The Sharpest Edge

While Bill opened the e-mail, Sean picked up his car keys. Time to get away. He’d go visit Max. Remind himself why he wanted to stay in town. “I’m taking off.”

Bill waved absently as he studied the screen. “Yeah, go shower. You need it.” He spun the monitor toward Sean, a color image filling the screen. “Before you go, take a look at this.”

He didn’t want to know. Didn’t want to see it.

But he looked. It was a photo of Kim in a hospital bed, wearing a gown that had been pulled to the side. Her eyes were closed and she looked tiny and wan. She was covered in bruises, and there were gashes across her stomach and ribs.

Then he looked closer and his stomach heaved. Her entire thigh had been torn open, practically from hip to knee.

He swore. Death was far too good for Jimmy Ramsey.

“Look at the one of her sister.”

Bill opened another image that showed Cheryl in a similar position with her arm at an unnatural angle and one side of her face so puffy she was almost unrecognizable.

Sean cursed again and clicked on the picture of Kim again. She’d endured all that to protect her sister. Half the guys in his Special Forces unit would have spilled their guts for less.

“You still want to hand this off to one of the rookies?”

Sean leaned back and closed his eyes, trying to quiet his stomach. He, of the cast-iron gut, who’d seen more blood and body parts than he could count, getting nauseous because of a couple of photos? He was going soft. “The guy got six months.”

Bill whistled. “Six months? That’s it?”

“He’s a cop.”

“A cop. How many years of service?”

“Fifteen before he was suspended.” The situation was ugly. “He’s been investigated three times for excessive violence against female suspects but never disciplined. He has connections. Influence.”

“Damn.”

Yeah, no kidding. A cop with fifteen years’ experience knew what he was doing. Ramsey would take down a rookie cop in a heartbeat. And rookies were all Bill had working for him.

Hell.

Sean picked up his phone and called the parole officer again. It was almost eight in the morning Pacific time, so he should be in by now.

A raspy voice answered on the first ring. “Vin here.”

“Officer Sean Templeton here calling from the Ridgeport Police Department in Maine.”

“Yeah, I just got done listening to your message. Ramsey hasn’t checked in.”

“Will you call me when he does?” If he does.

“Yeah. Later.” Vin hung up.

Chatty guy.

“So?”

Sean hung up the phone. “He hasn’t checked in.” So Jimmy could be in Maine.

“I don’t want him in my town.” Bill actually looked a little stressed.

“You and me both.” Sean dug his fingers into his forehead. Miserable friggin’ headache. He had to think. Needed to figure this out. “You have to take this case. A rookie is no match for Ramsey.”

“Can’t do it. I’m already overloaded. It’s you or a rookie.”

Sean narrowed his eyes at the man he’d once called his friend. “Do it for me.”

“Do it for yourself.”

He cursed. “The woman is my ex-fiancée. Don’t you have rules against taking a case that you’re personally involved in?”

“Not in this department. We’re too small.” Billy lifted an eyebrow. “Besides, you said you don’t care about her.”

“I don’t.”

Billy grinned. “Seems to me, the only reason I’d have for taking you off this case is if you were so screwed up by her that you were incapable of performing your duties. She got you that bad, Templeton?”

“Of course not. I can do my job.”

Billy tossed him the folder. “Then I guess it’s yours.”

Sean caught the file. He was trapped, and they both knew it.

“Welcome back, Sean. Enjoy your first case.”

“You’re too damned cheery.”

All he got was a bigger grin. “And you’re too damned ornery. Go take a shower and we’ll see you back here tonight. You’re in charge of the night shift. I’m gonna stick to days now that you’re around.”

“I’m in charge? No way, Billy.” The deal had been that he’d be a patrol officer with a beat, about as far from his Special Forces experience as possible. He didn’t want responsibility for anyone anymore. All he wanted was a paycheck.

“It’s Chief Vega to you. Remember that or I’ll have to write you up for insubordination. The nights are yours. Enjoy.”

Sean groaned. He had to get out of here. He couldn’t deal with someone trying to be friends with him.

He might be off duty, but he wasn’t going to be off the clock until he finished this deal with Jimmy Ramsey and got Kim out of his life.

Right now, he was going to find Kim.

He needed some answers.

EDDIE WAVED KIM off as he turned toward the docks, leaving Kim on her own to head into the office. As she clomped up the wooden steps, she could almost hear her dad on the phone, or her mom laughing at the reception desk.

Almost, but not quite. Joyce wasn’t there, Max was in a coma and Kim had a psychopath stalking her.