Marrying Mike...Again Read Online Free PDF

quietly, “This case is very serious, Mike. I need the best men in the department on it—that’s you and Rusty. I know you both have the time and the ability, so what do you say? Help me out on this one?”
    He appeared to consider it, leaning back, crossing his arms over his chest and giving her his famous slow appraisal. Sandra didn’t really doubt his answer—Mike was too good a cop to say no—but she understood his need to drag it out. It wasn’t often she asked for anything from him. And having your ex-wife at your mercy had to have some perks.
    “I suppose we could check the gang database,” Mike drawled shortly. “It has all the known gang monikers cross-referenced with the kids’ legal names. Even if he isn’t known, you gotta figure he’s already in the system somewhere. Been picked up for loitering or possession, maybe burglary or assault. Not too many thirteen-year-olds in the east side who don’t already have a record. NCIC might spit him out for us.” He nodded. “So say I can punch a few buttons and find the kid. Then what? We pick him up and bring him in?”
    “No, I don’t want him brought in, at least not right away.”
    “ Chief, the kid threatened to shoot cops. You don’t let that kind of thing go unanswered. Particularly when you’re the new chief of police.”
    “Hear me out. This kid already feels cops are the enemy. In his own words, they shot his father in the back and are hardly a symbol of security. Right now, he’s angry, but he hasn’t done anything yet. Two cops standing on his front door, however, may decide matters for him.”
    “The kid wrote a letter declaring war, honey. I don’t think he’s undecided.”
    “Yes, sweetie, but that’s the point. He wrote a letter. He didn’t simply open fire. He wrote.” Sandra leaned forward, all sarcasm aside, and looked at her ex-husband earnestly. “Think, Mike. You say he’s probably had experience in killings, that he’s not an innocent. If he really wanted violence, why wouldn’t he just wait for the night patrol and open fire? We don’t generally wear vests. We wouldn’t be expecting it. He could have easily taken out two good men before they would’ve had the chance to blink. Instead of doing that, however, this kid wrote a letter and sent it to the paper. That’s reaching out.”
    “Or building a rep.”
    “What, is it standard practice for gang members to notify the newspapers of their intended targets?”
    “Not yet, but maybe the kid is starting a trend.”
    “Mike, he’s just thirteen—”
    “Nah, nah, don’t go saying that.” Mike threw his hands up in the air. “Now see, this is where you get yourself in trouble. You’re looking at Vee as a kid, as an age range for you to fit into some standard mold of other thirteen-year-olds you’ve seen at your parents’ parties. Cute, maybe a little awkward, still kind of on the small side. Mon Dieu, Sandy, he’s nothing like that, and what the hell are you doing having two detectives waste valuable time hunting him down for a chat?”
    “I don’t know! You want the truth, Mike? I don’t know. But I’m betting two officers on the front porch will lead to war. So I’m going for option number two. Identify who he is. Learn about his life. See if we can pinpoint people who are important to him, say an adult he trusts. Clergyman, teacher, parent, what the hell, his parole officer. Then we can approach this person and, hopefully, through them, get some kind of dialogue going. Outreach. Communication. Work him through his rage.”
    “And if he opens fire first?”
    “We hope that doesn’t happen. We move fast to help insure that it doesn’t happen. You and Koontz move fast.”
    Mike rolled his eyes, but at least he’d stopped shaking his head. Sandra was thankful for that. She didn’t want to have to force the issue. She didn’t want to have to confess to her ex-husband that he had to take this case because he was the only person in the department