Page 11 of Heat of Justice (Duty #3)

She had a quick mind and was thinking out loud, of course, not considering anything Cody had not already thought of. But the lieutenant was also annoyingly putting words into her mouth and rushing to the wrong conclusions. Cody did a poor job of hiding her displeasure, which obviously was not lost on Quinn.

“What’s up?” she prompted immediately.

“Nothing. But Kim’s not a suspect. She—”

“Kim?” Her eyes narrowed again.

Oh, hell! Of course, Wesley would remark on the use of her first name. She paid attention and never let even the tiniest detail go unnoticed. Cody recognized in her the traits of a brilliant cop and a skilled interrogator. She happened to be made of the same stuff. Right now, though, she also mentally kicked herself for her less-than-professional reaction.

“Yeah, Kim.” She shrugged. Too late to take it back. “She’s not a suspect in this case.”

“And you know this how?”

“No motive. And anyway, she doesn’t ring for me.”

Quinn pinned her with a hard stare, then promptly hit her with the next predictable question.

“Are you attracted to her?”

Again, fair enough. In her shoes, Cody would have asked exactly the same thing. She stiffened with a wave of reluctance but still held her ground in front of her commanding officer. No matter how intimidating Quinn could be when she was in this mode, like a hungry wolf hunting prey, Cody had earned her cop stripes on the mean streets of New York City. She was not scared, let alone intimidated. Just a little irritated at the situation, she supposed. She could and would deal with that.

“Kim Reed is not a suspect,” she stated calmly. “And yes. Maybe, I’m attracted to her.”

“Which one? Yes, or maybe?”

“I’ll let you know when I figure it out; how about that?”

Quinn must have appreciated the note of challenge in her reply, and a flash of simmering temper laced through it because Cody spied a small smile wobbling on the corner of her mouth. It did blossom eventually, even though Quinn shook her head at the same time.

“Ah, man!” She unceremoniously dropped into one of the two chairs in front of her desk, rubbed her hands over her face, and shot her a pained look. “Really?”

“Like I said,” Cody shrugged. “Maybe.”

“Be careful, Miller. Sounds to me like she’s way down your list of potential suspects but not totally off of it yet.”

“Noted. And to be honest, Lieutenant, I do not have a list of suspects as yet because, technically, there’s been no crime. Kim Reed said she saw Cassie Winters dead in her vision, but there is no body. Even the woman’s asshole husband told me she’s been threatening to run away for a while.”

“He certainly would say that if he killed her.”

“Yes. I am keeping this in mind as well.”

Like the tenacious cop she was, Quinn circled right back to the previous topic.

“Reed’s explanation for moving here and her shift to family law strikes me as a bit weird. When I asked if you believed her, you hesitated. Tell me why,” she ordered.

“Just because it also strikes me as a little strange,” Cody admitted with a light shrug.

“Ah…”

“But I think there must be a personal reason for it, nothing to do with this case.”

“All the same, are you going to dig?”

“If I need to.”

“If?” Quinn raised a dangerous eyebrow.

“Correct, Lieutenant.” Cody swallowed her impatience; she would stick to her guns. “Look, I’m not ignoring warning signs about her. I just see no reason to delve into her private, personal life at the moment.”

“I disagree. What about the psychic ability again? Do you really trust her on that?”

Remembering the startling episode at the bar when Kim had touched her, how sick she was in the restroom afterward, and the things she’d said, Cody had no problem nodding in the affirmative. Kim was not faking it. Proof of this was in a crucial detail she had mentioned: there was indeed a Dunkin’ Donuts store in the street where Emma was shot.

“It seems genuine to me, yes,” she repeated.

“I remember one time when the department brought in a professional clairvoyant to help us on an abduction case,” Quinn offered a little more thoughtfully. “Years ago, when I was still in uniform. Detective Roberts, in charge of the investigation, was certain he had the right guy in custody, but the man wasn’t talking. We thought his latest victim must be still alive and locked up somewhere. It was the height of summer, though, in the middle of a heatwave. If he didn’t tell us where she was, and we couldn’t find her, the poor woman would likely die of thirst before lack of food killed her.”

“Damn. Did the psychic help?”

“Yes. He led us to her after only two days.” Quinn nodded. “I know from experience this sort of thing isn’t just bullshit and make-believe.”

“That’s good.” Cody was pleased to hear it. “You know, Kim also would have nothing to gain from lying.”

Again, a touch of careless earnestness earned her a pointed look in reply.

“Don’t let personal feelings get in the way of professional sense and cloud your judgment,” Quinn warned. “It won’t help the case, and it could get you hurt.”

“Come on, Lieutenant,” Cody finally protested. “You know me better than that.”

“Mm. I do know you.” Quinn kept her eyes on her. “You’re a solid cop, Miller. You have good instincts.”

“Thanks,” Cody grunted.

Quinn surprised her again with a personal reflection of her own.

“I just remember what it was like for me and Lia. Neither one of us wanted a serious relationship. I did my best to fight the growing attraction between us. Avoided running into her at all cost.” She grinned. “But I couldn’t stop thinking about her. Not being with Lia was like being deprived of oxygen. Next thing I know, we’re getting married in Mexico.”

Cody had seen the lieutenant and her wife together a few times, either at one of Demi’s parties or a barbecue on the beach. The two women positively sizzled. She flashed her a quick grin.

“I’m not there yet, and possibly never. But I’ll let you know if I plan to elope.”

Quinn answered with an ironic chuckle. “If it comes to that, Miller, don’t plan and don’t tell me.”

“Got it. Um, Lieutenant?”

“What?”

“Permission to continue working on this case?”

Quinn stopped at the door and turned back to fix her with a cool, assessing glance. Cody returned it, just as unflappable, even though her heart was beating fast.

“For now,” Quinn granted. “Keep me posted.”

“Will do, Boss.”

“And Miller?”

“Yes?”

Quinn’s eyes flashed. “Be careful.”

◆◆◆

“It sucks being a kid.”

Cody eyed the little blond girl in front of her as they shared a leisurely ice cream at the Ben right?”

“Right,” the girl admitted. “That’s why I like you. And my aunt too. You and Jackie always tell me the truth, even when it’s hard stuff.”

“There you go. So, I can’t say I was tremendously in love with school, but I got it done with no drama. Also, you’re doing well, aren’t you? I mean, straight As all the way…”

“Just because I get good grades doesn’t mean I like school.” Anna licked her spoon and managed a knowing smirk. “But I’ll be patient and finish it.”

“Good to hear. Continue to work hard, and keep your head down. You’ll be grateful for your results by the time you apply to the Academy.”

“Can I see your shield?” Her eyes lit up when Cody slid it across the table for her to hold. Emboldened, she held out her other hand. “And your gun.”

“Nope,” Cody chuckled. “Don’t push your luck, girl.”

“One day, I’ll be a detective just like you.”

“I think you’ll make a great one.”

“Really?”

“Absolutely.”

“Tell me why.”

Though the girl covered it with an edge of sass, an almost desperate need for approval and reassurance pierced through her young voice. She sounded a bit lost, definitely vulnerable… Cody kept a neutral face. She did not let her see how it affected her, but it sure twisted her heart.

“Because you’re really smart,” she replied. “Motivated. And strong.”

“Sometimes, I want to cry.” Anna’s vibrant blue eyes filled up with the admission. Her bottom lip wobbled. “But I don’t let myself do it.”

“Why not, kiddo?” Cody asked softly.

“Because it’s like you said. I have to be strong, even if I miss my dad.”

Just like she had with Kim the other day, Cody slid next to her to pass an arm around her shoulders.

“Anna, you can cry and still be strong,” she assured her.

“Do you cry?” the girl prompted in challenge.

“Yeah, of course.”

“No!” In pure astonishment this time, and Cody chuckled.

“Well, yes! I’m a cop but still human, you know? It’s good to let go with a good cry sometimes. It's totally natural and nothing to be ashamed of. Doesn’t mean I can’t be hard and mean when I have to.”

Anna fixed her with fierce, glistening eyes. “When you’re dealing with bad guys? Then, you’re mean?”

Wanting to bring a real smile back on her sweet little face, Cody told her point-blank.

“Bet your ass, kiddo. I’m a total hard-ass bitch. Every bad guy’s worse nightmare.”

A flicker of a smile flashed across Anna’s eyes at her choice of colorful language.

“Me too. I’ll be a total kick-ass cop.”

“Hell, yeah,” Cody approved with a grin.

Anna flashed her badge. “Detective Brockmann, Lewiston P.D.”

“I like the sound of that, kid.”

“Maybe I’ll be a lieutenant, actually.”

“Awesome, then you can be my boss.”

That did the trick, and Anna beamed in pleasure. “First, I gotta finish school, huh?”

“Yeah, you gotta. Sorry.”

“That’s okay, Cody.” The young girl kissed her lightly on the cheek. “I’ll get it done, and no drama.”