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Handcuffed to an extra chair.
Dr. Hazel Hope Coleson kicked her feet annoyingly against the legs of the desk where the detective sat. She slouched like a teenager. She looked like one, too.
Hope was highly intelligent. Beyond gifted. One of the smartest women Haldyn had ever met. Hope had more than exceeded Haldyn’s expectations in the four weeks she’d worked second shift in the forensics lab. Incredibly so.
Hope was brilliant at what she did. Hope would be one of those who became a noted expert in the field of forensics someday. They were lucky to have her. But finding Hope in handcuffs wasn’t something Haldyn had expected. Or needed right now.
She’d been on her way to call Hope in, after all.
“Commander Rodriguez, what’s going on here?” She had always liked Miguel Rodriguez. He was a dedicated officer and treated people with respect. He’d recently taken over Homicide after the former head of the department had transferred to Wichita Falls suddenly. Things were a bit more efficient in Homicide now than they were before. A lot more efficient, actually. Even with him continuing to manage the rapid response team.
Miguel liked order and calm and organization. He thrived on things running smoothly. He liked systems. Haldyn appreciated that. It made it easier all around.
This man was also notorious for planning everything.
Somehow, she suspected Miguel hadn’t planned on Hope. No one possibly could.
She’d seen the man with his three young children as well. He was an excellent father. And he was normally very slow to argue, to anger.
But the way he was scowling at Hope…
She was certain Hope was about to be toast. And, well, that was the last thing Haldyn needed tonight. Especially after what had happened hours ago with A.J.
“I’ll be with you in a moment, Dr. Harris. I’m waiting for whoever is responsible for this kid to come pick her up first. Though why they’d want the little beast back is beyond me. Juvie is probably a better place for her. Probably just a matter of time before she ends up there anyway. She’s lucky I’m not calling my friend at the city PD to come charge her.”
Hope sent Haldyn a wicked, wicked look. She shook her head lightly and winked behind his back when he turned more fully toward Haldyn. “I just called my big sister to come get me and talk to this dude, lady. But she’s still at work right now, and I gotta wait until she can get here. So she doesn’t get in trouble with her bosses again because of me or nothin’. That used to happen a lot before we moved to this stupid town. Everybody knew everythin’ I did there. And I was always gettin’ in trouble. But this stupid city is supposed to be a fresh start for our fam or somethin’. She’s probably goin’ to be really mad at me for getting into trouble again. I’m always gettin’ in trouble lately from her. She’s got a real crab up her ass or somethin’.” Hope shrugged, putting on a slightly dejected pose. She was good. Really, really good. “She’ll probably just punish me again. Like ground me forever. Or…other stuff.”
If Haldyn didn’t know exactly how old Hope was, she’d believe the teenager thing Hope had going on right now. Hope rivaled Charlotte for acting ability, hands down. That was for sure. And Charlotte was off making a movie with the biggest director in Hollywood at the moment. “And when do you think that will be?”
“I don’t know. Never, probably, to be honest. My older sister probably don’t want me back or nothin’. She’s told me I’m nothin’ but trouble before. Lots and lots of times before. Apparently, I just don’t know how to behave or nothin’.” Hope’s expression turned even more sullen.
“What about your mother?” Miguel asked in his big rumbly voice that said he didn’t buy it for a minute.
Miguel was incredibly world-wise—he wasn’t often fooled.
Definitely not like this.
“She’s dead, dude. Car accident when I was like four, man. My mom and my dad both. My older sister takes care of me now. But I don’t think she wants to much longer. I get in lots of trouble. Even when I ain’t doin’ nothin’. Like tonight,” Hope said in a ridiculously young sounding voice. The freckles across her pug nose, big brown eyes, and the hair in two shaggy pigtails just made her look even younger. Hope sent a sullen glare right at him and then blinked her eyes fast like she was going to cry. Miguel’s face darkened. “Thanks for bringin’ it up. Here I was gettin’ over it. Therapy, you know. Lots of it. Now I gotta probably start back at the beginnin’ and stuff. Therapy costs a lot of money, too. My sister is goin’ to be really mad. She says I cost her lots of money and cause her to have a dozen ulcers and mental breakdowns and migraines and stuff. She says I’m worse than her two other kids combined. And I’m not much help at all. But I really try. I help change the baby’s diaper and stuff all the time, even though it’s really gross, too. I really try to help. She’s goin’ to be so mad.”
The hiccup and blinking eyes and pout just really fit so well—Haldyn covered a laugh with a light cough. It took every bit of control Haldyn had to keep a straight face. “So what exactly were you caught doing?”
“I don’t really know, lady. That’s the thing. I was just ridin’ my board down on Forty-Fifth, and this dude showed up and started askin’ questions. I’m not supposed to talk to guys I don’t know. Especially in really cheap-lookin’ suits.” She lifted her free hand and unlatched her helmet. She tossed it to Miguel’s desk just like a bratty teenager would. “Dude, did you get that suit at the thrift store or somethin’? If so, maybe you can get your money back? I think they ripped you off.”
Haldyn bit back a laugh at Miguel’s expression. His suit didn’t look cheap at all. It was almost tailored to fit that beautiful man. It wasn’t like a man his size could just buy one off the rack.
“My sister is pretty strict about that. Me not talkin’ to gross old pervs and stuff. I gotta follow her rules. My sister says there are lots of really gross pervs out there. I thought he was one. He looks like he’d be one. Like he was goin’ to offer me money or somethin’ to do…that gross stuff. And then he just put the cuffs on me and told me I belonged in kid jail.”
And there was so much indignation in her words, Haldyn just about lost it. But years of playing it cool around this place had her just nodding as if she sympathized.
“And he brung me here and said I was in really big trouble for not doin’ what he wanted. Do you think he’s a perv or somethin’, lady? I bet he is a perv. Probably likes all kinds of kinky disgustin’ stuff. With handcuffs, too. Guys in cheap suits always like the really gross stuff with handcuffs, my sister said once when she didn’t think I was listenin’ or nothin’.”
“Underage loitering and being a public nuisance,” Miguel rumbled. “Bar on the corner parking lot. Says no underage skateboarding or biking or scooters on the sign. I just wanted this kid to answer some questions about activity in the area. She was a bit uncooperative. Got belligerent. And I was not in the mood.”
“You didn’t ask questions, dude. You didn’t. We both know that.” Hope kicked the leg of Miguel’s desk enough to have it jolting beneath the big man’s hand as he tried to fill out a report. Her helmet spun right there on the top of his precious, completely organized desk. Papers went everywhere. Hope did it again. The kick sent the desk—and helmet—wobbling perfectly.
Miguel’s expression darkened even more.
Haldyn resisted laughing with everything she had. There were detectives watching them now. They were in the open part of the Major Crimes bullpen, after all, at one of the communal desks.
