Page 30 of Protect Your Queen

“Caledonia?” Detective Delgado said, as the two partners looked at one another. “You work with George Campbell?”

The way she said the name gave me a hunch that there was some kind of history there. Well, well… this was not the company’s first run in with LAPD.

“I workforGeorge Campbell, technically,” I said, suddenly agitated that they were familiar with my employer. “After all, he’s a partner, and I’m just a lowly grunt.”

“Yes, I’m just wondering why every time Caledonia Security is in Los Angeles, the number of shootings against celebrities goes up.” She was less than enthused about my presence. I could tell. “Especially when it comes to their clients.”

“Wrong cause and effect, Detective,” I bristled. “We’re brought in when the threats are high. Don’t get mad at us when the threat is still there after we arrive.” She met me, glare for glare. She opened her mouth, but I interrupted her with a smile, “And maybe the crazies can’t resist our stunning good looks.”

Her face scrunched in irritation, as a slight pink tinged her cheeks.

That confirmed it. Had she been an ex of George Campbell’s or something? Had she had a crush? That was interesting. I made a mental note to look into that further.

“Cute.” She pulled a small note pad from her jacket, and sternly clicked her pen. “Can you tell me what happened?”

Well, I can’t tell you that I saw Mario Pesci taking five shots at us, before he disappeared into the crowd.

Why couldn’t I? I wasn’t sure. It just felt like I couldn’t. I didn’t want the cops looking in that direction until we knew what we were going to do.

I wanted to do something…extrajudicial.

“Hard to tell. Things got a bit chaotic. I heard gunfire and took Jestiny down to the ground.” I sat on the desk, crossing my feet at the ankles, as Brian pinched my skin together to start stitching the wound. It didn’t hurt, but it was uncomfortable, and I was doingeverything I could to look relaxed in front of this detective. “Then we got her in the car, and I drove off.”

“Breaking several laws along the way,” the woman commented, off-handedly. The accusation was there though, plain as day.

“Well, thereweregunshots that were likely targeting my client. I think her life is worth a few traffic tickets.”

“And running a red light.”

“Take it up with our lawyer,” I was about done with this woman. The City of Los Angeles should be happy that I didn’t run over a pedestrian or two along the way.

A few things became clear at once. First, Detective Delgado was a by-the-book kind of person, even when the book was wrong. Second, while she was the lead partner, her buddy Detective Tanner, was there to observe. He was there to see what she couldn’t. If I had to guess, he was better at reading people than she was.

“You didn’t see anything else? No idea who could have fired?” I noticed that her voice was more nasal than Jestiny’s, though the timber was just as low. That slight difference was enough for me to think her inferior to my Songbird.

“No idea.” I don’t know why I decided to lie, but I did. “I was busy looking at the client, and making sure she was okay.”

When Detective Tanner’s eyes landed on me, he scowled. Was he seeing through me? I couldn’t tell. But his mouth remained shut, so it must have been okay. I wasn’t willing to ask and find out just in case the answer didn’t go my way.

“You have no idea who could have wanted to shoot Miss Barkada?” Detective Delgado tilted her head, her long, heavy, black hair falling over her shoulder. “On the same day she was almost run over byyourcar after she was pushed into the street? That seems suspicious, no?”

When she put it that way, it did seem a little outlandish. But then again…

“When you say it with that tone, anything could sound suspicious,” I said with what I hoped came off as a good-natured chuckle. “Every time there’s a crime, the LAPD aren’t far behind. Heck, this is the second time a shooting has been perpetrated against clients of ours, and you two show up. Seems coincidental, no?”

Why, oh why, am I getting so defensive about this? It wasn’t like teasing Jes. I was actually annoyed at her implication, as if I wasn’t doing my job.

“Well, it’s just strange, no? After all, her brother assaulted a photographer, then her other brother almost took out the same photographer in front of Dryden Studios.” Oh, whatdelightfully specific information this Detective had. “And she gets shot at, in the plain view of even more photographers. So many coincidences…”

“My, my,” I said gently, with less-than-gentle sarcasm, “either you do your homework, or you spend a lot of time watching Hollywood gossip. You’re trying to blame the woman who was assaulted and you want to make criminals of the people who defend her. Am I reading you right, Detective?”

She looked at me with irritation.

I didn’t know what her angle was, but I had little patience with law enforcement who wanted to blame victims before they started investigating. It went against the basic principles of justice, which so many cops forgot as they became disillusioned about their place as a cog in the machine.

“You don’t think that the shooting could have something to do with the Underground Circuit?” Detective Delgado tapped her pen against her notepad. “The one her brother fights in, and theotherbrother runs?” I tensed at her words, ready to throw down a gauntlet if she tried to blame Jestiny for any of it. “Or maybe her sister out there, who’s implicated in the New York City crime scene?”

“I didn’t hear a single accusation against my client.” Brian finished up dressing my wound and wrapped a bandage around my bicep. “Even if she knew anything, which I doubt…” Another lie. I was certain she at least had an inkling about the family business. “She’s innocent until proven guilty.”

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