Young & Old, page 21
Stepping out into the main office, she smiled at the short man who stood by Khloe’s desk. She’d never met him before. His hair was dark with salty gray strands poking through, eyes darker, and his skin a caramel color. She forced a smile to her lips as she walked closer to him.
“I’m Chaplain Stone. It’s nice to meet you.” She held her hand out for him.
Khloe slipped into her own chair and turned toward her computer, but she kept her eye on Amya.
“I’m Alonzo Esparza. I work in Internal Affairs.”
Amya nodded. “How can I help you today?”
“Can we talk in private?” He nodded his head toward her office she had just come from.
“Sure.” Amya turned around and walked back to the room. She immediately sat in her chair and offered the couch across from her desk to him.
Alonzo shut the door behind him and settled into the couch, crossing one ankle over his knee. He sat relaxed, like he had complete command of the room, which set the hair on Amya’s neck straight. She had no idea who he was or what he was there for, but every defense in Amya’s repertoire waited on edge for what was about to come next.
“What can I do for you today?” Amya asked, curious as to exactly what the situation was. She had a feeling Alonzo wasn’t there to seek help, not with the way he held himself, and his name sounded oddly familiar.
“I wanted to ask you some questions.”
“About?”
He smiled at her, and she felt a shiver run down her spine. Amya rubbed the pad of her thumb against her fingers and leaned against the arm of her chair as she waited him out. Two could play at the patience game, and she was willing to bet she had more of it than he did. Then it hit her. Alonzo. Grace had mentioned him. He was the head of IAB. What in the world would the head of IAB be doing in her office?
“You just figured out who I am.” He was confident and bold, that was for sure.
Nodding, Amya raised an eyebrow. “I’ve heard your name mentioned before. It just took me a minute to put two and two together.”
“Then you know what I’m here to talk to you about.”
“No, actually. I’m a chaplain. I hear a lot of reasons why people come to see me, and the real reason isn’t usually the original one they tell me if they even know why they end up in these offices.”
Alonzo pursed his lips, and his gaze left hers for the first time since she had walked out of her office. She had him there. He had a secret agenda for being there. What that was remained to be seen, but Amya could play his game if he wanted to. She had been on the police force for ten years before graduating seminary and becoming a chaplain. She’d talked to IAB a couple of times throughout her tenure, and she certainly had learned in the last few years how to get information out of people when they very much wanted to hold that information close to their person.
“Fair enough. You know there is an investigation going on.”
“There’s usually more than one, which one are you referring to?”
He smirked at her but didn’t shift his stance other than to fling an arm out along the back of the couch as he stared her down. “The one in Missing Persons.”
“I’ve heard mention of an investigation, though the reason for it still remains unknown.”
“It won’t for much longer. We’re near finished.”
“That’s good then.” Amya hoped Grace would be able to finally work in peace if their investigation was done, that and she wouldn’t be paired with Paige as much.
“But I have a few more interviews I need to do to finish up.”
“Oh?” Amya’s stomach dropped. She knew she was about to be the subject of one of those interviews. Why, however, was a completely different question. She had nothing to do with Missing Persons investigations other than Grace. Inwardly sighing, she realized immediately why she was there.
“How many Missing Persons investigations have you been a part of since you started your position here?” Alonzo pulled out a notebook and a pen.
Amya closed her eyes as she tried to think. “I honestly don’t know. I hasn’t been too many, maybe twenty over the course of the four years I’ve been chaplain here.”
He nodded and wrote down the number. “What about in the last year?”
“Maybe five.”
“Why so many?”
“That’s not a lot. I spend a lot more time with Sex Crimes Unit and with Homicide, but mainly I spent time with officers coming in to speak with me one-on-one here.”
“And you counsel them?”
“Sometimes. I’m not a professional counselor by any means, so if they need professional therapy, I send them to Dr. Kissik.”
Alonzo nodded as he scribbled something else on his notepad. “The case last year where the Corrections Officer’s daughter was kidnapped…”
“Yes, I was involved in that case, though I was originally involved in it from my work at the jail.”
“Originally?”
Amya bit her lip. She had said too much and had indicated her relationship with Grace as the tie, not that their relationship was a secret. They’d gone through the proper channels after they’d started dating and informed the right people. They weren’t hiding anything.
“Yes. I was called in to the jail for a different reason that day, and while I was there, Officer McDavidson’s wife called to inform him their daughter was missing. I stayed to help him through the initial shock and trauma.”
Alonzo’s tongue dashed out, wetting his lips. Then he stared directly at Amya with a penetrating look. “And Grace?”
“What about Grace?” Amya’s heart thumped hard. She had been anticipating this line of questioning, but she had figured he’d take longer to get around to it.
“What was her involvement in that case?”
Amya shook her head. “My understanding is she wasn’t that involved in it. It wasn’t her case, it was Detective Delwin’s case, and while she consulted with Delwin, outside of helping with calls she didn’t participate. Beyond that, you would have to ask Detective Halling herself.”
“I plan to.” He smirked. “There was a call you placed from the jail to Detective Halling’s cell phone shortly after Officer McDavidson’s daughter’s kidnapping was reported officially. What was that call about?”
Amya drew in a long breath and let it out slowly as she tried to relax every tense muscle in her body, which was near impossible. “Why?”
“Pardon?” Alonzo looked up from his notebook to Amya.
She shook her head. “I’m not obligated to tell you anything. Most of the work I do is confidential and remains outside the bounds of your investigation. Why do you want to know what we talked about?”
Alonzo shook his head. “I can’t share that information.”
“Then neither will I.” Amya gave him a serious look. She was done playing games. “Why is it you are here, exactly? Because you are aware that I’m bound by confidentiality laws that far exceed your capabilities in investigating. You’re not here to talk about your investigation into Missing Persons, are you?”
After a brief pause, Alonzo’s lips curved into a bow, and he set his notebook down against his thigh. “You’re smart, I’ll give you that.”
“I’m observant. Now, please, answer my question.”
“You are correct that I’m not here solely for the purpose of our investigation into Missing Persons.”
Silence fell over them. Amya waited it out, curious for what Alonzo would tell her next. She had a sinking suspicion he was really there about Grace, otherwise he wouldn’t have brought her up by name, and that was Amya’s strongest connection to the unit.
Minutes ticked by, but Amya waited. She wanted an answer more than she was willing to give up information. Finally Alonzo sighed and shifted to plant both his feet onto the floor and leaned forward.
“I’ve had my eye on Detective Halling since she was still an officer in uniform.”
“An eye on her?” Amya repeated what he’d said in hopes of gaining more information.
Alonzo nodded. “She was rarely involved in investigations, but she did call a number of issues to light in her time as an officer and in her time as a detective.”
“Are you saying she’s the reason you’re investigating now?”
Alonzo’s lips thinned, but he didn’t answer Amya’s question. “I want her to join my team.”
“She doesn’t want to join your team. I think she has made that plenty clear.” As much as Amya would like Grace to not be working with Paige, it was ultimately Grace’s decision where she landed, and she needed to be happy with the unit she was in.
Alonzo let out a snort. “I’m aware. I had hoped you might offer insight.”
“Insight for what? Why she doesn’t want to work on your team or how to persuade her?”
With a grin on his lips, Alonzo nodded. “You are smart.”
Amya didn’t answer. She couldn’t quite tell if Alonzo was talking down at her, like he expected her to be stupid, or if he was praising her for calling him out on his roundabout questions. Either way, she was readily understanding why Grace didn’t like him.
“The former, although if you want to offer the latter, I would love that information.”
“I think this conversation is done. I have actual work to do.” Amya stood up and moved to the door, opening it. She gave Alonzo a very pointed stare when he didn’t move.
“I’m aware of the relationship the two of you have.”
“And your point is what, exactly? Our relationship is no secret.”
“No.” He shook his head. “I’m aware of the complications it has caused Grace, and I know if she were to transfer to my department, those complications wouldn’t persist.”
Amya’s lips thinned. “I’m not going to convince her to do something she clearly doesn’t want to do, and I should think you want people who actually want to work for you in your department, not ones who feel forced into it with no other option.”
“Point taken,” he muttered as he stood and moved to the door. “Still, should she want to transfer, the offer will remain permanently open.”
“What is your obsession with her?” Amya’s nose wrinkled.
He grinned. “She’s a damn good detective, Amya.”
“Chaplain Stone.”
“Chaplain Stone,” he corrected. “She is a damn good detective, and more importantly, she has something I can’t train into someone. She has high standards of morals and ethics. It’s rare to find someone who thinks like she does. She would be a wonderful asset to our team.”
“Yes, but I think the question you should be asking is if your team would be an asset to her.”
His lips parted, but Amya stepped back and brushed her hand out in front of her, telling him silently he should be leaving and not speaking again. Alonzo took the hint and walked out of the room. Amya shut the door and put her hand against it, leaning and closing her eyes as she drew in a deep breath. That had been one of the strangest and most obscure conversations she’d ever had with someone. If he really thought she could convince Grace to transfer to IAB, he didn’t know Grace at all.
Pushing the odd conversation from her mind, Amya sat down and glanced at her schedule. She had another hour before her next meeting started. She could wrap up the research she had been doing before Alonzo Esparza had barged into her office easily enough. With determination set in her mind, Amya pulled up the article she’d been reading and started it over.
###
Grace had barely gotten back with Paige dragging her feet when Alonzo walked into the unit with a sure step. He went straight over to Grace’s desk and bent down. “I need a word.”
Her stomach twisted as she stared up at him, and as much as she really wanted to say no, she knew she didn’t really have a choice. He was her superior officer even if he wasn’t her immediate boss, and he was the head of Internal Affairs.
She pushed out of her chair and stood before him. She hadn’t even had a moment to check her email or her phone messages since she’d gotten back. It was as though he’d been watching and waiting for her to arrive so he could grab her before she could check any of that.
Alonzo grumbled as he walked directly out of Missing Persons and down the hall. Grace sent a look over her shoulder at Paige and raised her hands up a shrug. Paige shook her head and mouthed “Good luck!” at her.
With no clue what she was being called in for, Grace followed Alonzo to his office in the other part of the station. She could have done without going in there again and just having the interview in one of their interview rooms, but she knew that wasn’t quite procedure.
When he shut the door behind her, she knew whatever it was, it was serious. She sat down in the chair across from his desk, and this time Alonzo sat next to her in the matching chair. Narrowing her gaze as her curiosity grew, Grace bit her tongue to try and wait him out like she knew she should. When he didn’t say anything, she gave in.
“Why am I here?”
“Let’s begin with where you were today?”
“I was helping Detective Delwin with her case.”
“Where did you go?”
Grace sighed and folded her hands into her lap. “We went to Johnson County. There was a custodial dispute and mom took the kids and didn’t bring them back. Delwin found her in Johnson County, and she agreed to return the kids, so we went to make the exchange.”
“Why didn’t you contact Johnson County Sheriff’s Department and have them make the exchange?”
Pursing her lips, Grace drew in a deep breath. She wasn’t sure she wanted to answer that question because the answer was she had left because of Alonzo and his crew being present in her work space when she didn’t really want them to be. “You’d have to ask Detective Delwin that question. I went as a second hand per request of our supervisor.”
“Humbard told you to go with Delwin?”
Alonzo’s eyes were unnerving. He stared at her like he already knew the answer to every question he asked, which made Grace wonder on earth she was there to begin with. She forced herself not to cross her arms in a defensive manner, wanting to remain as open and as truthful as possible. She had nothing to hide from him, but she was getting annoyed at the constant interruptions.
“Delwin asked Humbard if we could leave, he said yes, so we left.” His lips thinned into a line, and Grace had a feeling she was missing something. “Why?”
“What?”
“Why do you ask?” Grace cocked her head up at him, ready to be the one asking questions.
Alonzo shook his head as an answer before moving on. “Since your last conversation with me, how many times have you been out?”
“Can’t you look at the logs for that? I don’t count up how many times I leave the office during the day.” Though if she really wanted to she probably could manage it, especially considering it hadn’t been that long since her last interview with Alonzo.
“I could look at the logs. I have them right here.” He leaned forward and patted a stack of files on his desk. “However, I was hoping you could give me the simple answer without me having to sit and search for your name.”
“Why does it matter?”
“It matters.” Alonzo rubbed his hands together.
“Fine. I’ve gone out at least ten times in the last week.”
Alonzo raised a singular eyebrow at her. “Ten?”
“Yes, why?”
“That’s more than other Detectives normally go out.”
Grace clenched her jaw. “I like to be thorough.”
“I can see that. Have you gone with Delwin each time?”
“No.”
“Who else have you gone out with?”
“Again, why the hell does this matter?” Her frustration grew.
Alonzo sighed. “Detective Halling, I’m asking you questions as part of an investigation. I need you to answer them for me.”
“I don’t see the point in asking where the hell I’ve been for the last two weeks and what fucking difference it makes.”
Alonzo’s jaw muscles tightened when she cursed. Finally knowing what might set him off, Grace filed that information in the back of her head for later. She tried not to curse in front of her superiors, but if it was a way to get Alonzo riled up enough to change his line of questioning, it might work to her advantage to use it. She was sure he had probably heard worse.
“Did you know you weren’t released from restricted duty yet?”
“I…what?” Grace’s jaw dropped, and her head slowly shook from side to side. “I was released a week and a half ago.”
“No, Detective, you weren’t.” He leaned forward and gripped a file on his desk and handed it over to her. Humbard had signed her off, Alonzo had signed her off, but Kissik—the resident head shrink—hadn’t.
Skimming the file up and down, she flipped sheets, trying to find Kissik’s release form, but it wasn’t there. She bit her lip and moved her gaze from the file in her hand to Alonzo. “What happens now?”
“Now you tell me why you thought you were released.”
“H—Humbard told me I could go back to field work.”
Drawing in a deep breath, Alonzo nodded. “I suspected as much. Did anyone else tell you that you could?”
“Paige was the one who asked him originally.”
“Paige?”
“Detective Delwin,” Grace amended. “She wanted to stop listening to me moping or something like that. When she told me, I went and confirmed with Humbard. He said I could go.”
“All right. When was this?”
“Last week sometime.” Her voice trailed off quietly as she continued to stare at the paperwork in her hands.
“I need a date, Grace.”
She sighed. “Just a few days after the shooting, maybe Friday. It’ll be in the logs that I went out.”
Alonzo’s lips were thinned into a line again. “Detective Halling, I’m going to have to ask you to tell no one of this interview, including Chaplain Stone.”
