Delta Stevens 1: Taken by Storm (10 page)

“So Miles was right. You do find me attractive. Or does that mean that you only stand up ugly women?”

This brought a chuckle from Delta. It had been so long since she laughed, she almost forgot what it sounded like.

“See you at three. And, thanks.”

Wait till you get my bill.” And with another short burst of laughter, Megan hung up.

As soon as she pulled into the overcrowded parking lot of the station, she knew something big had gone down.

Parking on the road adjacent to the station, Delta stared out at the mass of people with microphones and cameras.

“What in the hell?” she muttered, jumping out of the truck.

Before her feet even hit the ground, Connie had her by the arm and was pulling her to the other side of the truck.

“Go through the back,” Connie ordered, grabbing Delta’s jacket sleeve and pulling her toward the back stairs.

“What’s going on?” Delta demanded as they entered the safe confines of the station. “What happened?”

“Hammond was shot and killed early this morning.”

“What?” Delta stopped, frozen with memories of that fateful night now echoing in the corridor of the patrol room.

“How?”

Connie sucked in a deep breath. “The Captain thinks we may have cop killers on our hands. Thinks the same guy killed Miles.”

“Witnesses?”

Connie shook her head. “Not exactly.”

Delta felt her legs get weak and sat down. “Where was Larson?”

“Apparently, not in the immediate area. He did see the van, though.”

Delta’s eyebrows shot up. “You’re kidding? Are you sure it was the same van?”

Connie shook her head again. “That's what the press wants to know. That, and how these guys keep getting through the nets.”

Delta covered her face with her hands. The hubbub around the station acutely reminded her of the morning’s activity after Miles was killed.

“You okay?” Getting Delta a glass of water, Connie rushed back and handed it to her.

Delta took a small sip. Her insides felt on fire. “So . . . the ravenous reporters are into their cop-killer story? God, they’re vultures.” Drinking the remainder of the water, Delta leaned back in the chair and gazed out the window at the tumultuous gathering in the parking lot, thankful that Connie saved her from any impromptu interviews.

Turning her attention from the crowd, Delta watched a thin, angular man approaching her. It was Frank Taggart, a mediocre cop she had gone to the Academy with. A thick dislike for him had sprouted in the Academy because he was a corner-cutter. If he could do something faster, he would cut any corner to do so.

“Hi, Stevens. Did ya hear the news?”

Delta nodded. He reminded her of a gnat buzzing annoyingly around her ear.

“Looks like we’re going to have to watch our backsides out there. Two men down in one week. It’s insane.”

Delta looked hard at him. “What do you mean, ‘we?’ ”

Taggart stepped back from the window. “Didn’t you hear? We’re partners.” Taggart reached a scrawny hand out, which Delta shook with little enthusiasm. This wasn’t what she needed to start back to work.

“I know I’ve got some big shoes to fill, but I’ll give it everything I’ve got. Miles was a great guy and all—”

“I’m sure you will, Taggart. Look, this is my first night back on the street, and I’d appreciate it if we just wouldn’t talk about Miles.”

“Hey, sure. Fine by me.”

Delta rose and her five-nine frame towered over the diminutive Taggart. “Is Captain going to muster when he’s through with the press?”

Taggart shook his head. “Severet’s got it. He’ll fill everyone in. It’s a madhouse out there. It makes me wonder if it’s really worth putting the badge on every night.”

Great, Delta thought grimly.A partner questioning his career was of no use to another cop. They were the greatest hazard on the street because their indecision usually put people’s lives on the line. Fill Miles’s shoes? Frank Taggart wasn’t fit to shine them.

At muster, they learned that Hammond had been shot in the back while checking around the back of a drugstore. His partner, Larson, was maintaining the front of the building. After the shot, he ran around the building, in time to see the van head down the road. License number ZAP 914. The Captain warned there was a possible cop-killing maniac on the loose, and for everyone to be on their toes.

Five minutes after muster, Delta grabbed a radio, jammed it in her holder, and headed for the car, Taggart in tow.

“This guy—this cop-killer. You think maybe he’s an ex-con or something?”

Delta shrugged. She was still reading Larson’s report.

“It was inconceivable to her that the killers were using the same van.”

“Who knows?“ Delta did not feel like engaging in small talk.

“What are you looking for in that report? You’ve been studying it like the Bible.”

Gritting her teeth, Delta put the report down. “Doesn’t it strike you odd that they haven’t dumped that van?”

“Maybe they’re just stupid.”

“Maybe. If they’re so stupid, how are they getting through all our nets and perimeters?”

Taggart shrugged. “Who knows. But staring at that report isn’t gonna give you the answers. You haven’t changed much since the Academy.”

Delta picked the report up. “Neither have you, Taggart. Neither have you.”

Grateful that the shift was over and Taggart could finally stop filling the airwaves with his mindless drivel, Delta walked into the station, motioned for Connie to meet her in the bathroom, and picked up the rest of Larson’s report. Before she could make it to the bathroom, Captain Williams barked at her to come into his office.

“Yes, sir.”

“How did it go tonight?” he asked, not kindly.

“If you must know, I don’t think it will work, sir. We have two different philosophies out there.”

“Make it work. You made it work with Brookman. do the same with Taggart.”

“He’s a long way from being Miles, sir.”

“Look, Stevens, I know having a new partner is difficult, but you and Taggart will remain a team until we catch the bastard who’s blowing us off the streets.”

“Yes, sir.”

“And another thing, the media has sunken its teeth into the cop-killings. When they contact you for a statement, you are to have no comment. Do you understand?”

Delta nodded.

“There’s enough going on without pulling officers into the limelight.”

“Yes, sir. Is that all?”

Captain Williams grinned like the Cheshire cat. “That’s all.”

Delta nodded and turned to leave, but remembered one more thing.

“Captain, who was backup for Hammond and Larson? The report never indicated.”

The grin immediately disappeared from his face. “Patterson and McKlinton. Why?”

“Just curious. It wasn’t listed in the report, and I was just wondering. Have a nice night, sir.“ Exiting his office, Delta headed for the women’s room, Larson’s complete report tucked under her arm.

“What in the hell are you up to?” Connie asked the moment the door closed.

After checking each stall to be sure they were alone, Delta reached in her shirt pocket and pulled out photocopies of the numbers from the notepad and handed them to Connie.

“What are these?”

Delta shrugged. “I don’t know. I was wondering if you and Eddie might be able to decipher them.”

Connie looked at the numbers, to Delta, and back at the numbers again. “That depends. What, specifically, are you looking for?”

Delta shrugged. “I wish I knew.”

Gazing down at the numbers, Connie nodded. “Well, they all have the same amount of numbers, many begin with the number seven, and there appears to be an abundance of threes and not very many ones.” Delta grinned, admiring the quickness with which Connie’s mathematical genius could work.

Folding the paper, Connie stuffed it in her back pocket. “Eddie’s going to love this challenge. We’ve been working on a program that can sort all kinds of numbers, but it’s far from perfect. This may take a while.”

Delta nodded, touching Connie thankfully on the shoulder. “You’re a peach.”

“No, a peach would tell you to let go of it. A peach would say it’s not important anymore and why risk your own life for something you don’t have the faintest idea of. Whatever Miles was investigating should be buried with him.”

Delta stood taller, in defiance.

“But I know you, Storm. Those would be empty words. Even after three years on the street, there are still times when you put yourself on auto pilot and cruise right into situations you’d be better off staying away from. I can’t say that I blame you, though. Finishing whatever he started might be a source of therapy, and it might give his death a sense of closure in your own life.”

“God, Connie, you and Gina have been at it a long time. You sound just like her.”

“We’ve been discussing this. Why else have you grabbed onto it with bulldog determination? In a way, it keeps him alive within you.”

“Maybe that’s it. Even if I wanted, I couldn’t let this go. It drives me day and night.”

Connie grinned. “I know. Just don’t let it drive you crazy.”

Nodding, Delta slowly pulled away. “I won’t. Do the best you can with those numbers.”

Connie nodded. “Do you have any other leads?”

“Just one. I don’t know what it has to do with those numbers, but I’m on my way to get more pieces now.”

“Honey, don’t burn yourself out on this. Go home, get some rest. You’re still healing, you know. Take some time.”

Kissing Connie on the cheek, Delta winked, “Tell Eddie I’ll buy him a girlfriend or maybe a new modem if he can figure this one out.”

“You’re going to ignore me, aren’t you?”

Delta nodded. “Would you ease off me if I told you that the lead I’m going to talk to tonight is a long-legged, extremely good looking blonde?”

Connie’s face brightened. “No kidding?”

“No kidding.”

“Do I know her?”

“Not yet. But you will.” Just thinking about being with Megan brought a smile to her face.

“Well, go get it, girl.”

Ten minutes later, Delta pulled up to the motel and found Megan casually leaning against a “no parking” sign.

It was only two-thirty.

“You’re early,” she said, as her long legs folded into the cab of the truck.

“So are you.”

“I told him I had a real date and charged him half price.“ Megan’s soft smile filled the cab with warmth. “How was your night?”

“Awful. They gave me this jerk for a partner. The night felt like a week long.”

Megan touched Delta’s shoulder. “I’m sorry.”

“Have you listened to the news?”

Megan shook her head.

“Another cop was gunned down.”

Keeping her hand on Delta’s shoulder, Megan drew in a deep breath. “It’s scary to think that someone would actually go after cops.”

“You’re telling me.”

Pulling into the small, twenty-four hour coffee shop off her beat, Delta opened the door for Megan and admired her shapely rear end as it swished through the front door.

“Why, Officer Stevens, you’re worse than a man,” Megan teased, not even turning around.

“I’m sorry,” Delta fumbled, feeling at once awkward and embarrassed.

“Don’t be,” Megan flashed that one smile. “I might have been insulted had you not admired my body.”

After they ordered, Megan pulled out a slip of scented stationery and slid it over to Delta. “These are the names of everyone who rents out of the hotel.”

Delta looked down at the list of twenty or so names, most of them women. “This is excellent. Thank you.” Delta looked up from the list to find Megan’s gentle smile beaming on her.

“You and Miles are a lot alike,” Megan said softly. “You both work too hard and don’t know when to stop and smell the roses.”

“I’ll stop and smell them as soon as I know what’s going on.” Megan shook her head and slowly snatched the stationery back. “I’m afraid that just won’t do. That won’t do at all.” Leaning to within a foot of Delta’s face, Megan’s smile faded. “Your people are getting blown away left and right. Running around, chasing after Miles’s ghost is fine ... up to a point.”

“And that point is?”

“Until it endangers your well-being. Delta, you look exhausted. When I touched your shoulder, your muscles were bunched up like a bag of golf balls. Can we take care of business and then drop it for tonight?”

Delta nodded. “That would be nice.”

Megan smiled. “Great. I didn’t want to have to twist your arm.” Putting the list back on the table, Megan pointed to the two male names at the bottom. “These guys are bad news. They’re into everything from prostitution to hot cars.”

“Drugs?”

Megan nodded. “That’s how they get their girls.”