“Gideon,” she whined. “When are you coming to bed? It’s eleven thirty!”
“I know, I know, I’m sorry. Just give me a few more minutes.”
“You have to let go of work! It’s too much!”
He had sighed. “Look, try not to get too upset, honey. But it looks like I’ll have to stay in the city for a little while. I just got off the phone with the hotel.” He held up a hand at her scowl. “I’m sorry it has to come to this. But I need to do everything I can right now.”
She made a disgusted sound in the back of her throat and rubbed her protruding stomach. “You’ve got to be joking.”
Dopp shook his head. “I’m doing this for us. If I lose my job, then what would we do?”
“How long is a little while?”
“Maybe just a day. I don’t know. As long as it takes.”
“I can’t believe this! How do you expect me to manage the kids alone when the doctor said I’m barely supposed to get out of bed?”
“We’ll call your mother. No, I’ll call her and arrange it. Just go back to bed and relax. I love you.”
Joanie shook her head, muttering under her breath as she turned around.
“What’d you say?” Dopp asked. He watched her trudge down the hall, planting heavy steps, one hand on her lower back.
“This better be worth it,” she seethed over her shoulder.
He thought of those words now as he rushed inside the sleek black skyscraper that housed the department’s headquarters. Windra had told him the same thing: This better be worth it. But it would be, since God was in control. He always came through, and always had a wise reason for Dopp’s struggles in the meantime. Besides, the fact that Dopp had been able to secure permission from Windra’s judge friend on such short notice was a clear sign of the Lord’s cooperation.
When Dopp walked into the appointed meeting room, he saw that Trent, Inspector Banks, and Jed were already waiting for him at the rectangular table, wearing ties and black suits as if it were a normal workday. They stopped chatting as soon as he came in.
“Good morning,” he said, nodding. “I’m glad to see you’re all on time.”
They chimed hello, a bit stiffly, Dopp thought. But it was early on a Saturday. He took off his coat and sat at the head of the table, with his briefcase at his feet. Trent was sitting on his left, Banks and Jed on his right.
“So you’re probably all wondering why you’re here,” he said. “As I told Trent last night, some critical changes are starting today. For you, there’s good news and bad news. So which do you want to hear first?”
“The bad,” Banks mumbled. Jed and Trent nodded, looking anxious. Trent fiddled with a rubber band on the table, rolling and unrolling it with his thumb and forefinger. Better to give it to them straight, Dopp thought.
“You’re all going to start working real overtime. And I’m talking overnight.” He turned to look at the two surprised men on his right. “You two are going to switch overnight shifts, monitoring Arianna’s apartment building outside, in an unmarked car. I know it sounds painful, so you’re going to cut back your day shifts to just a few hours so you have time to sleep during the day. I’ll have another inspector monitor her at her clinic full-time starting Monday. But starting today, we can’t let her out of range.”
“For how long?” Jed asked.
“As long as it takes. I hope not longer than a few days or a week. I’m also going to be monitoring her during the day, which means I’ll be out of the office from now on.” Dopp turned to his left. “So Trent, from now on, you will be staying here and catching up on everyone else’s paperwork, while we’re out in the field. And I mean a thorough analysis of all reports. I’ll need updates throughout the day.”
Trent nodded, expressionless. A lock of hair fell into his eyes, but he did not appear to notice it. Dopp coughed, unexpectedly feeling sorry for him. He really was quite young; Dopp had to admit that it had been his own mistake to think Trent could handle the case alone, with no proven experience as an undercover agent. But he had seemed so promising, Dopp remembered. And now he just looked pathetic.
“I know it’s a bit of a demotion,” Dopp acknowledged. “But it’s not personal, you know that.”
“Boss,” Banks said, and then wavered. “I thought the department couldn’t afford overtime?”
“We can’t,” Dopp replied. “As it stands now. But on Monday, I’m going to let a few people go.”
Banks’s lips fell slack, but he said nothing.
“But not me?” Trent blurted.
Dopp turned to him. “No, you’re still our only direct link with Arianna. Who knows if that will end up coming through after all?”
“So we’re just going to sit outside of wherever she is and wait for her to come out and then follow her?” Jed asked.
Dopp smiled for the first time that morning. “Well, yes, but now we finally get to the good news.” He lifted his briefcase to the table and rummaged inside for a white laminated folder. “Here we go,” he said, opening it. Inside was a single sheet of paper, stamped and signed in all manner of judicial formality. The three men peered curiously at it.
“This piece of paper,” Dopp said, “is our key to solving this case. I finally got us permission from a judge to tap her cell phone. It came through early this morning. I was on the phone pretty much all of yesterday working it out.”
“Thank
