"I appreciate the follow-up, Officer Hanley. Truly. Thank you."
"You're welcome."
"Good-bye."
"Bye."
He stood there until she went inside and closed the door.
Dodge and Gonzales were interviewed separately for the task force. Dodge was appointed to it. Gonzales wasn't.
"Hey, Dodge, don't worry about it, man."
"My partner isn't good enough for their task force, they can fuck themselves." His language had been as raw as his mood ever since that morning he'd gone to Caroline King's house and heard from her own lips that everything was hunky-dory between her and Roger Campton.
So rotten was his disposition, people had begun avoiding him. Even Doris, the night-shift clerk at the 7-Eleven, had sensed he wasn't open to bantering about their dancing date. Their recent transactions at the cash register had been uncommonly stilted.
Gonzales, however, seemed immune to his temper. In response to Dodge's opinion of the task force, he said, "Look, partner, I appreciate the level of your loyalty, but don't mess it up for yourself. You wanted on this task force, you got on it. Do yourself, and me, proud."
Dodge continued to grouse and protest, but Gonzales wouldn't hear of him letting the opportunity pass.
"You've got two years of service on me. I'll get my turn," the younger officer said with confidence. "Show 'em what you've got. Kick butt."
He slapped Dodge on the back and was about to walk away when he stopped, snapped his fingers, and turned. "Almost forgot. You see the Sunday paper? Your girlfriend and the rich boy made it official. They're engaged."
CHAPTER
5
PATRONS OF THE PINK AND WHITE TEAROOM PROBABLY DIDN'T drop the f-word that often. Dodge's saying it had shocked Caroline speechless. It didn't used to, but it had been thirty years since she'd been around him. Her ears had grown soft.
He'd used the word specifically to shock her. He was tired of beating around the bush about their daughter's involvement in a shooting, and sometimes shock therapy was the only way to get people to give up information they'd rather not disclose.
"Talk to me, Caroline."
She cleared her throat. "I think, I'm afraid, that Oren Starks meant exactly what he said when he threatened to kill Berry."
"He's not just a goof spouting off?"
"On the contrary, Berry says he's brilliant."
"Brilliant people go crackers all the time," he said. "Get mad, get jealous of competitors, say things they don't mean. I'm gonna kill you! They rarely follow through, Caroline. If all the people who said, 'I'm gonna--'"
"All right," she snapped. "I see your point."
He waited. She said nothing. He glanced over his shoulder. They were the only two customers left in the tearoom. The server hadn't reappeared since she'd brought their order. Coming back around, he said, "This is the last time I'm asking. What do you know that you haven't told me?"
"Nothing. I swear."
"Okay, then tell me what you suspect."
Her back stiffened. "That's a policeman's word."
"A word that got a defensive reaction from you. Which indicates to me that I hit the nail on the head."
"You're that smart?"
He banged his fist on the table, softly, but with enough force to make the china rattle. "Apparently you think so, or you wouldn't have called me in the middle of the night, asking me to drop everything and haul ass down here, which I was stupid enough to do and am coming to regret."