her job. And despite the network’s assignment to keep this piece sweet and tidy, she was determined to find a meatier story, one worthy of her loyal viewers and her own integrity.
Dale was already in the lobby when they reached Dallas Police headquarters. Elaina ignored her and walked over to the officer on duty, but Lindsey hung back. When it became clear Dale wasn’t going to approach, she told Alice and Jed she’d be right back and walked to where Dale was standing.
“You have an aversion to news vans?” she asked.
Dale’s gaze remained fixed on some imaginary spot on the wall. “Not a big fan.”
“I’m sensing you aren’t a big fan of me either. I thought we were beginning to get along. Have I done something to make you mad?” Lindsey hated herself for asking the question, but as much as it might be construed as a sign of weakness, she really wanted to know the answer. She waited patiently while Dale’s face cycled through a series of hard to interpret expressions before finally landing on a forced smile.
“It’s not you.”
“And you’d tell me if it was?”
“Did your job make you cynical or were you just born that way?”
Lindsey started to fire back a retort, but stopped to ponder Dale’s response. It was a good question, and she wasn’t sure of the answer. She’d been raised by a family full of conservatives, who blindly followed the loudest voice of their movement and discouraged any curiosity that questioned their beliefs. Maybe her intense desire to know all the facts, to find the truth, was a visceral reaction to the pressure not to. But she had no desire to bare her soul to anyone, let alone the subject of her next reveal. Luckily, Elaina chose that exact moment to interrupt.
“If you girls are done chatting, they’re ready for us.”
Lindsey saw Dale wince at the word “girls,” and then raise her eyebrows when Elaina clutched her arm. She kept her eyes on Dale as she shrugged out of Elaina’s grasp and said, in a dripping sweet tone, “We girls have been waiting on you, haven’t we, Dale?”
The smile at the edge of Dale’s lips was small and fleeting, but Lindsey saw it and was supremely satisfied she’d been able to make it appear. During the next couple of boring hours of setting up and interviewing the police chief about his organization’s role in the drug Take-Back program, she reflected on that smile and vowed to go for an even bigger one next time.
C HAPTER N INE
Dale led Lindsey and the rest of the film crew into a conference room where Chief Turner and a few other local police officers were waiting. She’d worked with several DPD officers on cases in the past, handing them evidence on some of the minor cases the DEA had passed on because they weren’t quite splashy enough to warrant federal dollars. Turner acknowledged her and introduced her to the others at the table. When he reached the one woman in the bunch, Dale beat him to the introduction. “Detective DeJesus, nice to see you again.”
Andrea DeJesus half stood and shook her hand with a firm grasp. “Didn’t know if you’d remember me.”
“I always remember people who do my job for me.” Andrea had brought the DEA in on a huge crystal meth bust the year before, and Dale remembered being impressed with the level of detail in the initial investigation. She’d even mentioned to Diego at the time that he should snatch Andrea up for their agency. Dale turned to the chief. “If all your vice detectives are as good as this one, you’ll be putting us out of business.” She started to say something else, but was interrupted by the distinct sound of a clearing throat behind her. She turned just as Lindsey leaned forward and whispered in her ear.
“Careful, you’re making her blush.”
Dale looked back and caught sight of a smile on Lindsey’s face, but her eyes flashed a different emotion entirely. Annoyance? Jealousy? Surely not. She decided she was reading too much into a fleeting facial
Dale was already in the lobby when they reached Dallas Police headquarters. Elaina ignored her and walked over to the officer on duty, but Lindsey hung back. When it became clear Dale wasn’t going to approach, she told Alice and Jed she’d be right back and walked to where Dale was standing.
“You have an aversion to news vans?” she asked.
Dale’s gaze remained fixed on some imaginary spot on the wall. “Not a big fan.”
“I’m sensing you aren’t a big fan of me either. I thought we were beginning to get along. Have I done something to make you mad?” Lindsey hated herself for asking the question, but as much as it might be construed as a sign of weakness, she really wanted to know the answer. She waited patiently while Dale’s face cycled through a series of hard to interpret expressions before finally landing on a forced smile.
“It’s not you.”
“And you’d tell me if it was?”
“Did your job make you cynical or were you just born that way?”
Lindsey started to fire back a retort, but stopped to ponder Dale’s response. It was a good question, and she wasn’t sure of the answer. She’d been raised by a family full of conservatives, who blindly followed the loudest voice of their movement and discouraged any curiosity that questioned their beliefs. Maybe her intense desire to know all the facts, to find the truth, was a visceral reaction to the pressure not to. But she had no desire to bare her soul to anyone, let alone the subject of her next reveal. Luckily, Elaina chose that exact moment to interrupt.
“If you girls are done chatting, they’re ready for us.”
Lindsey saw Dale wince at the word “girls,” and then raise her eyebrows when Elaina clutched her arm. She kept her eyes on Dale as she shrugged out of Elaina’s grasp and said, in a dripping sweet tone, “We girls have been waiting on you, haven’t we, Dale?”
The smile at the edge of Dale’s lips was small and fleeting, but Lindsey saw it and was supremely satisfied she’d been able to make it appear. During the next couple of boring hours of setting up and interviewing the police chief about his organization’s role in the drug Take-Back program, she reflected on that smile and vowed to go for an even bigger one next time.
C HAPTER N INE
Dale led Lindsey and the rest of the film crew into a conference room where Chief Turner and a few other local police officers were waiting. She’d worked with several DPD officers on cases in the past, handing them evidence on some of the minor cases the DEA had passed on because they weren’t quite splashy enough to warrant federal dollars. Turner acknowledged her and introduced her to the others at the table. When he reached the one woman in the bunch, Dale beat him to the introduction. “Detective DeJesus, nice to see you again.”
Andrea DeJesus half stood and shook her hand with a firm grasp. “Didn’t know if you’d remember me.”
“I always remember people who do my job for me.” Andrea had brought the DEA in on a huge crystal meth bust the year before, and Dale remembered being impressed with the level of detail in the initial investigation. She’d even mentioned to Diego at the time that he should snatch Andrea up for their agency. Dale turned to the chief. “If all your vice detectives are as good as this one, you’ll be putting us out of business.” She started to say something else, but was interrupted by the distinct sound of a clearing throat behind her. She turned just as Lindsey leaned forward and whispered in her ear.
“Careful, you’re making her blush.”
Dale looked back and caught sight of a smile on Lindsey’s face, but her eyes flashed a different emotion entirely. Annoyance? Jealousy? Surely not. She decided she was reading too much into a fleeting facial
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