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Chapter 6
I needed moreinformation. The NYPD trains people who get jobs all over the country. I knew exactly who to call to get the full scoop on Emily Parker’s disappearance: Roberta Herring. I couldn’t help but smile whenever I thought of my colleague at my first precinct in the Bronx, now a supervisor with the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General.
The DOJ OIG had oversight of the FBI and several other agencies. The ranks of the OIG were filled with former cops and federal agents. I knew all Roberta’s secrets from her rough-and-tumble life as a uniformed patrol officer in the Bronx—more than enough to know that she wasn’t really an Internal Affairs type, and also that she excelled in this job.
I preferred to think of her as my friend whom I could trust with my life. And I was pretty sure she felt the same about me.
All I had to do was say, “How would you handle a domestic violence situation?” Usually, she’d just give me a look that told me to shut up. Once she even shoved me out of a restaurant so I wouldn’t keep talking. It was a great game in which I held all the cards. The best way to play any game. I knew she had once told an abusive husband she’d cut off his balls if he ever hit his wife again. Say what you want, it worked.
On the second ring, I heard, “Roberta Herring, may I help you?”
I chuckled out loud and said, “That’s very professional. You must’ve learned that after you left the Bronx.”
She answered with her own chuckle. “Detective Michael Bennett. I knew my day was running too smoothly. How’s that new wife and platoon of children?”
We got through the chitchat and caught up with each other’s lives. I told her about my connection to Emily Parker and the cases we had worked. I said, “She personally kept me and my entire family safe when we were in witness protection. I’m just worried about what’s being done to find her.”
“Same old Bennett. Doesn’t believe anyone else can do the job as well as he can. I’ve seen too many times where you step in and figure things out when no one else can.” There was a pause. I heard footsteps and then the sound of an office door closing. “The FBI is taking Emily’s disappearance seriously,” Roberta said, now that she could speak freely. “The DC police are also taking leads.”
If you’re in real trouble in a big city, you’re better off with a city detective than the FBI. That was our favorite saying when we first made detective about the same time. She didn’t say it out loud, but I knew we were both thinking it. I wasn’t an idiot.
Roberta said, “I don’t know Emily Parker personally, but since she disappeared there have been quite a few rumors. People believe that she’s dated a number of very powerful people in DC. The rumors all indicate that she has a real wild side.”
“I’ve known her for years, and I’ve never had any hint she had a wild side. Are you sure we’re talking about the same person? Emily is as dedicated as any cop I’ve ever met. I didn’t realize she made time for much of a social life.”
Roberta said, “My concern is not whether the FBI can find her but whether the FBI wants to find her. Who knows what happened to her or if someone wants to keep her quiet. These are all questions a lot of us are taking very seriously.”
“Who’s spreading these stupid rumors?”
Roberta said, “A couple of the local rags ran stories about her personal life. Politicians and judges, none of them named, are said to be part of her social circle. Again, these are the local, fringe newspapers. Nothing the Post would ever touch.”
“Do you think the local papers have a reliable source?”
“I doubt it. I could quiz the editor. But they usually don’t say shit.” Roberta laughed and said, “Unless you’re holding them by their balls.”
“You mean figuratively.”
“Yeah, sure, whatever.”
