Page 1 of Dead Air
chapter
one
The night was oppressivelyhumid with clouds gathering overhead, typical for Savannah in August. Detective Erin Lawson leaned against her unmarked car, the metal still warm beneath her palm despite the late hour. She wiped sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand and checked her watch for the third time in as many minutes. Monica was late.
They had agreed to meet at the abandoned warehouse at 11:00 p.m. sharp. Monica had called earlier, her voice tight with excitement. “I've got something big on the Rafferty case. Meet me at the old paper mill warehouse tonight. Come alone."
That last part had raised flags, but Lawson trusted her partner's judgment. Monica Landry had been with Savannah PD for eight years, two years longer than Lawson herself. They'd been partners for the last three years, and during the past eleven months, their relationship had evolved beyond the professional boundaries of the force—a fact they kept carefully hidden.
Lawson's phone buzzed. A text from Monica:Two minutes away. Get ready.
Lawson shoved her phone back into her pocket and drew her service weapon, checking it before returning it to her holster. The Rafferty investigation had been consuming their lives formonths now—a drug trafficking operation that reached into the highest echelons of Savannah society. They were close to a breakthrough. Monica had been working her connections, and it seemed she'd finally hit pay dirt.
She took a long drag from her cigarette, the ember glowing orange in the darkness. The nicotine did little to calm her frayed nerves. The distant thrum of an engine broke the night's stillness. Headlights flashed once, briefly illuminating the crumbling brick facade of the warehouse. Lawson recognized Monica's silver sedan as it pulled alongside her own unmarked cruiser.
"Thought you'd quit," Monica said, nodding at the cigarette as she opened the door.
Lawson flicked ash onto the pavement. "I quit quitting. What took you so long?" Lawson asked as Monica stepped out.
"Had to shake a tail," Monica replied, glancing nervously over her shoulder. Stray tufts of her usually immaculate dark hair jutted out at wild angles, and her olive complexion looked pale even in the moonlight.
“A tail? What's going on? Why are we meeting here, anyway?" Lawson asked.
"I think someone at the precinct is compromised."
Lawson frowned. "That's a serious accusation."
"I know it is." Monica's eyes darted around the darkness surrounding them. "I've been following the money on the Rafferty case. The deeper I dig, the more convinced I am that someone's protecting their operation from the inside."
"You have proof?" Lawson asked, her pulse quickening.
Monica shook her head. "Not yet. But I have a source meeting me tonight. Says they have evidence—bank records, offshore accounts, the whole nine yards."
"Jesus," Lawson whispered. "When's this meeting?"
"Twenty minutes from now."
"Here? This place is?—"
"Neutral ground," Monica interrupted. "My source picked it. Said it would be safe."
A flicker of unease crawled up Lawson's spine. "I don't like this, Mon. It feels off."
Monica reached out, her fingertips brushing against Lawson's wrist—the closest thing to public affection they ever allowed themselves. "Trust me, Erin. This is our chance to break this case wide open."
Lawson checked her watch again. "Fine. Twenty minutes. Then we take what we have to Internal Affairs, with or without your source."
Monica nodded, then tensed suddenly, her eyes fixed on something behind Lawson. "Did you hear that?"
Lawson turned, her hand moving to her holster. The warehouse loomed like a hulking beast, its windows black and empty. "Hear what?"
"I thought I heard—" Monica stopped, shaking her head. "Never mind. Probably just rats."
Lawson wasn't convinced. "Let's wait in my car."
They started toward the car when a sharp crack split the air. Lawson felt something whiz past her ear, followed by the metallic ping of a bullet striking her car door.
"Get down!" she yelled, drawing her weapon and pushing Monica toward the ground. They scrambled behind the cruiser as two more shots rang out, shattering the driver's side window.
