A Life Without Fear by Leo King

Author:Leo King [King, Leo]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Suspense & Thrillers
ISBN: 9781938821585
Publisher: Grey Gecko Press
Published: 2013-10-31T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter 17

It Had To Be You

Date: Tuesday, August 11th, 1992

Time: 12:00 p.m.

Location: New Orleans Police Precinct 8th District

The French Quarter

After he left the Ritz-Carlton, Rodger went back to the precinct to check on the status of Sam’s arraignment. It certainly felt like everyone was in a rush to arraign, try, and convict Sam. Rodger was just amazed that no one had leaked Sam’s name to the media. Ouellette must have a heckuva gag order in place, he thought as he entered the squad room.

It was a mess from hosting the now-dismantled task force. Detectives Rivette and Landry, along with some uniformed officers, were cleaning up. Rodger saw that, among the trash that was everywhere, several desks had vases of flowers on them. The sight made his throat tighten. It looked like the SWAT team wasn’t the only department with heavy casualties.

“Blind Moses,” Rodger said to himself. “A woman driven by a hatred that ran so deep, she lost sight of her goal. If any one of us had ever seen so much as a glimpse into Violet Patterson’s heart, what would we have seen? Would we have seen the shadow of the real monster that hides in the dark? Or would we have seen a reflection of the monster in our own hearts?” He found himself wishing Michael was around. His partner loved his occasional poetic moments.

“You should write that down, Bergeron,” said Ouellette’s voice from behind him. “Maybe after you retire, you can become a writer, too.”

As Ouellette walked past him, Rodger chuckled. “Nah, this story has enough writers.” Seeing that Ouellette looked tired, if not withdrawn, he followed him to his office.

“What do you want, Bergeron?” Ouellette asked.

Rodger closed the door and leaned against the frame. “Actually, I was about to ask you that same question, Commander,” he said, folding his arms. “You seem less antagonistic and more contemplative than usual. And you’re not busting my chops for once.”

“Yeah, I don’t much feel like busting any chops right now,” Ouellette said, motioning for Rodger to sit down. Ouellette pulled out a bottle with a black label and two glasses. “Was about to have some Jack Daniels. Join me?”

“Um, sure,” Rodger said as he took a seat. Ouellette hadn’t shared a glass of whiskey with him since Douglas was still on the force. “Thanks.”

“No thanks needed. I figure it’s time that I start sharing a glass with you like I did with Dugas,” Ouellette said, pouring a quarter glass for each of them. He slid one glass over to Rodger, then raised the other. “To old times.”

“To old times,” Rodger said. He took a sip of the whiskey. He would have preferred it with ice. How does Ouellette drink this stuff room temperature?

Ouellette sipped his whiskey, closing his eyes for a few moments, and breathing in the scent of the whiskey from the glass. “So the mayor’s going to do a formal inquiry of the entire department, as well as assess my ability to lead.”

Rodger sat there, blinking. He didn’t know what to say.

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