It took a second for her to release the muscles in her jaw enough to respond, but his words soothed some of the tension. “Thank you.”
“Was there something more you needed to talk to me about?”
Ellie released her fingers one by one from the arms of the chair. She wasn’t exactly batting a thousand, and she had to win this one. Valerie’s life depended on it. “Valerie Price.”
“What about her?”
“I want to make sure she’s protected.”
“You made that clear when you hired your own guards and paid for a private hospital room.” The frown lines in his forehead came back, and his lips pinched into a straight line. “That took a lot of fancy talking to smooth over, but I convinced the D.A. it was the best-case scenario.”
“Thank you.”
“Why do I have the feeling that you’re about to ask me to cross another line?”
She swallowed, preparing herself to butt heads with the chief. “Not cross a line, just making sure that my star witness stays safe.”
He scowled. “I’ve already signed off on protective custody until the trial. She’ll be in a hotel with two officers on her at all times, and a unit outside. Her safety is our top priority. Without her, we don’t have much of a case despite the mountain of evidence we found on Arthur Fink’s computers. I don’t have to tell you how much easier it is to get a conviction with a likable witness on the stand.”
“As ironclad as that all sounds,” Ellie shook her head, “standard protective custody won’t be enough. Not this time.”
“Why?” He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. “I’m afraid I already know the answer, but let’s hear it.”
“We don’t know if Jones is the only dirty cop on the payroll.”
“Alleged,” Johnson corrected, his deep voice more like a father correcting his overzealous daughter than a chief of police.
“Alleged. But if he wasn’t the only one involved, then it’s too much of a risk to have Charleston PD protecting her.”
“I don’t see it that way. What are the chances of two officers being dirty and on protection detail?”
“Isn’t protection detail overtime?”
Johnson nodded. “I’m not sure why that makes a difference.”
“Overtime isn’t mandatory. So, if you’re using officers that volunteer for overtime, how do we know they’re not dirty cops trying to get close enough to silence her? You’re basically posting a signup sheet to be alone with her. Anything could happen.”
“Kline, we’ve protected witnesses without incident for decades. The system works.”
“The system is flawed.” She rocked forward in her chair, forgetting momentarily that she was talking to her boss’s boss. He could fire her with a flick of his little finger. “Just because something has ‘always worked’ doesn’t mean it’s right for every situation. It’s not right for this situation.”
Chief Johnson closed his eyes, looking weary to his very soul. When he opened them again and focused on her, he spoke slowly. “The city doesn’t have the resources to hire outside contractors, and I can’t lock her up. What are you suggesting?”
“I want to keep the personal detail on her and move her to a safe house.”
“Where?” he shot back.
She shrugged. “I’m still working on that.” She hadn’t really thought she’d get this far.
“Are you telling me you want to choose a safe house for her?”
Ellie nodded.
“There’s no way I can get approval for something like that. Even if I could, the red tape alone would hold it up for months.”
“I’ll pay for all of it. It won’t cost the city a dime.” She could feel Valerie slipping out of her fingers, and she couldn’t let that happen.
“Absolutely not. You’re skating on thin ice as it is, and the last thing you should be doing is inserting yourself deeper into this case while this investigation is ongoing.”
“With all due respect, Valerie Price’s safety is more important than protocol. She’s the only survivor we have who can testify against the people who did this to her. With the information she has, we can take down the entire trafficking ring.”
Johnson snorted. “Well, it’s in the D.A.’s hands now. Maybe you should make an appointment to see him.”
“I’m not asking to be involved in the trial beyond testifying, and I’m not going to do anything stupid like take her to my house and try to guard her myself. I have a plan and the resources to implement it. I just want to be the one to hide Valerie until her court appearance.”
She needed to come up with a plan…and fast.
“Is that all?” Johnson scoffed, slapping his hand on the desk. “This is a huge request, Kline, and quite frankly, I’m not sure you’re in any state of mind to be doing this.”
She recoiled, feeling verbally struck. “I’m fine.”
“So you say.”
Still stunned, she lifted her chin. “I’m not sure what you’re getting at.”
Chief Johnson sighed and rested his elbows on the desk, his expression softening. “Look, Ellie. We go way back, and I guess I’ve always been partial to you because of that night. You can never quite forget the utter horror of having sworn to protect and serve, and then end up hitting a child with your cruiser. A child of one of our most beloved citizens at that. Still, what you’re asking me…” He rubbed the back of his neck. “What you’re asking me to do is no small feat.”
“Chief, you saved my life.” Ellie blinked rapidly when the backs of her eyes burned. “I appreciate the sentiment, and I’ll admit I’d rather not, but if it’ll help my case, I’ll appeal to the beat cop who was patrolling that night. I’m not asking for the city to fund it. I’ll cover one-hundred-percent of the cost. There’s nothing to get approved.”
“That’s not the problem.”
“Then tell me, please, what is the problem?”
“Your past is
