| |
Mark
Mark’s fist clenched tight as Darby darted past him. He kept his gaze on her long enough to see she turned the corner to their division without a backward glance at him.
Then he shifted toward the psychologist who seemed just as surprised to be looking at Mark as he had been to walk in on Darby in Young’s arms.
“Ah, the partner with no name,” Young said. “Fancy running into you here.”
“I do work here.” Mark uncapped the polycarbonate water bottle he’d brought and went to the filtration system to top it off.
His thoughts were a scattered mess right then. After everything they’d talked about, after Darby’s seeming reassurances they’d work on things, to find her in Young’s arms was almost too much to bear.
“Right.” Young’s voice pitched up a notch as he gave Mark a wide berth and trotted over to the vending machine. “I hope you don’t think I’m too forward with your partner.”
Mark jerked the canister back before the faucet had fully stopped, sloshing a little water on his jeans. He slammed the lid on and twisted it tight before turning toward Young. “Too forward? No, that would be groping her in the middle of the bullpen. Nearly kissing her when you’re in the middle of the work day and you’re not even dating Darby? That’s harmless fraternization between coworkers, right? Or you tell me? You’re the psychologist.”
Young made his selection. As it dispensed, he turned slightly toward Mark. “Do you make extensive use of sarcasm in your interrogations, Detective? Or just when you’re trying to intimidate someone?”
Mark dug his fingers into the side of the stiff bottle. “If I wanted to intimidate you, trust me, you’d know it. You and my partner want to go play patty-cake? Do it after hours.”
“There’s no rule against fraternization among Bendex employees.”
“Maybe not. But leave her alone.” Mark started to leave.
Will put a hand out and stopped him from passing. “Detective Shaw has the right to choose whom she socializes with.”
Mark would have snarled, but held it back—barely. “Then do it outside the office.”
“I don’t believe Darby had a problem until you walked in.”
Mark pushed past Young. Yeah, she had a problem when he walked in because of what happened that morning. He saw it on her face: embarrassment, guilt, maybe even some shame.
“Look, Detective,” Young called after him. “Maybe I’m stepping into something between you and her. If I am, I’m not going to apologize. Your partner is an attractive woman, and she hasn’t said she’s involved with anyone.”
“Would that have stopped you?” Mark turned abruptly, causing Young to stop short. “If she was involved with someone, would you leave her alone?”
“That would be her call.”
Mark narrowed his eyes. “Yeah. I doubt that. She used to be involved with a pretty boy not much different than you. Word of warning: he hurt her, and then he got himself dead. So, yeah, maybe I’m protective of her. I don’t want to see her hurt again.”
He was surprised so much had come out. He hadn’t intended to say that much, especially not to Young.
“I’m pretty sure Darby does not require your protection, Detective.”
That remains to be seen, Mark thought. “Just back off. She doesn’t like to move fast.”
“She could have fooled me.”
Intentionally, Mark turned away. He could have retorted to the challenge. Right now, he needed to walk away, to be the bigger man. Maybe not for Darby, but for himself.
“Hey, Detective,” Young called after him. “Maybe she just has moved slow for you and she needs a better man to move more quickly for.”
The words hit their target, and Mark had to try even harder not to return a verbal jab.
Though he wanted to. Oh, how he wanted to.
Instead, he kept on walking.
He took a turn around the floor to give himself a chance to cool his jets, give Darby a few minutes to collect herself. One of the young detective teams in their division stopped him on the way to interrogation, and he offered some advice on their case, recommending they bring in the lieutenant if things got dicier.
When he got back to his desk, Darby was nowhere to be found. Maybe she’d been too embarrassed by what he’d seen and needed more time.
He couldn’t blame her.
Still, he’d been doing some thinking before Ian had showed up and Darby had derailed his post interview plans. And now it was time to deal with it.
Mark slid his comm over his ear, then found the digital business card for Clark Hunt’s office.
There were probably better ways to accomplish what he was about to do, but he didn’t have the time to drive over to the DSHA offices.
Hunt popped up on the glass screen and frowned. “Yes, Detective, what can I do to help you?”
“I’m looking for some information related to Prairie’s murder.”
Hunt slid a glance away from the screen, then back to Mark. “What sort of information?”
Mark eased forward to look a little more intimidating on the department chief’s screen. “Missing information.”
“How’s that?”
“How about you report to the KC Bendex PD headquarters and we can discuss it in greater detail?”
“Why not come to me?”
“I think it would be in your best interest to discuss the matter here.”
“I’m disinclined to have my day wasted by your witch hunt.”
“I don’t believe a dead woman constitutes a ‘witch hunt,’ Clark. But removing evidence from said dead woman’s computer does, however, constitute obstruction.”
Hunt darted his eyes away again. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Shall I send a couple officers down there to bring you in, or are you going to come yourself, Mr. Hunt?”
Hunt narrowed his eyes, then the screen went black. An icon flashed a moment later indicating the call had disconnected.
Sure, it wasn’t an admission of guilt, but skirting the questions and Mark’s demands didn’t exactly make Hunt look squeaky clean either.
Mark had just switched gears to check his e-mail when his comm rang.
It was the captain.
“Herman. In my office.”
Mark stood and waved his screen off, locking it down. Deep down, he knew this had to be related to what he’d done to Hunt, but he hoped it wasn’t.
His instincts served him well.
“Close the door, Herman,” Moustakas said when Mark stepped in.
Mark stood behind the two visitor’s chairs. The captain was an older man, close to his own father’s age—or how old Mark Senior would have been had he not been killed in the line nearly four years earlier. The captain and Major Herman had been close buddies most of Mark’s growing-up years. Seventy was creeping in, and mandatory retirement shortly thereafter. But the captain still looked like he could be on the streets, not riding a desk. Trim, lean, and fast, the only true hint at age was the wisdom in his brown eyes and the heavy crows feet at the corners.
“How long have I known you, Mark?”
Mark spotted a picture of the captain and the major when they were both still in uniform. He swallowed hard. “All my life, sir.”
Moustakas smiled. “I knew you before you were born. Look in on your mother still. Know you’re a good kid, know you do everything in your power to do the best job you can.”
“But sir?”
“You have to know going after the division head of the DSHA is suicide, Herman.”
Mark wasn’t surprised. It was politics, plain and simple. As much as he hated it, it wouldn’t change anytime soon. “Hunt called you?”
“What did you think? That he wouldn’t?”
“It was a coin toss. Heads, I get what I need, and he gives in. Tails, he does this.”
“Why did you feel you needed to?”
Mark sighed to himself, then bucked up and explained what Nettie and Xander had found, what they were still looking for.
Moustakas sat down in the middle of Mark’s spiel. “Do you think they’ll find it?”
“They’re some of the top people in their field. If anyone can find it, it’s them.”
“That’s fine. But get some fracking evidence before you go and practically accuse the regional director of any federal agency of committing murder.”
“We have enough evidence. Nettie can prove information was removed before—”
The captain waved his hand. “I know. But this puts us in a delicate position.” He leaned forward, resting his arms on the desk. “The DSHA is already not an easy agency to deal with. They weren’t before Detective Shaw discovered her powers, and they’re even worse now that we have her working for us.”
“I get that, but—”
“No, you don’t. The DSHA Under Secretary from D.C. called the chief and demanded to know why the two of you were more preoccupied with causing headaches for the DSHA than finding a murderer.”
Mark ground his teeth. He had to make his point now, and fast, or they would get their hands tied behind their backs. “There’s only one place information could have been removed—at the office of the DSHA. Someone in the office did it. It couldn’t have been done remotely by anyone—they have a closed system not too dissimilar to ours. Hunt or his people know something, sir. They would barely talk to me and said little more than name and address to Darby when we were there yesterday. They’re the ones who have a problem, not Darby or me.”
Moustakas lifted his chin, his brown eyes calculating. Mark could practically see the cogs spinning. “Look, I agree with you. The two of you have been through some pretty major shit where the DSHA is concerned, and I wouldn’t blame either of you for handing this case off to another team. In fact, I almost wish you would.”
The man sighed heavily before continuing. “But I understand the drive to finish what you started. It motivated me, it motivated your dad. But you need to tread lightly with the DSHA, Mark. You can’t go swinging your weight around there.”
“May I ask why, sir? They’re as much a suspect as anyone right now.”
The captain drummed his fingers on the desktop for a moment, then got up and came around to face Mark. “The DSHA wants you off this case entirely.”
“That’s horseshit! They can’t demand—”
“They can, and they have. And they bypassed the chief. As of this morning, they’ve requested the two of you be removed from the case. They want the FBI brought in.”
Mark shook his head. “No, absolutely not. Darby would never—”
“What about you?”
“Prairie’s our case now. If you pull us off, be prepared to put us both on leave.”
The captain eyed Mark. “I presumed that would be your response. Good. Know corporate’s watching this case closely. They want it closed and fast.”
“I understand, sir. We’re working as fast as we can.”
“Good. But remember too: they don’t want any more confrontations with the DSHA.”