Nice. She opened a tiny fridge beneath the counter and pulled out a carton of the real thing, whetting his taste buds in anticipation. Very nice. Regions south of his belt buckle stirred with a heated interest of their own as she bent over to replace the cream, and her navy gabardine skirt pulled taut across her backside.
Boss, Eli reminded himself, blinking and turning away.
His eyes fell on the computer printout with his name in bold print at the top, sitting at the center of her desk. That cooled his jets. Shed been checking up on him, reading the scattered commendations and more numerous complaints in his file, no doubt. How many partners had he gone through since Joe Niederhaus? Chang had finally given up trying to make him play well with others. The boss lady probably had something to say about that.
His gaze strayed to the pictures on her desk. Seth Cartwright with his arm around an attractive young blonde who shared a striking resemblance. The commissioner with a sopping, pony-sized Labrador retriever near a lake. A more formal photo of the commissioner, sandwiched between Seth and the same blond woman piqued Elis curiosity further. Though there was no older man in any of the photos, no wedding ring on the hand that clutched the dog, there was no mistaking the sense of family in those photos. Eli had little in common with her world.
Maybe once. But camaraderie, teamwork, laughter, trustthose had been missing from his life for a long time. Since the tragic death of their parents, Jillian had turned to drugs. Holly had turned to work. And Eli had just turnedinward.
Eli?
He jumped like a rookie at the sound of his name.
Sorry. She stood at his shoulder, close enough for him to smell the fragrant brew from the mug she pushed into his hands. Close enough to smell something more enticing than the coffee itself.
Thanks. Eli hid his interest with a swallow of the beverage that burned his throat.
Do you have any family? she asked, glancing at the photos with a loving smile.
Two sisters. You?
Two children. Seth and Sarah. Twins. Three, if you count Sadie. She reached over and stroked the dogs picture. Shes the only one still at home.
Is there a Mr. Cartwright?
Yes. But were divorced.
Damn. His pulse should not be racing any faster. Had to be all the caffeine in his system. Sorry to hear that.
Soft green eyes sought him out over the rim of her cup, gauging the sincerity of his condolence. Its his loss. The green eyes shuttered and she turned away, showing more willpower than Elis sorry hormones could when it came to breaking the unspoken tension simmering between them. Its my childrens loss, actually. Austin has chosen to be a part of our lives only when its convenient for him.
Her gaze was focused on the pictures again. No, they were focused toward some memory from the past, Eli thought.
He could have been a good father if he wasnt such a
Such a what? Eli felt his body shifting forward, drawn to the sorrow that shaded her voice. But perhaps he had only imagined the vulnerability that had softened her posture. Because there was steel in the set of her shoulders when she turned to face him, and there was business in her smile.
We have more important things to discuss. Have a seat, Eli. Oblivious to his misguided interest in her, the commissioner gestured to a sofa. May I call you Eli?
In private. The smart remark was out before sense could stop it.
Instead of putting him in his place, she laughed. Touché.
Eli unbuttoned his jacket and opted for a straight-backed chair at the conference table before he relaxed his guard any further and completely screwed up what was left of his day and career. So, why am I here? I believe your exact words were I need to see you.
I like a man whos direct.
I like a woman whos direct.
With a decisive nod, Shauna set down her mug and retrieved an unmarked file from her desk. Just so you know, Ive cleared this with Captain Chang.
Cleared what? Is this about yesterday?
As a matter of fact, I asked him to lose any paperwork regarding your involvement in yesterdays shooting. For now, if anyone asks, well say the incident is under investigation. We can throw speculation onto the guards or even myself as the shooter.
Elis gaze narrowed as she returned. Ive got nothing to hide. Taking down Mr. Trench Coat was a clean shoot. My report will say as much.
Taking down Richard Powell was a hell of a shot. KCPD has had him on their person-of-interest list as a hired gun for several months now. She circled the table. But forget your report. I need you on the job, not confined to a desk. As far as anyone outside this office knows, you werent even at that bank yesterday.
Why the cover-up?
She pulled out a chair and sat across from him, concentrating for a moment on placing the file folder just so on the table in front of her. But there was no hesitation in her expression when she looked up at him. What Im about to ask of you wont be easy. It wont make you very popular with your colleagues.
He inclined his head toward her desk. You read my file. Does it look like popular matters to me?
Deep down insidesomewhereit matters. Thats why Ive hesitated to recruit anyone for this assignment.
Ignoring the compassion she offered and denying any truth to her insight, Eli laced his fingers together and leaned onto the edge of the table. Whats the job, boss lady? What do you need me to do?
Hed wanted direct. Are you familiar with the Baby Jane Doe murder case?
Im a cop and I live in Kansas City. So, yeah, Im familiar enough. Relieved to have something to focus on other than the way Shauna Cartwright seemed to see a lot deeper beneath the skin than he liked a woman to, Eli eased back in his seat. Murdered African-American girl. About a year old. Ive heard the grisly details in the locker room. The body found separately from the head. Tossed in the dump. My sisters the M.E. who did the autopsy. There was no sign of sexual trauma, though the COD was physical abuse. Poor kid was too young to have dental records or fingerprints to ID her. Ive followed the news stories. How people were keeping their own kids locked in at night, how they blamed the department for taking so long to arrest anyone. I know the D.A.s office is hashing out the preliminary motions for Donnell Gibbss trial right now.
So you are familiar with the case. She sighed wearily, as if the details were far too familiar, maybe too personal, for her. My first priority when I took over for Edward Brent was to put together a task force dedicated to the investigation. Actually, it was Edwards idea, before his first stroke. He was afraid of civil unrest. Lynch mobs. Untrained citizens arming themselves against a child-killer. I organized the plan, selected the investigators and put Mitch Taylor in charge. The task force gave me Donnell Gibbs.
Eli nodded. Now the citys calmed down, the killers on trial and were all heroes here at KCPD again.
I want to reopen the case.
A beat of silence filled the room.
Are you nuts? Putting Donnell Gibbs on trial for Baby Jane Does murder had finally staunched the wound that had hobbled KCPD for more than two years. Even Eli could sense the citys massive sigh of relief. Shauna, you cant