Read Online Scorned by Andrew Hess - Free Book Online

blocking the entrance. I didn’t recognize any of their faces which seemed a little odd. I thought I knew most of the Ulster County P.D. That’s when eyes slanted to the right and saw the Dutchess County logo on the side of their squad cars.
                  Damn it! I had hoped this could’ve been kept out of their hands. Having multiple Counties working a case together becomes more like a pissing contest. Who has the power? Who calls the shots? Who answers to whom? It was bad enough reporting to Lieutenant Esposito. Getting permission from other counties for things is impossible.
                  I flashed my badge and pushed my way through the two officers. Rodney saw my flaring nostrils and my quick pace as I stomped towards him.
                  “Hey, if it isn’t my partner.” Rodney was abnormally cheerful. He wasn’t acting like himself. He whispered to the man in the doorway and laughed. What the hell was so funny? “Hey Ali, I got everything covered here. Why don’t you go home and spend some time with your family?”
                  I raised a single eyebrow at my dismissal. “No, I think I’d rather take a look around here.”
                  The cheery look on Rodney’s face slowly faded. “Then how about you go inside, make yourself useful and get us some coffee?”
                  What the fuck? Did I just slip into some weird time warp or time space vortex thing? “Excuse me,” I snapped. “Who the…”
                  Rodney placed his large hand over my mouth. “Look sweetie, the men are talking. Go inside and keep out of trouble and I’ll deal with you later.”
                  My blood was boiling. I don’t know what came over Rodney, but it was going to change real quickly or it would be beaten out of him. Instead of fighting him, I decided to keep quiet. I bit my tongue and did as Rodney suggested.
                  Inside was brightly lit, contrary to the dark setting with colorful spotlights that I was used to seeing. The waitresses and bartenders were huddled together with two officers standing guard. Another man dressed in khaki pants and green button down had another woman cornered across the room from the others. He gestured his hand for the woman to return to work. He motioned towards the officers to send the next employee.
                  Who the hell was this guy? I held up my hand and stormed towards the nicely dressed man. He flashed an award winning smile that could make most women melt, but not me.
                  “Now you don’t look like a bar employee,” the man joked as his eyes scanned my body from my black heels, up my gray dress pants to my red button down blouse, finally landing on my green eyes.
                  I showed him my badge; well it was more like I shoved it in his face. I wanted him to know I wasn’t some woman he could hypnotize with his charm.
                  “I’m Detective Ali Ryan; Ulster County Police.”
                  The man laughed as he slowly slipped his badge from his pants pocket. “Detective James Thornton,” he replied with another warm smile. He stuck out his hand in which I respectfully accepted. “I’m with the D.C.P.D.”
                  Great, not only was the Dutchess County Police on the scene, but they also had one of their detectives working the case. Instead of having an attitude, I decided to do as Lieutenant Esposito frequently said, play nice.
                  “Have you turned anything up about the Ambrose case?”
                  Thornton looked past me and saw the staff that still needed to be questioned. He placed a firm han on my shoulder and spun me around. “I tell you what. You take half the group and I’ll take the other half. We can discuss our findings over dinner and