Detective Partners (2 page)

"I'm well," he said. "And you?"

"I'm okay," she replied.

"Just okay?"
Pastor Kelly said.

Nicole licked her dry lips. "The truth is I'm not okay. I learned a little while ago that a friend of mine was killed."

"I'm sorry," he said. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"I don't know much. Just that it was a convenience store robbery that went horribly wrong." She reached up and tucked several strands of red hair behind her ear. "Kyle Jonas was his name. We dated in high school. After graduation we decided to break up. We wanted to concentrate on our careers. Even though we called it quits we stayed friends. We called each other to talk, met for dinner or coffee when we had time. He was there for me during some of the most painful times in my life. Now he's gone." Tears gathered in her eyes. "I never told him how much he meant to me."

"I've always been a firm believer that actions speak louder than words," Pastor Kelly told her. "I'm sure your actions showed him how much you cared. Would you like to pray for him?"

"Yes, please." Nicole took the hand he held out and then bowed her head. She closed her eyes as he started to pray. "Thank you," she said, a few minutes later.

"You're welcome." He squeezed her hand gently and then released it. "I noticed you were not in church on Sunday."

"I'm sorry, Pastor," she muttered, "but crime doesn't take a break on Sundays. While you were here preaching I was somewhere busting up a meth lab. I'd like to say that I won't miss services again, but that would be lying. I don't know what I'll be doing from one minute to the next."

"I understand," Pastor Kelly said. "I will continue to pray for your safety."

A rush of affection for him washed over her. "Thank you. I will keep praying that you stay well." She discreetly checked her watch. "I should go. I'm probably keeping you from going home to your family."

"Melinda and the children are out of town," he explained. "Her mother is not feeling well. The poor woman has pneumonia."

"Oh dear," Nicole mumbled. "That's not good, especially for a person her age."

"She will be fine," he assured her. "She's taking medication and being monitored. If all goes well Melinda and the children will be home by the weekend.
While we're talking about family.
Have you spoken to your father recently?"

Nicole stiffened up. "Yes!" she said sharply. "I talked to him on the phone the other day." She got to her feet. "He was drunk."

Sighing heavily, Pastor Kelly stood. "He was doing so well. I had hoped and prayed that he would stay sober this time."

She snorted. "You're wasting your prayers and your time, Pastor. My father will die with a beer can in his hand. I've come to terms with that." She stared at him. "I don't pray for him to get sober anymore. I pray that when his time is up God will have mercy on him."

"I cannot give up on him," he said.

Nicole nodded. "I know. I'm not asking you to. It's getting late and I've had a long trying day." She smiled at him. "I will try to make it to the service on Wednesday."

"Please do." He returned her smile. "Thank you for stopping by."

"Thank you for talking and praying with me," she said. "Good night, Pastor."

"Good night."

Nicole turned and headed back up the aisle.

Chapter  1

3 weeks later . . .

Galen opened the door and strolled into the Homicide Unit. It was barely seven and all ready the room was buzzing with activity. He glanced around the room and spotted Parker talking to a woman he had never seen before. Small in stature, she had shoulder length red hair, high cheekbones, a small nose, full lips and blue eyes. She was wearing a black pants suit and a white blouse. His curiosity piqued, he made his way toward them. As he drew near her gaze settled on him.

"Ah, Maxwell," Parker said, turning toward Galen. "Welcome back."

"Thank you, sir."

"Allow me to introduce you to Detective Nicole Goodwin," Parker said. "Goodwin, this is-"

"Galen Maxwell." Nicole held out her hand. "It's nice to meet you, Detective."

He took her small hand in his large one and gently shook it.
"You too."

"Detective Goodwin is going to be your new partner," Parker informed him.

Conflicting emotions tore through Galen. A part of him was angry that he had to work with this stranger. Then there was a part of him that was sad his old partner was being replaced. He cleared his throat. "Sir, may I speak with you?"

"Of course."

"I uh - I'll just go and talk to the team," Nicole said. She turned around and walked away.

"I know you don't like this," Parker said.

"You're damn right I don't like this," Galen growled softly. "First you order me to take a leave of absence and now you're sticking me with her. What next? Are you going to make me take a pay cut?"

"You keep talking and you're going to get more than a pay cut." Parker glared at him. "You need a partner, Maxwell. Goodwin is a damn fine detective. Don't let her appearance fool you. She can handle her own. I know because I've been watching her for some time now. She's what you need. I know it's going to be difficult to work with someone new, especially so soon after Kyle's death, but I need you to step up and be decent about this."

"You want me to be-"

At that moment Parker's cell phone rang. "Hold on for a moment." He retrieved his phone from his pocket, flipped it open, and pushed the talk button. "Strauss."

While he waited on his boss, Galen studied Nicole, who was talking to another female detective. He couldn't help but compare the two women. The other woman was everything Nicole wasn't. She was tall, curvy and blond. Her clothes accentuated her figure whereas Nicole's concealed. He wondered if Nicole was trying to down play her femininity in order to fit in. He forced himself to look away.

Parker closed his phone, a minute later, a grim look on his face. "We've got a double homicide. We're going to have to shelf this conversation for another time."

"Fine by me," Galen said.

Nicole took a deep breath and let it out slowly. The tension in the car was starting to get on her nerves. She snuck a peek at her new partner from the corner of her eye. There was no denying he was a handsome man. Tall with broad shoulders, he had coal black hair, a chiseled jaw, full lips, and piercing gray eyes. He exuded confidence and liked to be in control. She knew without a doubt that he was going to be hell to work with. She stared ahead once more. "Are we going to talk?"

"I have nothing to say," Galen uttered coolly.

God, give me strength.
Nicole gritted her teeth.
"Fine.
I'll talk and you can listen. I didn't ask to be your partner. In fact, I wasn't given a choice. Just as I'm sure you weren't either. I know you hate like hell that I'm replacing Detective Jonas." She sighed. "Look, we have to work together. I'm not asking for us to be friends and I could care less whether you like me or not. I'm just asking that we be civil toward each other. We're both adults. I don't think it should be too hard to do. What do you say?"

"All right."
After a brief pause he spoke again. "How are you about blood and bodies?"

A flashback of her sister lying dead in a pool of blood came to her. Quickly she banished it from her mind. It was the last thing she wanted to think about. "I'm not squeamish. I won't faint or fall apart on you."

"Good because I don't have time to baby sit you."

"You won't have to," she said calmly.

A few minutes later, they pulled up in front of the house, got out of the car, and headed across the damp yard. At the front door they showed their badge and ID to the officer standing guard and he let them inside. The living room was crowded with police officers. Nicole knew and had worked on cases with many of them.

"Goodwin, Maxwell," one of the officers said, acknowledging Nicole and Galen. "Are you two working together?"

"We are." Nicole watched as Galen disappeared through the crowd.
He's probably going to look at the crime scene,
she told herself. Putting her partner from her mind, she removed a small notepad and an ink pen from the pocket of her coat. "Were you first on the scene?"

"Yes."

"Walk me through what happened when you got here."

"All right."
He checked his notepad. "When I got here the neighbor from across the street, Ms. Mary Henson came out to speak with me. She said she stepped outside to get the newspaper and noticed that the front door was wide open. She thought it was strange that the door would be open when it's cold out. She came over to see if the owner was all right and found the victims.
Victims
names are Jim Chappell and Candace Green. They're in the bedroom. Down the hall, second door on the left. I hope you have a strong stomach."

Nicole slipped the notepad and pen back in her pocket. "Thanks, Travers."

"No problem."

She marched through the living room and down the hallway. Second door on her left, she stepped into the room. Blood was the first thing she saw. It splattered the wall behind the bed, pooled on the floor, and soaked the white sheets. In the midst of all this mess were the victims. Her stomach churning, she moved toward the bed. Galen, who was deep in conversation with a member of the CSI Unit, glanced her way. She ignored him. Her focus was on the bodies on the bed. She took a pair of latex gloves out of her pocket and put them on.

Nicole leaned over the bed, careful not to step in blood, and pulled the sheets back to examine the bodies. Both were naked and riddled with bullet holes. Her eyes traveled over them and her breath caught in her throat at what she saw. The man had been shot in the genitals.

"That's a bad place to shoot a man."

"Tell me about it
. "
Nicole turned and smiled at the medical examiner.
"Hey, doc."

Dr. Alexandra Cain returned the smile. "Working homicide now, I see. Who did you piss off to get saddled with this job?"

"I haven't a clue." Nicole jerked her head in the direction of the bodies. "What can you tell me?"

"The male was shot more times than the female." Dr. Cain moved around to the other side of the bed and donned a pair of gloves. "He was shot eight times. She was shot-"

"Five times," Galen interrupted as he joined them at the bed. "I counted the wounds."

"Whoever killed these two is a very angry person and obviously has something against men," Dr. Cain commented.

"Perhaps we're looking at the handiwork of a female," Nicole said. "Shooting of
a
mans
genitals isn't something a male killer would normally do."

"I think it's a female also." Dr. Cain pointed at a pink smudge on the males' forehead. Nicole and Galen leaned in for a closer look. "That's lipstick. It's not from the female victim. The female victim wasn't wearing any. I'm thinking the killer kissed him after she killed him. I had one of the CSI guys take a sample of it. Hopefully some of the
killers
saliva or skin was left behind."