He frowned, pushing the notepad to the side and neatly laying his pen across it. “You should see Fortis about any issues you’re having first. It’s best to follow the chain of command. Otherwise, people will think I’m doing special favors or that you’re going over your superior’s head because you think they’re inept. It’s not good for office morale.”
“I knew you would say that, but this isn’t about my job.”
“Oh?” He leaned back in the chair. “So, this isn’t about your duty status?”
She grimaced. “I’m supposed to start restricted duty today.”
“Supposed to?” He folded his hands in front of him, a bemused expression on his face. “What does that mean, exactly?”
She shook her head. “That’s not why I’m here.”
“It’s why I’m here,” he countered, quirking a brow up at her, clearly inviting her to spar.
Ellie gave a soft laugh and shook her head. “I don’t want to see the shrink. I’m doing the mandatory visits after killing Tucker Penland, but—”
“I thought you enjoyed your sessions with Dr. Powell. You seem to be visiting him regularly.” The chief’s intelligent eyes assessed her, and it was like he could see beneath her skin.
She also felt a little bit like the young teen he’d rescued that dark and rainy night, after she escaped her kidnapper. He’d hit her with his police car, almost killing her but also effectively saving her life.
She’d just discovered recently that her kidnapper had never been found, even though her parents had led her to believe he was dead. Now, she didn’t quite know what to believe. She couldn’t even trust her own brain since she hadn’t even had as much as a flicker of a memory of that horrible experience for years.
That was then.
This was now.
Reminding herself she was a grown woman and that she was there on a mission, she said, “We made headway, but I wouldn’t say that I enjoy the visits. More like, tolerate them. Now, Fortis wants to increase the frequency.”
She mentally glared at the thought of her boss, Lead Homicide Detective Harold Fortis.
“Seems fair to me.” Chief Johnson glanced at his calendar and back at Ellie. “You have been involved in three shootings in the past six months. Two of those shootings in one night.”
“I didn’t shoot Jones. He killed himself because he knew what was coming.”
The chief gave her a pointed look. “The jury’s still out on what was coming.”
Ellie couldn’t keep the scowl off her face. “Roy Jones was dirty.” She was unwilling to budge, despite the impatient expression Johnson wore. He was going to shut her down, she just knew it.
Chief Johnson pursed his lips. “I’m not saying I doubt you, Kline, but you have to see this from where I sit. I have a duty to everyone who works at Charleston PD to be fair. Every officer, no matter what they’re accused of, deserves better than to be tried and convicted in the court of public opinion.”
“But this is me, and I’m telling you what I discovered and what I saw. I was there.”
Detective Roy Jones was a bad cop who’d recently retired. During his tenure, he had taken money to rig cases, which were then never solved and ended up in Cold Cases. She knew it. She hoped the chief was on her side, but as deep as the human trafficking ring apparently went in Charleston, there was no way to know who was involved.
His dark eyes softened. “I’m not saying that you did anything wrong, but let’s be reasonable about this, Kline. I can’t appear to be treating you any different than your colleagues, and that includes taking your word as gospel without a thorough investigation, one on a stellar detective whose reputation stands to be completely ruined.”
“When the public gets wind of what happened, it won’t matter if he’s innocent.”
“Exactly.” Chief Johnson offered a reassuring smile, but the hollows under his eyes spoke of many sleepless nights. “Luckily for the department, the news of a heroic cop who rescued a woman held captive for years in a rich man’s basement made front-page news. The media loves you almost as much as it loves a happy ending. Jones’s death was mentioned once, and the fact that he was a retired detective was glossed over.”
“I read the story. They framed it as a domestic situation that got out of hand.”
“And until the investigation is complete, I’m content to leave things as they are.” He leaned forward, pinning her with an intense look. “I’d like to keep it that way.”
Heat rose from her chest and up her throat, but Ellie fought to keep her emotions in check. “You don’t think the media coverage itself is suspicious? Powerful men are involved in this scandal. They would want to bury the story, portray it like Jones was just a random man. That keeps them out of the spotlight.”
“Kline, I understand your frustration, but I need you to trust me on this. Let me run the investigation. You keep your head down, do your job, and keep your mouth shut.”
“Sir, I thought Fortis was leading the invest—”
He held up his hand, and she clamped her mouth shut as he’d ordered, frustration streaking through her. “Jones was a decorated lawman with a stellar record and more arrests than I care to count. If it turns out you’re right about him, every case he ever worked will come under intense scrutiny. You have no idea the chaos that will unleash, so forgive me, but I would prefer to be one-thousand-percent sure an officer is dirty before I move forward. I’m sure you understand.”
Taking long, slow breaths, she willed her heartbeat to slow, telling herself to focus on the reason she’d come to Johnson’s office in the first place. She wasn’t here about Jones and his crooked friends. She had a favor much more important to ask of the chief.
“I see some things
