Неизвестный - 6. Justice For All

Ali was silent for a long moment. “And how is today different than yesterday morning when I said two weeks of desk duty?”

“Yesterday morning I didn’t have a new street operation about to kick off.”

“What’s so important that someone else can’t pinch-hit for you?”

Despite Ali’s conversational tone, Rebecca felt her temper rising.

If it hadn’t been for her promise to Catherine, she wouldn’t be here at all. She didn’t need medical clearance because she’d only been admitted to the hospital for observation. Her discharge sufficed to clear her for duty. No one actually knew about the restrictions that Ali had imposed.

Except Catherine. And Watts, who couldn’t keep his nose out of her goddamn business all of a sudden. She bit back a sharp reply because Ali looked like hell and it wasn’t her fault that Rebecca hadn’t been fast enough to dive out of the line of fire. If Sloan hadn’t been so quick to back her up, she’d be dead and Catherine’s pain would be on her head.

The wave of remorse was enough to cool her frustration.

“This isn’t something I would ordinarily tell anyone.” Rebecca hesitated. This was not something she wanted Catherine to hear, and

• 69 •

RADclY fFe

Ali’s quick nod confirmed that their discussion was confidential.

“I’ve got a young detective going undercover tonight. It’s dangerous.

Anything could happen, and I need to be there. Me. No one else. But I’m just going to be sitting in a car to coordinate.”

Ali made a face. “Don’t give me that, Rebecca. You just told me anything could happen.”

“I won’t be alone. Watts will be with me.” Rebecca took a breath.

“I don’t expect anything to happen, at least not right away. But that doesn’t mean I can sit at home with my feet up.”

“What happens if I don’t clear you?” When Rebecca said nothing, Ali stood up. “If I wanted to play hardball, I could call your captain.

Get you sidelined for as long as I wanted. The city is very antsy about lawsuits, and an impaired cop on the streets is a liability.”

“You won’t do that,” Rebecca said with confidence.

“You’re right. I won’t. I could call Catherine.”

Rebecca stiffened. “Catherine has enough to worry about.”

“No, Catherine worries about you, and she’s not going to worry any less if I give my blessing for you to head straight back out into the same jungle that almost got you killed.”

“I’m a cop. That’s what I do.”

“I know that. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t be standing here.” Ali pulled an ophthalmoscope out of the charger next to the examining table.

“Look over my left shoulder.”

Rebecca complied while Ali shone a bright light into first one eye, then the other. She felt like an ice pick was piercing her brain, and her eyes watered. “Jesus.”

“Sorry,” Ali said, not sounding particularly remorseful. “You understand that there’s a small but definite risk that you could have an intracranial bleed?”

“That could happen if I were sitting at my desk, too, right?”

“It could, that’s true. But every day that passes without an incident makes the risk less likely. The first seven to ten days after the injury are the high risk period.” Ali put the ophthalmoscope away, and then took Rebecca’s blood pressure.

“I’m not going to do anything crazy,” Rebecca said. “If it weren’t for Catherine, I’d never say that. But I’m not going to do anything else to hurt her.”

• 70 •

Justice for All

“You’re cutting that line pretty thin just by going back on duty,”

Ali said.

“I know. But it’s the best I can do.”

Ali removed the cuff from Rebecca’s arm. “All right, Detective, I’m taking you at your word. Be careful.”

“I’ll try.” Rebecca shook Ali’s hand, thanked her, and headed out the door. She had one more stop to make.

v

“Rebecca?” Catherine dropped the file she was reviewing onto her desk and stood. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” Rebecca said hurriedly. “I’m sorry. Joyce said you were free.”

“I am. I don’t have another patient for almost an hour. What are you doing here?” Catherine came around the front of her desk and met Rebecca in the center of the Oriental rug that covered most of her office floor.

“I’m not allowed to visit you?”

“You’re welcome here anytime, darling, but you generally only drop by if you’re worried, upset, or have something serious to tell me.”

Rebecca tossed her blazer onto one of the two leather club chairs in front of Catherine’s desk. She’d sat in one of those chairs the first night she’d come to interview Catherine, six months ago. She’d been sure that Catherine would not help her. Certain, too, that Catherine would never be able to understand how badly she needed to catch the man who was violating the city’s women, because no one had ever understood what drove her to put an end to violence and abuse no matter the cost. She’d been wrong about Catherine’s willingness to help, wrong about pretty much everything where Catherine was concerned. She winced, trying to remember the last time she’d sent Catherine flowers or just called her to ask after her day. “I’m a crappy lover, aren’t I?”

“No.” Catherine clasped Rebecca’s waist but resisted embracing her, which she would have done on any other day. Lightly tracing the sharp line of Rebecca’s jaw with her fingertips, she said, “You’re a wonderful lover. This is about whatever Captain Henry wanted to see you for this morning, isn’t it?”

• 71 •

RADclY fFe

“You’re starting to sound like a cop’s wife.”

“That must be because I am.” Catherine kissed Rebecca’s cheek and led her to the moss green upholstered sofa opposite the windows. A small coffee table stood in front of it. They’d eaten takeout off that table more than once. They’d made love on that sofa one night when they’d been barely more than strangers, desperate to banish the terrors of the night with the heat of passion. Thinking about it now made Catherine flush, not with embarrassment at something so out of character for her, but with desire.

“What is it?” Rebecca asked quietly.

“Not anything I want to talk about just now.”

Rebecca laughed as she settled onto the sofa. “Later, then?”

“Most definitely later.” Catherine angled away from Rebecca so she could see her face and not be tempted to touch her. “Tell me what Henry wanted.”

“He laid out a new operation for us this morning. Starting tonight.”

Catherine drew a sharp breath. “What kind of operation?”

“Pretty much what we’re planning to do anyway, although on an accelerated schedule.” Rebecca hesitated.

“Don’t censor it, Rebecca.”

“The plan is a little more aggressive than I might like.”

“Define aggressive,” Catherine said carefully, locking down her emotional responses. Rebecca was here, sharing the kinds of things that were difficult for her to share, and Catherine needed to hear them, no matter how hard.

“Clark wants someone undercover. Mitchell.”

“Isn’t that what she’s been doing all along?” Catherine had the clearance to be informed of procedural details, because in her capacity as a consultant to the police department, she often spoke with officers and their supervisors about classified information. She’d participated in some of Rebecca’s recent investigations. She knew Dellon’s role.

“This time she’s going undercover with one of the Russian women who helped hold the girls captive.”

“Why?”

“We’re supposed to get a line on the local organized crime syndicate, and Mitchell is the one going inside.”