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The other members of the task force were excited when he reported this to them. "Albright's planning another robbery, and she knows it," the captain said, rubbing his stubby hands together with exhilaration.
"That's what I think, too," Dodge said. "I need to get into their house. It's a rental. A duplex. Crystal told me the other side is empty, and Albright is using it for storage, without the landlord's knowledge or permission."
"What's he storing?"
"Crystal doesn't know."
"You believe her?"
"Yeah, I do. It's a bone of contention between them. I need to find out what he's got in there."
"Anything you find would be inadmissible in court," the captain reminded him.
"Yeah, but if I saw something suspicious, we could put him under constant surveillance. And if it was something incriminating, I could use it as leverage to get Crystal to turn state's witness against him."
"You'd have to tell her you're a cop."
"Not necessarily. Not at first. I could still be the concerned friend persuading her to do as her conscience dictated."
"I doubt she would ever agree," one of the other cops remarked. "Not if it meant betraying her boyfriend."
Dodge looked at him with disparagement. "If it was easy, you'd be doing it."
The captain sided with Dodge. "Can you get in and out of their place without Albright knowing?"
"I'll do my best. But if I go missing, look there first."
"This is serious, Dodge. Cover your ass. Don't get yourself killed over this. It would make us look bad," the captain said with cruel candor.
"Let me work on Crystal, see what I can do."
Dodge seized upon the additional risk. By taking on the responsibility of going into Franklin Albright's lair, he was raising the stakes for himself. But the reward would be greater, too. If he came through, and delivered Franklin Albright, he'd get that detective's badge he so wanted.
Several nights later, he returned home particularly tired after a long, grinding day. Caroline met him at the door and hugged him close. He leaned in to kiss her, but she pushed him away and sniffed his shirtfront. "Is that Tabu?"
"What?"
"The fragrance."
And he thought, Oh, shit. He unbuttoned the top two buttons of his tire plant shirt, then pulled it over his head. He held it to his nose and took a deep breath. "Sorry. I didn't realize it was so strong."
He went to the closet that housed the washer and dryer and tossed the offending shirt into the hamper. When he came back around, Caroline was staring at him, her head angled, waiting for an explanation.
"A woman at the ... at work. At Marvin's workplace. She hugged him today."
"She hugged you?"
"She hugged Marvin. It had nothing to do with me." He went to the refrigerator and got a beer. He opened it and took a long swallow. Caroline was still looking at him, obviously waiting for further explanation. "I can't discuss it, Caroline."
"What does she look like?"
"I can't discuss it."
"Why were the two of you hugging at work?"
He gave her a look that warned her to stop with the questions. But either she didn't recognize the look or she defied it. "This is one of those situations that Jimmy referred to, isn't it?"
"That Jimmy referred to? Jimmy Gonzales?"
