Tara Randel - The Lawman's Secret Vow

Now she had a chance to move up the ranks. Make a name for herself. Show her parents she’d made the right decision by forgoing a career in academics, like they’d wanted, and pursuing a degree in criminal investigation. A job she loved, with a possible promotion in her future.

The phone on her desk rang. She picked it up on the third ring, infusing an authoritative tone into her voice. “Detective Archer.”

“Eloise, it’s Tom Bailey over in Palm Beach. Got a minute?”

“Sure.”

She’d run into Tom, also a detective, at different police functions, since Palm Cove, located on the east coast of Florida along the Atlantic, was twenty miles north of Palm Beach. Actually, she’d applied to the Palm Beach PD when she’d sent out résumés, but Palm Cove had offered her a position first. Maybe one day she’d consider moving, but she liked it here and had the promotion to consider.

“We picked up a teen the other night. Lives in your area. Pulled him over while joyriding in a stolen car.”

Teen car thefts were a growing problem. Auto theft was bad enough, but the underage drivers usually crashed while the police were in pursuit. It seemed they got at least half a dozen calls a month from folks who’d discovered their cars were stolen.

“So what do you need from us?”

“It’s not really what I need, more of a heads-up. We’re cracking down on the problem here and hope we can share information in the future.”

“You know I’m happy to work together. This isn’t a problem that’s going away anytime soon.”

“I figured you did the research.”

How could she not? She’d had multiple cases on the offense, but what made it frustrating was that the underage kids were sent to juvenile detention, then released within hours or a few short days, only to become repeat offenders. Bragging rights could be found all over social media, which the department monitored, with kids posting pictures with key fobs around their necks like trophies or snaps of the speedometer when these kids drove in excess of one hundred miles per hour down the road. Worst-case scenario was if one of the kids found a weapon in a car they’d stolen, an added prize that propelled the legend they’d spread online.

“Have you noticed an increase in activity?” she asked, wondering about a possible connection. In Palm Cove, stolen cars tended to be more midpriced than high-end, but still, people weren’t happy when their mode of transportation disappeared. Worse, when the vehicle was found after a wreck, the owner had impound and insurance hassles ahead of them.

“There’s a small uptick.”

“Okay, well, I’ll keep you informed if I learn anything helpful.”

“Great. So, ah, are you attending the Maniacal Mudder charity run this weekend at Soldier Park?”

“I don’t think so.” She tried to attend police benefits in the surrounding cities, but didn’t always make every one, especially those that included running. Or mud. Who got enjoyment out of scaling obstacles while trying to keep their balance sprinting through a world of wet dirt? Her colleagues loved the challenge, but it made her shudder. The idea of landing face-first in a puddle of goop, losing her glasses and trying to blindly make it to the finish line gave her nightmares. She’d considered it once, when Dante taunted her about tagging along, but wisely chose to stay on the sidelines in the end. She was a much better cheerleader than participant.

“If you change your mind, maybe we can form a team. It’s not too late to sign up.”

Team up? Did he know her? She was anything but athletic.

“Sorry, Tom. I’m going to pass.”

“But you are going?”

“Um... I’ll try.”

“Then we can hang out. There’s a barbecue after the run.”

“I’ll see what I can do.” She noticed a movement from the corner of her eye. The lieutenant ushered Dante into his office while Dante briskly knotted his tie before entering the room.

“Listen, I need to run. We’ll talk another time.”

“Sure. Ah, have a good day.”

“I will.”

She hung up, her attention already focused on the drama sure to play out on the other side of the office door. Brandy rolled over in a chair from a nearby desk.

“It’s gonna hit the fan now.” She practically squealed in delight. “I’d love to be a fly on the wall.”

So would Eloise, not that she’d admit it out loud.

Having previously seen Dante’s face when the lieutenant spoke to him, reading his body language had become second nature to her. Not only because of the annoying attraction, ugh, but because she always thought Dante made a good cop. If he could temper his restlessness, that is. He was smart, but he couldn’t stand still to save his life. Was it a lifelong problem? Was he one of those guys who craved an adrenaline rush? Questions like that popped into her head from time to time, especially when he got himself into hot water with the commanding officers. And he and Chambers were definitely oil and water.

“Do you think he’ll suspend Dante?”

Eloise hoped not. He was too valuable on the job, when he wasn’t making rash decisions. “I have no idea.”

“Desk duty?”

“He’s already on that.”

“Then what?”

“I’m not going to guess.” She met Brandy’s gaze. “And you shouldn’t, either. It’s none of our business.”

Brandy pouted. “Can’t help it. Office politics have always intrigued me.”

“Don’t you have a crime scene to investigate?”

“As a matter of fact, I do. I was hoping to hold off a few more minutes to see the outcome.”

Eloise held back an eye roll. “If you don’t leave now, someone will report you.”

“Not Sam,” Brandy said, referring to the patrolman currently working the same case as Brandy. “He likes me.”

“Not if his job is on the line.”

“True.” Brandy stood and rolled the chair back. “Let me know what happens.”

As if she’d be privy to the details. Dante could be very closemouthed when need be.

She watched Brandy hurry away, reminded that she had plenty of calls of her own to make. If she wanted to get the promotion, she needed to worry about herself, not the meeting going on in the lieutenant’s office.

* * *

“YOU NEARLY COST us on your last assignment, Matthews.”

“I went over it with you. It was unexpected. Stone caught on when he saw the police cruiser stopped outside the house. It was either reveal the op early or lose it all.”

“You know the only saving grace is the fact that the sheriff’s department has an ongoing investigation with related drug dealers.”

“Trust me, I get it.”

The lieutenant sent him a steely glance. “Do you?”

Not again. Every time something went off script, Chambers came down on him like a hammer to a nail. The undercover investigation had been right on target, until the rookie had forced Dante to make a snap decision. It was like Chambers got enjoyment out of making him squirm.

“I know the other team on this case. They’ll tie the entire ring together. With the information I acquired, these guys will go away for a long time.”

Chambers merely grunted in agreement.

Dante’s knee started jumping. He forced pressure on it with his hand to keep the lieutenant from noticing.

“That’s not why I called you in here.”

But you couldn’t resist mentioning it yet again , Dante thought.

“With the possibility of a future undercover case coming your way, I need to know I can rely on you to keep your cool and get the job done.”

“You know I always follow protocol, sir.”

“And your idea of protocol is improvising?”

Why did this conversation not seem different from the one they’d started out with?