Read Online Front Page Fatality by Lyndee Walker - Free Book Online Page A

one week.”
    I grabbed the faxes and dialed Commander Jones as I stared at the grainy photos of the dead officers, Alex Roberts and Brian Freeman. I wondered what they had been doing when the other boat hit them. Did they see it coming?
    I introduced myself when Jones picked up. “Is this a good time to ask you about the accident on the river last night?”
    “As good a time as any,” he said. “I think I’m going to be busy with this mess for a while.”
    “Let’s start with the obvious: what were they doing?”
    “That’s the first question I’ve gotten from everyone today, and it’s one I don’t have an answer for. I didn’t give those orders, so I don’t know.”
    “Oh.” I hadn’t seen that coming. “Where did their orders come from, then? Is there someone else I can talk to?”
    “I’m not really sure, to tell you the truth. I can’t find anything in the system about why they were out there. Orders for use of the aquatic fleet would go through me or someone above me. If it came from over my head, you need to talk to the big brass downtown, but I would be very surprised to find any of them in the office today, and I haven’t even had time to turn around twice because of all the media calls this morning.”
    Nothing like another story with more holes than the back nine at Jefferson Country Club. Especially when Bob was hanging around just to read my stuff. Dammit. I scribbled down Jones’ comments, such that they were.
    I asked Jones about date of the last fatality accident in his unit. He told me there hadn’t ever been another one, and the only other accident of any kind involving a police boat had been in 1967.
    “How long had Roberts and Freeman been with your unit?” I asked.
    “They weren’t part of my unit, strictly speaking. They both went through the training for this unit, but neither requested a transfer over here. I can’t tell you how much wish I had more answers, Miss Clarke, but I’m figuring this out as I go.”
    Thanking him, I tried to piece it together in my head as I put the phone down. What the hell? I stared at the photo of Jenna’s kids that sat on my desk without really seeing it. Did they take the boat for a joyride?
    With a new picture of the rookie cops out fishing, maybe even drinking, I reached for the phone again. Charlie hadn’t come anywhere close to that, but someone else—someone important—had to say it. How could I get ahold of the command staff on a Saturday?
    I drummed my fingers on the handset, one of the little pink message slips that covered the surface of my banged-up desk catching my eye.
    Yes!
    I dug first through the pile closest to me, then two others, before I hit pay dirt. Three weeks before, I’d interviewed the deputy chief of police about the success of the anti-bullying program he started in the city’s public schools. And he’d left me a message to call him. On his cell phone.
    That’d teach Bob to pick on me for having a desk that looked like an episode of Hoarders . If I succeeded in doing anything but pissing Dave Lowe off by calling him on a Saturday, of course.
    I turned back to the file Aaron had faxed me before I picked up the phone to call Lowe.
    According to their service records, Roberts and Freeman had been exemplary officers. No reprimands, no poor reviews, no trouble. Was it possible these two guys stole a city-owned boat?
    I grabbed a pen and settled the handset on my shoulder, determined to find out.
    Lowe sounded mildly irritated when I identified myself, but he didn’t hang up on me, so I plunged into my questions before he could think to. My sails depleted as quickly as they’d filled when he explained he wasn’t sure how much help he could be if I’d already talked to Jones.
    “Commander Jones said he hadn’t ordered the officers to be out on the boat,” I told him. “He also said any orders that didn’t come from him would have to come from a member of the command staff. Do you know who sent them out