Part 5 (2/2)
”Yeah?”
”This is Lieutenant Troy. I'm not disturbing you, am I?”
Immediately awake, Keri bolted upright in bed coming to seated attention. ”No, it's ne, what can I do for you?”
”If you recall in lineup last week I referenced a Narcotics task force. I was wondering if you had any interest in being a part of that a.s.signment.”
Keri shook her head to clear away the haziness of sleep, unsure that she'd heard correctly. ”I'm not sure I understand.”
A slight edge of irritation hardened the voice on the other end of the line. ”I asked if you'd consider the task force a.s.signment.”
The pulse in Keri's temples throbbed and she felt almost light-headed. A woman she detested was offering her the position of her dreams, and she had never been more confused. ”I'm not sure how to answer that, Lieutenant.”
”If you have a few minutes before your s.h.i.+ft today, I'd like to talk with you about it.”
”I'll come in early.” Keri's heart pounded with a combination of excitement and trepidation. She wasn't sure what Alex Troy had up * 57 *
her sleeve. Was it possible that she was trying to make up for past wrongs?
”My temporary of ce is beside Vice/Narcotics Division in the annex on First Street,” Alex said. ”Park in the gravel lot across the street and walk over. And please don't wear your uniform.”
”Yes, ma'am. I'll see you shortly.”
Keri jumped out of bed in her T-s.h.i.+rt and gym shorts the minute the phone hit the cradle. She dashed into the kitchen, grabbed a Diet c.o.ke from the refrigerator, popped the top, and took a hefty swig. As she guzzled it, she looked at the brown plaid den furniture her parents had purchased on their thirtieth wedding anniversary. A series of mixed memories ensued: her parents sitting on the sofa holding hands watching television, her sick mother lying in the recliner dazed and confused. Herself, knocked to the oor in front of the coffee table. She emptied the soda can and discarded it, along with her sadness, just as her father walked into the kitchen.
Bobby Morgan moved around the table between them and approached the refrigerator from the opposite side. He always gave her a wide berth when they shared s.p.a.ce, her unspoken rule. ”Thought you were gonna take a nap before your s.h.i.+ft.”
”Got called in.” Keri took her usual defensive sideways stance, glancing at her father periodically but never really making eye contact.
Bobby opened a c.o.ke and leaned against the sink. His brown work boots were covered with dirt from the garden and his face was ushed from the heat. ”You want something to eat? I could make you a sandwich right quick. I'm xing one for your mom.”
Keri could see he was trying, but sometimes the memories were just too strong. ”No thanks, Dad. I've got to go.”
”Will you be back for dinner? Kevin and Jean are coming over.
I'm making your favorite, fried chicken and mashed potatoes.” His attempt at a smile vanished and Keri felt guilty.
”I don't think so.” She thought of her twin brother and his overbearing wife and was glad duty called. Kevin as a p.u.s.s.y-whipped husband wasn't a pretty sight. They both knew she had all the guts in the family.
v * 58 *
When in doubt, Keri reverted to the top three rules her mother taught her: Listen before you speak, Be honest, and Be yourself. Waiting outside Alex Troy's of ce, she tried to control her breathing. She paced the small, spa.r.s.ely furnished reception area, ngering the police-badge key ring her mother gave her on her last birthday. It already showed signs of the constant rubbing Keri applied for luck. She needed more than luck today with the Ice Princess.
Keri wondered what kind of woman Alex Troy really was underneath the ever-present smile and cool con dence. The hints of emotion she kept seeing made her uneasy. It was harder to detest and mistrust Alex when she came across as a sensitive human being.
”Morgan, come on in.”
As their hands pressed together in greeting, Keri noted an unmistakable current pa.s.s between them. She withdrew and hoped Alex hadn't noticed.
Alex motioned to a plastic, straight-backed chair at a small conference table, then dragged another one up beside Keri. She sat, leaned casually back, and studied Keri in silence. Keri returned her gaze but knew instinctively that she shouldn't speak. The lieutenant had used this ploy during her interrogation three years ago. Keri wasn't about to fall for it. She surveyed the green metal desk, circa 1970, and a short bookcase with a jar of M&Ms on top. With the exception of a single picture on the old desk, the room was unadorned.
When Keri looked up again, Alex was studying her with what appeared to be a mixture of con dence and curiosity.
”I like that,” Alex concluded.
”I beg your pardon.” The quiet scrutiny and approving statement sent tingles of excitement through Keri's body, which she attributed to nerves and rising irritation. She was pleased that she'd pa.s.sed Alex's unspoken test but annoyed to be subjected to it.
”Most young of cers are so nervous and eager to impress that they can't bear the sound of a silent inspection. They start talking to ll the void. But you just waited until I was ready to begin. That tells me a lot about you.”
”How's that?” Keri asked reluctantly. At this point she just wanted Alex to speak her piece and let her go.
”It says that you're con dent, re ective, and don't open * 59 *
your mouth until you actually have something to say. Is that a fair a.s.sessment?”
Keri controlled her surprised satisfaction. ”Some would probably disagree, but I like to think so...most of the time.”
Alex tapped her pencil eraser on the table and actually looked slightly uncomfortable. Her brown eyes locked with Keri's for an instant before returning to some notes in a le folder.
”Your work record speaks for itself, Morgan. You've done well in your tenure and your evaluations are good. Supervisors and peers speak highly of you, but this is a different kind of operation than you're used to.”
There had to be a legitimate reason to exclude her from the task force, Alex rationalized. Her gut instincts said Keri was perfect for the job, but her defenses still argued against it. Keri's work performance was good. What about her motives?
”Morgan, why do you want to catch drug dealers?”
The look that clouded Keri's face told Alex she'd found the weak spot she was looking for.
Keri's lashes uttered several times as her blue eyes rimmed with tears. ”Have you ever lost someone you love, Lieutenant?”
The question was so direct and unexpected that Alex struggled to remain unaffected. She swallowed to dislodge the knot that choked speech. Keri's pain was palpable and absent any malicious intent, but still Alex couldn't answer. How could such a matter-of-fact question hurt so deeply?
Keri caught the imperceptible s.h.i.+ft in Alex's facial expression. The corners of her laughing eyes drooped, her full lips quivered slightly, and she seemed to have trouble swallowing. The professional demeanor slipped momentarily into personal mode and quickly back to guarded control. Keri regretted being the cause of such con ict. She fought off a strange urge to console Alex.
”I'm sorry, Lieutenant. It's obvious that you have. I just don't think anybody should lose someone they love to something as senseless as drugs. We can ght it, and we owe it to ourselves and society.”
Keri's pulse quickened as she considered what Alex could be thinking. She'd sounded like a public service announcement. When would she ever learn to keep her mouth shut?
”The fact is,” Alex regained her voice, ”I do know how it feels and * 60 *
I agree completely.” She immediately regretted the admission. Morgan was a subordinate, not a con dante. ”I'm a.s.suming you've lost someone as a result of a drug-related incident of some sort. Is that correct?”
”Yes. One of my best friends, Josh, died of an overdose at a party about a year ago. He didn't even do drugs. Somebody slipped something into his drink.” Keri's hands were clenched into sts.
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