Page 15 of Bodyguard Wolf Shifter
I could easily break it and the handle, but it would leave unanswered questions.
My lawyer didn't have to be physically in the room with me. Miracles could happen with a few phone calls. Sometimes, networking provided the type of leverage needed to get out of hot water.
Those markers were there for a reason to keep people from asking the wrong questions.
Luke would make sure to shake the tree. He only had to mention the incriminating evidence. That would be more than enough to balance the scales of justice in my favor.
Detective Coleman argued with his superior. He was getting increasingly hot under the collar. There was a political fallout.
They had a lot of nerve treating me like a criminal. He had his suspicions about me but nothing to detain me for any longer than necessary.
"…you need to let this go. Release him immediately with an apology. This isn't a request. They are not very happy about you bringing him in. It would be another matter if you had irrefutable evidence. Your gut instinct isn't going to be enough."
"Capt. Jacobs, this isn't fair. Don't you find it the least bit suspicious he has people in high places? I don't like him. I don't like anything about him. He's hiding something," Detective Coleman pushed back.
"That might be the case, but we can't prove a damn thing. This is the kind of heat I don't need. My predecessor gave you a lot of leeway. I've only been here a couple of months, but I already see you are a loose cannon. Don't test me. I don't want to hear another word about this. Be very careful about what you say next," Capt. Jacobs snarled with a dire warning about his job being in jeopardy.
"I can't just turn it on and off like a light switch. He's no good," he said with his raised voice, becoming belligerent.
"That's enough. We have our hands full with this new drug turning our fair citizens into addicts. Mark my words. There hasn't been one death but that could change very quickly. I don't need your personal vendetta getting in the way. This is borderline stalking. You are my best detective, and I would hate to lose you." He reprimanded him and complimented him at the same time.
The hardest thing was concentrating on one conversation when there were many others happening at the same time. Focusing on their two voices resulted in a trickle of blood running down my left nostril.
All of their voices bombarded me at the same time. Cutting out the noise required a very old meditative practice. It helped to eliminate the background voices but came at a high price.
I needed to lie down for at least a couple of hours in a quiet place.
My wish was granted when he walked into the room no longer smug and arrogant. He had been taken behind the woodshed and given a dressing down.
He snatched the phone from where it lay on the table.
I made no attempt to try to keep it from him. It wasn't like he was going to find anything useful. He could have technicians working around the clock. They wouldn't find anything.
He scrolled through the last messages and phone calls to no avail. "You think you are very clever. This isn't over."
"This has been interesting, but I have pressing business elsewhere. I take it that I'm being released without any further delay. I hope you don't take this the wrong way, but I hope I never see you again," I whispered into his ear.
"I have this funny feeling we are going to see each other very soon," Detective Coleman issued a last-ditch warning.
CHAPTER 7
_____
SARAH
I had been reluctant to get involved since I was a public figure. Having a lawyer on speed dial wasn't going to do me any good. Detective Coleman had stepped over a line. It wasn't the first time he had attempted to get back in my good graces.
The breakup had a deep and lasting impression on him. It was mutual and we realized we had nothing in common. We didn't even sleep together, but it wasn't from his lack of trying. There just wasn't any chemistry.
The one kiss after the third date confirmed we wouldn't be going any further. God bless him for trying but there was no spark. There wasn't even an inkling of an ember. He was handsome and rugged with a good heart and an obsession for doing the right thing no matter the cost to his career aspirations.
He made detective on his merits and police record. He had no interest in climbing the corporate ladder. There wasn't going to be a desk job in his future.
The office bustled with activity. The volunteers were hard at work. My docket was full.
The black cup of coffee with one cream and sugar sat on my desk still steaming. The Styrofoam singed my fingers and I cursed under my breath. The busy work wasn't doing a thing to keep me from worrying about him.
"I'm sure it's nothing. We get hassled all the time. This is nothing new. They don't like us in the private sector. We make more money in one year than they do in 10. What kind of thanks do they get for their service to the community? They get a meager pension not worth the paper it's printed on. It's a case of sour grapes," Luke informed me from where he stood in the corner almost invisible to anybody entering the room.
