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“With that many bodies, it should have been a no-brainer,” Dawkins said.
“I did say that all the victims were black, didn’t I?”
“No, lieutenant, you didn’t,” Dawkins said. “But now it makes sense.”
“So, now that everybody is paying attention, the word from the higher ups is that based on the demographics and the trademark killings, that it’s the work of one individual.”
“Other than being black, what are the other demographics?” Dawkins asked just before Kirk got the words out of his mouth. They looked at each other and exchanged smiles as Sanchez continued. Kirk thought that Dawkins was fine as hell, and she thought that he was one fine black man. A fact that she knew Bautista had picked up on.
Dawkins could tell by Bautista’s attentiveness towards him, or maybe it was just something about them when they were together, that said to Dawkins they were doing more than police work, but she didn’t know Bautista well enough to care.
“Teenage girls between the ages of thirteen and seventeen. Usually they are runaways, or girls that are in the street because of problems at home. But this girl is different.”
Dawkins looked at Kirk before she asked her question and he extended his hand graciously for her to proceed.
“What makes her different, lieutenant?”
“Well, for one, she wasn’t a runaway. She went to Forten High School, straight A student, part of the track team, and she was on the girls’ basketball team. Her parents say she was liked by all her friends and never had an enemy. She was last seen on Saturday night hanging out with her girlfriends at a house party. The body was found a week later.”
Kirk looked at Dawkins before he asked his question and she extended her hand graciously.
“Have the friends been interviewed?”
“I can’t say for certain, but you’ll find out when you get a look at the file.”
Kirk and Dawkins looked at each other in confusion.
“What file?” They both asked simultaneously.
Sanchez paused and ran his fingers through his hair. “After the sixth murder, the commissioner talked to the captain and told him to put our best people on it,” he said, looking at Kirk. “That’s when the idea started floating around that you need to be brought back up to the majors to work the case.”
“Why me?”
“Some people around here think you’re the best homicide cop on the job and that you’re wasting your time here playing bush league ball, chasing down drug dealers. I happen to be one of those people, in case you’re interested. So effective immediately, and this came straight from One Penn, your back in Major Case. Congratulations, detective.”
“Congratulations,” Dawkins said.
“Thank you. But, I have a question.”
“What’s that?” Sanchez asked.
“What did the captain have to say about all this?” Kirk asked, knowing that Captain Keys didn’t want him on his Major Case Squad.
“He didn’t like it and that’s why it didn’t happen right away,” Sanchez said. “And that’s why it had to come from the commissioner’s office.”
“Figures,” Kirk said, and he and Sanchez laughed.
Dawkins sat there for a while listening to their hearty laughter, wondering what the joke was for as long as she could. “I have a question,” she finally said.
“What’s that?” Sanchez asked.
“What does any of this have to do with me?” she asked.
Sanchez chuckled. “You see, the captain wanted to put you on the case instead.”
“Me?” Dawkins questioned and pointed to herself. “Why me?”
“Because of all that time you spent in the streets working undercover, the captain argued that you’d be a better fit for the squad.”