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Loving Again(64)

By:Peggy Bird


                Sam looked up from his computer at his partner. She shrugged her shoulders as if to say, “I have no idea,” and did as she had been commanded. Sam went back to what he’d been working on, afraid there would be another shoe dropped soon.

                Less than five minutes later at an identical decibel level, Angel yelled, “Richardson. Now you.”

                Angel closed the door behind him and waved Sam to a chair. Danny was sitting in another chair, looking subdued, the remains of a blush on her cheeks. He’d never seen her look so deflated.

                “I got three phone calls this morning from a parole officer and two citizens asking why we were so disorganized that there were multiple visits within an hour from police officers asking the same questions. You know anything about that, Detective Richardson?”

                “I don’t think so.”

                “The hell you don’t. You were one of the officers asking questions about Kane/Jordan. After I directly told you to keep out of the case.”

                “Multiple? Who … ?” He looked at his partner who nodded her head.

                “Yeah, she was the other one. But she didn’t bother to tell me what you were up to. Did you ask her not to?” the lieutenant asked.

                “I didn’t tell her anything. I wasn’t going to risk her career.”

                “Just yours.”

                “Which is mine to risk. I couldn’t sit around and do nothing.”

                “You disobeyed a direct order. You mucked around with witnesses. You could have made them useless in a prosecution. You put your partner in an untenable situation.” Angel blew out a breath. “What the fuck should I do with you?”

                “Put me on administrative leave,” Sam said.

                “So you can have an even freer rein to mess around in this case? Like hell I will. I was leaning more toward protective custody.”

                Sam did a double take. “I didn’t do anything illegal.”

                “The hell of it is, I’m at the place where I need you to be involved in this case. If you’d waited one more day … ”

                “What do you want me to do?” Sam asked.

                “I’m not sure I trust you to do what I ask.”

                “I apologize. I thought I was onto something. I should have kept you in the loop. Now, please, let me help.” He hoped he sounded sincere. Because he was, about one thing — he sincerely believed he’d do anything to get back on this case.

                Angel stared long enough at Sam to make him uncomfortable. “What the fuck? I don’t really have much of a choice. Okay, Danny, tell him what you told me earlier.”

                Danny said, “I was at Amanda’s house this morning. She wouldn’t let me in but we talked at the door. About two minutes into the conversation, something I said triggered a look on her face, like she was remembering something. Then the interview went off the cliff. She asked me to leave and not come back without an appointment so she could have her attorney with her.”

                Angel said, “I was planning on asking you to see if she’d talk to you, Sam, before I found out what you’d been up to. Now … ”

                “L.T., I know you’re not happy with either of us,” Danny began. “But you need to let Sam talk to her. I think she saw Matthews there that night. And he’s the only one who can find out if she did.”