The Rookie Club: Dead Center Part 10

"This is where it gets bad."

Buck's eyes widened. "What? His?"

She shook her head. "The desk was cleaned off with some sort of bleach wipe. The door, too. No sign of any prints-not Devlin's or Worley's. None."

He frowned. "Can you link the chemical to a solution she had in the office?"

"Not yet. And we didn't find anything like it in Worley's stuff. The lab's still working on identifying it."

"That means somebody was prepared."

She smiled at the direction his logic took, that he thought just like she did. "That's the only hitch I see. A guy who has a big blowup with his girlfriend and follows her to her office isn't prepared to clean up after the kill unless it was premeditated. And from what I saw at the ceremony, Natasha was railing on Tim pretty hard. He sounded genuinely shocked at first. Then he got angry."

Buck was silent a minute. "Maybe he carried wipes in his car. Like a neat freak?"

She shook her head. "None."

"His desk?"

"Nope. And so far no trace of the chemical on his clothes or in his car, either."

"What about the murder?"

"Blunt-force trauma to the head. Coroner is trying to help us with the shape of the weapon."

"You know if Worley was. .h.i.t with the same thing?"

"Not yet."

He kissed her neck.

Her stomach growled. "We going to eat?"

He pulled Hailey back on top of him, s.h.i.+fted under her. "You're not full yet?"

She sat up, kissed him. "Worley's the obvious because of timing, but the way I hear it, there was a long line of guys she'd dumped hard."

Something in his expression changed.

"What?" she asked.

"No, I just-"

Just then a cell phone rang. She sat up, looked at his sitting silently on the nightstand. "Mine."

She found it on the floor, glanced at the number.

"Station?"

She nodded.

"Wyatt," she answered.

"Dispatch here. I've got a call from Jim Wyatt. Says it's urgent."

She pressed a fist to her gut. Her father-in-law. "Put it through."

She heard two clicks. "Jim?"

"Hailey."

"Jim, what's wrong? Is everyone okay?"

"Fine. I'm sorry to bother you. You're probably out at a scene..." He let the comment hang.

"It's fine, Jim. What's wrong?"

She met Buck's gaze. He nodded to the phone. She shrugged, had no idea what was going on. Her father-in-law rarely called her.

"I'm afraid I need a favor from you, Hailey."

She scowled, sat back in the bed. "A favor?"

Buck shook his head. He knew all about her senator father-in-law. He ran a finger across her thigh.

She pushed it away. "What is it, Jim?"

"There's been a murder. It happened this morning-here in San Francisco."

"Who's been killed?"

"Abby and Hank Dennig."

"Dennig?" She shook her head. "I don't know the names. It's not my case."

"Abby Dennig is Tom Rittenburg's daughter. Tom Rittenburg is-"

"The head of San Francisco's NRA. I met him at your fundraiser at the old Federal Reserve."

"Right," Jim said. "Good memory."

"How were they killed?" she asked.

"You haven't heard, then?"

"No. I've been out of the station for about an hour." She glanced at the clock. It had been more like two. She steadied her breath. "Do you want me to find out who's working it?"

"No. I already know that."

"What sort of favor do you need?"

Buck rubbed her shoulder. She s.h.i.+fted away from him, concentrating.

"I'd like you to take the case," he said.

"I can't do that, Jim. We work in rotation."

"I've spoken to the mayor."

Just then, the call-waiting beeped. "Jim, hold on."

She pressed the send b.u.t.ton. "Wyatt."

"You're a popular girl."

Hailey frowned at Marshall's voice. Her captain. "What are you talking about?"

"I just got a call from Deputy Chief Scanlan. He's been on the phone with the mayor."

"s.h.i.+t."

"You've got a new case-It's Tom Rittenburg's daughter. He's-"

"I know who he is."

"The scene's already been processed, but the van they were killed in has been sent to the lab. You'll have full access to it whenever you're ready. The autopsy was done earlier. I'll get you the full report in the morning."

"Whose case was it?"

"Wade."

Rylan Wade. He'd been in Homicide longer than her and had a better solve record. "He's good. Why not let him have it?"

"Because the mayor asked for you."

"What about the Devlin case?" she asked.

"You've arrested Worley, right?"

She stood. "I can't do both. If I take Dennigs, then put the other guy back on the Devlin case."

"What other guy?"

"Whoever you sent out to the scene that morning. There was a rookie cop there who said she saw him."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Marshall responded, a little short. "There were easily a dozen cops in the vicinity that morning. If you haven't noticed, the building's full of them."

Hailey felt her voice rise. "I can't do both cases. There's too much media. They're going to want to know why the department isn't focused on finding-"

"Where are you now?"

She glanced at Buck, closed her eyes. Lied. "I'm talking to one of Devlin's neighbors, trying to get information on who else she might have been seeing." She felt her cheeks flush.

"Fine. Come in when you're back. We'll get you some support." With that, the line went dead.

She kept her eyes closed a moment, wis.h.i.+ng her partner Hal Harris weren't still out. It had been almost three weeks since the shoulder surgery. How long would it take before he could shoot his gun and come back to work?

She pushed send as Buck started to talk. She shook her head, pressed her finger to her lips.

"Jim?" she said, returning to the original call.

"I'm here," he said.

"That was my captain. I got your message. I have to tell you, you've put me in an extremely awkward position. I wish you'd called me before you spoke to the mayor. Inspector Rylan Wade was working the Dennig case. He's got a higher solve rate than I do and he's been in the department longer."

"Rittenburg deserves to know what happened to his daughter. I know if it were mine, I'd push for the best, too."

"I don't know that you've gotten him the best," Hailey said, knowing she'd lost the fight.

"Why don't we talk later?"

She said good-bye, ended the call, checked twice to be sure she hadn't left the line open. Her fingers trembled.

She dropped the phone onto the bed. Bent over for her pants. Pulled them on.

"I'm sorry," Buck said.

She nodded, too frustrated to respond.

"What'd you say about the Devlin scene this morning?" he asked.

"Some other a.s.shole was there first. Marshall won't tell me who. They're all teaming up." She looked at him. "There's probably some club of men who screwed Natasha down at the station."

He didn't respond. She knew he wasn't used to seeing her all riled up.

She wasn't used to it either. "It just p.i.s.ses me off."

He nodded. "So I can see."

She scooped her bra off the floor, snapped it on. Found her s.h.i.+rt in the hall, then her jacket. Went into the bathroom to wash up. When she was dressed, she came back. He was still propped in the bed, naked. "Don't you have to work?"

He patted the sheets.

She sat, tried to calm herself. "I can't have both cases."

"Talk to Marshall. He's reasonable."

"The mayor called and asked Deputy Chief Scanlan for me specifically."