Tunnel Vision Part 6

Chapter Five.

HELEN BRAUNER CLIMBED the stairs to the third floor of the Biology Building slowly as she fumbled through her purse searching for a large key ring which held a dozen keys of various sizes and shapes. Some of them she had never used before, and it would only be guesswork on her part as to which ones would fit Elliottas office and file cabinets. By the time she reached the third floor landing she found what she was looking for. The building was quiet and the clicking sound made by the heels of her shoes echoed down the hallway. Glancing at her wrist.w.a.tch, she realized it would be at least an hour before anyone else except the most dedicated students and professors would begin making their way into the labs and offices.

It took her a few minutes to find the key that opened Elliottas office and she made a mental note to label her keys when she got home. To her relief the inner office door was unlocked and when Helen saw her husbandas desk, tears suddenly filled her eyes. In the back of her mind Helen had the nagging feeling she would never see his face again. Setting her purse down, she sat behind his desk and ran her hands over the leather bound blotter covering the desk top. She tried the desk drawers and found them locked. She tried several keys on the key ring before finding one that opened the lock on the desk. She hadnat really been sure there was a spare key, so she had collected every key she could find at home and hoped for the best.The first drawer revealed nothing that seemed out of place or out of character for Elliott Brauner. Mostly office supplies and a few file folders containing reminders for faculty meetings. The other drawers contained nothing of importance either and Helen wondered why Elliott bothered to lock the desk. She picked up the key ring and crossed the office to three file cabinets inside the office door. She was trying the fifth key that looked like a file cabinet key when Tony walked into the office. She smiled when she saw him.

aGood morning, Tony. Youare in early this morning.a aI have a couple of things to check on in the lab, Dr. Brauner. What are you looking for?a aThe police asked me to look around and see if I noticed anything out of place.a aYou still havenat heard from him?a aNo. But at least the police are finally looking into it. I donat suppose you have a key to these file cabinets.a Tony chuckled slightly. aMrs. Brauner, you know d.a.m.n well your husband wouldnat trust me with the keys.a aHe trusts you, Tony. Heas just overly cautious.a aIf you ask me, maaam, heas just paranoid.a She smiled at him. aHe wasnat always like that.a aIave been meaning to call you. The doc was supposed to give an exam to his grad cla.s.s last Friday. When he didnat show up, I wasnat sure what to do so I told them to keep studying and it would probably be sometime this week.a aIs it in one of these cabinets?a aI suppose. I never saw it.a A key finally turned in the cabinet lock. Helen opened the top drawer and looked through the file folders.

aWhat are these, Tony?a He looked over her shoulder for a moment.

aStudent records. He kept a record on the progress of all his students. Sorta like efficiency reports or something.a aHave you read them?a aA few. Not very complimentary.a aElliott is really only interested in the best students, especially at the graduate level. He spoke very highly of your work.a aYou coulda fooled me.a aWell, he believes too much praise can ruin a scientist. Sometimes he doesnat consider the person inside the scientist,a she said absently as she opened the second file drawer.

A small stack of papers sat in the back of the drawer behind a section of file folders. Helen picked them up and showed them to Tony. aIs this the exam for last week?a aMust be. It was supposed to cover a lab on the properties of carcinogens.a aIall let you take these, Tony. Have the students prepare to take it day after tomorrow,a she said as she handed him the exams. She thumbed through the files in the drawer, which appeared to contain master copies of other exams. She pushed the drawer shut and was preparing to open the last drawer when she stopped and glanced at the exams in Tonyas hand.

aLet me see those again for a minute.a She took the papers and sat down at her husbandas desk. She looked at each set of exams and counted them. aHow many students are in Elliottas graduate cla.s.s?a aTwenty-four. Why? Is an exam missing?a aNo, but there is something wrong.a aBut theyare all there.a aThey are, but not in the right order.a Tony looked at her and she smiled. aYouare right about Elliott being paranoid,a she said. aHe has a system of stacking his exams so he can tell immediately if theyave been tampered with.a aHow?a aSee this cla.s.s and section number?a she said pointing at the top of the exam.

aItas got a typo in it. It should be Micro 2201, not 0424.a aLook at the next one.a a6006. I donat get it.a aNormally, students simply come in and take the exam,a she explained, leaning back in the desk chair.

aThey never look at ordinary things such as the course number. Elliott uses a method that rotates six numbers throughout the exams and he always uses the same six numbers. First, our anniversary and then my birth date. The exams should always be 04-24-6006-12-43. These are in the wrong order. This exam should be 1243. Someone has rearranged the stack.a aMaybe the doc dropped them or something.a Helen looked at Tony and smiled. He smiled back at her and shook his head. aHead rearrange them if he had, wouldnat he?a Helen nodded and went back to the stack. aMost of them seem to be in the right sequence. Itas just a few on top that are wrong. I think I should keep these for the police, Tony.a aWhat about the exam?a aWrite a new one. I know Elliott would trust you to do that, but donat tell the students itas a different exam. Just be sure to cover the same material. Would you do that?a aSure. Do you want to see it before I give it?a aNo. Iam afraid that even after all the years Iave lived with Elliott Iam still not that great in microbiology.a WHEN BRODIE ARRIVED at work Friday, Maggie was at her desk looking through a file folder. She stopped reading when she saw Brodie and closed the folder. aThis report from Travis County came in this morning. I hope you donat mind if I looked over it.a aWhich report is it?a aThe traffic accident. Doesnat seem to have been an accident after all.a aThatas what they said last week. At least now itas official,a Brodie said as she sat down and opened the folder. aHowas the face? You know, it almost looks like a bruise you might have gotten in a fight.a aItas fine, Lieutenant,a Maggie said, ignoring the speculation. aCoffee?a She glanced around the office. aWho made it?a aI did, but it may be weaker than youare used to.a aMud would be weaker than weare used to,a the lieutenant grunted.

She continued reading the report from the medical examiner until Maggie returned and set a cup in front of her. Reading over her shoulder as she turned the pages of the report, Maggie rested her hand lightly on Brodieas shoulder. Although she felt the warmth of Maggieas hand through her s.h.i.+rt, she chose not to say anything about the uninvited contact between them. It had once been an instinctive, natural touch. She had missed it more than she realized.

aAnything you didnat know before?a Maggie asked between sips of coffee.

aSeems our guy had a leg injury at some point. Screws in the right ankle.a aNo dental?a aNope. Teeth were conveniently removed.a aExcept for the ankle screws there doesnat seem to be much to work with. Could be anybody.a aWell, Detective, thatas why they pay us the big bucks. To make something out of nothing.a Maggie continued to sip her coffee as she returned to her desk.

aLieutenant Brodie,a she said.

aYeah.a aI want to apologize if my being here has complicated things for you.a aWhy would it?a aI just thought that...a aThought what?a aNothing. Forget it.a aLook, Weston, your job is to do what I tell you and my job is to teach you the way we do things here,a she said calmly. aOkay?a Brodie was saved from further conversation when the phone rang. She sat up and grabbed the receiver.

aCedar Springs Police Department. Lieutenant Brodie.a She listened for a few seconds and then handed the phone to Maggie who took it with a questioning look on her face.

Brodie shrugged and said, aYour fan club, I guess.a aThis is Detective Weston.a aDetective, Helen Brauner.a aGood morning, Dr. Brauner. How can I help you?a aYou asked me to call after I checked Elliottas office.a aDid you find something?a Maggie listened for a few minutes before speaking again.

aWhen can I meet you, Dr. Brauner?a aIall be in my office a little before noon. Can we meet then?a aOf course. Iall be looking forward to it.a Maggie hung up and looked at Brodie, who was still going over the file from the Medical Examiner.

aThat was Helen Brauner from the university. She reported her husband as a missing person last Sunday.a aThat the one you were playing Lone Ranger on Tuesday?a aYes.a aAre you meeting with the wife again?a aAround noon if itas all right with you.a aShe didnat say what she wanted on the phone?a aI asked her to check her husbandas office to see if she noticed anything out of the ordinary. Something I wouldnat have noticed. I a.s.sume she found something and preferred not to discuss it on the phone.a aOkay. Follow it up,a Brodie said, returning to her file folder. aMaybe Iall tag along to evaluate how you conduct yourself during an interview.a aWhat about Nicholls?a aHeas spending the morning going over our burned-out Mercedes from Thursday night and interviewing the owner. Probably wonat be back until after lunch some time.a BY ELEVEN FORTY-FIVE, the two women were climbing the stairs leading to the second floor of the Chemistry Building in the university Science Quadrangle.

aJesus, it stinks in here,a Brodie said.

aDidnat you take chemistry in high school? There are always strange smells coming from the chemistry labs.a aYouad think with all the brain power around here they could at least come up with chemicals that had a pleasant smell.a aI think those are called perfumes and deodorants.a aWhich office is hers?a Brodie asked as they reached the second floor.

a224,a Maggie said looking around. aMust be down this way.a Brodie followed her down the hallway until they found a door that looked identical to the ones Maggie had seen in the Biology Building. The same block lettering identified the occupant, Helen K. Brauner, Ph.D., Chemistry. Maggie knocked on the office door and someone called out, aCome in.a Maggie opened the door and looked around the outer office. The office was homey looking with curtains hanging from the windows. Helen Brauner appeared in the doorway of the inner office. She smiled when she saw the rookie detective.

aSorry to yell like that Detective Weston, but I let my a.s.sistant go to lunch early and I was heating my own. Please come in.a aDr. Brauner, this is Lieutenant Brodie,a Maggie said. aMy training officer.a Helen smiled warmly at Brodie and extended her hand. aPlease, come in. Can I offer you some lunch? I always have too much. Elliott usually shares it with me.aaNo, weare fine, Dr. Brauner, but thank you,a Brodie smiled.

They sat on a couch in Helen Brauneras office. Brodie looked around the office as Helen removed her lunch from a small microwave. She picked up two coffee cups and filled them, handing one to Brodie and the other to Maggie.

aIf youad like cream and sugar, thereas sugar on the table and cream in the refrigerator,a she said as she sat down with her lunch.

aThis is fine,a Maggie said. aYou said you found something in your husbandas office.a aYes. I donat know how important it is, but it was something out of place.a Helen stood and handed a stack of papers to Maggie.

aWhat are these, Dr. Brauner?a Maggie asked.

aExams. I got them from my husbandas office this morning. Elliott was supposed to give the exam last Friday, but since he disappeared Thursday it was never given.a aAnd you think thereas something unusual about them?a aAbsolutely. Theyare out of order.a Helen Brauner explained her husbandas system of stacking exams to the detectives.

aYouall excuse me, maaam,a Brodie said, abut that seems like an awful lot of trouble for an exam. Did your husband suspect one of his students of cheating?a aTony, thatas Elliottas a.s.sistant, called him paranoid and perhaps he was. Personally, I prefer to think of his system as a means of showing his affection for me in some small way. It may seem silly or soph.o.m.oric, but Elliott was never one to show affection in a grandiose manner.a aSo you believe someone tampered with the exams prior to them being given?a Maggie asked.

aIt looks that way even though none of the exams are missing. I presume someone either read it or made a copy of it.a aWho would be in a position to do that, Dr. Brauner?a Brodie asked.

aCertainly the people who would benefit most would be his students, but I have no idea how any of them would gain access to them,a Helen answered.

aWhat about Obregon?a Maggie asked.

Helen laughed lightly. aAs far as I know, Tony didnat have a reason to copy the exam. He isnat a student in that particular cla.s.s and he doesnat have a key to the file cabinet where I found them.a aMaybe he has a key you donat know about,a Maggie said.

aI asked him and he said he didnat. I donat believe Tony would lie to me, Detective.a aWould he take a copy for another student in cla.s.s? Iam sure there are students who would have been glad to pay for a copy.a aTony doesnat like any of the students well enough to steal for them and I canat believe head be involved in selling an exam.a aMoney can be a powerful motivator, Dr.

Brauner,a Brodie said.

aLieutenant Brodie, Tony Obregon has too much to lose at this point in his academic career to risk being caught in such a scheme. He has literally dragged himself up from nothing to attain his current level of education. He is a doctoral candidate in Microbiology and any monetary gain he might make now is certainly surpa.s.sed by what lies ahead for him in research with any number of major research facilities. I know for a fact that my husband has personally recommended him for possible positions once he graduates.a aDoes Mr. Obregon know that? From what I gathered he and your husband are not the best of friends,a Maggie said.

aElliott recognizes Tonyas enormous potential, but it isnat his desire to be Tonyas friend. As a matter of fact, and I probably shouldnat even tell you this, Elliott is responsible for Tonyas remaining at the university and finis.h.i.+ng his degree. He couldnat stand the idea of him wasting his intellect. Last year, when his partial scholars.h.i.+p ran out, Elliott personally arranged to finance Tonyas final year. Anonymously, of course.a aThat was very generous of your husband,a Maggie said.

aGenerosity had nothing to do with it, Detective. Elliott knows talent when he sees it and he would do anything to prevent losing it. He believed if Tony left school until he had enough money to complete his education, he might never return.a aWell, I think we have a few leads to work with now, Dr. Brauner. I appreciate your help,a Maggie said, closing her notebook. aWeall take these exams with us, if you donat mind.a aOf course.a As Helen escorted them to her office door, Brodie stopped and looked back at the pictures she had hanging on the wall behind her desk.

aAre those pictures of you and your husband, maaam?a she asked.

aYes. A family alb.u.m of sorts,a Helen said, smiling.

aI notice your husband is on crutches in one of them. Did he have an accident?a Helen laughed. aYes, and Iam afraid it was my fault. When I was younger I had a pa.s.sion for ice skating. After I met Elliott I harangued the poor man into joining me. He tried for my sake, but it was the first and last time.a Brodie smiled. aI can understand that. Trying to impress the woman he loved, huh?a aYes. He did pretty well for a while, but then his ankle gave way and ended a promising skating career.a aHe broke his ankle?a Maggie asked, following Brodieas lead.

aShattered it. The doctors had to use screws to hold everything in place. But it never bothered him, especially after we moved to the warmer climate here.a Brodie touched Maggie on the arm and said, aWe appreciate your help, Dr. Brauner. Weall let you know if we find out anything.a aLieutenant,a Helen said, with a slight tremor in her voice. aYou believe my husband is dead, donat you?a Brodie had difficulty looking at Helen Brauner as she spoke, aIam afraid itas a possibility, Dr. Brauner. Iam sorry.a Even though tears filled her eyes, Helen Brauner stood up straight. aThank you for your honesty, Lieutenant. When will you know for sure?a Brodie reached out and placed her hand on the womanas shoulder. aWeall let you know as soon as possible, maaam.a Brodie was quiet as she and Maggie walked back to their car. She started the engine, rolled her window down and lit a cigarette.

ad.a.m.n f.u.c.kina shame,a Brodie said as she exhaled.

aGet the name of Brauneras doctor and see if he has any x-rays showing the screw placement. Weall send them over to Travis County for a comparison. Then at least sheall know what happened to her husband.a Brodie backed the car out and drove toward the police department. She and Maggie didnat speak for several blocks.

aDo you think Brauner and Garciaas deaths are related now?a Maggie finally asked.

aItas sure beginning to look that way. And that should make our job a little easier, I suppose. Have you thought about a timetable of events yet?a aNot really, but my guess would be that both crimes occurred Thursday night, probably early evening. Mrs. Brauner told me her husband went to the university a little after seven. We havenat found Garciaas keys, but he must have had them in order to clean the offices. If Mrs. Brauner is right about the exams being tampered with, Garciaas killer might have murdered him for his keys and used them to get into Brauneras office.a aWhere he was probably interrupted by Brauner returning at seven or so,a Brodie continued.

aIn the meantime, he had Garciaas body stashed in the tunnel.a aLook it up when we get back. I wonder why no one missed Garcia that evening. The Biology Building is pretty big. Surely there was more than one janitor a.s.signed to the building.a aAccording to the supervisor there are three, one for each floor. Itas possible they wouldnat see one another.a aHe probably couldnat get rid of Garciaas body right away and then his problem was compounded by Brauneras unexpected appearance. He would have been forced to kill him to prevent Brauner from turning him in. Do we have any suspects?a aAt least twenty-four if you think it might have been a student,a Maggie said holding up the exams.

aAnd that doesnat include Obregon, the a.s.sistant. He and Brauner had a fight on Wednesday about something. When I talked to him, he said it wasnat any big deal, but he could have been lying. He is, or was, a member of the Latin Lords. Has the tats to prove it.a aAccording to the professoras wife, he done seen the light though,a Brodie quipped.

aWeall need to talk to him again.a aWho else have you talked to about Brauner?a aDr. Roth in the same department and his a.s.sistant, a graduate student named Daryll Chambers.a aWhat did they have to offer?a aNot much, but I didnat know much when I talked to them except Brauner was missing. Rothas sort of a strange bird. Smokes pot in his office and looks like his karma got stuck in the late sixties.a aSounds like my kinda guy,a Brodie said with a smirk.

aYouad love his Grateful Dead collection,a Maggie said as she grinned across the seat at Brodie.

aWho else you got?a aThe a.s.sistant, Chambers, looks straight arrow. One of those Ivy League types. Very clean cut. He told me about an argument he overheard between Obregon and Brauner.a aWhen we get back to the office weall fill Nicholls in and start dividing up what weave got so far. Better set up a schedule for interviewing the students, but you can eliminate the women in the group.a aWhy? You think a woman couldnat carry off a crime like this?a aNot without help and this doesnat look like it was a group project.a NICHOLLS WAS AT his desk with the telephone receiver resting on his shoulder when the two women returned to the squad room. He waved quickly when he saw them and returned to his phone conversation. Maggie poured coffee for herself and one for Brodie and carried them back to their desks. She got Nichollsas attention and pointed at his cup. He smiled and shook his head.

aIall get a roster of students in Brauneras cla.s.s this afternoon. How do you want to handle the interviews? Here or at their places?a Maggie asked.

aI kinda prefer the element of surprise by just dropping in on them personally,a Brodie answered.

aSometimes they donat show up when you call them in and, if our boy is among them, I wouldnat want him to skip town.a aI can get their addresses from the registrar, but spring break at the university will be starting at the end of next week. We might not be able to get to all of them before then.a aWeall do what we can and catch the rest after.a Nicholls hung up the phone and leaned back in his chair.

aSo, where have you two been?a he asked.

aWe got a possible I.D. on Charcoal Bill,a Brodie said.aGreat, I guess. Who is he?a aDr. Elliott Brauner, a professor in the Biology Department. What did you find out about the vehicle?a she asked.

aPretty much what we already knew. Jenkins was definitely the owner. In fact, I just talked to him on the phone again. Heas given a statement to Austin PD, but wonat be much help. Wants his insurance company to take a look at whatas left. Worried he wonat get a new car out of it.a aWhen did he leave it at the airport?a aThe Sunday before we found it. Out of town all week for a business conference or something. Has absolutely no idea who might have stolen his car. Surprise, surprise. But it seems that Mr. Jenkins has this, uh, how can I delicately put this? Sn.o.b complex?

Anyway, he always parks his car in Executive Long Term Parking. The airport has a special area for big business types who travel frequently.a aIs he a frequent flyer?a aApparently.a aWell, the car wasnat your regular freeway trolley. Maybe weall get lucky and the guy at the ticket booth will remember it,a Maggie interjected.

aHow do you think our guy got to the airport?a Nicholls asked.

aYour guess is as good as mine,a Brodie said.

aThink he had the bodies with him?a Maggie asked.

aThatad take a pretty b.a.l.l.sy guy. Lug along two dead bodies. Hot wire a car and then transfer the bodies to it,a Brodie said.

aSince Brauneras was the only body found in the car, maybe he didnat have both bodies with him. Wouldnat even have to worry about hiding it. Just pa.s.s it off as a sleeping pa.s.senger,a Nicholls said.

as.h.i.+t. This Jenkins guy left the car at the airport on Sunday, we found it after it became a barbecue grill on wheels Thursday, and Jenkins didnat report it missing until the following Monday. Whoever took it could have done it anytime between Sunday and Thursday. Wouldnat have had to have either body with him.a Brodie said, rubbing her face.

aBut thatas a.s.suming he planned the two murders in advance,a Maggie jumped in. aI think Brauner was an accident. Just stumbled into his own murder. He shouldnat have even been on the campus Thursday evening.a aThink he might have witnessed Garciaas murder?a Nicholls asked.

aI donat know, but suppose our guy hadnat figured on murdering Brauner. Suddenly heas stuck with two dead bodies. Burning the body in a fake accident seems like a hastily put together plan,a Maggie offered.

aWhy go to the airport to steal a f.u.c.kina car? He coulda stolen one closer to home,a Nicholls said.

aProbably figured a car stolen from the airport in Austin wouldnat be reported for at least a day or two. Especially one in long term parking,a Brodie said, looking at Maggie. She could sense Maggie was beginning to get excited by the idea of pieces falling into place. It was becoming harder for her to find much wrong with the traineeas work.

aRight,a Maggie said. aIt would give him time to distance the two crimes from one another. Or at least he thought so at the time.a aSo how do you think it went down, RB?a Nicholls asked.

aWell, Weston thinks Garcia was killed to get his office keys, in particular the keys to Brauneras office. An exam was scheduled for Friday and the wife confirmed the exams had been tampered with. He was interrupted by Brauner and forced to kill him, too,a she answered. aProbably took Brauneras key to the file cabinet after he killed him. Worked out for him in the end since there was no reason for a janitor to have keys to anything other than the office itself.a aSounds logical to me, but isnat he practically pointing the finger at himself then? I mean, how many people would have wanted into Brauneras office bad enough to kill two people.a aThatas the illogical part,a Maggie said. aThere are twenty-four people in his graduate cla.s.s and if you eliminate the women that leaves nineteen.a aMaybe it isnat one of Brauneras students,a Nicholls said. You said the a.s.sistant, whatas his name, argued with the professor. Maybe heas sending us off on a wild goose chase after he got his rocks off getting even with the old man.a aThen why kill the janitor?a Maggie asked.

aObregon had a key to the office himself. I donat like him for this.a Brodie ruffled her hands through her short hair.

aWell, now that weave completed that circle and seem to be right back where we started, I think itas time to call it a day. Letas sleep on it over the weekend and weall start interviewing people Monday. See if we can eliminate anyone and make the circle smaller.a BRODIE CARRIED HER coffee cup to the restroom and washed it out before leaving for the weekend. They had made some progress on the two cases and it was more than she had initially hoped for. As she left the restroom on her way back to the squad room, she heard loud voices and quickened her pace. It seemed a little early for their usual contingent of Friday night drunks. As she rounded the corner into the squad room she stopped dead in her tracks. What she saw wasnat anything she would have antic.i.p.ated and felt the urge to turn and walk in the opposite direction. The eyes of Tim Weston glaring at her prevented that option. She glanced quickly around the room at her fellow officers and walked toward her desk. Maggie was seated behind her desk, obviously embarra.s.sed by the scene her father was creating. The look Brodie saw in her eyes broke her heart. But Maggie Weston wasnat hers to protect any longer. Nicholls was attempting to determine what the problem was, using as reasonable a tone as possible.

aSir, I suggest we move to an interrogation room. This is a personal matter between you and your daughter and shouldnat be aired in front of these other officers.a aWhy? My daughter has made it perfectly clear she isnat in the least ashamed or embarra.s.sed about being a lesbian,a Weston said derisively.

Nicholls appeared dumbfounded by the accusation and stared at Brodie.

aThatas enough, Tim,a Brodie said as she approached the scene, trying to keep her voice as calm as possible. aTake Detective Nichollsa suggestion. Letas go someplace more private. If you insist on continuing your tirade out here Iall have you arrested for creating a disturbance.a aYou donat have the guts to do that, Brodie,a Tim sneered.

She stepped closer to him and kept her voice low.

aDonat test me, Tim.a Turning away, she was stopped by Nichollsa hand on her arm. aRomero! Take Detective Weston and her father to interrogation two. Iall be there in a minute.a She jerked her arm away from Nicholls and walked back down the hallway and into interrogation room one with Nicholls following her.aIs it true, Brodie?a he asked as soon as the door closed.

aWhich part?a aIs Weston a d.y.k.e?a Brodie glared at him. aHer s.e.xual orientation is none of my business or yours. Youall have to ask her.a aAre you sleeping with her?a aIam not ready to throw away my career by f.u.c.kina a trainee, Nicholls! I knew Maggie when I was with the Austin PD and thatas it, so drop it. If you have a problem, see Captain Donaldson.a Brodie left the interrogation room and leaned against the wall to calm down and take a deep breath before moving to her next problem. When she entered the second interrogation room Maggie was seated at the table and Tim was pacing like a caged animal.

aYou want me to stay, Brodie?a Romero asked.

aNo. Where is Donaldson?a aHe ran out to grab something to eat. Should be back soon.a aAsk him to join us when he gets back, please.a She closed the door as Romero left and turned her attention Maggie and her father. She could see the apology in Maggieas eyes, but ignored it. aSit down, Mr. Weston, and tell me what your problem seems to be, considering youare not a resident of our fair city.a Although he refused to sit, Tim placed the palms of his hands on the table and leaned toward Brodie.

aYouare my f.u.c.king problem, Brodie, and you d.a.m.n well know why.a aI only know what your problem was eight years ago.a aI know youall try to work your way back into my daughteras bed, if you havenat already,a he spat, staring at Maggie. aYour fellow officers should be made aware of who theyare having to work with every d.a.m.n day.a aThey are aware for the most part. All youave succeeded in doing today is humiliating your daughter. I donat give a s.h.i.+t what my fellow officers think about me, but I do care what they think about my trainee. I didnat ask for this a.s.signment and I tried to get out of it because I knew youad pull a stunt like this eventually. I guess I didnat think youad be this vindictive against your own daughter. Sheas going to be a d.a.m.n good detective. Sheas thorough and has good instincts. Iam guessing she got those traits from her mother because she sure as s.h.i.+t couldnat have gotten them from you. Your problem is you canat accept Maggie for who she is. While it is a problem, itas a personal one between the two of you. I wonat have your personal problems dragged in here interfering with our jobs. Believe me when I tell you I wonat hesitate to have you arrested if you ever create a scene like this again. Iave had a hard week and am going home. Alone. I am not sleeping with your daughter and I donat ever want to have to discuss this with you again.a Brodie turned on her heel and yanked the door to the room open. She almost ran into Donaldson on her way out of the room.

aWhatas the problem, Brodie?a he asked.

aWe have a citizen with a complaint,a she said tersely. aLet me know the outcome. Iam going home.a She didnat pause to acknowledge the stares of others in the squad room as she left for the weekend. Her hands were shaking as she sat in her Camaro and tried to light a desperately needed cigarette.

Chapter Six.

MAMA JEANaS WAS a well-known womenas bar and dance club a block off the main drag in Austin. Brodie parked her Camaro in a pay parking lot and strolled slowly to the club three blocks away. She stopped and looked at items displayed in the store windows along the way to take her mind off the scene earlier. Finally taking a deep breath, she pushed open the front door of the club and immediately felt her body relax. She hadnat been out in months and, after her confrontation with Tim Weston, decided she owed herself a night away from work and stress and unwanted trainees. She had been to more than a few womenas bars that would have only looked good if she had been drunk. Mostly pick-up bars where almost anyone could score a one-night stand as long as they werenat too picky. She knew her fellow officers wondered about her, but they never asked any questions. Nicholls knew about her preferences, as did Donaldson. As long as she performed her duties successfully and kept her private life private, he didnat seem to care. What she did off duty wasnat anyoneas business. She hadnat considered settling down permanently, not even with Camille. And now Camille had made it clear that their status-quo relations.h.i.+p was no longer enough for her. Even though she missed waking up every morning next to the warmth of a womanas body snuggled closely against her, she wasnat willing to take an emotional risk like that again.

She whiled away nearly two hours watching women and listening to the mostly country-western music. Periodically, a woman approached her for a dance and she had been glad to accept. She enjoyed dancing and, for the most part, the conversation had been pleasant as well. She began to relax and felt her body fall into a comfortable rhythm. The more she danced and the more women she met, the more she ventured to ask others to dance. Even sober she was having a surprisingly good time.

HE s.h.i.+FTED HIS car into park and sat patiently, waiting for Maggie Weston to enter her duplex. Head give her a little time to get comfortable or perhaps wait until the lights were turned off for the night. He pulled the tab on a soft drink can and settled in, waiting for the right time. She could tie him to the murder of Cruz Garcia. He mentally slapped himself for being so stupid. The dumb b.i.t.c.h probably didnat realize why she had to die.

He blinked when headlights from an on-coming vehicle hit him. He ducked his head, not taking any chances. The car, a flashy red Mustang, slowed in front of the duplex and turned into the driveway.

as.h.i.+t,a he muttered. He watched as a woman dressed in jeans and a short-sleeve pullover readjusted her clothing and ran a hand through her medium length dark hair as she approached the front door to Maggie Westonas home. Now what, he thought. He wanted to finish his business and get back to his life. MAGGIE WAS EXHAUSTED after the scene with her father and had only arrived home from work a few minutes before her doorbell rang. She groaned and contemplated not answering until the doorbell rang the second time.

aCarrie!a aHey baby,a the woman said with a smile. aYou donat look ready for a night out. Just get home?a she asked as she stepped into the room and pulled Maggie into a warm embrace.

aIave just had the worst day of my entire adult life,a Maggie answered, returning the hug.

aWell, sit down and tell me all about it.a Carrie Landers said. She smiled as Maggie ended the embrace. aYou may be tired, but you still look good enough to eat.a She kissed Maggie softly. aWe can stay home if you want to.a aNo. Itas just that with everything that happened today, I forgot about our date. Maybe a night out will take my mind off the problem.a aSo whatas the problem?a Carrie asked.

aMy father showed up at work today and outed me,a Maggie answered, her voice quiet.

aWhy would he do a dumb thing like that?a aBecause he thinks Iam sleeping with my training officer.a aWhat?! Why would he think something as stupid as that?a aBecause itas Royce Brodie,a Maggie admitted.