Chapter 5
Kerney sat in an office chair and watched the smile on William Demora's face fade as he settled behind his large executive desk and tidied an already neatly stacked set or documents. Last night, without giving a reason, the city manager had called Kerney at home and asked for an early morning meeting. And it was very early indeed; workers at city hall weren't due to show up for another hour.
The city offices were housed in an old school building a block from the plaza.
In spite of extensive renovations the wide hallways, far wider than a modern office building would allow for, made it feel like a place for junior high students, not city bureaucrats. Kerney could remember the days when noisy, boisterous kids spilled out of the school to spend lunch hour on the plaza.
'Aside from carrying out the mayor's goals,' Demora said, weighing his words carefully, 'my job, as I see it, is to act as a buffer between my department heads and members of the city council. In other words, to keep politics from interfering with our daily operations. But I can't always shield my people from controversy. Especially if I find myself caught unaware.'
'What's come up?' Kerney asked, maintaining a neutral tone.
Demora ran a hand over his closely cropped salt-and-pepper beard.
'The issue of your appointment of Captain Otero as deputy chief has raised some concern among several council members.'
It wasn't the issue Kerney expected, but he held back his surprise and stayed silent.
'I thought we had an understanding that you'd run key appointments through my office first,' Demora said.
'No,' Kerney said evenly, 'The understanding was that I would have full authority on all personnel matters and would keep you advised in a timely fashion.'
'So why am I placed in the position of learning about Otero's promotion secondhand through the grapevine?'
Kerney checked his watch.
'Otero's promotion orders were cut less than twelve hours ago, after city hall closed for the day. You would have gotten a call from me in about an hour. But to answer your question more specifically, the reason you heard about it through the grapevine is because I have inherited a department filled with people who are accustomed to undercutting the chain of command whenever it suits their purpose to do so. Who are the unhappy council members?'
'You needn't concern yourself with them,' Demora replied.
'I'll deal with that problem. But surely you understand that the police officers' union is a political action group. You can't expect them not to use their influence to raise issues, especially with several strong union supporters on the council.'
'Was the issue raised by the union?'
'Yes. They feel that Otero's appointment is a step backward.'
Kerney chose his words carefully.
'Although the contract gives the union no voice in management issues, I'd be happy to meet with them here in your office to address their concerns.'
'I don't think we should open that door to the union,' Demora said quickly.
'But I… The mayor does expect you to concentrate on building employee morale. Your decision to promote Otero seems to be having the opposite effect.'
'It's my highest priority,' Kerney said.
'Every police department needs good morale to do its job of protecting the public and upholding the law.'
'How you get to that goal is important, Chief,' Demora said smoothly.
'Developing constructive and informed input from employees makes them feel empowered.'
'Exactly how does the union view Otero?' Kerney asked, trying to move Demora away from his favorite team-building theory of management.
'He's seen as abrasive, argumentative, and authoritarian.'
'Is that your reading of the man?'
'I've found him to be confrontational upon occasion. Unnecessarily so.'
Kerney thought back to the purged documents about Officer Herrera that Helen Muiz had saved from destruction. None of Otero's memos had showed evidence of distribution outside the department. Had Demora been behind the cleansing of Herrera's personnel jacket and the decision to destroy Otero's career? Captains not slated for promotions were frequently buried in technical-duty slots, far away from the operational-command assignments that were crucial for advancement.
Perhaps Demora had assumed Kerney would overlook Otero because of his career-ending posting.
Kerney decided to push the issue.
'Can you give me more details?'
Demora ran a hand over a horseshoe-shaped bald spot.
'I'd rather not get into specifics, but it was a situation requiring subtle handling, and Otero failed to realize that.'
'I see.'
'It's not too late to withdraw Otero's appointment. Doing so could win you some allies on the city council.'
'Allies would be nice to have,' Kerney said.
'But caving in to that could be perceived as union pressure might not be wise. When the union contract comes up for renegotiation, they'll be clamoring for a voice in management.'
Demora nodded vigorously.
'Yes, of course, you're exactly right. Do you have an alternative suggestion?'
'Otero is eligible for retirement in sixty days. If he fails to do a competent job or conduct himself professionally, I'll ask him to put in his papers and retire.'
Demora smiled with pursed lips.
'Very well. Sixty days, then, and you'll keep me advised of his performance.'
'Of course,' Kerney said. And you'll advise me if any additional concerns are lodged about his promotion?'
'Absolutely,' Demora replied. His smile widened as he showed some teeth.
'It's essential that the two of us maintain a free-flowing communication. There's no need to hold anything back. With that in mind I do want Otero carefully supervised.'
'That won't be a problem.'
Demora nodded.
'I hope not. Now, fill me in on the murder investigations so I can brief the mayor. This isn't the kind of national exposure Santa Fe needs.'
'It certainly isn't,' Kerney said, holding back on the somewhat snide thought that criminals really should be more sensitive to the chamber-of-commerce vision of a picture-perfect retirement and playground community for the well-to-do and outright rich. The murder of a prominent citizen was unseemly, only served to tarnish the city's image, and caused hand wringing for both the boosters and the local politicians.
He forced down his anger at having his first major decision as chief challenged for the sake of petty politics, and began to explain the status of the investigations.
Growing up poor in Mexico, Ignacio Terjo had learned the hard way the importance of money. His first border crossing into America had driven the point home even more thoroughly. After arriving in Santa Fe he'd gone hungry and had slept under a bridge, covered only by newspapers and cardboard, until he found his way to a homeless shelter. Vowing never to be so needy again, Terjo now kept two hundred dollars sewn in the inside lining of his winter coat or tucked into the watch pocket of his jeans during warm weather.
Wary about his false identity, Ignacio had avoided becoming too friendly with the Mexican nationals who lived
