They would have been happy to have her continue living with them, but she was twenty-seven years old and needed her space. Growing up in a large family with three brothers and two sisters, she found that having a place of her own was blissful—and essential to her mental well-being.
She’d moved into her side of the two-bedroom duplex three years ago and it had served its purpose well. And she definitely hadn’t gotten tired of the silence yet. Not completely anyway.
When she needed a family fix, she simply went to church, then Sunday lunch with the rest of her siblings and extended family. And then returned home to her precious quiet.
Mozart, her miniature Eskimo Spitz, greeted her in the foyer with a happy yip, his tail wagging in anticipation of her attention. She scratched his ears and he followed her through the den, then down the hall and into her bedroom.
The quiet bothered her tonight, though.
Kevin.
Silence and grief didn’t go well together—and yet she didn’t want to be around people either. Climbing beneath the covers and watching a classic movie where there was no shooting, no crime, no … violence, sounded perfect.
A knock on her front door froze her mid-reach for her television remote. She sighed and padded back to the entrance to glance through the peephole. And smiled. Her neighbor, Mrs. Helen Spade, stood on the front porch holding a covered dish. Because she’d heard of Kevin’s death, no doubt, and was offering comfort in the best way she knew how. By cooking. Izzy’s grief gripped her once more as she opened the door. “Mrs. Spade, it’s so late, you shouldn’t have.”
The woman slipped inside. “I heard you come in. Well, Mozart heard you first, but I had this casserole and I wanted to bring it to you.” Mozart was technically Izzy’s dog, but with her crazy schedule, her sweet duplex neighbor had agreed to help take care of him.
Derek had come over and cut a doggie door in the wall between their units so Mozart could go back and forth as he pleased. The woman continued talking while she set the food on the stove. “I know you’re probably worn out, but it’s all over the news about your partner. I’m so sorry, darling. Have you eaten?”
“No, not much.” Not anything. Eating reminded her of Kevin devouring her food in the car. Would she ever be able to eat another roast beef sandwich? Her stomach churned at the thought.
“Then this chicken casserole is just the thing.”
“Thanks. I appreciate it.”
“Sure thing, honey. Now, I’m right next door if you need anything. I’m going to bed, but you know I keep my phone on the nightstand and will come running if you need me.”
Izzy hugged the older woman who’d decided to adopt her from the moment she’d moved in. Her own grown children didn’t call her or come by much, and Izzy knew she was lonely. “Thanks so much.”
“Okay, you eat, then go straight to bed, honey. I’ll see you later.”
Mrs. Spade walked back over to her side and Izzy waited until she heard the dead bolt click to lock her own door. Truthfully, she didn’t feel like eating but forced herself to down a few bites of the casserole. If she was going to find the people who killed Kevin, she’d need her strength. The fact that it was delicious helped.
Her phone buzzed as she swallowed the last bite. “Hello?”
“I just wanted to check on you one more time. You’ve had such a horrifying night,” Gabby said.
“Horrifying. Yeah. That’s a good word for it.” She swallowed against the grief that wanted to well and crash over her.
“I’m sorry.”
“Thanks.”
“Anything I can do?”
“No. I wish you could, but there’s nothing you or anyone can do.” Gabby was about three years older than Izzy, but they’d become fast friends when Izzy started dating her brother, Mick. And then they’d stayed friends in spite of the way Mick and Izzy’s relationship ended. With Mick in a psych ward and Izzy trying to deal with nightmares. She shut that train of thought off immediately. “Listen, I’ve got to get some rest. I’ll talk to you soon.”
Gabby sighed. “Fine. I can’t seem to say anything right tonight. But look, I know you don’t want to come over, with Mick staying here and all, but call me if you need me. I’m happy to come over there.”
“I will.” She paused. “And Gabby?”
“Yes?”
“Thanks for not going into how much Mayor Endicott would change things for the department—and stuff.”
“Didn’t figure you needed to hear that right now.”
“Yeah.”
“Hey, babe, you ready?” Izzy frowned at the male voice that came through the line.
“Who’s that?” she asked.
“Oh, just a friend. I’ll talk to you later.”
“Okay. I want to hear about that friend.”
“I’ll tell you about him later. Get some sleep.”
“Night.”
She hung up, then rose to place the remainder of the casserole into the refrigerator and her dirty dishes into the dishwasher. With a sigh she looked around, only to see Mozart slip through his doggie door into Mrs. Spade’s side. “Fine. Be that way.”
A shower. She needed piping hot water beating on her back. Maybe then her muscles would unlock. She headed for the bathroom. Once under the steaming spray, she let the tears fall once again.
How am I supposed to deal with this, God?
How was she going to face tomorrow? How would she get through the next hour? The warm water attempted to chase away the cold grief that seeped into the deepest part of her heart.
When Chris had died, it had been bad enough. But Kevin …
While she loved all of the Marshalls like family, she’d been closer to Kevin than the other brothers.
Chris had been older, tougher, with a distant personality that kept most people at arms’ length.
Except Ryan. They’d been tight.
And she’d admired Chris’s dedication to fighting for what he believed in. Especially homeless vets. She’d sat in on enough conversations to know his passion for them had run deep.
But Kevin. He’d always been special to Izzy. Being so close in age, he’d been her partner in everything from sneaking out of the house at two in the morning to go swimming at the local lake, to backpacking around Europe for two months after college graduation. She’d been waffling about law school or the academy and had wanted to see a bit of the world before making the decision.
Kevin had gone with her. He hadn’t known what he wanted to do either. But he knew one thing. “I want to make a difference, Izzy,” he told her one night, sitting on the front porch of his parents’ house—just across the street from her parents’. “I want to make the world a better place. If I do that for one person, great. If I can do that for a lot of people, even better. Like Chris and Ruthie. I just don’t want to join the Army or be a doctor. I hate the sight of blood. I could be a cop, though. I just want to make a difference.”
“Yes. I know what you mean.”
After that conversation with Kevin, she’d chosen to go to the academy. No one in her family knew that. They just thought she’d been following in their footsteps, but that hadn’t been the case. At least, not completely. And Kevin had played around for a couple of years before heading to the academy, but no matter what Ryan said, no matter that Kevin had died, it had been the right choice for him.
She thought about that particular conversation when she needed a reminder about why she did what she did, and the only thing that made Kevin’s death bearable was the fact that he’d died doing what he thought would make a difference.
He’d just wanted to make a difference.
And he had, even in the short time he’d been on the force. He’d saved a young child from a burning car. She’d never forget the look on his face when he pulled that three-year-old from the vehicle. From that moment on, he was addicted.
She knew the feeling.
Unfortunately, that feeling had to be tempered, controlled. And Kevin hadn’t lived long enough to
learn that. Instead, it had gotten him killed.
She had to remember that part too. Not that she was likely to forget it.
When the water started to turn cold, she shut it off and stepped out. As she readied herself for bed, she thought about everything she needed to do tomorrow. Take the videos to David and finagle her way into watching them with him. Then she planned to go by and see if she could be granted permission to talk to the man who had been captured. Then what?
Go through Kevin’s phone.
She pulled the device from the back pocket of the jeans she’d tossed into the corner chair and stared at it while tears wanted to fall again. She sniffed and dropped onto the bed.
Mozart jumped up beside her and nudged his head under her hand. She chuckled, even while she swiped a few stray tears. “Mrs. Spade went to sleep on you, huh? Think you’ll get some attention over here now? Well, you’re right.” She scratched his ears and then he rolled over to give her access to his belly. Finally, she turned her attention to Kevin’s phone.
And realized it was dead. She groaned and plugged it into the charger next to her bed. “So what do you think, Mozart?” His ears swiveled in her direction. “Should I have let Chloe come stay over? Or gone to her house?”
He settled his nose between his paws and stared at her with those soft brown eyes.
Probably.
Her phone buzzed regularly for the next half hour as her five siblings checked in once more. She finally sent them all a group text declaring that it was midnight, she was going to bed, and she’d see them for Sunday lunch at their parents’ house.
Her phone fell silent. Forget the movie, forget Kevin’s phone, she was exhausted. Izzy flopped back on the bed, rolled over, and closed her eyes.
Friday
8
Maybe I should give it up, Tabitha. Go ahead and announce my retirement.”
Tabitha stood. “Eric, I’m speaking as your chief of police as well as your friend. We don’t negotiate with terrorists.”
“They’re not terrorists.”
“Actually, they rather are. But whatever name you want to put on them, we’re not budging. You are not conceding the race. That’s the act of a coward. Something you’re not and never have been.”
“I was hoping you’d see the action as more of a selfless sacrifice. As a way to save our city.” He rubbed his tired eyes. “Bianchi’s power has grown to epic proportions.”
Tabitha paced her office. “I know. It seems like every time we get a shot at taking him down, he finds out and slithers away.”
“Exactly.”
“It should not be that hard to find the man.”
“But it is. It’s been nigh on impossible and the people in this city are terrified. It’s getting worse by the day.” He drew in a breath and let it out slowly. “And I can stop it.”
“At what expense, Eric?” She crossed her arms and glared at him. “Why does he want you out and Melissa Endicott in so bad?”
“Becau—”
“Because he can control her,” she snapped. She jabbed a finger at him. “And if he controls her, he can get rid of me. And then whoever takes my place will bow to Bianchi and there will be no one in power to stand up to him.”
“I know,” her friend whispered. “I know.” He stood and paced to the window. “I don’t want to see that happen.” He cleared his throat. “We can’t let it happen.”
“I agree. Just hang on a little longer, Eric. I’m working on bringing him down. And soon.”
“I hope so.” He stood and gathered his jacket. “I’m afraid for my family. I’ve sent them to stay with Elise’s mother in Utah.”
She sighed. “I understand and it’s not a bad idea to be on the safe side, but I’ve been thinking about this.”
“About what?”
“Bianchi’s threats. He’s done everything in his power—which, as we’ve discussed, is considerable—to make sure crime and gang violence are out of control. Or at least appear to be.”
“Yes.” He returned to the wing-backed chair opposite her desk. “And?”
“And I’ve come up with a plan that I think can bring an end to this mess.”
Eric tilted his head and raised a brow. “All right, I’m listening. What’s your plan?”
“We make it look like you’re throwing the election.”
“What?”
“In other words, we give Bianchi what he wants.”
Izzy stood at David Unger’s desk and waited for him to pull a chair around. His office, on the lower level of 1 Justice Square, was a floor below her own.
She settled herself beside him and fidgeted with the ring on her pinkie finger while he pulled up the camera footage. “Thanks for doing this on your day off.”
“Sure.” He shrugged. “Not like I had anything better to do.”
“Except maybe sleep in?”
“Yeah, that would have been nice, but catching a killer is a priority.”
He had monitors everywhere. National news played on one, local on another, the weather channel on yet another.
“Do you mind if I watch?”
Ryan’s voice came from the doorway, jerking David around to look at him. Izzy found she wasn’t even surprised Ryan had shown up. Subconsciously, she’d probably expected him to do so. Turning, she locked her eyes on his. “You know you can’t investigate this officially, right?”
He frowned. “Of course I know that.”
But it wouldn’t stop him from doing what he could to stay informed and on top of the investigation.
David nodded. “Okay, grab that chair and have a seat.”
Ryan seated himself and David got busy. While the man worked, his fingers moving the mouse, then clicking over the keyboard, Ryan turned to Izzy. “Charice found Jonathan Gill’s family. They live about thirty minutes from here. You want to go with us after we’re done here?”
“You really shouldn’t be going.”
“Charice will be there. I’m just going to listen.”
“From the car?”
He scowled at her. “You want to go or not?”
“Of course.”
Finally, a black-and-white video appeared on the monitor. David pressed play.
Izzy leaned forward. “That’s the camera from the ladder. The highest point in the building.”
“Yeah. I would say so. It’s got a pretty sharp angle, but you can see the entire bottom floor with only a few places out of range. Like the office in the corner.”
“There’s a back door that leads directly into the office,” Izzy said. “We won’t be able to see any of that area.”
And no video of the balcony.
Izzy sat back with a thud. Derek wouldn’t be on this footage. She wasn’t sure how she felt about that. She’d hoped she wouldn’t have to be the bad guy and spill the information, but it looked like she wasn’t going to have any other choice.
On the screen three men came into range. She recognized the two she and Kevin had seen arrive during their stakeout. The other man must have already been there. From the angle that he entered the video, it looked as if he had come from the small office at the back. One set his rifle on the floor and she heard the light thud.
“There’s audio?” Izzy asked.
“Yeah. This is some kind of superduper spy camera. Quality stuff. They’re standing pretty much right below it, so we should be able to hear everything they say.”
He cranked the volume up.
“Get the pictures and get out. Understand?”
The first one, a man who looked to be in his late forties, nodded. “It’s already arranged.”
“Who are these guys?” Ryan asked.
“Don’t know yet,” David said. He paused the footage and took still shots of each of the men’s faces. “We’ll run their faces through the system and see if we get a hit. I have a feeling this isn’t their first rodeo.”
He let the video continue while the recognition software ran in the background.
A
nd then there was Kevin on the screen and sneaking around the door. Ryan’s breath left him in a whoosh and Izzy reached back to take his hand. He squeezed her fingers.
The men didn’t see Kevin and he settled into his little spot behind the wooden crates.
The guy who appeared to be the one in charge asked about the weapons. The shortest of the three men reached into the nearest box and pulled one out. He passed it to the man, who loaded the ammo, then aimed it at the wall. He nodded. “The buyer will be here day after tomorrow. The boss needs seventy of these.”
“They’re packed in those boxes near the door.”
“Good.” He set the weapon aside. “Now for other business. Are we ready?”
“We’re ready.”
“You have the entry and exit points narrowed down?”
“We do.”
“Good.”
Another man walked up to the three. The man who had been giving orders said, “Ready, boss,” then started across the warehouse and walked out of camera range.
“Get these weapons ready to ship,” the boss said. “I’ve got a little business to take care of.” He turned to look behind him.
“What’s he looking at?” Ryan asked.
“I can’t tell,” David said. “The angle doesn’t go back that way.”
The boss had turned back and was now facing Kevin’s hiding place with narrowed eyes. He pulled his weapon and aimed it in Kevin’s direction. The others pulled theirs as well and stepped out of his way.
“What is it?” the shorter man asked.
“There,” Ryan said and pointed. “He saw Kevin move. Kevin messed up and showed himself.”
“But why? Why would he take that chance?” Izzy asked. “Back it up and zoom in if you can.”
“Of course I can. I can slow it down too.” He did as directed and Izzy watched Kevin move his hand around the edge of the crates.
“Wait a minute,” Ryan said. “That’s his phone. Is he recording them?”
“Yes.” Izzy leaned in.
Ryan’s eyes stayed glued to the screen. “He’s recording them and it looks like he moved to get a better angle of something.”
“And that’s why they spotted him. He risked—no, gave his life to get something on video.” Izzy sat back with a thump. He’d recorded the suspects, had their faces on the camera. So why ask her to hide it? Was he protecting someone? Like her brother? The camera was definitely aimed in his direction. “I want to know if any of those guys are undercover.”
Oath of Honor Page 6