Purrfectly Deadly

Chapter 17

The next morning saw Odelia, bright and early, swing by the police station to see her uncle. When she breezed into the Chief’s office, not bothering to knock as usual, she found both her uncle and Chase looking downcast, as if they had something on their minds.

She dropped down into the seat next to Chase. “Why the long faces, guys? Bit in a bad donut?”

“If only that were true,” grunted her uncle.

She glanced over at Chase, but he refused to meet her gaze.

“So? Don’t keep me in suspense. What’s wrong?”

Uncle Alec leaned back, his chair creaking beneath his bulk. “We’ve been overruled by the powers that be, I’m afraid.”

She gave him a blank stare. “I have no idea what you just said. What powers that be? What did they overrule?”

“I just got a call from the mayor, demanding we release Donovan Rubb, aka Orville Haggis, at once.”

She sat bolt upright at this. “Release Donovan Rubb? But why?”

“Turns out the mayor got a call from Chase’s old boss, NYPD Commissioner Vernon Necker, conveying his displeasure with Mr. Rubb’s arrest. When he heard Chase was involved, he pretty much blew a gasket.”

“But he can’t force you to release Rubb, can he? That’s just nuts.”

“Well, technically the mayor can’t interfere in an ongoing investigation, but if he wanted to he could have my job, so…”

She stared at her uncle. “Fire you? You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“He didn’t actually tell me he was going to fire me, but it was implied.”

“Is this still about that same nonsense with the Commissioner?”

“It is,” Chase confirmed.

Her uncle sighed deeply. “Rubb must have asked his lawyer to put in a good word for him with his old buddy Commissioner Necker—”

“Who decided to intervene in an ongoing murder investigation?”

“Looks like.”

“But you refused, right?” she asked. When her uncle didn’t respond, she repeated, a little more heatedly, “Tell me you refused, Uncle Alec.”

“Donovan Rubb walked half an hour ago,” said Chase.

“Are you crazy?! The man’s a drug dealer! You can’t let him walk.”

“Afraid I had no choice in the matter,” said the Chief. “Rubb claims police harassment.”

“He confessed! He told us he sold those drugs to John Paul George!”

“He retracted that statement. Said it was given under duress. Says you roughed him up and he’s got the scrapes and bruises to prove it.”

“He rode his bike into a ditch, which is how he got the scrapes and bruises.”

“He says you put him in that ditch. By forcing him off the road. He’s pressing charges for police brutality and he’s got the Commissioner in his corner.”

“Well, I’m not a cop, so he can’t sue me for police brutality.”

“He’s still pressing charges, against both you and Chase.” He shook his head. “And that’s not even the worst part.”

“It gets worse?”

“When the Commissioner heard about Chase’s involvement he wasn’t pleased. So he gave the mayor to understand he was doing Hampton Cove a disservice by having a man of his reputation carry a badge in this town.”

She looked from her uncle to Chase. “He’s trying to get you fired?”

“Well, obviously the mayor can’t fire Chase, only I have that authority,” said Uncle Alec, “but he made it clear that he wasn’t happy with my decision to hire Chase in the first place, and he wants Chase gone. Right now.”

She sagged a little. This was terrible. She and Chase didn’t always see eye to eye—well, actually they never saw eye to eye on anything, and had locked horns several times. But he was a good cop and these charges were bogus.

“So what are you going to do?” she asked.

“In all good conscience I can’t fire Chase,” said the Chief. “I just can’t.”

“Which is why I’ve decided to step aside myself,” said Chase.

“You’re leaving?” she asked.

“Yes, I am. I think it’s extremely noble of you to try and protect me, Chief, but I can’t put you in this position. It’s not fair to you or the people of this town. If the mayor wants me gone, I’m going.” He shook his head. “No sense postponing the inevitable and dragging this out. We all knew this was coming sooner or later, and arresting that scumbag Rubb seems to have sped up the process.”

“But you can’t go,” she said. “You did nothing wrong.”

He fixed her with a curious look. “You believe that?”

“Of course I do. This whole thing is a setup. All you need to do is clear your name. If you can prove you were set up, this will all go away.”

“That’s a pretty big if.”

“Not if you’ve got Hampton Cove’s number one reporter on your side.”

He grimaced. “Look, this is not the first time I’ve gone through this. I’d hoped I could leave it all behind, but obviously that’s not the case, so…”

“You can’t give up now, Chase. This is just wrong.”

“This is politics.”

She frowned. “What if you talked to the mayor of New York? I’m sure he’ll believe you if you tell him his wife is having an affair. He’ll be furious.”

“The mayor of New York knows perfectly well his wife is having an affair, and he doesn’t give a hoot. Probably because he’s having an affair himself.”

“With the Commissioner’s wife? That would be funny.”

He looked at her from beneath lowered brows. “I’m not laughing.”

“If the mayor knows, why isn’t he divorcing her?”

“I told you, he doesn’t care. All he cares about is that his wife is funding his reelection campaign, so he’s not going to rock the boat. Or cause a scandal. They’re presenting a united front, all to further his political ambitions. So when some pesky cop comes along, they simply crush him.”

Things were becoming a lot clearer now. Inadvertently Chase had stuck his head into a hornet’s nest, and whatever he did, he wasn’t getting out without being stung. “So what are you going to do? Lay down and die?”

He smiled a thin-lipped smile. “I’m going to save your uncle the trouble of having to deal with my mess.” He placed his badge and his gun on the Chief’s desk and rose. “Thanks for the opportunity, Chief. It’s been a real honor.”

“But you can’t go,” she said. “This town needs a cop like you, Chase.”

She couldn’t believe she’d just said those words, and meant them, too.

“Thanks for allowing me to see you in action, Miss Poole. It’s been a real treat, and I’m not likely to forget those remarkable driving skills of yours.”

And then, before she could say something else, he simply walked out.

She sat there, staring at her uncle, who looked just as shocked as she did.

“This isn’t right,” she told him. “In fact this is all kinds of wrong.”

“Tell me about it,” he grumbled. “This is a hit job.”

“I’m going to clear Chase’s name,” she said decidedly.

“And how exactly are you going to do that?”

“I have no idea,” she said. She saw that Brutus and Harriet were seated on the windowsill, listening attentively. They looked equally stunned.

“You know you surprise me,” said her uncle. “I actually thought you’d be glad to be rid of Chase. Hell, I figured you’d be jumping for joy right now.”

“I’m not saying that Chase doesn’t have his faults,” she said. “But he’s a good cop, and this town needs men like him. Granted, the way he always wants to do things by the book is infuriating, but I’d hate to see him go.”

“He is a great cop,” said the chief. “And I hate to see him go, too.”

“I’m going to fix this mess,” she said. “I don’t know how, but I will.”