SERGEANT PLAZINSKI’S OFFICE, 9:35 A.M.

“I don’t have to tell you all how important this case is,” said Sergeant Plazinski, pacing back and forth. He stopped in front of a photo of himself posing with Lieutenant Dailey, Zengo’s grandfather. “It’s been a long time since we’ve seen a case that has so shaken this city to its bones. And I need my best detectives working on it.”

Zengo and O’Malley had taken the call last night to investigate the crime scene, which usually meant the case would be theirs, but Zengo had feared it wouldn’t be that simple this time around. Diaz and Lucinni were looking at everyone sideways, and Jo Cooper had her eyes locked on Plazinski. Zengo balled his flippers into fists. This was just the sort of case he needed to finally prove himself. And he knew he was ready.

“I want the perp in custody YESTERDAY!” thundered Plazinski. He pulled up the window blinds and pointed at the sea of reporters still out on the precinct’s front lawn. “I don’t have to tell you all that the media is going to skewer us if we don’t bring swift justice. Whoever the next mayor is, I don’t want his first act to be shutting down the Platypus Police Squad.”

“You got that right, Chief,” said O’Malley, nodding. All the other detectives nodded too.

But who was going to get the case? The suspense was killing Zengo. The detectives snuck more glances at each other, then at Plazinski, who was looking down at his desk. The tapping of his pencil on the case file was the only sound in the room.

Finally, the chief looked up. “The lead detectives on this are going to be O’Malley . . .”

Zengo stood up and shot Diaz and Lucinni a look. In your face, he thought.

“. . . and Jo Cooper.”

Zengo froze. “What?” he squawked, saying it out loud even though he hadn’t meant to.

Jo Cooper, who had been standing a little apart from the others throughout the meeting, uncrossed her arms. “Roger that, sir.” She turned to O’Malley and stuck out her hand. “Detective Corey O’Malley, it will be a pleasure to work alongside you,” she said. “I’ve been hearing stories about you since before I entered the academy.”

If O’Malley was upset about being assigned a new partner for this case, he wasn’t showing it. In fact, he didn’t say anything at all. He took Cooper’s offered hand and gave her a polite smile.

Zengo’s heart sank. O’Malley was supposed to be his partner, and this was supposed to be his case. A vision of Jo Cooper’s smiling face right next to O’Malley’s on the front page of the Kalamazoo City Krier swam before his eyes. How would he explain that to his parents?

“Now, Zengo,” Plazinski continued, “wipe that scowl off your bill. You’re not working this case with O’Malley because I’ve got another assignment for you. I got a call early this morning from Mr. Pandini himself. He’s apparently pretty shaken up by this whole affair, and while he has more security on his payroll than the president, he’s asking for some additional help. Namely, he’s requested a member of the Platypus Police Squad to run lead on his protection detail for the rest of the campaign.”

Zengo’s bill flapped open. But before he could respond, O’Malley stepped forward.

“Wait a second here,” he said. “You’re not seriously considering sending the kid here to lead Pandini’s protection team, are you?”

“That’s exactly what I’m considering, O’Malley. Pandini requested Detective Zengo personally. He has been very impressed by Rick’s work.”

“But, but, there’s no way he’s ready to—” O’Malley sputtered.

“Look, Corey, it’s not up to you,” Plazinski interrupted. “And frankly, it’s not up to me either. I informed Mr. Pandini that this request was highly unusual, and that I’d agree to it only if Zengo said that he’d be willing—”

“I’ll do it,” Zengo broke in.

All eyes in the room turned to him.

“I’ll do it,” he repeated.

“But, rookie . . .” O’Malley took a step toward him and seemed to be searching for the right words. Zengo’s gaze hardened. What was O’Malley’s problem? Zengo wanted to keep working with O’Malley, of course, but this was a huge opportunity for him. Plus, being this close to Pandini could be just what was needed to find out who was responsible for the attack. He’d be right there in the middle of the action. Who knows what secrets he would uncover? Maybe he’d end up cracking the case himself!

“We don’t know how many people are involved in this conspiracy to force Pandini out of the race,” O’Malley finally said. “And we don’t know what else they’re willing to do to accomplish it. It could be dangerous. Heck, Pandini himself could be dangerous. We all know what happened the last time a Pandini ran this city—”

Plazinski slammed his palm down hard. “O’Malley, I have heard enough out of you,” he said. “First off, Frank Pandini Jr. is not his father. And second, stop calling Detective Zengo a rookie. He has more than proven himself by this point. In fact, I think he might be the best detective Pandini could have asked for. None of us knows where this thug might strike next. Protecting Pandini could take some quick action—and, let’s be honest here, you’re not as fast on your flippers as you used to be. One more word out of you and you’ll earn yourself an unplanned vacation, you get me?”

O’Malley looked down. “Yes, sir,” he said.

Zengo opened his bill to say something to his partner, but as Jo Cooper slid up next to O’Malley and crossed her arms, he closed it. O’Malley wasn’t his responsibility—Pandini was. And the sarge was right. If Zengo could nail this assignment all by himself, O’Malley definitely wouldn’t be calling him “kid” or “rookie” anymore. O’Malley’s protests played over and over in his head. You’re not seriously considering . . . It could be dangerous. . . . Zengo’s eyes burned and he had to look away. He stood up a little taller and adjusted his leather jacket. I’ll show O’Malley how a real detective does things, he thought. I’ll show all of them.

“Now, if there isn’t anything else,” said Plazinski, giving each of them a look that could cut glass, “get to work. Diaz, Lucinni—I want you running support for Cooper and O’Malley. Their wish is your command, got it? Let’s start by taking a look at the venues for Pandini’s upcoming campaign speeches. As for you, Zengo, Mr. Pandini is expecting you at Bamboo.” Plazinski leaned hard on his desk. “Remember, Detectives, we are all a team. Ain’t no one else going to do this job for us, and those reporters out there ain’t going to give us an inch of slack. It’s up to us to solve this case and restore faith in this great city of ours.”

A team, sure, thought Zengo. But to him, headquarters was starting to feel just a little bit crowded.