Tracy provided Nolasco with the additional information Martinez had requested. By the time she got back to her cubicle, it was clear word had spread around the section fishbowl that something was up. Tracy said the meeting was to ensure a smooth transition of the investigation to Pierce County. No one was buying her explanation, though most took the hint she wasn’t going to say anything more.
As for Kins, Faz, and Del, she suggested they step outside. Tracy led them around the corner of the building to a patio partially shaded by an overhang. A fountain trickled water over marble levels, like a river. Tracy filled them in on the meeting in the conference room.
“I don’t want you taking the blame for something I did,” Faz said.
“Something we did,” Del said.
“I asked you guys to do it.”
“Bullshit,” Faz said. “Nobody tells me to do nothing I don’t want to do.”
“We’re big boys,” Del said. “And we’ve been at this longer than you. They can’t suspend us all.”
“Look, I appreciate the support, but I made the decision to go and talk to the aunt and I understood the potential consequences.”
“What the hell is Fields’s problem?” Kins asked.
“I told you I didn’t like that guy,” Tracy said.
“I’m going to call Nik and tell him the situation. He’ll get the name of the skip tracer he spoke with,” Faz said. “You don’t want to get in trouble for refusing an order from a superior officer. They’ll charge you with insubordination, and they take that shit seriously. The other stuff is all bullshit. OPA will slap you on the wrist and it’ll blow over—if they go to OPA at all. I doubt they will.”
“I appreciate that, Faz,” Tracy said.
“What the hell?” Kins said. He took a step closer. “Is that a ring on your finger?” He reached for her hand. “That’s a diamond.”
Tracy held up her hand. “Dan proposed last night.”
“It’s about freaking time,” Del said.
“And you had to deal with this crap this morning?” Kins said.
“It is what it is,” she said, feeling surprisingly calm about the situation, even about Fields. Maybe it was just the afterglow of the best night of her life, or the thought that she and Dan were getting married. Or maybe it was something said by the most unlikely person she would have ever expected to impart wisdom. Maybe Nolasco was right, for once. Maybe she needed a way to shut out the job. Maybe she was being selfish. It was no longer just about her. Her decisions could now impact Dan and, someday, possibly their children.
Tracy worked her assault-and-battery and other felony cases until the end of her shift, shut off her computer, and pushed back her chair.
“You heading home?” Kins said.
“Yeah, I thought I’d make Dan dinner for a change.”
“I talked to Shannah,” Kins said. “She wants to have you and Dan over for a little celebration.”
“I got a better idea,” Faz said, standing up from his chair and slipping on his sport coat. “An evening meal hosted by yours truly and cooked by the greatest Italian chef who ever lived, my wife.”
“I’m in,” Del said without hesitation. “Vera’s cooking? Don’t get in my way, Fazio.”
“Sounds wonderful,” Tracy said. “Maybe you should talk to her.”
“Are you kidding? The only thing Vera loves better than cooking is sharing the food with friends. How about tomorrow night?”
“I’m off tomorrow, but let me talk to Dan,” Tracy said.
“I can do tomorrow,” Kins said.
“I can do any night of the week Vera’s cooking,” Del said.
“All right, then. Let’s do it tomorrow night,” Faz said. “I’ll check with Vera and you check with Dan.”
On her drive home, Tracy took a circuitous route. She wanted to take pictures of the Alki Point Lighthouse and the restaurant, something to commemorate the evening. She’d left her phone at home last evening, when Dan had proposed, thinking they were going for a walk with the dogs.
She stopped at the restaurant, taking pictures of its exterior from the sidewalk. As she turned to get back in the cab of her truck, she spotted an aluminum boat skipping across the water, and it made her think again of Kurt Schill. The young man had gotten the scare of a lifetime when he pulled up the crab pot and saw a human hand.
That thought made her recall her dream.
And what had been bothering her hit her like a dart between the eyes.
CHAPTER 24