out her arms. “Well, I should’ve known you’d catch me sooner or later . . . and I hid the bodies so well.”
Wiley cracked a hint of a smile, which was about the most he ever did. “I’m heading up a federal task force. We’re pulling in good officers from agencies all over Southern California.”
“Mission?”
“Homeland security. Under that umbrella we’ll work on a lot of different things. There will be travel involved; it’ll be exciting, always changing, and infinitely challenging.”
“That’s great. But why are you telling me?”
“Because I want you to join us. It’s been cleared with your chief, should you decide to hop on board.”
Her anger forgotten, shock caused Carly’s jaw to go slack. “Talk about out of proverbial left field. I don’t know what to say.”
What would Nick say? shot through her mind as she tried to predict her husband’s reaction. He thought she needed a change. A federal task force would certainly be a change. It would afford her investigative opportunities she’d never see in small Las Playas, and that made her sit up straighter. But knowing it would also take her away from home a lot kept her interest muted.
“I didn’t expect you to answer right now.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a flash drive. “Here, take this; study it. It has all the pertinent information about the job. I’ll be in town for a while. We’re monitoring Oceans First, but we’re not involved at the moment.”
Carly took the flash drive and closed her fist around it even as the gravity of what Wiley had just offered her sank in and excitement started to swell. This was a huge honor.
“This will take some thought,” she said, working to keep her tone noncommittal.
Wiley stood. “You’ve got two weeks. I’m hoping you’ll decide soon, but don’t rush,” he said. “You know where to findme when you’ve made a decision.” He shook her hand once, then turned and left her sitting in the report room.
Carly’s mind raced with all she imagined such a job would entail. Homeland Security—protecting the nation, not just Las Playas. Settling back in front of her log, she couldn’t suppress the smile. She’d bet a federal task force wouldn’t be tedious.
“Edwards.”
Carly glanced up this time to see Sergeant Barrett regarding her.
“Yeah?”
He appeared as though he hadn’t slept in ages. Stale cigarette smoke hung around him like a shroud. She remembered what Joe had said about his marriage breaking up.
“Great job with Porter. I told Nick it was a good catch.”
She shrugged. “I’m glad we caught him but bummed it cost me my partner. I’d sure like to know where he got that arsenal. Did Nick get anything out of him?”
Nick and Mickey had taken on the responsibility of cataloging and entering into evidence all the weapons and ammo recovered from the stolen car. They were in the evidence section now. Carly was resigned to the fact that she probably wouldn’t see her husband again until much later in the day.
“No, Porter isn’t talking. But that’s not why I came to talk to you. I got called in to take a citizen’s complaint on you.”
“What?”
Flash drive forgotten, she felt her face flush hot when she saw that he wasn’t joking. The anger she’d felt earlier ramped up to fury. No one had ever filed a complaint against herspecifically. She’d been named in a couple of complaints as part of a group in an altercation after a rock concert and once after a riot in downtown Las Playas, something officers regarded as a type of carpet bombing by lawyers on police departments, where they would name in a lawsuit every officer whose ID number showed up on a call.
Barrett stepped into the room and pulled a chair close to Carly. “Look, I know it’s nonsense, but you know the rules—someone makes a complaint, I have to take it.”
“Who complained? I haven’t had contact with any—” Her mind latched on to a name.
“I guess it happened
Wiley cracked a hint of a smile, which was about the most he ever did. “I’m heading up a federal task force. We’re pulling in good officers from agencies all over Southern California.”
“Mission?”
“Homeland security. Under that umbrella we’ll work on a lot of different things. There will be travel involved; it’ll be exciting, always changing, and infinitely challenging.”
“That’s great. But why are you telling me?”
“Because I want you to join us. It’s been cleared with your chief, should you decide to hop on board.”
Her anger forgotten, shock caused Carly’s jaw to go slack. “Talk about out of proverbial left field. I don’t know what to say.”
What would Nick say? shot through her mind as she tried to predict her husband’s reaction. He thought she needed a change. A federal task force would certainly be a change. It would afford her investigative opportunities she’d never see in small Las Playas, and that made her sit up straighter. But knowing it would also take her away from home a lot kept her interest muted.
“I didn’t expect you to answer right now.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a flash drive. “Here, take this; study it. It has all the pertinent information about the job. I’ll be in town for a while. We’re monitoring Oceans First, but we’re not involved at the moment.”
Carly took the flash drive and closed her fist around it even as the gravity of what Wiley had just offered her sank in and excitement started to swell. This was a huge honor.
“This will take some thought,” she said, working to keep her tone noncommittal.
Wiley stood. “You’ve got two weeks. I’m hoping you’ll decide soon, but don’t rush,” he said. “You know where to findme when you’ve made a decision.” He shook her hand once, then turned and left her sitting in the report room.
Carly’s mind raced with all she imagined such a job would entail. Homeland Security—protecting the nation, not just Las Playas. Settling back in front of her log, she couldn’t suppress the smile. She’d bet a federal task force wouldn’t be tedious.
“Edwards.”
Carly glanced up this time to see Sergeant Barrett regarding her.
“Yeah?”
He appeared as though he hadn’t slept in ages. Stale cigarette smoke hung around him like a shroud. She remembered what Joe had said about his marriage breaking up.
“Great job with Porter. I told Nick it was a good catch.”
She shrugged. “I’m glad we caught him but bummed it cost me my partner. I’d sure like to know where he got that arsenal. Did Nick get anything out of him?”
Nick and Mickey had taken on the responsibility of cataloging and entering into evidence all the weapons and ammo recovered from the stolen car. They were in the evidence section now. Carly was resigned to the fact that she probably wouldn’t see her husband again until much later in the day.
“No, Porter isn’t talking. But that’s not why I came to talk to you. I got called in to take a citizen’s complaint on you.”
“What?”
Flash drive forgotten, she felt her face flush hot when she saw that he wasn’t joking. The anger she’d felt earlier ramped up to fury. No one had ever filed a complaint against herspecifically. She’d been named in a couple of complaints as part of a group in an altercation after a rock concert and once after a riot in downtown Las Playas, something officers regarded as a type of carpet bombing by lawyers on police departments, where they would name in a lawsuit every officer whose ID number showed up on a call.
Barrett stepped into the room and pulled a chair close to Carly. “Look, I know it’s nonsense, but you know the rules—someone makes a complaint, I have to take it.”
“Who complained? I haven’t had contact with any—” Her mind latched on to a name.
“I guess it happened
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