Harm's Reach

67

Ren left Gary in his office and went into the bullpen. Robbie was on the phone. Everett was sitting on the edge of his own desk.

‘Where’s Clifford?’ said Ren, looking around.

Robbie finished his call. ‘Cliff’s taken the afternoon off.’

‘I hope everything’s OK,’ said Ren.

‘I think so,’ said Robbie. ‘He didn’t say.’

Ren walked over to Everett. ‘Come on, you have to find this more interesting than numbers: rich woman sleeps with sixteen-year-old boy, tries and fails to have her surrogate killed, then gets handed that surrogate’s death on a plate by said boy who now thinks he can run off into the sunset with her...’

‘Nope,’ said Everett. ‘It was the idea of the financial dealings. That’s where my heart lies.’

‘You mean that,’ said Ren.

‘I do, sadly. It’s why I’m single.’

‘Single?’ said Ren. ‘You?’

‘Yes, shock of the whole investigation, I know,’ said Everett. He smiled.

‘Maybe your girlfriends would worry that you’d analyze their credit card spending...’

‘Nope,’ said Everett. ‘I leave that for the bad guys... and agents whose cases I help out with. You have a serious shoe issue.’

‘I call a serious shoe issue having to wear low heels,’ Ren said, looking down at her boots.

‘Well, I’m guessing Jimmy Choos aren’t helpful for all that running around...’ said Everett.

‘From that reference, I have deduced that at some point in the Nineties — or early 2000s? — you dated someone who watched Sex and the City.’

‘Yes, I did.’

‘And you’re, perhaps, left scarred by how much money she poured into shoes. Was it your money, I wonder...’

‘Uncanny,’ said Everett.

‘Anyway — you’d stay single if you met Ingrid Prince,’ said Ren. ‘At the very least, you’d stay away from beautiful blondes. She was ice-cold. Yet I had my sights set on Robert Prince.’ She shook her head.

‘No happily ever after for that Prince and Princess,’ said Everett.

Ren laughed. ‘God... literally no one has been left happy after this. Anyway, I wanted to thank you for all your help.’

Everett nodded. ‘You’re too kind. And you’re ignoring that my help guided you in the wrong direction...’

‘That’s not how it works,’ said Ren, ‘you didn’t. You did some masterful digging.’

Everett reached back to the desk behind him. ‘Did you see this?’ He handed her the Denver Post, folded open on page four.

There was a huge photo of Howard Coombes, weeping like a baby at a press conference.

‘Is he for real?’ said Ren.

‘I know,’ said Everett. ‘He screws his kid up, then shows up in his beloved spotlight crying like a... person who gives a damn.’

‘At least they put a photo of his pregnant mistress underneath to remind readers what a shit he really is,’ said Ren. ‘The level of denial...’

‘I know,’ said Everett.

Ren started reading some of the article. ‘He’s actually still trying to focus on Jesse being at the ranch — what a sick fuck. He says Jesse fell in with the wrong crowd — hello?’

‘Men like Howard Coombes?’ said Everett. ‘Well, there’s a special place—’

‘On television for them,’ said Ren.

Everett laughed.

Hey, I can talk to Everett King. I can judge people in front of him and psycho-analyze them. Unlike with Grabien.

‘OK,’ said Gary, walking into the bullpen, raising his voice. ‘Everyone listen up.’

He waited for quiet.

‘As you know,’ he said, ‘the process of replacing Colin Grabien on a permanent basis has taken longer than expected. And this is a formality more than anything... but I’d like you to give an official Safe Streets welcome to Everett King.’

Yaaaay! You sly one.

‘Official Safe Streets welcomes take place in bars, just so you know,’ said Ren.

‘Bon voyages do too,’ said Gary, faux deadpan.

Well, if he hasn’t fired me yet...

The team gave Everett a round of applause. He stood up and gave a curt little bow. ‘Thank you very much, thank you,’ he said, raising his hand in the air, election-style. He swept his hand through the air. ‘The flourish was for Ren.’

‘Thank you, thank you,’ said Ren. Everett King ROCKS.

He sat down.

‘OK,’ said Gary, ‘as some of you already know, we’ve heard some very sad news this week about Brenda James. Cliff has decided that it’s best for all the family if he returns to JeffCo while Brenda is undergoing treatment. Reluctant as I am to let him go, I know that it can’t be avoided. But, here in Safe Streets, we’ve always benefited from having a JeffCo member of the team. So, we’ll be carrying on with that tradition with our newest team member, who is set to join us within the month.’

‘Who?’ said Ren. ‘Who?’

Gary smiled. ‘Detective Janine Hooks.’

Tomorrow, tomorrow, I love ya, tomorrow.