by Joan Kilby
Meth. Not again.
“Do we have a description of the suspect?” Paula hoped it was Nick so she could arrest him. But he never did the dirty work himself.
“Jackson and Crucek took the boys’ statements,” Delinsky said. “John wanted you and Riley to work with the drug-liaison unit, but you were both late.” He smirked. “Whatcha been doing? Something the rest of us would like to know about?”
Paula bent down, pretending to retie her bootlace. She didn’t trust herself to speak.
“Delinsky, get your mind out of the gutter,” Riley drawled. “Drummond, get your ass ready for work.”
He walked past her, close enough for her to feel the breeze of his passing. Close enough to hear his barely whispered, “Your very hot ass.”
She stifled a gasp and kept her red face down till Delinsky had left the locker room. How dare Riley? He was unbelievable, in control of himself and the situation, and completely disregarding her express wishes. Leaving her floundering with embarrassment and, yes, feeling a little flattered but totally off balance.
The door swung shut behind him. She quickly buckled on her vest and went out to the bull pen.
Patty pointed to the Incident Room. Paula hurried inside. John stood before a whiteboard and the other officers were seated on metal chairs arranged in three rows. “Glad you could join us, Drummond.”
“Sorry, boss.” She took a seat on the opposite side of the room from Riley. And instantly realized her mistake. Prior to last night she would have sat next to him as a matter of course. Instead she’d swung too far in the opposite direction. Maintaining a neutral attitude was going to be even harder than she thought.
John briefed them on the morning’s events. “Crystal methamphetamine has become a presence on Summerside streets. Sixteen ounces was recovered from the vehicle of Timothy Andrews, deceased, with an approximate street value of $12,800. This morning at 7:55 a.m. the principal of Summerside Secondary College called police in to question three boys about the alleged purchase of the drug on school grounds. Five grams of crystal meth was discovered in one of the boys’ lockers. Crucek, did any of those kids give you a name for who sold them the drugs?”
“No, boss.” Crucek consulted his notepad. “Warren Tipman, aged fifteen, alleged he’d never seen the man before. According to his description, corroborated by the other boys, the suspect was approximately thirty-five years old, with light brown hair, indeterminate eye color. He wore a black jacket, blue jeans and running shoes. Distinguishing features—he chewed his fingernails.”
Paula’s lungs deflated. It wasn’t Nick. Of course not. It wasn’t going to be that easy to get him behind bars and out of Jamie’s life.
Feeling someone’s gaze on her she glanced sideways. Across the room, Riley was watching her, wondering perhaps, if she knew more than she was letting on. She did, in fact. But could he still doubt her loyalty to the force after last night? She shook her head slightly and faced front.
“Anything else?” John asked.
Jackson lumbered to his feet and smoothed back his sparse hair. “Prints have been obtained from the plastic bag containing the ice. We’re awaiting a computer check with known drug dealers in the local area. A report is being prepared for a joint investigation with the Frankston Drug Task Force.”
“Thank you, Jackson. Good work.”
“Boss,” Jackson said, still standing. “Crucek and I think we know who this guy is. He’s been nabbed before for pushing ecstasy. Shall we pay him a visit?”
“Wait for the print results. For now, everyone be alert,” John said. “Officers Drummond and Henning, stay behind. The rest of you, dismissed.”
The other officers filed out, talking among themselves. When they were gone Riley was left sitting on one side of the room and Paula on the other with rows of empty chairs between them.
“What’s with you two?” John demanded. “Have a lover’s tiff?”
She froze then realized he was joking. “That’s right. He hogs the covers.” She picked up her hat and moved to the chair next to Riley. “What’s up, boss?”
“Moresco has been sighted locally,” John said.
Her fingers tightened around her cap. “Where?”
“In the Grand Hotel in Frankston.” John gave her a hard stare. “Has he made contact again?”
“As a matter of fact, he did. Yesterday.” Paula could feel Riley start. She turned to him. “I was going to tell you but…something else came up.”
A faint wash of color appeared in his cheeks. So, he wasn’t quite as cool as he seemed.
“He called while— He called yesterday around noon.” Paula left Riley to figure out the timing. She wasn’t ready to tell John she and Riley were seeing each other off duty, even just as friends. It might lead to questions. And besides, there were more pressing topics to discuss. She glanced at John. “I need to tell you something. Possibly I should have mentioned it earlier but I didn’t think it was relevant to the case, if there is a case, against Moresco.”
“What is it, Drummond?” John said. “Spit it out.”
“Nick Moresco…” She took a deep breath. “Is the father of my son.”
John quietly laid the marker he’d been holding in the tray of the whiteboard. “You’re right. I should have been informed of this earlier.”
Was this going to affect her promotion? John was the best sergeant she’d worked for since going back to uniform. He listened and actually considered what his officers suggested. He didn’t ask them to do anything he wouldn’t do. And he didn’t play favorites or pick on anyone. She liked him as a person and hated knowing she’d let him down. “As I said, I didn’t think it was relevant—”
“Of course it’s relevant.” John shook his head. “Whether he’s involved in these particular crystal meth incidents or not, he’s a known criminal and you’re an officer belonging to Summerside P.D. You’re also a member of the community and one of us. I haven’t known you long but I’d like to think we could become friends. Your safety and well-being are my concern.”
“Yes, boss.” Paula blinked, blindsided. Being part of a community, having friends, even taking a lover were luxuries she hadn’t allowed herself for a very long time. First Riley taking the time to secure her home, now this declaration from John. She was touched. “Thank you, boss.”
“Now that that’s out of the way, let’s get down to business,” John said. “What did Moresco want?”
“To see Jamie.” She hesitated. “He also informed me he bought a business in Summerside.” She turned to Riley. “The ice-cream shop.”
Riley’s jaw literally dropped. He looked hard at her as if to make sure he’d heard right. “My stepmother works there. You had this information since yesterday and you didn’t tell me?”
Paula tried not to squirm. She should have found the time to tell him but she’d forgotten all about it once she’d started his massage. “As I said, I was preoccupied.”
“Some things are more important than—”
“Really?” she said coolly. He hadn’t thought so last night. In fact, she’d rarely seen a man so eager. And he knew damn well neither of them had been thinking about anything except getting their gear off.
“Settle down. This is no time for one of your spats.” John eased himself onto the edge of the table. “What else did Moresco say?”
She cast her mind back. Then shook her head. “Nothing really. He claims he’s not manufacturing or distributing drugs. He claims he returned to his religious roots while in prison.”
Riley snorted. “Yeah, right.”
“Do you believe him?” John asked Paula.
“It’s possible he’s become religious. I know members of his family are strong believers.”
“Unfortunately religion isn’t inconsistent with criminal activity,” Riley said. “A le
opard doesn’t change its spots.”
“We could bring him in for questioning,” Paula suggested. “Make up your own mind.”
People could change. If she didn’t believe that she wouldn’t have fifteen self-help books on her shelf. On the other hand, she’d never found the magical formula that led to self-actualization. She wasn’t even sure what that meant in practical terms.
“All crims are liars,” Riley said. “Or didn’t you know that?”
“We’re trained to detect when they’re lying,” she shot back.
“How are you going to bring him in?” John asked, ignoring Riley’s comment. “Do you know where he’s living?”
“No, but I now have his mobile phone number.”
“You friend him on Facebook?” Riley asked.
“This is serious.” Paula turned to John. “Calling him is no good now that I think of it. Nick wouldn’t come in voluntarily for questioning. And there’s no point tracing his call to my house. He always uses prepaid phones so there’s no record of calls or contact details.”
“If he owns the ice-cream shop there will be records of his residence and other details,” Riley said. “I’ll look into that.”
“He usually puts his property in a family member’s name,” Paula said.
“You say he wants to see his son…” John mused.
“Oh, no.” Paula got to her feet. “I’m not using Jamie as bait. The kid is messed up enough about not being allowed to see his father without being promised a visit only to find his dad being questioned by the police.”
“Jamie doesn’t need to know about that,” John said. “He wouldn’t even need to know Moresco is his father if you made that stipulation. We could save a lot of time tracking him down if you arranged to meet with him. Find out as much as you can about his current circumstances then leave it to the Frankston detectives to pull him in for questioning.”
Paula paced through the row of chairs, kicking one out of her way. “I don’t want Moresco in the same town as my son, let alone in the same room.”
“Summerside never had hard drugs until…recently,” Riley said quietly.
Paula stopped short. He wasn’t being snide. He was simply telling the truth. Crystal meth had found its way to Summerside because of her relationship with Nick. The evidence was circumstantial but that’s undoubtedly what Riley and John believed. She believed it, too.
“If I’m the cause of the problem, I will fix it. Somehow.” She pressed a hand across her forehead. The creases between her eyes felt as if they were becoming permanent.
Riley and John exchanged a glance.
“What?” she said. “I will do something.”
“You are not why Moresco is dealing drugs, here or anywhere else,” Riley said. “He’s doing it because he’s a criminal.”
“No one’s blaming you,” John added.
They didn’t need to. The fact was obvious, despite what they were saying. True, she wasn’t responsible for Nick choosing to pursue illegal activities. But if she hadn’t slept with him, he wouldn’t be in Summerside looking for his son. She had to make this right, for Jamie’s sake. Even if that meant putting his father behind bars again for a very long time.
But how would she catch him? Nick was motivated by two things—money and family. She didn’t have enough money to interest him. All she had was Jamie.
No, she couldn’t use her son, an innocent child. She wrapped her arms around her waist, feeling sick. Did she really have any choice? By the time they gathered enough evidence to charge him with something he could distribute crystal meth all over the peninsula.
Paula approached the two men, keeping enough distance that she could watch both their faces. “Why stop at questioning him? Let’s go one step further. What do you say to a sting operation?”
“What are you suggesting?” John asked.
“I make Nick a business proposition. I pretend I’m leading a new drug task force. All information and evidence will pass through me. I’ll say I will turn a blind eye to methamphetamine distribution in my area in exchange for a kickback.”
Riley and John were silent, absorbing the implications. Paula had only thought of the plan this minute, but it could work.
“Nick lost all his cash and most of his assets in the last bust,” she went on. “He’s starting from scratch again. This will be a boost for him.”
“How will you get him to come to the party?” Riley asked.
She paced some more, tugging on her ponytail. “There’s only one surefire way. Jamie. You’re right, boss, he doesn’t have to know Moresco is his father.” She met John and Riley’s gazes. “I’ll use him once and once only, as the initial lure to gain Moresco’s confidence.”
“What makes you think he’ll buy your proposition?” Riley asked. “You’re a cop. You put him away last time.”
“I’m also the mother of his son.” Paula avoided Riley’s gaze. “I’ll pretend that since my demotion I’ve become disillusioned with the police force. I’ll pretend I’ve missed him and I want him to be part of Jamie’s and my life. That we’ll be together, as a family.”
CHAPTER TEN
RILEY KNEW SHE was talking about a ruse not reality, but her plan to form a family with Nick Moresco hit him like a kick in the gut. Which was nuts. He’d known her only a short time and slept with her exactly once. An encounter never to be repeated, according to her.
“He’ll flay you alive when he finds out he’s been duped,” Riley said.
“By that time, he’ll have been arrested and be safely behind bars,” Paula replied. “If all goes according to plan.”
“If you’re sure about this, I’m on board,” John said. “We’ll need to run it by Frankston P.D. Get their assistance. We don’t have the resources to handle it all by ourselves.”
“No, it’s too risky,” Riley said. “I looked up the guy’s case files. He’s had people kneecapped, bashed, even killed.”
That’s the guy Paula had slept with. And now Riley was involved with her, a woman capable of crossing a moral boundary he wouldn’t ever consider—sleeping with a criminal under her investigation. He scrubbed his hands over his face. She deserved so much more than Moresco. Like a crazy ex-soldier, perhaps?
No, he was over the PTSD. Cured.
“I agree, it’s risky,” John conceded. “But it could work. She would wear a wire the whole time. You would be her backup, make sure she’s safe.”
“A backup needs to be fit for the job,” Paula said.
Riley felt her gaze on him, willing him to speak. Or she would? Was this tit for tat? He kept his mouth shut. Maybe he had had a bout of PTSD but he felt fine now.
“What do you mean?” John glanced between them.
Still Riley said nothing. If John knew about the incident at the school, he might take Riley off Paula’s case. Jackson, Crucek and Delinsky were good cops but they didn’t have Special Forces training or his ability to instantly size up a threat and act accordingly, even if it meant letting the situation play out a little longer. Bottom line, Paula needed protection and he was the best man for the job.
“Are you going to tell John or am I?” Gently, briefly she touched his knee. “The fact that you haven’t already talked about this with your old friend suggests to me that you’re in denial.”
She wasn’t badgering him, she was…caring. That’s what undid him.
“All right.” Riley raised his palms. “I’ve been having migraines, nightmares, insomnia.”
“Don’t forget the panic attack outside the primary school,” Paula prompted.
Okay, caring was one thing, squealing on him was another. Riley bristled. “While we’re at it, maybe you should fill John in on the break and enter Moresco did on your house over the weekend.”
“Whoa, slow down. Panic
attack? Break and enter? You first.” John pointed at Paula. “Why didn’t you report it?”
“There was no damage. Nothing to report.”
“Break and enters still need to be filed. All the more reason since it was Moresco.”
“He left a toy for Jamie. That’s all.”
John just looked at her and shook his head.
“You see,” Riley said to her. “You’re the only person who doesn’t think that’s sinister.”
“I think it’s downright creepy,” Paula protested. “But what’s the good of being a cop if you can’t take care of yourself?”
“We don’t tolerate mavericks at Summerside P.D.,” John said. “File a report, Constable.”
“Yes, boss.” Paula threw Riley a dark look.
“As for you,” John said, turning to Riley. “What’s all this about panic attacks? I’ve noticed you haven’t been yourself lately. Why didn’t you say anything?”
Riley sat to attention like the strong soldier he wanted to believe he still was. “I was dealing with it in my own way.”
“I’m your superior officer,” John said, then added in a softer tone. “And I’m your friend, you dope. Tell me what’s going on.”
Riley was silent, his jaw working. The last thing he wanted was for people to worry about him. Maybe he and Paula had something more in common besides chemistry.
“We think it’s something to do with what happened in Afghanistan,” Paula said. “We think it’s post-traumatic stress disorder.”
“You think,” Riley shot back.
“What’s your diagnosis?” Paula demanded. “A bad case of the collywobbles?”
Despite his annoyance, he wanted to grin at collywobbles. It was something his mother might have said back in the day.
Riley quickly filled John in on what he knew of the explosion in Afghanistan and what he remembered about witnessing Nabili’s death.
“But I believe I’ve turned a corner,” Riley said. “Talking about it with my army mate and remembering other things on my own has helped me understand. My migraine has disappeared. I slept like a rock last night.”