“Then make room,” Rourke said simply. “I’m not withdrawing them.”
“Fine. I’ll withdraw them myself.”
Rourke reminded himself not to get riled up. Alger tended to argue over every item, line by line, and to make much of this habit to the taxpayers. “Don’t,” Rourke said simply, a note of warning in his voice.
“The money’s not there.” Alger had a deceptively mild delivery, behind which was a steely resolve. “We’re not going into reserve spending.”
“Did you read the requisition?” Rourke asked, his delivery anything but mild. “We’re driving cars that should have been replaced five years ago. One sedan was just judged unsafe at any speed. I’m not backing down on this, Matthew.”
“You don’t have a choice.” Alger took another document down from a shelf behind the desk—the city code manual. “Capital expenditures are subject to the final approval of the city administrator. And I don’t approve.”
“Then you’re an ass, and I’ll make sure people know you don’t give a shit about public safety.”
“Sure, send your bleeding-heart friend Nina to whine about it in her next speech. People drive old cars all the time, Chief—”
“And someone’s life could depend on a cruiser being in perfect condition.”
“That’s a long shot and you know it.”
Rourke felt the fire of his temper crackling just beneath the surface, ready to burst forth. Without taking his eyes off Alger, he opened a desk drawer and took out a document of his own. “I did the math,” he stated. “The budget can cover it.”
“Doing the math is my job, and the revenue isn’t there.”
“Tell you what,” Rourke said. “There’s an independent audit coming up next month—”
“That has to be rescheduled,” Alger said.
“Look it up in your damn city code. It can’t be changed.” As he strode out of the office, Rourke reminded himself that there was no point in getting pissed. They simply needed to fix the problem. This wasn’t supposed to be his issue, but since a hefty percentage of the city’s budget went to public safety, he had to justify every penny his department spent. City revenues were down and no one could understand why. Something didn’t add up, and Nina was scared, because she was up for reelection this year. With city finances in such bad shape, she was a sitting duck for her opponent. Matthew Alger would ride in like a white knight, promising to take control.
Rourke headed into Nina’s office, his annoyance unabated. Even the decor of her office irritated him. Everything was just so damn friendly, from the sunny-yellow walls to the cheerful pictures of special Avalon citizens and Nina’s personal heroes—Gloria Steinem and Madonna—to the framed photos of Nina’s daughter, Sonnet. Not for the first time, Rourke felt a twinge of envy. Nina had a kid who was pure joy, a huge extended family she adored. Rourke had none of those things, and it didn’t usually bother him, but today it did.
If she noticed, she didn’t let on as she opened a file of spreadsheets. “We need to go through your departmental budget again,” she said. “We’re going to have another shortfall this quarter.”
“Oh, no,” he said, holding up his hand, palm out. “You’re not revising the budget again. Jesus, Nina, our cars are ten years old. I’m not cutting another dime, so don’t even bother asking.”
“I’m not asking for cuts,” she assured him. “I know there’s nothing left in your department to trim away.”
“Thank you.” He was still suspicious of her. She wouldn’t have asked for a meeting if she didn’t have something up her sleeve.
“What I’d like is to apply for a state grant for the digital video cameras you requested for the cars.”
Okay, now he saw where this is going. “My father is chairman of the state law enforcement division.”
“That’s right. Rourke—”
“We’re not doing it. Find another way to fund the project.”
“Like what?”
“Like how about you figure out why the budget’s in such trouble, Madam Mayor?”
“Quit being a wise guy. I’ve been trying to figure this out for months.” She swallowed hard, pressed her palms on the blotter on her desk. Something was making her nervous. “I think it’s time we had a forensic accountant go over our books. And yes, I know how paranoid that makes me look.”
“And it costs money.”
“If we find the bleeding artery, then maybe we can stop the flow.”
“Have you talked to Matthew Alger? Seems to me you’d start with the city administrator.”
“He was no help at all. His books are in perfect, squeaky-clean order.” She scowled. “Of course they are.”
“Why do you say that?”
“He wants to look perfect because he’s going to run against me in the next election.”
She looked so completely stressed out that Rourke nearly forgot his own troubles. “Listen, what about ordering an independent audit instead of the forensics at this point? Then you don’t look paranoid and maybe you’ll figure out what’s going on.”
“And the funding for an independent audit comes from, what, your department?” she asked.
He slapped his hand down on the desk. “I’m trying to be helpful.”
Unlike most people he worked with, Nina ignored his temper. “What is with you, McKnight?”
He glared at her. “Nothing’s with me, unless you want to count trying to run this department on a budget the size of an egg roll.”
“Liar. You’ve never let yourself get rattled over a budget shortfall.” She folded her arms on her desk and studied him.
He refused to let her scrutiny affect him. Nina Romano was beautiful. She was single and everyone loved her. For years, people in town had wanted them to fall in love and live happily ever after. The city mayor and the chief of police. It was
