Page 12 of Only Girl Alive

Eve liked the unfettered reply.

“Why do you think you could work for me?” Eve asked curiously. She knew what it was like to be female in the male-dominated world of law enforcement. Women had trouble getting a leg up. With few opportunities for promotion, competition was fierce among them and they rarely got along with each other.

“Because we’re the same. We’ll never fit in no matter how hard we try. You’ll always be the polygamist girl and I’ll always be the Indigenous girl.”

Though their state populations were equivalent, there were far fewer Indigenous people than Black people working in Utah law enforcement.

“Your team is taking on the southern district and I want to be a part of it,” Bina continued, planting her open palms on Eve’s desk. “I’ve heard you’re an excellent detective and you will make a good leader.”

The spark in her dark eyes told Eve everything she needed to know. She made her decision on the spot and never regretted it.

“Give notice to your supervisor. You start two weeks from today. Welcome to the team.”

Bina did an air punch and they both smiled.

Eve had been chosen to lead the oversight taskforce because of her background within the fundamentalist church. Outside the higher command personnel, who had read Eve’s application where she referred to her history, it wasn’t widely known. That changed after her supervisor’s supervisor announced her new title and a brief description of her fundamentalist background in an email to all personnel. Bina was the first person to openly address her polygamist past and Eve liked her even more for her candor.

Tamm was stolen from another department and her former supervisor was still not speaking to Eve after a year. Tamm might not fit the normal mold of law enforcement secretary in Utah but she was so good at her job no one cared.

That left Clyde.

Six years her senior, when he and Eve had worked their first case together early in her homicide detective days, Clyde took her by the hand and explained things many would not have taken the time to do.

After the case concluded, he showed up at her apartment one evening with a bottle of wine.

“I’m not interested,” she told him, thinking he was coming on to her. It made her angry because she respected him and her cold glare should have frozen him solid on the spot.

He rolled his eyes. “Get over yourself. I came for information and I decided it might be easier if I got you drunk first. One divorce and the hell it caused in my life should be enough for any man.”

After another moment’s hesitation, Eve stepped back and let him in. “I don’t drink,” she said belligerently, not sure why she allowed him inside. This was her safe space.

“Not a problem,” Clyde said, making himself at home on her couch. “Easier to drink straight from the bottle.” He unscrewed said bottle and did just that. “I took a cab and will take one home. Find some snacks and let’s get started.”

Her small apartment, with its bare white walls and spartan furniture, gave nothing away—or maybe it gave everything away. She had one couch, a comfortable chair, a side table holding a lamp, and a television opposite the grouping of furniture. No wall unit, coffee table, stray magazines, or newspapers. She didn’t own a kitchen table. She kept her home spotless but that wasn’t hard with only her and a cat that wouldn’t come out until the stranger left. Eve knew Clyde would think this odd but if he truly wanted answers, he could deal with it.

It was the best decision she could have made. Clyde didn’t pry too deeply but his investigative skills worked on her even though she knew the tactics. By the time he left, he knew some of her secrets. When it came time to build her team, he was the first person she thought of, though she didn’t make the call until she had the other members chosen.

“What the hell took you so long?” he grumbled when she finally made the offer. He accepted the position without hesitation.

To tackle fundamentalist doctrine and remove corruption from local law enforcement, Eve’s investigators had to deal with current issues. They couldn’t change the past or the continued beliefs of the polygamist community. Their job was to see the laws of the state and US followed to the letter. Those guilty, regardless of their standing in the church, had to be held accountable.

“Anyone have some fries they want to turn over?” Collin interjected into Eve’s stray thoughts, and again she was thankful for the new subject.

“You can have mine,” Bina offered. “My ass doesn’t need to grow.”

No one said a thing. Bina’s ass never changed and she could eat double what everyone else did without gaining an ounce. They’d seen it.

“Does anyone have anything about the scene they want to impart or do you want to hold it for tonight’s meeting?” Eve asked.

They agreed later was better.

“Any sign of a murder weapon?” She looked around their group.

“Nothing yet,” Collin replied. “Ray did a cursory walk through the yard in case it was in plain sight but we haven’t processed the outside perimeter more than that. There’s also an attic inside the master bedroom closet I want everyone to see. I think it would be better if you photographed it tomorrow when we’re fresh.”

They were each building scenarios in their heads and they would all be slightly different. That’s how their open-mindedness worked. Eve counted on those differences. No matter how far out some of their suppositions would be, they shared them without fear of ridicule. Thinking outside the box solved cases. Not allowing mental blinders led to answers.

Until they concluded the case, they would hold a short meeting each morning to set up a game plan for the day and a longer meeting each night to review their findings. As soon as the scene was processed, they would begin interviews.

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