for Claudia, losing a case because of “misplaced” evidence was not something she ever figured would happen to her.
Obviously aware of the topic’s sensitivity, Tony changed it. “By the way, since you’ve been holed up back here working on your files all night, I bet you didn’t know the new guy was in.”
“New guy?”
“Yeah. Monaghan.”
“I thought he was with the other shift.”
“He was until today. He switched over. Been in Sarge’s office for about three hours. Swapping war stories. Sounds like he’s got some heavy-duty experience under his belt.”
“Oh, please. Are we talking about the same guy? Just finished a stint driving the commissioner’s car?”
“Yeah, for a year. But who can blame him for taking a cushy job after eight years with DEA, and several before that with Homicide in D.C. That’s pretty heavy-duty, if you ask me.”
Claudia nodded. Obviously she’d been too buried in her own work these past few weeks to catch enough of the rumors circulating the unit.
“So I guess this means Sarge is counting on Monaghan’s vast experience to boost our clearance rates, hmm?”
“Oh, no, Detective Parrish,” Tony said with comedic flourish as he reclaimed his position on the corner of her desk. “We’ve got you to do that for us.”
Claudia gave him a sarcastic smile and started putting her files away.
“So what do you think?” Tony asked, stretching his arms over his head. “Ready to pack it in? Other squad should be here soon. Guess we’re not going to get a call now.”
His words still hung on the last shred of silence in the office before it was shattered by the warbling ring of the phone.
“Kiss of death, Tony. You do it every time,” Claudia muttered as she reached for the receiver. “Homicide. Detective Parrish.”
Sure enough, it was a call. Over the phone, Central Dispatching gave Claudia the details, and by the time she had jotted down the address, she glanced up to see Sergeant Gunning enter the room.
“All right. We’re on our way.” Hanging up, she wheeled back her chair and stood. “Five hundred block of Boston Street,” she told her sergeant. “White male. Looks to be a shooting.”
“Do you want me to take it, Sarge?” Tony asked. “I think Claudia here is running on empty.”
Under normal circumstances, Claudia would already have been out the door, but today “running on empty” hardly began to describe her exhaustion.
“No,” Gunning responded at last, scratching at what had to be two-days’ worth of stubble. “I want Claudia on this one.”
She kept her groan to herself. Then again, it wasn’t as if she couldn’t use the extra work to keep her mind off other things.
“I’m on it, Sarge.” She took her gun from her desk drawer and holstered it, shoved a fresh notepad into her jacket pocket and started for the door. “I’ll just get my coat and—”
“And take Monaghan with you,” he added.
Claudia stopped dead. “Pardon me?”
“You heard me. You’re partnering up.”
“Sarge, I haven’t partnered on a case since—”
“I know. That’s why I want you to take Monaghan.”
“Uh, Sarge,” Tony interrupted, obviously hoping to rescue Claudia. “Look, why don’t I go with Claudia on this one. We’ll get it wrapped up before breakfast and be done with it.”
Gunning shook his head. “This isn’t Claudia’s case. It’s Monaghan’s. I want you to back him up, Claudia.”
“You’re assigning Monaghan as the primary detective?” She tried to curb the disbelief in her voice. “Come on, Sarge, he’s only just started with the squad. You can’t honestly tell me that he’s ready to lead his own investigation.”
And then, as if on cue, a man stepped around the corner. He cleared his throat quietly, and Claudia felt the immediate flush of embarrassment warm her cheeks.
There was no doubt in her mind regarding the man’s identity. In fact, he even looked the part of the commissioner’s driver, so clean-cut and crisp that she could easily imagine him in some chauffeur’s monkey suit. Immediately Claudia found herself hoping Tony was right about Monaghan’s experience, because the man bore little resemblance to a seasoned detective who’d reputedly been run ragged by Drug Enforcement and Homicide.
With his jet-black hair clipped short, the angular lines of his face seemed even more pronounced—regal, almost. They accentuated a strong jaw and square chin.
He towered over Claudia, and as he looked down at her, his mouth curved into a charismatic smile. But it was Monaghan’s eyes that riveted Claudia. They were absolutely penetrating, and every bit as dark as the brows that arched over them in an almost expectant expression. It was obvious he’d heard her last remark.
“Claudia, Gavin Monaghan,” Gunning introduced. “Gavin, this is our illustrious Detective Parrish. You can just ignore the foot in her mouth. And don’t let her give you any grief. If she does, I don’t wanna hear about it.”
Monaghan extended his hand in greeting. “It’s good to meet you, Claudia.”
She should have anticipated his smooth voice. It matched his looks, rich and seductive. The kind of voice that probably swept most women off their feet at the mere sound, Claudia decided, returning his firm handshake with one she hoped would make him flinch. He didn’t.
“Sergeant Gunning’s told me a lot about you.”
“Well, maybe you’ll get to hear my side of the story sometime,” she said quickly, wishing she could break her gaze from his. “But right now, I have…I mean, we have a homicide.”
“I’ll get our coats,” he offered, turning on the heel of one perfectly polished black wing-tip oxford. His stride was assured as he walked down the corridor. She watched him, unable to resist admiring the impressive outline of his body, his broad shoulders and tapered waist. The expensive suit looked good on him, she decided. Probably better than any monkey suit. Then again, with a body like that, Gavin Monaghan probably looked good in just about anything.
“He needs to get his feet wet,” Sarge said, as Claudia saw Gavin veer into the main office out of sight. “He’s put in his time with Homicide in D.C. In fact, I’m sure he could even teach you a few tricks, but I still want you to show him the ropes around here.”
As though foreseeing the impending argument, Tony mumbled something and made a hasty exit.
“Sarge—”
“No, Claudia.” He held up one thick hand. “No arguments. I’ve catered to your wishes long enough. You know this unit works on the premise of partnerships. I can’t exclude you from
