Page 2 of Heat of Justice (Duty #3)

“It may not be for me to comment, seeing as I feature so heavily in this production, but damn, Lia, it’s good!”

Lia Kennedy chuckled in satisfaction as Sam Wakefield, the lead helicopter pilot for the medevac team at Lewiston General, shared her enthusiastic opinion on the final episode of her new docu-series.

“You are indeed one of the main characters in this film,” she approved. “Which is why I am so happy to hear you say you like it, Sam.”

“It’s more than like,” the former Marine corrected with a serious nod. “I think you’ve done an excellent job, Lia. If I weren’t already flying the chopper for the crew, your film would make me want to. Or join the team as a doctor or a nurse. It’s bound to inspire a lot of kids to join the profession.”

They sat in Lia’s home studio, a converted bedroom in the apartment she shared with her wife, recording an interview to serve as additional promo material. As a reporter for a regular news network, in what she referred to as her previous life, Lia used to operate in dangerous conflict zones around the world. When she had accepted the role of public relations officer for Lewiston P.D., it was without any particular ambition. Three years out of her career, spent caring for her ailing father, had left her exhausted, single, and pretty disillusioned. For Lia at the time, the Lewiston assignment was just meant to be a fresh start and sorely needed at that. She had been both surprised and delighted when she started to ride with the officers on their daily rounds of duty to discover that it was every bit as fascinating and exciting as reporting from the frontlines of the Middle East. Also, from time to time, just as dangerous. The resulting high-octane, feature-length documentary that she produced at the end of her first year with the police won a bunch of prestigious awards upon release and a special prize from the Sundance Film Festival. Even so, the real jackpot, as Lia never tired to say, was not her new career as an independent filmmaker but meeting Quinn Wesley, the heroic cop who would become her wife. Just as she thought of her, and noticed how late it was getting to be, she heard the front door open and shut.

“Lia?” Quinn called.

“Yes, in the office, darling!”

Quinn walked in, dressed in her usual uniform. A pair of tight blue jeans, Nike running shoes, and a white t-shirt under a thin layer of Kevlar bulletproof vest. She carried a police-issue Glock 19 in a holster on her right hip and a not-so-standard combat knife only Lia knew about in a hidden sheath strapped around her left ankle. My cop, Lia thought with a little shiver of appreciation. Even approaching their third year of marriage, the sight of her wife coming home at the end of the day never failed to make Lia go nicely still and attentive on the inside. With her surfer-blond hair, chiseled physique, and clear blue eyes, Quinn routinely attracted plenty of looks, from men and women alike. Lia loved the fact that she had eyes only for her.

“Hi, babe,” she greeted her.

“Hey...” As always, Quinn focused on her with the intensity of a heat-seeking missile, but she checked herself when her gaze fell on the other woman in the room.

“Quinn, this is Sam Wakefield,” Lia offered.

Oddly enough, tonight, lacing an arm around her waist felt like embracing a block of granite. At intimate times, Quinn was both lithe and supple, and she moved like liquid heat. Generally, she carried herself with the grace and assurance of a woman at ease in her own skin, one who had been tried and tested in battle, and come out of it scarred but victorious. At the same time, that gorgeous body never lied. Lia suspected something was not totally okay, even if no one else would ever guess it from the flash of Quinn’s smile.

“Sam.” She held out her hand with an engaging nod. “Very nice to meet you at last. I’ve heard good things about you.”

“You as well, Lieutenant,” the chopper pilot answered with a grin. “And I hear we’ve got another mutual friend in the next town.”

“Oh, yeah?” Quinn prompted.

“Yes. Tom, a.k.a. The Hulk.”

“Right. He’s a great guy and a talented chef.”

“You bet. His food is to die for.”

The man in question, also a former Marine, now owned a restaurant in Carson City. Lia had great memories of the place, as it had been Quinn’s choice of venue for their first official date. This all being said, she then watched her struggle a bit with the small talk. Sam must have felt it too.

“It’s getting late. I should leave you to it,” she suggested politely.

“No, no, finish what you’re doing,” Quinn countered. “I’m going for a run.”

As she left the room, Lia moved to follow.

“Just a minute, Sam, okay? I’ll be right back.”

“Sure, take your time,” the woman answered easily.

Lia caught up with Quinn as she was locking her weapon in the safe in their bedroom.

“Hey, are you okay?”

“Yeah, yeah.”

“Quinn…”

“Some crap going on at work,” Quinn admitted when she insisted. “I’ll tell you about it later. I don’t want to interrupt your interview.”

“We won’t be long. Just a couple more takes, and I can wrap this up.”

“Fine. Don’t rush.”

“Are you going to the beach?”

“Yes, I’ll do the usual route.”

“If you’re not back by the time I finish, I’ll come get you.”

“Okay.” Quinn brushed a soft kiss over her lips. “I’ll look forward to it.”

“Me too.”

“Now go back to your hotshot, don’t make her wait.”

This remained a playful joke between them from the day Lia came home to reveal that the star of her brand-new film would be a black-haired, green-eyed stunner of a woman. One who also happened to be a talented rescue pilot and decorated military officer. ‘A regular hotshot’, according to Quinn, who may or may not have felt a tiny bit ruffled by their association. Lia had enjoyed this unique glimpse into a more vulnerable side of her. Then she proceeded to remind her wife that there was only one hot woman in her universe. The only one she would ever want to kiss and hold for the rest of her life. And Quinn was definitely it.

“Be safe out there,” she told her now.

“Yes. No worries.”

Quinn’s smile was a little forced, which made Lia hesitate to leave her. At the same time, she knew her wife. Quinn’s career as a police lieutenant meant a great deal to her, and she held Lia’s vocation in the exact same regard. Except when some type of emergency, or a serious injury, such as the time she was shot in the line of duty, came into play, Quinn would not allow Lia to put her own work on the back burner in order to care for her, not even when Lia was sorely tempted to do it. This kind of respect was just one of the many reasons Lia was so deeply in love with her. The longer they were married, the better it seemed to be with Quinn...

◆◆◆

After dropping Ellie off at her place, Cody was recalled to the police station. It was a usual occurrence, no problem at all given her dedication to the job. The sorry state of her personal life, or lack thereof, also meant that she welcomed the distraction. When she arrived, she headed straight to the desk to find the officer on duty looking more than a bit harried.

“Busy night, Lance?” she smiled.

“You can say that again. I’m just—Oh, damn, hold on.” She nodded as he picked up the phone, listened hard, and rolled his blue eyes under a set of bushy eyebrows. “No, this isn’t Fred’s Pizza, ma’am. This is Lewiston P.D. Yes, yes, I am very sure.” He slammed the receiver down. “Can you believe this crap?”

“Hardly.” Cody was amused.

“Someone called earlier about some apparently weird lights in the sky. Asked me if there were reports of UFOs around, or if it might be an Elon Musk launch. As if we were X-Files Central over here or something.”

“Crazy,” she empathized. “Is it a full moon tonight?”

“People don’t need a full moon to be insane anymore these days,” he announced, wiping sweat off his bald head with a meaty hand. “Anyway. Thanks for coming in. I’ve got a strange one for you in Room Five.”

“Define strange,” Cody prompted.

“Alright: woman walks in here like she owns the place and everyone in it, all but slams her fist on the counter when I don’t get to her fast enough, and demands to speak to an officer. When I try to find out what this is about, she just flat-out refuses to tell me.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah. Says she’ll only speak to a senior guy. Well, all the detectives are off-duty or in the field at the moment, so I again offer to have a uniform take her statement. Man! If looks could kill, I’d have suffered a painful death, I can tell you. She dug in her heels and repeated her demand. Looking at me as if I were deaf, or stupid. Or both.”

“Mm. Intriguing, I’ll grant you that.”

“Yes, quite.” He shrugged. “At any rate, I know you tend to enjoy the quirky ones, so I thought you wouldn’t mind helping me with this one too much.”

“Not at all. You got a name?”

“Kim Reed. Doctor Reed, PhD., and don’t you forget it. She is a board-certified criminal defense lawyer; also a family lawyer licensed to work here and in Texas.”

“Never heard of her as a lawyer.”

“She’s a recent transfer to the city. I think she comes across as entitled as heck and with a massive chip on her shoulder. My personal opinion.”

“Okay, great.”

“Ya think?” he grunted.

“Not sure yet, but I’ll speak to her.”

“Thanks, Miller, appreciate it.”

◆◆◆

As Cody walked into Interrogation Room Five, she immediately found herself under the scrutiny of a pair of golden-brown eyes shining in a beautifully sculpted face. The woman’s skin was the color of indulgent nutty chocolate. These gorgeous eyes flashed as Cody entered. Not really with any kind of entitlement, Cody thought, but with obvious caution and weariness. Kim Reed; Doctor Reed, sat with her legs crossed and her shoulders back. She was dressed as if for a court appearance in black pants, a white silk shirt under a fitted blazer, and elegant heels. Cody’s own gaze was momentarily drawn to her shapely, naked ankles. She noted the small outline of a prowling tiger tattooed in red ink on the inside of her left foot. Normally not overly keen on tattoos, it occurred to her that this one added a nice touch to the woman's overall look.

“I’m Detective Miller,” she announced, closing the door behind her.

Reed flicked a strand of curly black hair off her brow with an impatient toss of the head.

“Homicide?” she insisted.

“Special crimes,” Cody allowed. “Including but not limited to homicide, yes.”

Will that do for you? she almost added in challenge, but then thought better of it. There was no point antagonizing the lawyer before she knew the problem.

“How can I help?” she invited.

Reed blew out a breath. “I think one of my clients may have been murdered.”

“Okay.” Nice and straight, no beating about the bush. Cody pulled a notebook and pen out of her pocket. “What makes you think that?”

“We were supposed to meet at my office yesterday, but she never showed up. I can’t get her to answer the phone. I also visited her home twice today, but she was not there.”

Reed’s naturally smoky voice would probably sound great on the radio, no matter what she talked about. Not many would pick up on the slight hint of fear also laced in her tone, expertly subdued and subtle as it was. But Cody was trained to listen for this sort of thing, and she noticed. Like the line of tension in the set of her shoulders, it was all obvious if you paid attention. Without asking her if the woman wanted one, she went to fill a cup of water from the cooler just outside the door and set it in front of Reed.

“What’s your client’s name?”

“Cassie Lee Winters.”

“Address?”

“65 Old Pier Road, Lewiston West.”

Cody jotted it down, as well as the woman’s phone number.

“We’ll check on her,” she advised.

“Okay. Thanks. When?”

“Soon as I’m done with this conversation.”

“Right. The sooner, the better.”

“Sure. But you also know how it goes, don’t you? People miss appointments; they forget to check their messages or their phone runs out of juice. It doesn’t necessarily mean they were murdered.”

“I’m well aware, Detective. But my client was in an abusive relationship for years,” Reed stated in an icy tone.

Was, Cody noted. She sounded pretty convinced.

“Ms. Reed, I understand you’re a criminal defense lawyer,” she prompted. “What did your client hire you for?”