Not in the Cards Page 7

  Tony nodded, as if he was going to be tested on this material. “Okay, Delta. That’s cool. I can handle that.” Tony let out a monotonic whistle. “Boy, are the guys going to turn green when I tell them who my FTO is. You’re all we talked about after the Zuckerman case.” Tony’s enthusiasm and excitement over her past slowly melted the cold wall she’d raised. “Did you really climb up ten flights in an elevator shaft with blood pouring out of your leg?”

  Putting down her pen and realizing she wasn’t going to get any work done until his curiosity subsided, Delta nodded. “My stitches broke open half way up the elevator shaft.”

  “Holy shit. And you just kept going?”

  “I had to. My best friend’s life depended on it. It’s not as heroic as everyone makes it out to be.”

  “Heroic? Man, they should have promoted you!” Suddenly, the light in Tony’s eyes changed. “Now I get it. That’s what you’re all pissed about, huh? Instead of a promotion, you got me.”

  Delta shrugged away the all-too-familiar ache. “Something like that. I made a lot of mistakes going in there. People, a child, was killed in the crossfire of Elson’s sickness. You don’t make mistakes like that and expect a promotion.” Delta tried to ignore the pain searing in her chest like a glowing branding iron, but it was no use. She would never get over seeing Helen’s head at an impossible angle, her eyes staring up at the sky. Those eyes would stay with her for the rest of her life, as would the eyes of Helen’s mother when she stared down at her child’s lifeless little body.

  “But you stopped him. So what if you broke a few regs? You should have had a hero’s parade.”

  Delta searched for some neutrality in her voice to hide the agony of remembering. “One doesn’t get promoted in law enforcement unless you follow all of the rules and take stupid tests that have absolutely nothing to do with your ability to handle yourself on the streets.”

  “From what I hear, your ability is pretty amazing.” Tony interjected loudly.

  Not amazing enough, Delta thought, thinking back to the multitudes of questions Helen’s mother angrily hurled at her, questions with no answers—questions Delta would ask herself for the rest of her life

  “I get the job done, that’s all.”

  “That’s all? You’ve got one of the best conviction records in the department. In report writing at the academy, they always used your old reports as examples of how to do it right. There are records that will never be broken. Man, you’re what every rookie wants to be some day.”

  Delta looked out her window. She hoped that those same rookies never had to hold a dead child in their arms, or feel the helplessness of not being able to prevent her death. She hoped they understood where taking chances would get them. It was so different on the street than in the academy. It was almost unfair to send such unprepared waifs into the dangers of the night.

  Closing her briefcase, Delta ran her hand through her hair. If there were some sickos stealing and murdering children, she had an obligation to keep other children from harm; and there were two children in particular whom she had sworn to protect.

  “Carducci, there’s some personal business I need to take care of. Swing by Pulido Avenue for me and stop when I tell you to.”

  As they turned onto Pulido, Delta pointed to a white and yellow house on the corner. “That one. I’ll only be a minute.” Delta leapt from the car when it stopped and jogged up to the front door. Raising her hand to knock, it sprung open, surprising her, and two brunette children stood smiling crookedly.

  “Mommy, mommy, it’s Auntie Delta!” Throwing the door wide open, Colin pushed past his sister and jumped into Delta’s arms. Delta was amazed at how much taller they were than the last time she saw them.

  “Hey, there, Tiger. How’s my best guy?”

  “Great! I got a hit yesterday!”

  “It was an error,” Casey said, hugging Delta around the waist. “The shortstop missed the ball and it went right through his legs.”

  “Well, at least you’re hitting the ball, eh, Tiger?” Squeezing the seven-year-old and feeling the same bond she had shared with his father, Delta kissed Colin’s head before setting him back to the ground. “How was your game. Case?”

  The little girl shrugged. “Okay, I guess. They still won’t let me pitch, but I hit a double the other day.” Casey cast a cutting look at Colin. “And it was a real hit, too. No error.”

  “Great. Sounds like camp has helped you both. Where’s your mom?”

  “Right here.”

  Looking up, Delta’s eyes met Jennifer’s. A tenderness washed over her like pulling a down comforter around her ears in the winter. “Hi, Jen,” Delta said, rising. “You’re looking great.”

  Jennifer wiped her hands on a towel and tried to hide her blush. “You kids go out back and feed the doves. Auntie Delta will be out to play with you in a minute.”

  “Do we have to?”

  Squatting down so she was eye level to Colin, Delta ran her hand through his thick mane. Every time she saw him, he looked more and more like Miles. “Your mom and I need to talk adult stuff for a minute. I’ll be right out when we’re done, okay?” Watching both kids skip away, Delta felt her connection with them tighten and strengthen. They were the first children Delta had ever loved, and now that Miles was gone, she loved them even more.

  “Come on in,” Jennifer said, holding the door open for her.

  “You’re looking like you’re taking good care of yourself these days,” Delta said, sitting on a bar stool in the kitchen and watching Jennifer cut carrots.

  “I’m getting there. Lord knows it hasn’t been easy.”

  “I know.”

  Jennifer glanced up from her cutting. “I’ve seen that same look on Miles’s face, Delta. You’re not here for a casual visit with the kids, are you?”

  Delta didn’t answer.

  “I didn’t think so. What’s going on?”

  Delta looked out the window and watched Colin tossing food to the doves. “We have reason to believe there’s a kiddie-porn ring in town.” Delta waited for Jennifer to catch her breath before continuing. “I wanted to tell you in person because it’s important that you keep a real good eye on the kids.”

  Jennifer placed her hand on her chest and shook her head. “How horrible.”

  “Until we catch these bastards, I think you should pick the kids up from school and don’t let them play out in the front by themselves. These guys are professionals, Jen. I’ll feel better if I know you’re taking extra precautions.”

  “Oh, I will, Del. God knows I will. I’m so glad you told me. Without Miles around...” Jennifer’s voice trailed off. “I’m glad someone in the department still cares enough to send out warnings. Thank you, Delta.”

  For a moment, the room filled with Miles’s presence, as it had done so often between them in the past.

  “I love those kids, Jen. You know that. Just the thought of some dirtbag...it just makes me sick.” Delta stared out the window as the two kids tossed a football back and forth.

  “Well, I appreciate your confidence. It’s only been recently that I’ve regained my own.”

  Delta’s eyebrow rose. “Oh?”

  “Now stop that, Delta Stevens.”

  “What’s his name, Jen?”

  Blushing again, Jennifer went back and continued cutting carrots. “He’s a fireman.”

  Delta groaned. “Not that. Anything but that. What is it with you and guys in uniform?”

  Jennifer grinned and tossed a carrot at Delta. “The kids love him.”

  “Good for them. What’s his name?”

  Shaking her head, Jennifer poured carrots into the bubbling broth in a pot on the stove. “Uh uh, Officer Stevens. If I tell you his name, you’ll run a check on him and send Miles’s old pals to make sure I’m well cared for. No thanks. When and if the time comes, you’ll meet him. But I won’t have you snooping around in your usual overprotective manner.”

  Delta feigned hurt. “Now, would I do
that?”

  “Excuse me, but you have done that. Or have you forgotten?”

  No, Delta hadn’t forgotten running the plates on an accountant that Jennifer had dated twice. He had borrowed the car from his brother who had spent time in jail on embezzlement charges, but Delta didn’t know the car wasn’t his. When the guys at the station got wind of it, they harassed him until he finally cut it off with Jennifer. It wasn’t until after he dumped her that they discovered the truth about the man’s name and his innocence in anything remotely related to embezzlement.

  But by then, it was too late. “No, I haven’t forgotten.”

  “Good. Now, it’s sweet of you to worry and all, but I’m a big girl capable of choosing my own companions.”

  Delta couldn’t help but smile at Jennifer’s strength. “I’m sure of that. But I’m not about to sit back and wonder if the guys you go out with are on the up and up. Not when I have—”

  Suddenly, Jennifer broke into laughter. “Oh, Delta Stevens, you’re so much like Miles, you make me hurt. Trust me. He’s a very nice man who hasn’t done anything more than kiss me goodnight. If I need you and your famous white charger, I’ll call you. But you have got to let me stand on my own two feet, okay?”

  Delta nodded. “Okay. Just know that you and the kids are family to me. Don’t blame me for caring as much as I do.”

  Wiping her hands on the wet towel, Jennifer moved in front of Delta and hugged her. “Of course I don’t. You must know how important it is that you love us so much.” Pulling away, Jennifer smiled warmly. “You came all the way over here to check on me and the kids, and I love you for it. Delta, in the cop world, you’re one big, bad, cop. But the kids and I know differently. You’re just one huge marshmallow. I appreciate that about you.”

  “But?”

  “But I’m still not going to tell you his name.”

  Smiling, Delta nodded. “Okay. You keep his name secret, but you keep those beautiful kids out there safe, you hear me?”

  Jennifer smiled back. “It’s a deal.” She shook Delta’s hand in a theatrical over-gesture to seal her words. After wiping her knife off, Jennifer cut the last of the carrots. “Stay for a quick dinner?”

  Delta stood and shook her head. “Can’t. I’m training a rookie who, for all I know, has fallen asleep in the car.”

  As Delta opened the door and watched the two children feeding and cooing back at the doves, a picture of Miles flashed through her head. She remembered him standing there at the birdcage, holding Colin up so he could see the first baby birds of the season. She could even hear Colin’s tiny voice as he cooed at the mother as she fed the babies.

  Glancing back at Jennifer, Delta’s eyes were moist.

  Jennifer laid her hand on Delta’s shoulder. “I know, Del. It happens to me all the time.”

  Wordlessly, Delta swung open the screen door and stepped into the backyard. As the two children ran toward her, Delta felt a familiar chill run the length of her spine. They were dearer to her than she could ever have imagined, and she remembered a vow she had made a long time ago, upon the grave of the only man she had ever really loved.

  And now, as she held their precious little bodies in her arms, Delta vowed she would do what she had to, to stop the snuff films—not for her own release of guilt, not for her own glory, but for the two little beings she had promised so long ago to protect with her life.

  And if that’s what it took, then so be it.

  “Take good care of your mom for me, okay guys?” Hugging Colin and Casey to her, Delta said her goodbyes and squeezed Jennifer tightly before heading out the door. “If you ever, ever need me—”

  “I know where to call. Thank you for coming by, Del. Come over for dinner real soon, okay?”

  Delta smiled. Suddenly, she felt like crying. After Miles’s death, Jennifer and the kids had adopted her and welcomed her into their family. It was this family she would run through brick walls for, and if anyone even remotely threatened it, Delta would do whatever she had to stop them.

  “Will you make my favorite?”

  Jennifer nodded. “Liver and onions with lots of crispy bacon. You got it.”

  Delta’s heart warmed even more. “Love you guys.”

  “We love you, too, Del. Be careful.”

  With that, she walked the length of the drive, across the sidewalk and jumped back into the patrol car. “All done?” Tony asked, starting the engine.

  Before she even had a chance to answer, their number was called. “Let’s hit it!”

  Tony gassed it and squealed down the road. When he came to the intersection, he slowed at the entrance. “Which way?”

  “Take a left.” Picking up the mike, Delta responded to dispatch and jotted down some note without looking up. “Take the next left,” she commanded.

  Without hesitating, Tony swung the patrol car to the left and avoided a cat scurrying across the street. “What’s the call? I totally missed it.”

  “There’s a four-fifteen on North Austin Street. Neighbors heard glass breaking from inside the house. Step on it, will you?” As soon as she said those words, Delta regretted it. In a flash, Tony pushed the accelerator to the floor and peeled down the street.

  “Slow down, for God’s sake! You trying to get us killed?” Feeling the car slow down a bit, Delta picked up the mike and double checked the address. If it was the house she thought, the trouble could be far greater than a domestic quarrel.

  “This is S-10-12, checking on that address for the 4-1-5. Is that 4-6-9-1?”

  “S-10-12, that’s a 10-4. Neighbors say a blue Toyota Corolla is parked in the driveway and that they could hear screaming and crying coming from inside the house.”

  “10-4. We’re two away. Send a back-up unit.”

  Knuckles white on the steering wheel, Tony Carducci inhaled loudly. “Back-up for a lousy family feud? What for?”

  “Okay, Carducci,” Delta said, leveling her gaze on the side of his face. “Lesson number two. Never, and I mean never underestimate your suspect or the circumstances.”

  “Yeah, but—”

  “But nothing. Do you realize how many cops are killed during domestic violence? Didn’t they give you those stats at the academy?”

  “Yeah, but—”

  “Then you should have them engraved on your mind. Four-fifteens may not seem dangerous, but they are. Period. You approach them just as if you were approaching a burglary in progress. You know why?” Delta didn’t wait for him to answer. “Because nine times out of ten, when we step in to keep some asshole from whacking his wife, she’s the one who turns on us. More wives have shot at or tried to stab cops than you can imagine. I don’t intend on being one of the stats you clearly didn’t pay attention to.”

  Tony opened his mouth to respond, but thought better of it. “Anyway, a little over two years ago, my partner busted the husband at this same address for beating up his wife. She was one of the few women brave enough to press charges against the slime.”

  “And you think he’s back to get her?”

  “It’s possible. If so, then he’s a very dangerous man. Men who come back are violent criminals, Carducci, and will kill you if you give him the chance. Don’t.”

  Tony nodded. “Got it.” As he pulled onto North Austin Street, Delta reached for her baton and flashlight. Looking over at Carducci, she saw that he was enjoying the fast pace and the potential for danger. Rookies were so naive.

  “Pull over here.”

  “But this is only 4600.”

  “Damn it, Carducci, don’t question me every time I tell you to do something! Just do it!”

  Tony did as he was told and when the car stopped, he immediately threw open the door.

  “Get back in here!”

  “But aren’t we—”

  “We’re not moving until we have a plan. A plan of action, Carducci, is necessary in every situation. This isn’t Hollywood and you’re not John Wayne.”

  Tony waited for more directions.

&
nbsp; “You take that side of the house and watch the windows. Don’t go to the back. Last time we were here, there were three very large, very mean Rottweilers. I’ll have back-up cover the street behind the house. You just make sure he doesn’t get around you. Got that?”

  Tony nodded.

  “Good. Any questions?”

  “Nope.”

  “Then let’s go.”

  Carlucci started the engine again and the car crept forward. As they slowly approached 4689, Delta was out the door before Tony could stop the car. A woman stumbled towards them, holding the side of her head.

  “Help me!” she cried, running toward Delta. Her eyes wild with panic, the entire side of her head covered with blood, the woman reached a pair of bloody hands toward the car.

  “Which way did he go?” Delta asked. The side of the woman’s face looked like a coconut that had been bashed open with a baseball bat.

  The woman pointed in the direction of Conan Doyle Street. “He’s crazy! Do you see what he did to me? Crazy son of a bitch!” Taking her hands from her head, the woman stared down at the blood-soaked palms and shook her head. “He said he’d be back, that bastard! Look what he’s done to me!”

  Delta looked at the woman’s head. “Ma’am, I think we’d better take care of your head—”

  “Fuck that!” She cried. “Go after him! I want that asshole jailed for life! I’ll press charges again and again if I have to! Don’t just stand there gawking at me! Do something!”

  Delta nodded and jumped in the patrol car to radio for an ambulance and direct back-up to tend to the woman’s head injuries.

  “Back-up’s here,” Tony said, motioning toward the unit that pulled up.

  Slamming the mike back in the cradle, Delta pointed to the woman as the two officers hopped out of the car and they nodded their understanding of the situation. They would care for her; Delta and Carducci would go after her husband.