Love and hate crimes, p.5
Love & Hate Crimes, page 5
“Do you know what else I’m coming to like more and more?” He kissed the inside of her wrist. And then her arm.
“I have a sneaking suspicion.”
“What do you say we go over to the couch and make out like a couple of teenagers in high school?”
“Mmm. Just make out, huh?”
“Oh, we can go around the bases if you want to. I always wanted to try and slide home.”
Sidney laughed out loud. “You do know that I’m pretty much a sure thing where you’re concerned, right?”
“Ooh, an easy girl!” He heard the teasing tone in his own voice, and he wiggled his eyebrows at her. Sidney laughed again. “I always wanted to date one of them in high school.”
“Easy there, big boy. I’m fairly sure you’ve got some homework that needs your attention first.”
“Aww, come on. I’ll do it afterwards.”
“Afterwards, you’ll suggest that we cuddle for a while and then you’ll fall asleep and it won’t get done at all.”
“Who’s side are you on?”
“Yours. Always. That’s why I won’t let you short change yourself. I want you to get the absolute most out of this online degree experience.”
“So holding out until I do my classwork for the evening? Is this going to be your standard operating procedure until I get this online degree?”
Sidney smiled. “Maybe not all the time. If you’re a good boy.”
Isaac lowered his head. “That is cold-blooded. You’re going to bribe me to do my schoolwork everyday, aren’t you?”
“Would it go better if I said I promise to be a very good girl if you do your schoolwork first?”
Isaac narrowed his eyes. “How good?”
“I’ll-do-anything-you-want good.”
He cocked an eyebrow. “Anything?”
“Any. Thing.”
“Done.”
He stood up and headed to the home office where his desktop computer was set up. He could hear Sidney laughing as he made his way down the hall.
He sat down and fired up the computer, pulling out his textbook and the large legal pad he used to scribble notes and work through his assignments.
He’d enrolled in an online degree program at the urging of Lt. Gavin Hayes, who kept telling him that he had what it took to be a good lieutenant himself one day. Isaac still had no idea how he felt about that prospect. But he could admit to himself that the fact his boss thought so highly of his work and his potential did feel good.
He’d only just begun the course — an accredited program that would earn him an Associates Degree in Criminal Justice. If he’d chosen to take classes at night from one of the area colleges, the same program would take him two years. At least through this online program Sidney’d found, he could work through the whole course at his own pace. If he really buckled down, he believed he could do it in less than two years.
So far, he was finding the course work mostly a breeze. Maybe it was because he’d been working in the criminal justice system for sixteen years now. Maybe it was because he was actually smarter than he’d given himself credit for.
Then again, it had only been a week.
It was difficult to concentrate with the new case running through his head in the background, but he forced himself to set it aside.
It took him an hour and a half to run through his lesson and get his assignment done. When he finally turned off the light and left the room the house was dark.
In the hallway he could smell the soft notes of Sidney’s lavender and rose scented bubblebath. An image of her in the water had his manhood stiffening before he even reached the bedroom.
He closed the door behind him and began stripping out of his clothes, leaving a trail as he made his way to the large, spa-like bathroom.
He stood in the doorway completely naked and stared at her, watching as she ran a bath sponge over her water-slicked, shapely leg.
Damn, she was sexy.
And she was all his.
“Can I help you with that, darlin’?”
Sidney looked up at him, her champagne-colored, light brown eyes taking him in. Her coy smile told him she liked what she saw.
“Looks to me like you’ve got something I can help you with, big boy.”
“Oh, you definitely can.”
He walked over and carefully stepped down into the sunken tub, letting the deliciously hot water envelop him. As soon as he was situated, Sidney moved forward, water sloshing around them. She climbed into his lap, facing him, and Isaac’s arms went around her like it was automatic.
“You’re being awfully forward, madam.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I thought I had a promise to fulfill.”
“Mmm, that’s right. A promise to do anything I want.” His hands slipped down her back.
“Mmm hmm.” She ran her fingers through his hair, and Isaac released a soft moan. “So what will it be, Detective? What can I do for you?”
“Well, first of all,” he kissed the tender spot between her breasts and then looked up into her eyes. “You can tell me if you think it’s possible for a person to have so much sex that they lose consciousness?”
“Lose consciousness?”
“Mmm hmm. Just OD on orgasms to the point of passing out.” He latched on to her left nipple, sucking hard, and Sidney shuddered.
“Ah! Um… I…”
Still feasting at her breast, he took the other in his hand and gently squeezed, twisting the nipple this way and that.
Sidney arched into him, her body begging for more while she tried to hold a conversation with him.
“I’m not… sure that’s… um… possible.”
With his free hand, he found the tight bundle of nerves at the apex of her thighs and gently rubbed her there. He knew it was sensory overload, and he smiled when Sidney went off like a rocket.
Her entire body vibrated and she called out his name before she slumped against him.
Still panting she looked into his eyes. “How the hell do you do that with just your mouth and a few fingers?”
Isaac grinned at her. “What can I say? I just like finding new ways to give you physical pleasure.”
“But I’m supposed to be pleasing you tonight, remember?”
“You do please me, darlin’. And you don’t have to do anything special or fancy to get the job done. All you’ve got to do is let me inside. Cause that is my absolute favorite place to be.”
“Is it now?”
“Yes, it is. And it doesn’t matter what position we’re in, or who’s on top. I just want to be inside you.” He threaded his fingers into her curly hair and dragged her mouth to his. The kiss was full of longing and desire, and the longer it lasted the more urgent it became.
They moved in tandem. His hands went around her small waist and he pulled her up and closer to him. Positioning her over him for perfect entry.
She slid down on his shaft, and their loud, joint moan of bliss filled the air like a power ballad. Sidney’s legs spread wider, allowing her to sink even lower onto him.
“That’s right, baby. Take every inch of my big dick.”
“Oooh, yes!”
He captured her mouth again and they started to move. They rocked together, their bodies grinding against each other. Water sloshing rhythmically around them.
He loved these moments. These private, stolen moments when he could lose himself in her and their love. Sex with his wife always did more to soothe the frustrations of the day than any other stress reliever he knew. Sidney had the power to make everything better. Her touch, her kiss. The way she looked at him like he was the greatest man she knew.
Priceless.
And so damn shocking he knew he’d never fully understand it. But God, was he grateful.
They sailed into the abyss of ecstasy together. Isaac wrapped his arms tight around her, taking her with him as he leaned back against the wall of the tub.
“Thank you so much,” Isaac whispered, still holding her tight.
“What for, baby?” Sidney sounded winded and satisfied.
“Hmm?”
She sat up and looked Isaac in the eyes.
“You said thank you. What are you thanking me for?” She looked puzzled.
“Oh. Well, I wasn’t actually talking to you, darlin’. Sorry about that.”
“Then who were you talking to?”
Isaac stared into her eyes. “God.”
That surprised her. He could tell.
“God?”
“Yep. Thanking Him for bringing you into my life. You are everything, Sidney. You are the blue skies and the starry nights.”
Sidney’s smile lit up from somewhere deep. Isaac could see the slow burn of it.
“There goes my silver tongued, sweet-talking husband again.”
He grinned at her sarcasm. “What do you say we wash each other up and then take this party to the bedroom?”
“Wash each other up, huh?”
“Yeah.”
“We’re going to be prunes by the time we make it to the bedroom.”
7
“Mmm. Breakfast was great.”
Isaac stuffed the last of a Belgian waffle into his mouth and swallowed it down with a sip of coffee.
“Are you sure? I’m surprised you’ve even tasted it.”
The sarcasm in Sidney’s voice had him glancing up at her. She was watching him with a slightly amused, kind of annoyed smirk.
“I’m sorry. I guess I have sort of been rushing through things this morning.”
“You think?”
“It’s just that… well, today is the day Lt. Hayes leaves town, you know?”
“Ah, right.” Sidney nodded in remembrance. “Leaving you in charge of the Homicide Division for three whole days.”
“Exactly. And I’m just a little bit…” He let that sentence dangle as he searched for the right word.
“Nervous?”
“No. I’m not nervous.” Was that defensiveness he heard in his own voice just now? “Not really, anyway. I’m just… I don’t know. A little anxious. That’s all.”
“Well, I get that. But it doesn’t explain why you’re rushing around and wolfing down your breakfast.”
“I just want to try and get to the station early so that I’m prepared for the morning briefing. You know, I’ll have to gather the overnight reports from Hayes’ unit box and look them over in case I need to assign any new cases. I just want to be prepared.”
Sidney ran a hand over his. An action that soothed him immediately. He took a deep breath and sighed.
“I guess I am a little nervous. But I’ll basically be overseeing all of the cases and running the show for the next three days. Everybody in homicide will be reporting to me. Both shifts. It’s a big responsibility.”
“I know it is,” Sidney said, setting her coffee cup down. “And I also know that you’ll do just fine, baby. You know, you should try to think of the next three days as sort of a test.”
“A test?”
“Yes. To see whether or not you think that moving up the ranks is really something you want to do or not. I know you’ve had your misgivings, even though your lieutenant has encouraged you to get this degree solely for the purpose of advancement. But here’s your chance to really find out if it’s what you want.”
Isaac thought about that for a moment, and it all made so much sense.
“I suppose you have a point there.”
“Yeah. The next three days could really help you figure out what you want in your career for the future.”
“Thank you, darlin’. I’m going to try to take that advice to heart these next few days.”
He leaned in and kissed her lips. Then he stood and gathered his things.
“You have a good day at work.”
“You too. Please be careful.”
“Hey. I’ll mostly be riding the lieutenant’s desk this week. Can’t get much safer.”
“Well be careful anyway. That’s an order.”
“Yes, ma’am. I love you.”
“I love you back, baby.”
On the drive to the station, Isaac tried to run through a list of steps. Things he knew Lt. Hayes did each day that he wanted to be sure not to forget. Like making it a point to ask each detective team for an update on their hot cases and staying available in case any of them hit a snag and needed to talk it out. That extra attention was important. It had certainly helped him and Pete a time or two. He needed to remember to channel Hayes in that regard over the next few days.
When he got to the station, he hurried up to the fourth floor detectives section and took a moment to gather a few things from his desk that he thought he might need over the next three days — the files on the hate crimes and Pete’s shooting, his favorite coffee mug — then he went to the back left wall of the pit to check both his and Lt. Hayes’ unit boxes.
Unit boxes were the standard system of inter-office communication at most police departments. While some things were sent via email, there were those hold outs who still didn’t possess an email address or didn’t check it on a regular basis. So the unit boxes were how important information got disseminated.
At Hayes’ box he pulled out the overnight reports and then he let himself into Hayes’ office.
On the desk was a folded piece of paper with Isaac’s name on it.
Lt. Hayes had left him a note?
Isaac picked it up and read it over.
Good morning, Detective Sgt. Here are a few tips I thought you could use this week.
1. Trust your detectives. They know how to do the job, and they’re each excellent at it.
2. When they hit a snag, and they will, they’ll come to you. Trust your own instincts.
3. Trust your own instincts. It bears repeating. Remember, you made sergeant for a reason. You earned this spot. You know what you’re doing.
There is no one I trust more with my detectives section, Ike. You’re smart and highly intuitive, and that’s got nothing to do with your “special abilities.” So stay out of your own way and just do the job. You’ve got this. And I’m only a phone call away.
Gavin
Isaac read the note three times before he took a deep breath and let his boss’ words sink in. Lt. Hayes trusted him. He was counting on him to keep things running smoothly this week. Isaac nodded his head.
“I can do this.”
He set the note aside and got to work reading over the overnight reports and making notes for the morning briefing. Finally he glanced at his watch and got to his feet. Taking his notes with him, he headed for the briefing room.
The last stragglers were just sitting down when Isaac strode in dragging a small trail of nerves with him. Why was his stomach quivering over this? He’d run the morning briefing more than once in the past.
“Good morning, detectives.”
Replies of “good morning, Detective Sergeant,” and “morning, Ike,” “morning, Sarge” came back at him. He took the podium at the front of the room and quietly cleared his throat.
“All in all, it was a pretty slow night. A couple of burglaries, a couple of assaults.”
Those were not their problem. Those cases would be handled by the Burglary and Violent Crimes Divisions respectively.
“But there was a domestic disturbance in Fairfax that resulted in a multiple shooting. We’ve got one dead body and another family member in the hospital. The shooter is believed to be at large.” Isaac held up the file. “Wheeler and Walker, I’m giving this one to you.”
Frank Walker stood and collected the file from him. “Thank you, Sarge.”
“That is thankfully all I have for you this morning, so unless anyone has any questions let’s—”
“I have a question, Sarge.” Gary Barker raised his hand, like they were in school.
“Yes, Barker?”
“Any word on how Vega’s doing this morning?”
Isaac shook his head. “I did run by the hospital again after shift last night and spoke to Pete. He was in a fair amount of pain at that time, but refusing anything stronger than a Tylenol. His spirits were good, and he was glad to know that we’d gotten at least one of the scumbags who might’ve shot him into custody.”
Barker nodded, seeming satisfied with that response.
“But there are still two more out there,” Isaac continued. “And while I’m stepping into Lt. Hayes’ shoes these next few days, I will also be hard at work on trying to locate those other two. I may need to call on one or more of you to help me out in that regard. It just depends on how things go.”
“Anything you need, Sarge,” Barker called out.
“Just say the word. We got you.” Lonnie Spencer chimed in.
Mumbles of agreement went around the room, and Isaac nodded. Everyone was always eager to help find a cop shooter.
“All right. Let’s get to work,” Isaac said. Then he suddenly heard Lt. Hayes’ voice in his head, and he added, “And remember to be safe out there.”
Isaac waited until the briefing room emptied out, and then he headed back to Hayes’ office. It felt weird sitting there, on this side of Hayes’ desk. Like he was playing pretend or something. But Isaac shook the impostor syndrome off as best he could and got to work.
He spent the next hour looking over the reports the patrol officers took from the canvas of Jasper Duke’s neighbors. None of it revealed anything very significant, except that a number of his neighbors admitted to being afraid of Duke. But there was one report taken from a man who lived in a house across the street. That neighbor, a Black man, told patrol officers that he’d reported Duke to the police several times for what he called racial harassment.
Isaac went looking in the electronic reports and found those complaints, pulling the files and reading over the details.
As he worked, he remembered that the anonymous tip that gave them Jasper Duke’s name as being one of the men on the grainy video footage had come through 911. On a hunch, he left the office and ventured down two flights of stairs to dispatch.
At the door, he knocked and waited to be buzzed in. He glanced up at the camera that was aimed at the door, giving those inside a clear view of his face.
