Page 5 of No Artful Refusal
“Your priorities confuse me.”
Hoffman laughed as she pulled another wedge of pizza to her plate.“I really want to become a client.Devyn’s client,” she admitted.“The testimonials from people she’s counseled are impressive.”
Cade only grunted.What would it take to get Hoffman off this track?
“But I don’t feel like I can be her client and ask her to help on cases,” she continued.
Cade seized the opening.“Then be her client.And do the police work the way it’s meant to be done.”
“Aren’t wemeantto use all the tools available?”she challenged.
“We’re meant to use all the tools that are admissible in court,” he reminded her.
Hoffman rolled her eyes.“Come on.I’m not trying to break all the rules.I’m not even trying to break the mold.But she helped you, and by my count, she’s saved two lives that we know of.More, if you watched the news over the weekend.”
“What are you talking about?”Cade asked before he could stop himself.
Hoffman shook her head.“You cannot keep living under a rock.The media has been all over the story.Ginny Culpepper was found—alive.Her husband consulted Devyn when the searchers didn’t find her.”
“No way.”
“The only way.She was more than a mile from where they expected her to be.”Hoffman drilled a finger into the table.“Life saved.Try and argue.”
“Okay, fair enough,” he allowed.He couldn’t keep denying that Devyn did have some insight the average person did not.Although he never planned to volunteer the information, she’d helped him through a personal crisis that made him believe in her skills as a counselor.
Thankfully, he hadn’t heard from her since.To the best of his knowledge, she hadn’t even been in Chicago.Unlike Hoffman, he was fine with that.
“Whether I believe in her or not is pretty much irrelevant,” Cade said.“Rensler said no more using her to consult.”
Hoffman snorted.“I’m far more likely to ask forgiveness than permission.”She held up her hands as if she was surrendering.“Things don’t get done otherwise.”
“If you say so.”
“Blame my experience and cop-intuition, but I think I’ll need her again,” Hoffman admitted.“We have too many cold cases.”
“Just make sure Rensler doesn’t hear you talk like that.”
“She’s an asset,” Hoffman insisted.“Not a vigilante.”
True enough.Cade was over this conversation.Even if he had a valid counterpoint, it was clear Hoffman wasn’t in the headspace to listen.
“Let’s just get back to the job, okay?”
“Sure.There’s plenty of paperwork to keep me busy,” she said.
Cade caught the server’s attention and asked for a box for his remaining pizza.Hoffman had polished hers off.
“Will you have my back if I call her in?”Hoffman asked as they left the restaurant.
In his head, Cade swore a blue streak.“Maybe just leave me out of it.”
“Laurier, where is your spine?She’s not a vigilante.”She snapped her fingers.“She’s an informant.”
“Rensler specifically disagreed with you on that less than an hour ago.”
“Semantics.”
“You have to be careful,” he pressed.“Norris isn’t a cop.”
