“Well, yes. As a matter of fact, Tanya called me this morning asking the very same question. Is there something going on that I should know about?”
Brit squared his shoulders. “Yes, Mrs. Chavez, I think something very serious is going on. Have you kept up with the news about the two officers who were shot?”
“I gave up watching the news. It upsets me.”
It upset Brit, too. It was meant to upset people, to inform and hopefully encourage them to get involved. He gritted his teeth to keep from voicing his opinion. “The two officers who spoke at your meeting are the two who were shot and killed.”
She leaned back in her chair and her olive color washed white. “You think someone with At-Risk is involved with this?”
“Yes. That’s exactly what I think.” He splayed his hands out on her desk. “And this is what I’ll be needing—a list of every student in the program. Any background information you have on them, such as involvement in drugs or gangs, and especially of those who attended the last meeting.”
“That’s a lot of kids, Detective.”
He didn’t blink. “And I know you’re already considering how quickly you can get those to me. And by quick, I don’t mean tomorrow. So I’ll just wait here while you pull that info together.”
She stood and fidgeted with some papers on her desk. “Dios Mio, I seriously hope you’re wrong about this.”
Brit didn’t say it, but he seriously hoped he was right. Finding Keith and Anderson’s killer meant more than anything to him. An image of Cali, wrapped in a sheet, waddling to the bathroom, trying not to expose her backside, filled his mind. Okay, finding the killer meant more than almost anything. It didn’t even matter that she talked to her dead mother in her dreams. But, hell, considering where this lead came from, he loved her dead mother, too.
Then it hit him, right between the eyes, but mostly in his heart. He loved Cali. The thought came with a certainty that he couldn’t deny. What’s more, he didn’t want to.
~
An hour later, Brit danced out of his car to the precinct with a list of fifty teens. He figured by the time they narrowed it down to those who fit the descriptions Rina gave, he’d only have fifteen or twenty. But damn. They could have Keith’s murderer locked away by this time next week. Even sooner.
As Brit made it up the stairs, he saw Quarles storming out. The man didn’t look happy, but Brit figured he’d change that with his news. The whole precinct would celebrate.
Brit hurried his pace.
“Guess what I got,” he said.
“What?” Quarles asked.
“Keith’s and Anderson’s case. Big tip. And it panned out.”
Quarles’ eyes did light up. “What did you get?”
“Both Keith and Anderson spoke last September at an At-Risk program for possible dropouts. And at least 50 percent of these kids are gang-related.”
Quarles’ eyes widened. “How did we miss this? I personally went through all their public appearances.”
“The woman in charge said that at the last minute the cop who was supposed to appear with Anderson had something come up. Keith was added at the last minute. I figure they never felt compelled to change it on the paperwork. ”
“Yeah,” Quarles said and Brit could see the man’s mind turning. “We’ll need a list of the kids involved.”
Brit thumped the file he held in his hand. “Got it. I’m on my way to run the records and see which ones have priors.”
They headed for the door, a new bounce to Quarles’ step. “Where did you get this tip?”
Brit decided on a partial truth. “Cali.”
Quarles stopped and his brow furrowed. “Cali?”
“She volunteered at that meeting. Last week, she told me she was trying to piece together why Anderson seemed so familiar. He was there at her place, remember? Then she saw a picture of Keith and recognized him too. Last night, she figured it out.”
“Fine. But I’d advise you that when you’re repeating this to Adams, leave Cali’s name out of it.”
“Why?” Brit got a bad feeling. “Did the questioning go badly?”
“That would be putting it mildly.”
“What happened? Is Cali okay?”
Quarles folded his arms over his chest. “First the DA came on like a bitch on wheels. She–”
“She? Shit! Please don’t tell me it was Shane Paxton.”
Quarles gave him a cutting look. “Yeah. Adams told me you two were an item. Anyway, it was as if she had this sixth sense that you and Cali were getting it on between the sheets.”
“That woman is a trained Doberman. She could chew Cali up and spit her out. Is Cali okay?”