Promise Renewed (7 page)

The captain didn’t look enthused at the idea. “We’ll question them thoroughly.”

“Permission to be there, sir.”

Captain Wells looked at him closely. Darin didn’t like the uneasy look in his superior’s eyes, but couldn’t think of a single reason to be turned down.

“We’ll see.”

Which was no answer at all.

The captain left the room. When Darin turned, Melanie was staring at him, her eyes wide.

“Is everything all right?”

“Fine,” she snapped. “Just tired and disappointed. Jimmy and I were supposed to go to the ballet tonight at the Wortham. It was their last performance of the season. Now I won’t get to see it.”

“You’ll live,” he told her. Turning to the others, he said, “Let’s call it a night. We’ll do the paperwork in the morning.”

“Good.” Dwanda yawned. “I’m beat.”

They staggered out, made their way to the parking area, and were on their way home in minutes.

Darin watched them leave.

Five arrests, a suitcase of money, another of drugs wasn’t a bad haul. One of the suspects had mentioned there were more drugs. Lots more. Could it be the missing truckload?

He had to talk to him. Now.

Making his way to lock-up, he considered how to get the suspect to talk.

“They’ve been released,” the cop on duty told him.

“Couldn’t have. They were arrested less than two hours ago.”

“Made bail. They’re gone.”

It was as if someone had hit him with a sledgehammer again. How could anyone get to them so fast? They shouldn’t be close to being released until tomorrow.
So what gives?
The thought that came to him earlier came roaring back. Was there a leak? His head reeled at the possibility.

If someone on the squad had warned them, it would explain why the bust was mediocre instead of huge. And how a lawyer was waiting to get them out.

Darin felt sick.

Had this drug deal been an elaborate set-up? Would either of the drug lords risk losing money and drugs to take HPD off the scent of a bigger deal? Had they been warned HPD was onto them?

Darin’s sickness spread. The drug buyers and sellers were gone for good. If he were to make bets, they were on their way out of town right now, and their pockets weren’t empty.

Anger propelled Darin to his truck.

Who had warned them?

If there was a mole, he vowed to find the traitor.

****

Focus, Gina cautioned herself the next morning as Darin stopped for a red light. Focus on the job. Focus on proving or disproving Callahan or another member of the squad of theft and possibly murder.

Don’t focus so much on Callahan. Not in the scope of her current job anyway.

It was hard not to.

For the first time in her professional life, Gina found it difficult to concentrate.

Dammit. What was wrong with her? The man wasn’t that attractive. Yes, he was. So what? She’d met and known dozens of good-looking men. But she was so messed up if he, or any other man, made a pass she’d run in the opposite direction. So why the distraction now?

She stole another glance as he turned into the complex parking lot. She liked what she saw, green eyes that could bore a hole through you, wide shoulders, reddish brown hair. Nothing there to dislike. This job was unlike any she’d been on. She always wanted them solved quickly. This one even more so.

It was only the two of them today.

They were to check an apartment for suspicion of drugs. Two neighbors had called 911 saying something strange was going on in apartment 322. Not only was there a peculiar smell, but there were too many visitors.

Routine.

They’d check and be out of there in minutes.

The apartment complex wasn’t upscale. More in the mid-price range and occupied by working class people.

A knock and the door was opened immediately.

Darin and Gina exchanged glances an instant before the door slammed in their faces.

They’d seen enough, smelled enough. A loud crash from inside the apartment had Darin with his shoulder to the door.

When it opened, Gina went in fast. Gun drawn.

It was a freakin’ meth lab.

Gagging at the stench that seemed to triple in the small room, Gina concentrated on the three young men. They had to be in their late teens or early twenties, looked like clean-cut college kids. Definitely didn’t resemble the druggies or drug dealers she’d encountered in her time on the force.

Right now they were scared out of their skulls.

“Don’t shoot,” the youngest cried out as he fell to his knees.

Darin handcuffed him, turned to the next kid, as the third ran to the back room. Gina was right behind him.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

The young man was at the window.

Gina moved closer. “Put your hands where I can see them.”

She grabbed the hand working the lock, jerked it behind the kid, and slapped on a cuff. None too gently she grabbed the other hand and did the same.

Pushing him ahead of her they filed back to the living room where Darin had the others in cuffs.

“Did you call it in?” Gina asked.

“On their way,” he said looking around.

“Pretty good business you guys have here.”

“Until you showed up,” the youngest said.

“Shut up!” one of the trio yelled. “We don’t know a thing about this. We’re just visiting.”

“Don’t have to convince us,” Gina said. “Convince the judge.” It would be hard to do with this much evidence. The trio was headed to jail or to juvie.

“We’ll be out before you can get us booked. My dad will see to it.”

“Good for you,” Gina said. Why not? Bigger fish than these were out as soon as they were brought in. Talk about a revolving door...

“Think your dad can explain this?” Darin asked.

From the look on the boys’ faces, Gina doubted any of their dads were privy to their kid’s moneymaking project.

She walked around the room and snapped a dozen pictures with her hidden camera before she joined Darin.

“Did you see the shoebox full of money? Mostly hundreds. No telling how much they were pulling in,” Gina stated.

Darin nodded. “They have enough meth cooked up to service half the city.”

“Or blow up the building,” Gina muttered.

“That, too.”

Several hours later the boys were booked, the meth lab photographed, fingerprinted, and dismantled.

By the time Gina and Darin got back to the squad room the others had left for the day.

They were at their desk when the captain interrupted them.

“It’s been a long day. Paperwork can wait until morning.”

“You sure?” Gina asked. “Won’t take long.”

“Get out of here,” he said as he headed to the door. “Both of you did a good job today. Take advantage of my generosity. Doesn’t happen often.”

“That’s the damn truth,” Darin said as the door shut behind the captain. He threw his paperwork into a drawer. “Captain Wells is usually a hard-ass.”

“Let’s go before he changes his mind.”

“You go ahead. There’s something I want to check,” Darin answered.

She threw him a questioning look, but left. She had something of her own to check out.

When she showed up at lock-up, Darin was already there.

“Kids out yet?” she asked, hiding any surprise she might have felt at seeing him there.

“What do you think?”

“Thought so.”

“We put them in. They get out. We put them in again…”

“I know,” Darin said.

Gina waved and took off. It was true, but all the cops could do was their job. It was up to the courts to finish it. All too often they didn’t.

Right now her concern ran to her real job. So far, Callahan gave out no signals he wasn’t who and what he was supposed to be, a good cop doing his job.

Could be an act put on for the sake of a new partner.

Or he could be totally innocent.

Either way her job wasn’t near completion. She hadn’t turned up a single clue to point to any member of the squad or to her partner.

Letting out a sigh she got in her car and headed to her sister’s. What she needed now was a glass of wine and another one of her sister’s wonderful meals.

****

Darin was tired. Hunter’s death had shattered a part of him he hadn’t examined before. It was so sudden, so unexpected, he still hadn’t wrapped his mind around the fact he’d never see his friend again. Still couldn’t comprehend the loss.

Cops knew their jobs were dangerous. They carried guns for that very reason. Few expected to die on the job. If so, there wouldn’t be so many applying each year for the police academy.

Hunter’s death had been unnecessary. All it would have taken was one phone call, and he would have had all the help he needed. Yet Hunter hadn’t made the call. It angered Darin all over again.

Why? He had to find out, but so far he’d gotten nowhere in his clandestine efforts. Homicide wasn’t getting anywhere either. Where did he go from here?

If only he could have talked to the suspects, there was the possibility he’d get enough to at least identify the drug lord involved. Maybe one of the men could tell them something.

Darin would have to find someone else who would talk.

Easier said than done.

He needed someone to bounce ideas off of. Hunter had always been his sounding board. Now he felt as if he were fighting a losing battle alone.

He couldn’t go to another member of the squad. He didn’t know if Hunter had called one or more of them just as he’d called Darin. If he had, it meant a member of the squad was involved.

He’d always trusted his fellow squad members, every one of them. That familiar sick feeling washed over him. Could it be? It didn’t seem possible. Sure, they could all use extra money, who couldn’t? He shook his head. He couldn’t see any one of them involved in this. Not one.

His thoughts turned to his new partner. Gina had joined them
after
Hunter was shot. She couldn’t possibly be involved.

His heart picked up an erratic rhythm. Could he trust her? She was a newbie. He knew nothing of her background and had only known her a few days. Still, she’d given him no reason not to trust her. According to the captain she was a cop with a good reputation. Maybe if he talked to her one-on-one, he’d be able to read her better and see what his gut told him. So far she’d held up well on the busts they’d been involved in. But they were easy ones.

That was another question. Why were they so easy?

And why were those they’d arrested getting out almost as easily?

The urge to talk to her grew stronger. Besides, he needed to speak to her about her damned perfume anyway.

Feeling better, he left his parking space.

A dark four-door sedan wheeled in behind him.

Darin went on alert.

This was the second time he thought he was being followed.

Chapter Five

Maybe he was just spooked, but Darin would swear there was a car on his tail. Otherwise his antenna wouldn’t be on full alert. His glance kept going to his rearview mirror. Maybe he was being paranoid. Clouds threatening rain brought night on earlier than usual. All he could see were dozens of headlights as drivers guided their cars through traffic.

He should be going home, instead he was fighting traffic and the weather in the hopes his new partner would help him in his quest to find Hunter’s killer. A light turned yellow two cars ahead. Both ran through, the last one on the red. Stupid. The slick streets were begging for an accident.

Once more his gaze went to his mirror. Traffic had thinned by now. Had that black sedan been there all this time?

He was sure it had been.

Darin was about a mile from the address for Gina’s apartment. But he sure as hell wouldn’t lead whoever was following him, if anyone was, to her doorstep.

Spotting a Starbucks, he stopped, got out of his truck, and ran through the rain to the welcoming brightness. Just the scent of freshly ground coffee beans warmed him.

Taking off his Stetson he went to the counter and ordered a plain cup of coffee. No prissy latte, frappuccino, mocha, or any other drink with mounds of cream and sugar for him. He remembered how he and Hunter had rolled their eyes at those buying specialty coffees. Nothing but black straight coffee for them.

Taking his cup to the table in the far corner he set it down and placed his hat beside it.

Feigning a trip to the restroom he checked for a back door. Found one of those emergency only doors right where he thought it would be. It was locked from the outside, accessible inside.

He dialed Gina’s number from his cell phone.

It took less than a minute for her to agree to meet him, another minute to tell her to knock on the back door instead of coming in the front.

Back at his table he took a sip of coffee, scrutinized every person who walked in.

Business was slow.

Only what appeared to be die-hard caffeine addicts showed up. Two college students came in with laptops in hand. Nothing suspicious.

The door opened again.

Darin watched closely as another college kid walked in and waved at the two just sitting down with their coffees. After ordering a latte he joined them.

In minutes their laptops were out and a study session was on.

Darin’s nerves settled somewhat. Why would anyone follow him anyway?

If whoever was at the storage facility had wanted him dead they could have accomplished it then with no resistance from him. The assholes
had
taken his gun. So why didn’t they?

By the time there was a soft knock at the back door he was ready to chalk up his paranoia to his imagination.

He opened the door and let Gina in. One of the guys behind the counter ran over. “You can’t open this door. It’s for emergency use only.”

Darin flashed his badge. He got a frown in return as the young man went back to his station.

Leading Gina to the small table Darin fought the urge to call off this meeting. What was he thinking? How or why would a newbie on the squad help him? He was on the verge of going rogue. He couldn’t ask anyone else to take the risk of damaging their career. It wouldn’t be right. He stopped in his tracks and turned. “On second thought, Gina, maybe—”