A Dozen Deadly Roses (15 page)

“Okay, Mama,” said the child as he scampered off.  Suddenly he stopped and turned.  “Mr. Stryker, will it be awright if I bring my fireman’s hat?”

“You bet, Donnie.  I never know when I might need a fireman around.”

# # #

Captain Douglas Kincaid looked up from his desk and inwardly groaned.  Callie Lasko advanced through the outer office toward him like a speed walker - head high, arms pumping, and a smirk on her overly made-up face.

What now, he thought.

“Captain, I’ve got to speak to you right away.  Donovan and Stryker have screwed up big time.”  She plopped into one of the chairs in front of his desk.

“Ah, jeez, Callie,” he said running his hand across his flattop hair.  “What is it between you and those two?  I heard Stryker called you out in Roll Call.”  He was pleased to see she at least had the sensibility to blush.  “I also heard he was completely justified in doing so.”

“That’s a matter of opinion,” she said in a huff.  “But what would you say if I told you
Training Officer
Donovan and her
Probationary Officer
Stryker have been conducting an off-duty relationship?”

“I’d say you better have evidence to back it up.  So, what do you have?”

Callie explained the call she’d gotten from Jade and the resulting investigation.

Kincaid felt acid building in his stomach.  Callie didn’t have any solid evidence of misconduct, but even without talking to Donovan and Stryker, he knew their story was ridiculous.

“Did a search for witnesses come up with anything regarding the assault?” he asked.

“Unfortunately not.  The two patrol guys couldn’t find anyone who’d seen the SUV, Jade, or the crime.  They’re also asking about seeing Stryker in the neighborhood as well.”  She leaned forward.  “We may have them yet,” she said with glee.  “One of the neighboring apartment buildings has security cameras that face the street.  The guys are with the manager reviewing the video as we speak.  They’re supposed to call me with anything they find.”

As if on cue, her cell phone rang.  After a brief conversation she ended the call and shook her head.

“Nothing on the surveillance cameras.  The cameras are dummies.  They’re all for show.”

“Callie, I’m all for trying to find a suspect who tried to run down one of my officers.  What I don’t want you to do is form a witch hunt targeting two of my officers."

Callie stood and the heavy scent of her perfume reached his nose.

“Are you saying you don’t want me to investigate allegations of misconduct?”

“The only person I’ve heard make any allegations is you,” he said.  “And you haven’t provided any evidence to support those assertions.”

“Captain, if we were talking about anyone other than Jade Donovan, I think you’d be all over this like a fly on crap.  I don’t know why you’re so ready to protect her, but you’re treading on some dangerous ground.”

Rage filled Kincaid and he felt blood rush to his face as a result.  Although he wanted to yell, he maintained control.

“Are you threatening me, lieutenant?” he asked calmly.

“I’m saying that maybe Jade Donovan is sleeping with more than one member of this department.”  With that, Lasko turned and walked out of the office.

Kincaid reached in the top drawer of his desk, found his bottle of antacids and poured some into his hand.

# # #

Mac’s forearm twitched as bacon grease spattered at him from the frying pan he tended.

“How’s that toast coming, Donnie?” he asked.

The little boy stared intently at the neon orange elements browning the bread.

“I think it’s almost done, Mr. Stryker.”

“How about you, Jade?  Was there enough lettuce and tomato?”

“You just take care of the bacon, Stryker.  I’ve got the rest of it covered.”

The stress of being stalked had worn Jade down.  Mac couldn’t help but notice how much more relaxed she seemed since they’d arrived at his house.  Once she’d made the decision to stay with him, he’d been amazed at how efficiently she’d gathered up necessities for Donnie and herself.

Being around the little boy opened old wounds in Mac’s heart.  He’d loved being a father and was devastated by Ashley’s death.  It didn’t help that sometimes when he looked at Donnie, he’d flash back to a memory of his daughter.  It was weird; sometimes the way the boy looked at him was the same exact way his little girl used to look at him.

Mac sneaked a glance at Jade.  When he was her training officer, he hadn’t given her much thought personally.  Back then every male in the division wanted to know if he’d gotten into her pants, but he’d been too far in the bottle to act on his carnal desires.  To his knowledge, she’d been too smart to fall for any line.  She’d done all right on probation.  She was sharper than most.  He only had to tell her something once and she got it.  Thankfully, she was better than average with her gun.  She’d saved his life.  Somehow he’d have to find the words to thank her.  He never had.  He’d never returned to work after the night of the shooting; the night their lives were on the line and he was too drunk to take care of business.  Maybe with Jade and Donnie staying with him he could find the right time and the right words to properly thank her.

One thing he knew for sure, he was giving Jade a lot of thought these days.  Without the alcohol to numb his desire, his standard “Jade dream” had morphed into scenes of erotic, and sometimes, exotic lovemaking.

“I know I said crispy bacon, but I think you’re burning it,” she teased.  She smiled at him.  “And you were worried I wasn’t handling my end of the meal.”

“Huh?”  Mac glanced down to see greasy sizzling strips starting to smoke.  “Oh, sorry.”  He grabbed a fork and fished the crinkled pieces out of the pan.

A few minutes later all three were quietly munching their sandwiches.  In addition to the BLT’s, Mac had heated some soup and Jade had made chocolate pudding.

“Mama, can I have some pudding now?”

Jade inspected Donnie’s plate.  It was empty. “Good boy.  You ate your sandwich and your soup.”

“I eated all my samich cause Mr. Stryker made it.  He cooks good.”

“Thanks, Donnie.  How would you like to eat your dessert in the family room while you watch television?"

"Oh boy!  Okay, Mama?"

Jade gave her permission and then started to clear the table.  “I really want to thank you for letting us stay here.”

Mac carried his dishes to the sink and began loading the dishwasher.  “There’s nothing to thank me for.  It wasn’t safe for you to stay at your apartment.”

“I’ve been meaning to ask you how you knew that I hadn’t told Lasko we were together when the truck tried to hit me.  Actually, you‘re a victim of assault, too.”

Mac shrugged.  “I tried to put myself in your shoes.  I knew you wouldn’t tell anyone more than you had to.  You’ve got enough time on the job to know your personal life isn’t the department’s business.  Just an educated guess.”

“Well, we're lucky we didn’t get caught.  I can’t believe you came back while Lasko was there.”

“I needed to see for myself that you and Donnie were alright.  I figured I could handle Callie one way or another – even if I had to take her for coffee to distract her.”  He gave Jade a wry grin.  “If that had happened, you would have owed me more than a thank you.”

Jade smiled back at him then cleared her throat.  “You know, Donnie and I can’t stay here for long.”

A sense of dread came over Mac as he finished rinsing the sink and turned to her.  “You just got here.  I assumed you’d stay until we catch this psycho.”  Mac didn’t tell her about his truck tires being slashed, and now that he had the whole story, he assumed the stalker was responsible.  He wondered why the suspect would target him as well as Jade.

Jade shook her head.  “I can’t.  Having us here could cost us both our jobs.”

“There are worse things in life.  I don’t want bureaucratic nonsense to cost you your life.”

“Easy for you to say.  I have a son to support.”

He pulled down a mug for himself.  “Coffee?” he asked.

“No thanks, I wouldn’t be able to sleep.”

Mac was quiet as they moved to the glass and chrome kitchen table.  I won’t be able to sleep either, he thought.  The problem won’t be caffeine; it’ll be the thought of you sleeping in my guest room.  A fantasy of Jade wearing wisps of ivory lace filled his mind.  In his mind’s eye she smiled and beckoned to him.  The sound of Jade pulling out a chair at the kitchen table jarred him from his thoughts.

“So, let’s try to figure out who the dirt bag is that’s scaring you.  Got any ideas?”

How about our macho “Metro Man” captain, she thought.  The one I stumbled across in a bar in San Francisco wearing a brunette beehive wig, a mini-skirted police uniform complete with fake badge and size twelve gold, jeweled, sandals.  How about him?

That’s what she wanted to say, but she never would.  When she’d been on probation, her then-sergeant, Douglas Kincaid had filled her in all about the trust between officers.  He’d made sure she understood that officers were always under the microscope for any minor infraction of rules – real or fabricated.  He’d made it clear that a good cop didn’t “roll over” or “drop a dime” on another cop.  It just wasn’t done and that was that.  That’s why she’d never gone above her sergeant to report Mac’s drinking problem or “sickness.”  Her sergeant was Douglas Kincaid and he’d told her he knew Mac was sick and to “suck it up and handle it.”  And she did.

Of course, over the years the department had changed.  Now, probationary officers thought nothing of running to a supervisor with complaints about a training officer – real or imagined.

“So can you think of anyone?” Mac asked.

She shook her head.  “I can’t imagine why anyone would do this to me.”

“Let’s not focus on why.  Let’s figure out who possible suspects are, then maybe we’ll know the why.  Who’ve you pissed off recently?”

“The first person that comes to mind is Callie Lasko,” she said.

Mac nodded.  “Who else?”

“I really can’t think of anyone else.”

“Could it be someone who is trying to get back at your father?”

“Nah, Dad doesn’t have an enemy in the world, unless it’s his conscience.”

“What about Donnie’s father?”

Jade’s mouth set in a firm line.  “It’s not him.”

“Are you sure?”

“I told you.  It’s not him.  Move on.” 

Mac sat up a little straighter.

“Okay then, tell me about the boyfriend who didn’t want to take no for an answer.”

A blush flooded her cheeks. “I really wouldn’t call him a boyfriend.  We just dated a few times.”

“Was he a cop?”

Jade shook her head.  “No.  I don’t date people I work with.”

“Why is that?”

“It just isn’t a smart move.  And you know as well as I do cops are the biggest gossips ever - there are no secrets in a police station.”

Mac grinned.  “To say nothing of the fact cops are horny ninety-five percent of the time and will try to hit on any little honey who gives them a smile.”

“Speak for yourself,” Jade shot back.

“Ouch.  Sounds like I touched a nerve.  What secrets have you got hiding in your closet, Ms. Donovan?”

“None.  Now, do you want to know about Malcolm, or not?”

Mac snorted.  “Malcolm?  You dated a guy named Malcolm?  What was his claim to fame?  Badminton?”

Jade sprung from her chair.  “If you’re going to mock me, I’ll handle the stalker myself.”  She turned on her heel and strode toward the family room.

With several long steps, Mac blocked her path.

“Get out of my way,” she ordered, reaching up to push him.

He grabbed her wrists.  “Hey, calm down.” He kept his voice soft.  “I was teasing you.  I’m sorry.”  He lowered his head to look in her eyes, but she moved her gaze to the floor.

“Look at me and give me a smile,” he urged.

She shook her head.

“Don’t be stubborn.  If you don’t look at me, I’ll have to think of a way to make you.”

“Give it your best shot, cowboy.  You just got done telling me how male cops drop their pants for every woman who smiles at them.”  She lifted her head defiantly.  “I‘m not that kind of girl,” she said, fighting a smile.

His jeans pressed uncomfortably across his groin.  The woman was driving him crazy.  There was only one thing to do.

Mac lowered his head and captured her lips.  They were so soft and warm.  She tensed, but didn’t pull away.  He moved one hand to the back of her head and used the other to stroke her cheek.

She relaxed, returned the kiss, and leaned into him.  There was no way she couldn’t know the effect she was having on him.  He deepened the kiss, teasing her fabulous lips with his tongue.  The smell of flowers clung to her hair.

She raised her hands and placed them over his and gently pulled them away from her head.  She drew back.

Her eyes were languorous, her lids heavy.

“Mac, I appreciate the fact you want to help me with the stalker, but I have no intention of becoming a notch on your headboard.”

“That isn’t what’s happening here,” he said.

“Well whatever
is
happening here isn’t going to continue.  There are so many reasons why this is a bad idea.  Let's get back to Malcolm.”  She stepped away from him and they both returned to the table settling into chrome-framed chairs.

He was disappointed, to say nothing of the hard-on he had going.  Face it, he thought, you’ve tried to pretend your relationship with Jade is strictly partners – it’s not.  You might as well admit to yourself you’ve become dangerously attached to Jade and Donnie.  In a deep part of your soul, you’ve fantasized being together as a family.  You’re a schmuck.  She told you she doesn’t hook up with people at work and that would include you.

Sighing, he placed his hands flat on the table.

“Okay, so what makes you think Malcolm might be weird enough to send you dead roses, and what does he do for a living?”

“He's a doctor.  He works in the E.R. at North Hollywood Hospital.  Our paths crossed and he asked me out.  We went out several times but I didn't feel a connection, so I stopped seeing him."  She drew circles on the table with her finger.