Page 42 of Nothing Hiding

"We've had to follow our own protocols. We were handed this case and have to work according to our mandate," Harris said, but now, he was mumbling and looking a lot less sure of himself.

Juliette could see that Harris was losing his confidence, and she knew that this was her chance to take control of the situation.That was what her father had always emphasized. Never keep sniping when there is an opportunity to move forward. Leadership is shown through positive action and not through criticism.

His words had stayed in her mind and had formed the person she was, even though she now felt a pang when she remembered that he hadn't been the person she'd thought he was.

Even so, recognizing a chance for diplomacy, she spoke carefully. "I understand that you have protocols. But this is not a competition. We're all working towards the same goal, to catch the killer. And if we're going to do that, then we need to work together, not against each other. Protocols have to allow for cooperation, so how can we create it? I would like to go forward together and work with you. I genuinely think that another dead body will be a massive disaster for all of us. Let’s help prevent it."

There was a tense silence as the two detectives exchanged glances.

"Our authorization is not yet valid," Harris admitted. "We are not permitted to work with you and share information."

"Great," Juliette said, still pissed by their behavior. "So, you’re putting some ridiculous fine print ahead of solving the case? Tell me, what do you have so far?"

"It's early days," Samantha began, sounding defensive.

"We've been handicapped by not being on this case from the start," Harris added.

"I'm still not sure you're adding any value," Samantha insisted.

And then, at that moment, just as the fight looked set to flare up all over again, Juliette's phone began to ring.

Juliette didn't want to have to cut this dialogue short. She felt this confrontation was a pivotal moment. But she knew that a phone call could be important.

"Can you go inside and tell these two suspects they can go about their business?" she muttered to Wyatt. If she had to personally blockade that door, she was going to make sure they didn’t suffer these bullying tactics.

"I'll do that," he said and hustled back into the house.

Juliette looked down at her phone. It was Ebury.

This was bad news. Three calls in one day? He’d had his say about the Scotland Yard team. That was done. And she was pretty sure that Ebury was not calling to say the killer had walked into the nearest police station and handed himself over.

And, as she swiped to answer, she saw something even more disconcerting. Harris's phone was ringing too. He, too, was turning away to answer it.

Coincidence? Or was it the disaster she’d dreaded?

Ebury sounded on the edge.

"Bad news. He's taken another one. The body's just been found."

"Ebury, I'm sorry. We're with the other team now. We'll do whatever we can," Juliette said, feeling wooden as she uttered the words.

She stared at Harris. He was looking appalled as he listened. She was one hundred percent sure that he was receiving the same bombshell as they were.

She waited until he'd cut the call, seeing the frantic anxiety in his body language.

"Now," she said, "now, with another victim, are you ready to work together? Because if we don't, we're going to risk losing to him. He's too far ahead."

Keeping her gaze steady, she waited to hear if they were going to be allies or adversaries.

CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR

"We'll work with you," Harris said. He spoke the words reluctantly. Juliette could see that after the stance he'd taken, backing down didn't come easily, but she was deeply relieved. Right now, collaboration would be essential to help them find this killer.

"I'm glad. Together, we can do five hundred percent more."

"Let's get to the scene," Wyatt said, his voice impatient. "Now that we know we're a team, can we at least get moving?"

They hustled back to their cars. In the driver's seat and waiting for them, Juliette saw that Sierra was looking shocked and worried. Ebury had called her, too, with the news.

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