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“Thank you, Detective Dominguez, for your candor and your courage in recounting such a traumatic event,” Jeannie said. “We’ll discuss this among ourselves and let you know our decision in the next few days. Thank you for coming in.”
“Thank you for your time,” Gigi said.
As she stood, her legs felt weak and wobbly.
“That went as well as we could’ve hoped,” Andy said. “I think it’s going to be all right.”
She nodded to acknowledge Andy, but the lump in her throat made it impossible to speak. Whatever happened next was out of her hands.
Cameron was going slowlymad waiting to hear something from Gigi. It’d been two hours since they’d arrived at HQ. Surely, she must be done by now.
His desk phone rang with a call from an extension he didn’t recognize. “Detective Green.”
“Hey, it’s Jeannie. The IAB panel has some questions for you. We wondered if you might come up to meet with us.”
“When?”
“Now.”
“Do I need representation?”
“Captain Malone and the attorney who represented Gigi have agreed to stay.”
“I’ll be right there.” Cameron got up and went to Sam’s office to check in with Gonzo. “IAB asked me to come up to answer some questions as part of Gigi’s inquiry.”
“Oh jeez. Do you have an attorney?”
“Andy stayed. Do you think I’ll need him?”
“It never hurts to have him there. Good luck.”
“Thanks.”
This entire situation was beyond belief to Cameron. He’d spent his career building a reputation that was beyond reproach. The thought of his private life derailing the professional was surreal to him. He hated that the whole department—hell, the whole city—knew his personal business, that his ex-girlfriend had turned out to be a psychopath. He didn’t use that word loosely. He could think of no other way to describe Jaycee’s behavior from the minute he had kindly and gently told her that he was ending their relationship until the deadly confrontation in Gigi’s bedroom.
What did it say about his judgment that he’d spent a year with Jaycee and never seen anything to lead him to believe she was capable of the things she’d done?
Everyone in his life had told him that what’d happened to Gigi wasn’t his fault, but it sure as hell felt like it was.
Cam went upstairs to the second floor, his stomach in knots as he tried to anticipate what might happen at the hearing. He hadn’t expected to be called to testify, even though Jeannie had warned him it was a possibility. He’d hoped that Gigi’s testimony, on its own, would’ve been enough to shut down any further inquiry. However, Offenbach was the ringer in the mix, as he had a grudge against their squad and was probably enjoying the opportunity to retaliate.
Before he entered the room to which he’d been summoned, Cameron took a minute to breathe and calm himself. No matter what transpired, he could not and would not make this any worse for Gigi than it already was.
When he was as ready as he’d ever be, he walked into the room.
Andy Simone greeted him with a handshake. “Gigi did great. I think this is a formality to cover all the bases.”
“Okay,” Cameron said, feeling somewhat reassured.
“Detective Green,” Jeannie said. “Thank you so much for joining us. Please have a seat.”
Thankful for the presence of his close friend, he nodded to her and took the seat next to Andy.
Jeannie glanced toward Offenbach, confirming Cameron’s suspicions. “Officer Offenbach, you asked to speak to Detective Green to resolve some outstanding questions. You have the floor.”
“Detective Green, will you please tell us the timeline of your relationship with Jaycee Patrick and detail how it ended?”
“Of course. I met Jaycee through a friend and dated her for about a year before ending it months ago.”
