, Christian and Dave exchanged a look.
“Think we’re gonna have to break up a fight?” Christian asked, grinning.
“I think we may have to clean up Liz’s blood if she’s not smart right now,” Dave said.
“Yeah, she’s on edge, that’s for sure.” Christian agreed.
“She’s good reason to be,” Kevin put in.
“Yeah, this is gonna be killer,” Jeanie said, grimacing.
“We got this,” Dave said, nodding at the other three.
Out on the patio Cat lit a cigarette and moved to sit at one of the tables on the patio. Elizabeth moved to sit in the chair right in front of where Cat sat. Cat sat looking at her, smoking, her eyes searching Elizabeth’s.
“Why are you here?” Cat asked again, her tone softer this time.
“Because you won’t answer my calls,” Elizabeth said, her voice strident.
Cat drew in a breath and blew it out audibly. “Okay, so what did you need to say?”
Elizabeth looked back at Cat, her eyes sad, “How did we get here?” she asked her tone sad.
“We got here, Bet because you can’t seem to commit to me fully,” Cat said, her look equally sad.
Elizabeth looked surprised by the statement, but then she nodded slowly.
“Good, I’m glad you’ve finally decided to stop lying to me,” Cat said her look pained.
“I love you, Catalina,” Elizabeth said.
“But you can’t be in love with me,” Cat said, shaking her head, “it’s not something you can handle, I get that.”
Elizabeth looked like she wanted to protest, but then she just shook her head, her eyes downcast.
“But then you need to let me go,” Cat told her.
Elizabeth’s head snapped up at that statement, her look rebellious, then she shook her head, “I don’t know if I can…”
“Bet, if you want to date men, date them, it doesn’t matter, but you can’t keep holding on to me while you do it. It’s not fair to anyone.”
“But I can’t let you go,” Elizabeth said, “I love you, I can’t let you go…”
“You have to Bet,” Cat said, her tone sad. “I can’t keep doing this with you, it’s killing me.”
Elizabeth looked back at her shocked. Catalina wasn’t one to be dramatic, if she said something she meant it. Suddenly Elizabeth saw things through Cat’s eyes, and it made her feel sick. Tears sprang to her eyes, and what she wanted to do at that moment was to run away. Instead she drew in a deep breath, and blew it out slowly, finally nodding.
Cat looked back at Elizabeth, praying that she’d finally gotten through to the girl. They sat there on the patio, neither of them speaking for a long time. When Cat finished her cigarette, she got up, leaned down to kiss Elizabeth on the temple, and walked back inside.
Jovina sat across from Susan Endicott-Dibbins marveling at how perfect she was. Susan Endicott was prim and proper, her hands were manicured, but with short nails with only clear polish on them. Her hair was pulled back in a bun, and her clothes were good quality, but far from ostentatious. She certainly didn’t look like her sister who screamed money and sex.
“How long have you and Dave been married?” Jovina asked.
“Four years,” Susan said, smiling, “But I’ve known him for ages.”
“Really?” Jovina asked, curious how someone that seemed so reserved ended up with someone like Dave Dibbins who looked like the consummate surfer dude.
“Yes,” Susan said, smiling fondly, “He was the one that always showed up to take care of me and my charges when things were dangerous for the family.”
“Your charges?” Jovina asked.
“I’m a nanny,” Susan said, “For the Sinclair children.”
“Oh, Joe Sinclair?” Jovina asked, remembering the name.
“Yes,” Susan said nodding.
“When things were dangerous for the family?” Jovina asked, “Did that happen often?”
Susan breathed a sigh, “My aunt, uncle and their friends are always in the thick of things and unfortunately the bad people they are always trying to put away go after the people they love most, so yes, it does happen.”
“Wow,” Jovina said, surprised. “So how do you handle what he does for a living?”
Susan thought about her answer for a long moment, then she shrugged, “It’s who David is and I understand why he does what he does. His parents were methamphetamine dealers and they were horrible parents to him, they hurt a lot of people. He doesn’t want that to happen to other people, other children, so he does everything he can to stop people like them. It’s important, so I need to understand what he does to love him the way I do.”
Jovina nodded, “Does he get hurt?” she asked.
“Oh, lord, yes, all the time,” Susan said, “Not as much these days, but he will still go on a raid or get involved in an undercover operation and come home with cuts and bruises and what have you.”
“And how do you handle that?” Jovina asked.
“I take care of him,” Susan said, as if it was the most natural thing in the world, because to her it was, “I make sure he takes whatever medications he’s s
upposed to take, make sure he does what he’s told by the doctor.”
“But doesn’t is scare you?” Jovina asked.
“Of course it scares me,” Susan said, smiling, “I love him more than anything in the entire world, but asking him to be someone different would be changing him and that’s not something I have a right to do. I married him knowing what he did, I accepted that part of him.”
Jovina nodded, “I guess that’s what I need to decide,” she said sadly.
“Catalina is a wonderful person,” Susan told her, “And I honestly hate what my sister has done to her. Catalina was there for Elizabeth when no one else was, and she saw what was happening with her before any of us, who were her family, did. I owe so much to Catalina for that, but I really wish she could break my sister’s hold on her. I love my sister, but she can be so selfish sometimes, she can’t see what she’s doing to people.”
“Yeah,” Jovina said, her look wry, “I’m sorry, but I gotta say that your sister’s a bitch.”
Susan surprised Jovina by laughing at that, “Yes, yes she is sometimes. She’s not all bad,” Susan said, “But she is bad for Catalina. Catalina needs someone who understands her and loves her all the way through.”
Jovina drew in a breath at that statement, nodding.
When they rejoined the group, everyone had gotten their areas set up and were sitting talking about ideas on how to run down suspects.
“Jericho’s getting us their diaries,” Cat said, “She said they should be in within the hour, they’re flying them down from Sacramento.”
“Flying?” Christian raised his eyebrow.
“Yeah, they have their own air force,” Cat said, grinning.
“Damn…” Dave said, shaking his head.
“So, maybe we can track down some of their CIs to see what they were working on, or who they were getting intel on.” Jeanie said.
“Yeah, that’s what I was thinking,” Cat said, “We could check to see what CLETS runs they’d made in the last month or so, too.”
“Good,” Dave said nodding, “Since DOJ runs it, Jericho can authorize everything.”
“Kinda handy,” Kevin said, grinning.
Turning Tables (WeHo Book 3) Page 13