âYouâre off the case, Jackâperiod, end of discussion.â
The decision being handed down by Tucker McDermottâwho was the head of the Bear Claw P.D.âs Homicide Division and, therefore, Jackâs immediate superiorâwasnât a shocker, but that didnât stop the veteran detective from wanting to launch himself from the visitorâs chair in Tuckerâs office and pace. Or maybe go over the desk to try and shake some sense into his boss. But that kind of behavior was what had gotten him into this mess in the first place, so Jack made himself take a breath and do a three-count before saying, âYou know you canât afford to bench me rightââ
âWhat part of âend of discussionâ are you not getting?â
Tuckerâs donât-mess-with-me tone probably should have been a clue, but it wasnât until Jack saw a muscle twitch at the corner of his friendâs jaw that he got it. âOh.â He leaned back. âDamn. This is coming from Mendoza, isnât it?â
âEven if the chief hadnât made the call, I probably would have pulled you off the case.â
âI ⦠Yeah.â Frustration welled up, and it wasnât entirely aimed at Tucker. Itâd been an accident, but the reality was that Jack had had his hands on the witness when he went down. And with Mayor Proudfoot slashing the cityâs budgets like he was clear-cutting for a financial strip mine, the P.D. couldnât afford the bad press.
âAnd you did it in front of a rook,â Tucker said, reaching for the antacids thatâd taken up residence in his top drawer over the past month, ever since the birth of his daughter had coincided with the explosion of two major cases that had, thanks to budget cuts, landed in his lap.
âDoran wonât get the wrong message,â Jack said of his rookie partner. âHeâs solid.â
âMaybe, but youâre not. Ever since this case got hot, youâve been on the warpath.â
At six foot and one-ninety, with prematurely salted chestnut hair and light blue eyes, Jack didnât make any claim to native blood. But, yeah, he had some warpath going on these days. What Bear Claw cop didnât? Out in the Colorado wilderness they were playing hide-and-seek with members of a militia so slippery they were practically ghosts, while in the city they were losing the battle against a new fad drug that was ripping through the underground and leaving bodies behind.
Leaning in, Jack grated, âYou need me out there on the streets. Weâre way too far behind the curve on this Death Stare thing.â
That was what the media was calling the new drug, thanks to the fixed, almost terrified looks on the victimsâ faces. Why the hell that plus the number of bodies piling up hadnât been enough to scare people off, he would never understand. But to the hard-core users, the promise of an incredible high was apparently worth the risk.
Tucker shook his head. âYou screwed up, Jack. You know it, I know it, Mendoza knows it ⦠and even if the higher-ups werenât involved, I canât ignore the fact that youâre way too invested in this case, and itâs making you unreliable.â His eyes softened a bit, showing the tired guy, new father and dedicated cop behind the thick âIâm the bossâ layer. âLook, Iâm sorry, but if I let you back on the case now Mendoza will have my butt in a sling faster than you can say âwhat the hell is this damn drug, and where is it coming from?ââ
Unfortunately, there was no arguing that one. Jack shifted in his chair, still not letting himself pace off the restless frustration even though he was tempted. âSo put me on background stuff. Hell, Iâll even ride a desk if thatâs what you want. But donât boot me all the way off the investigation. I need toââ He broke off. âLook, I need to be in on this.â
âYou shouldâve thought of that before you put your hands on your wit. Accident or not, I canât let it go.â
âI ⦠Damn it.â Jack slouched back in his chair and scrubbed a hand over his face, knowing that Tucker was right, he had only himselfâalong with a grease spot and volatile city politicsâto blame. âThis sucks.â
âNo argument there.â Tucker slid a single-page printout across his desk. âTake this. Itâs your new assignment.â
Jack eyeballed it, found airline info for an incoming flight landing at the local hub mid-morning and heaved a sigh. âYou want me to play taxi? Who for?â