Justifiable Risk (15 page)

“Then I’m going with you.”

“What part of ‘no police’ don’t you understand, Greer? I can’t risk it.”

“Well, at least let us cover you. And take someone else with you, anybody.”

“No police, obvious or otherwise. This is too important. I’ll ask Tom Merritt to come along. He’s keen for a story.”

“Does everything with you have to be a challenge? Why can’t you accept that I know how to do my job?”

“Because you seem wed to some set of rules and restrictions that I don’t find necessary or helpful. I like to look for other options. Sorry if that doesn’t work for you, Detective.”

Greer considered Eva’s scenario: two reporters meeting an unknown subject, possibly dangerous, in an abandoned warehouse with no obvious police presence. This wasn’t a promising setup. She’d talk with Sergeant Fluharty about providing discreet cover. “I guess Tom would be okay. What time did he say?”

“Two o’clock tomorrow afternoon.”

That would be long enough to arrange protection and get in place before the meeting. “Okay. Call me the minute it’s over. I mean the
exact
minute. If I’m sidelined, at least let me know what you find out. I’ll be waiting to hear from you.”

Eva walked her to the door. “Of course, I’ll call you…and thank you for letting me do this.” She gave Greer a warm hug. “Be careful driving home.”

*

When Greer turned in the driveway of the main house, the kitchen light was still on. Bessie was definitely waiting up. She didn’t want to chat but couldn’t risk that something might be wrong. After parking her bike in the garage, she walked to the house and knocked to announce herself.

“Well, this is new.” Bessie gave her an appraising stare and sat down at the kitchen counter with her coffee.

“What?”

“Your trysts don’t usually take this long on school nights. Anybody I know…like maybe that gorgeous Portuguese reporter?”

Greer turned quickly away from Bessie to hide any facial tells. But her aunt would’ve made a great cop. She didn’t miss anything.

“It
was
her. Great.”

“Bessie, I said no such thing. Don’t jump to conclusions.”

“Darling, you don’t have to say anything. I’ve got eyes.”

“Don’t start planning the wedding. She’ll move to her next assignment when this investigation is over.” Stating the obvious out loud for the first time seemed surreal. Though she’d told herself the same thing many times, the words sounded both wistful and final.

“You’re right. A fling is all it can ever be.”

Of all the things her aunt could’ve said, that was the last Greer expected. From her not-too-subtle nudging in Eva’s direction, Greer thought Bessie liked Eva and hoped something might develop between them. Had her matchmaking gene taken a nap? “What did you say?”

“I said enjoy it while it lasts.”

“Am I missing something here? I thought you liked Eva.”

“She’s wonderful and probably perfect for you, but you can’t care about her.”

Now Bessie had her complete attention. “That’s right.” But were they on the same page? “Why do you say that?”

“Because she’s a wanderer. She’s never in one place long, either because of her job or by choice. That’s an unforgivable sin to you. You see anyone who can’t stay put as flawed.”

Greer started to object but considered Bessie’s statement. Was that possible? Loyalty was important to her, and while permanence of place contributed to that sense of dedication, it wasn’t mandatory. She thought about her parents and Clare. They’d all left her, not by their own choice, but her feelings of loss couldn’t differentiate. Could she truly care about someone who intentionally chose to leave again and again, someone who favored an itinerant lifestyle to a stable home? How could she speculate about some hypothetical emotional nuance? But she couldn’t dispute Bessie’s assessment either, which bothered her. “Maybe you’re right.”

“And maybe it’s time to look at your priorities. Staying in one place has nothing to do with loyalty.” Bessie stood and gave her a hug. “I can go to sleep a happy woman now. I’ve had my say. Good night, honey.”

*

Eva listened at the door until the reverberations of Greer’s motorcycle faded. The farther away the sound, the more alone she felt. Lying in Greer’s arms earlier had comforted her and she’d been reluctant to let go. At the same time, she hadn’t relaxed enough to relinquish control during sex. That was more power than she’d ever given anyone. Her remark about leaving reminded her of her boundaries. The moment she’d said it, the distance between her and Greer grew like a living entity. But honesty was best in her affairs. She couldn’t justify hurting anyone the way her father had repeatedly hurt her. She wouldn’t offer hope that things could be different then leave anyway. Her lovers had to know that their liaisons were short-lived.

But sex with Greer had been different this time. Though Eva controlled their interaction on both occasions, tonight Greer was more engaged, more present. She hadn’t seen the distance in Greer’s eyes that had been so apparent before. They’d reached mutually agreeable work-and-play limits. Greer was an active and fully informed participant. If any using was going on, it was reciprocated. Eva released the guilt that nibbled at the edge of her consciousness. She considered taking a shower but decided she’d prefer to smell Greer’s scent on her body as she snuggled beneath the covers.

Pulling the blanket around her, she concentrated on tomorrow’s meeting. Who was this man who claimed to have information about Paul’s death? And would his news support her belief that her brother had been murdered? The meeting could be a setup, as Greer suggested, a ruse to kill her as well, but if someone meant her harm, he wouldn’t have to work so hard. She wasn’t difficult to find and she was usually alone. She remembered her promise to have Tom accompany her and reached for the phone.

Eva sent him a quick text and his enthusiastic reply boosted her confidence. They arranged to meet at his office and walk to the warehouse together.

As she drifted into a restless sleep, she thought how nice to finally have Greer on her side. Paul’s investigation would now benefit from the duty and deep loyalty Greer wore like a garment. She wished Greer could be at the meeting tomorrow for backup. But she’d insisted on handling it alone.
Idiot
, she thought.
Stubborn, arrogant idiot.

Greer was sitting in Sergeant Fluharty’s office when he came in the next morning.

“Let me fix my coffee first. It can’t be good if you’re here early.” He took the lid off his cup and scooped in four large spoonfuls of sugar, tasted, added more sugar, and settled at his desk. “Let’s hear it.”

“You look like hell, Sarge. You okay?”

“Says the woman with road rash on her face. Thanks for the commentary, but I’m fine. So, what’s up?”

“Eva, Ms. Saldana, is meeting an informant about her brother’s case at two this afternoon. We need to cover her.”

“Where did this mysterious informant come from?”

“I have no idea, Sarge. He called her directly, refusing to go through the department. Said he didn’t trust us.”

“When did he contact her?”

“Late last night.”

“And you know this how?”

Greer hesitated. Total honesty wouldn’t help her cause or her credibility at this point. “She told me about it.” That wasn’t completely true but wasn’t an outright lie.

“Jesus, it sounds like an epidemic. Who the hell doesn’t trust the police? Don’t answer that.” Fluharty took another sip of coffee. “Did
Eva
ask for our help or is this your idea?”

“She’s too proud to ask for anything now. She wants to handle it herself. But this may be a setup. Somebody jumped me last night after I left the motel office, and Eva’s gotten two threatening phone calls.”

“He did that?” He pointed to her cheek and she nodded. “Did you report the assault?”

“Nah, nothing to report. I didn’t get a good look at him, and what cop wants to admit they got ambushed? It would end up another unsolved case in our unit that adds to the crime stats. I’m not even sure it’s connected to what I’m working on.”

“Still, you better be more careful. Anything new on the case?”

“That’s why this doesn’t feel right. We’re getting nowhere and this guy comes out of the blue with information. It sounds like an intentional attempt to lead us in another direction.”

“I’m not sure this makes sense, Greer. But if you feel strongly about it, we’ll cover her. I’ll tell the rest of the squad at lineup in a few minutes.”

Greer’s initial enthusiasm plummeted. How receptive would the guys be? She walked through the squad room trying to make eye contact with each detective as she passed. Breeze gave her a quizzical look. Craig spoke in his usual monotone from behind his computer screen. JJ grunted but didn’t look up as she stopped in front of his desk. This wouldn’t be easy.

“Can we talk?”

JJ propped his size-thirteen boots on the desk. “Sure. Go ahead.”

Greer nodded toward the interrogation area at the back of the office, hoping for a more private chat. She didn’t want to discuss the case, his bratty behavior, the intrusion into Eva’s motel room, and his ratting her out to the sergeant in front of the other detectives.

“It’s time for lineup. Say whatever you have to say.”

She sat on the side of his desk with her back to Craig and Breeze and lowered her voice. “Why are you so upset with me for doing my job? You taught me everything I know about being a detective, and you’ve never turned down an assignment.”

“You wouldn’t understand.”

“Try me, JJ. We’re friends. At least I thought we were.” The words were harder to say than she’d anticipated. JJ’s expression softened with a flicker of emotion and his boyish grin reappeared. This was the face of her friend and mentor. Maybe she was finally getting through.

“It’s just that when I—”

“So you’ve told him about last night?” Breeze asked from behind her.

Greer stiffened as a chill returned to the air around them.

JJ’s eyes filled with suspicion and his expression hardened again. “What about last night?”

Breeze looked from one to the other and shrugged. “My bad. Thought you’d already had
that
conversation.” He sauntered back to his desk like he didn’t have a care in the world.

“Something you need to tell me, Greer?” JJ nailed her with his bad-cop stare.

“I thought something was missing from the Saldana file, so I went in the sergeant’s office after hours last night to look for it. Breeze came in and got the wrong idea.”

JJ rolled his chair directly in front of her. “What the hell do you mean, something was missing?”

“Okay, guys, huddle up.” Fluharty called the group to order before Greer could answer. JJ was fuming. She added this to the growing list of things unresolved between them. The more time that passed without resolution, the more distanced they’d become.

Fluharty addressed the squad in his usual matter-of-fact tone. “Greer needs our help this afternoon. Ms. Saldana is meeting an informant about her brother’s case. The guy refuses to contact us directly, so she’s securing the info.”

Breeze and Craig started mumbling to each other. JJ was surprisingly quiet.

“The meet is at the warehouse at 247 Lewis Street and I want everybody available. I’ll have an op plan worked up by thirteen hundred hours. Be back here by then for assignments.”

“Bullshit.” JJ stared directly at Greer.

“Don’t start, Jake,” Fluharty warned him.

That was absolutely the wrong approach. Greer cringed as JJ stood and addressed the group. “
Bullshit
. Just because Greer’s tapping that reporter’s ass doesn’t mean we should drop everything to help her.” The room went deathly quiet as this new information registered. Everyone turned their attention toward her.

Breeze started. “You’re screwing Saldana? Jesus, she’s hot.”

Craig whistled. “Damn, girl, you’re fast.” It was the first time Greer had heard the young computer guru say anything even remotely suggestive.

JJ was not deterred. “What’s the matter, Greer, need help proving I’m a lousy detective? And after the stunt she pulled last night, you’re still backing her, Sarge?” Greer wondered if JJ hated her. His recent behavior certainly wasn’t that of a friend. It had to go deeper than this case.

Now JJ had Fluharty’s attention. “What stunt?”

“Tell him, Breeze.” JJ obviously wanted everybody involved in her humiliation.

“Somebody better damn well tell me, and now,” Fluharty bellowed.

Greer decided it would sound better coming from her. “I was in your office last night looking for a document from the Saldana file. Breeze came in, thought I was a burglar, and nearly shot my ass.”

Breeze defended himself. “Well, you
were
sneaking around in the dark.”

“Did you find it?” Fluharty asked. “I gave you everything in the file.”

“No, I didn’t find anything else.”

“That’s beside the damn point,” JJ said. “I don’t think we should let a reporter do our job for us. If this informant has anything to contribute to the case, we should get it directly from him, not through a third party. How reliable is that?”