Page 8 of Rest In Pink

“What if I don’t want it?”

George frowned and it was obvious he hadn’t considered that I’d say no. “Why wouldn’t you?”

I didn’t want to discuss my skeletons. “Nothing. Forget I said that. What’s going on?”

“I think Mayor O’Toole is going to file paperwork to terminate me for cause. They’re waiting on the review board’s finding.”

“Why?”

He recited it like he’d read it in a letter, which he probably had. “For seriously hampering the investigation into Lavender Blue’s death by not following correct procedure and failing to bring in the sheriff with the proper resources to oversee it as per our standing agreement with the county.”

I felt a surge of anger. “O’Tooleorderedyou not to bring in the sheriff. Because the senator told him to.”

George nodded. “But I’ve got no record of that. It was a conversation. Nothing written down. No paper or electronic trail. And, ultimately, it was my decision. I have to take responsibility for that.”

My hand hurt and I realized I was gripping the detective’s shield so tightly it was digging into my skin. “That’s bullshit.”

“Someone is leaking information,” George said. “Mayor O’Toole knows about Rain being involved and that she thinks we blew the crime scene.”

“Rain wouldn’t leak anything,” I said, but it was true about the investigation. My friend, Raina Still, a forensic expert from the Cincinnati Police Department, had done me a solid by looking over the crime scene, and she’d also noted how Barney Fife the entire investigation was. She wouldn’t have chatted about it, though. “Rain will stand up for us with the review board.”

“They’re not calling her.” George shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. I fucked up.”

“In the big picture, the entire Lavender thing isn’t critical,” I pointed out. “ML has already pled out to attempted murder for trying to kill you and Liz. The DA isn’t even going to charge her with Lavender’s death. That’s part of the plea deal.” As I said it, I realized the only reason that deal had been offered by the prosecutor was because we’d botched the investigation by initially assuming Lavender’s death was an accident, and George bowing to O’Toole’s pressure, which flowed down from the senator. The DA didn’t dare go before a judge or jury with that mess. A good defense attorney would eat us for lunch. Now it appears O’Toole was going to skewer George for dinner using the special sauce the senator had poured all over the entire affair. “Fuck O’Toole. And Senator Wilcox. It’s bullshit.”

The problem was, George looked already defeated. “There’s not much I can do.”

I held up the gold badge. “You gave me this. There’s more to this entire mess than the Lavender investigation. None of them gave a damn about her. The senator wants you out of the way for a reason. There’s something rotten going on, and I’m betting Cash Porter’s housing development is at the root of it.”

George nodded. “I’ve been arguing about that River Vista development from the start. It’ll hurt the town the way they it set up, and they don’t like that I keep saying that. And you’re right. Something has been off about the whole thing from the start. Cash has been making a lot of bids on property around here, contingent on the ferry project going in. And Cash is Senator Wilcox’s boy. She’s a player, just like her husband was. I know she’s up to no good and she’s using Cash as her front man. He’s always been trouble.”

I found that odd because just a month ago, George had looked at Liz as trouble. Well, she was. But not in the way he was meaning. I nodded toward the new barrier. “Do you agree that Navy’s death was a suicide?”

George reluctantly nodded. “But Wilcox will crucify us if we make that public about her son-in-law.”

More family ties. Because it was Burney.

“I showed you the bank statement,” I reminded him. “I think Navy bled the Blue trust to funnel money to Cash hoping to get a big payout to cover for the other money he was skimming. Now Cash has Lavender’s inheritance, but it isn’t going to be enough to keep the construction going for long.”

George shot me a hard look. “How do you know that?”

“MaryBeth,” I said, referring to Liz’s mother who worked at the local bank. “Plus, they still don’t have the permits for the ferry. Without the ferry, it falls apart.”

That didn’t cheer him up since the permits were pretty much inevitable with the Senator pushing for them. He slumped back against the headrest. “I don’t know what to do. Senator Wilcox is powerful. I know she’s pushing Mayor O’Toole to oust me. They want Bartlett in as Chief so they have a free hand to do whatever they want. He’s just a kid; they’re gonna run him into the ground.”

“That is not going to happen.” I wasn’t going to work for some kid, and George didn’t deserve it.

I heard Rain whisper, as if she were next to me crouched down behind a berm with enemy fire incoming:Don’t make promises your ass can’t keep.

George looked past me, but not at the river. At the town nestled on the bank. “I think Burney, the town I grew up in and have protected for forty years, is on its last legs, Vince. The factory closing was bad, but we hung in there. I know you see a lot of crazy here, but most of the people are good folks. They just want to work and enjoy their families and live their lives. But now with all these outsiders coming in, looking for money regardless of what they tear down . . .” He shook his head, looking down at the dark river. “The people in this town don’t deserve what’s coming.”

“George,” I said.

He turned his head.

I pointed at my eyes, then his. “Focus. We’re going to figure this out. What happened and what’s going on. All right?”

I saw a little spark of what must have been the old George in his eyes. He sat up a little straighter. “All right.”

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