I got my picture taken—a lot. Either way, those were the three boyfriends that Smith knew about. There were rumors of other lovers, but there are always rumors. I neither confirmed nor denied rumors. It was the best I could do.
Smith shook his head, looking serious. “Only Lieutenant Storr and Zerbrowski aren’t divorced in the entire squad, did you know that?”
“No,” I said, “I didn’t know that.”
He sighed, and just the woebegone look on his face let me know that he was really serious about this girlfriend.
“Zerbrowski needs me to question the vampires we still have in custody, but later, I’m willing to try to sit down with you and tell you what little I know about relationships.”
“You have to be good at it, Anita, or you couldn’t have so many of them that last years,” he said.
I hadn’t thought about it that way, and I started to say that it was the men who made it possible by compromising for me, and then I thought about it and realized that somewhere along the way I’d learned to compromise, too. Being a successful couple was learning what you were willing to compromise on, and what you weren’t; learning when to stand your ground, and when to give it up; what was truly important enough to fight over, and what was just you being pissy. You learned each other’s hot buttons, the places that hurt, or angered, when you pressed them. Love makes you learn where all the pitfalls are, and how to avoid them, or how to set them off.
“Maybe,” I said, “but right now we’ve got work to do.” I patted him on the shoulder and walked away. My phone rang; it was the theme from Charlie Brown, which meant it was Zerbrowski. He didn’t know he had his own ring tone, and if asked I would never admit that it was because he was always messy, and his car was worse, like Pig-Pen from the comic strip. “Hey, Zerbrowski, I’m on my way.”
“They aren’t talking, Anita. They’re trying to lawyer up.”
“They can’t lawyer up,” I said, “they admitted in front of other police besides me that they watched the officers being murdered, which makes them just as guilty in the eyes of the law as the vamps that did the bloody deed. Vampires that have murdered humans are automatically executed.”
“Bloody deed, fancy,” he said, “but you’re right. They don’t seem to understand that their rights under the law are different from humans’ now. If it had just been kidnapping the girl, they could have lawyered up.”
“But they can’t lawyer on murder,” I said.
“No,” he said, “I haven’t exactly pressed on that, because once they realize they’re just going to be executed then…” He let it trail off.
I finished for him. “They have nothing to lose, so they could fight, go apeshit. I would in their place.”
“I know you would,” he said.
“Wouldn’t you?” I asked.
He was quiet for a minute. “I don’t know.”
“Letting someone kill you is harder than it sounds, if you have another option,” I said.
“Maybe,” he said, and his voice was thoughtful, too serious for him.
“What?” I asked.
“Nothing.”
“There’s something in your voice, Zerbrowski. What is it?”
He laughed, and it was suddenly him again, but his next words weren’t. “Just thinking I hope you never end up on the wrong end of the law.”
“Are you implying that I’d be treated as less than human?” I asked, and I was both angry and hurt.
“No, and you’re a good cop.”
“Thanks, but I hear a
but
in there somewhere.”
“But, you react like a bad guy when you’re cornered. I just don’t want to see what would happen if you felt you were out of choices.”
We were quiet on the phone, listening to each other breathe. “You’ve thought about this,” I said.
“Hey”—and I could see him shrug, that awkward version he did in his ill-fitting suit—“I’m a cop; that means I do threat assessment. I wouldn’t want to be on the wrong side of Dolph
Smith shook his head, looking serious. “Only Lieutenant Storr and Zerbrowski aren’t divorced in the entire squad, did you know that?”
“No,” I said, “I didn’t know that.”
He sighed, and just the woebegone look on his face let me know that he was really serious about this girlfriend.
“Zerbrowski needs me to question the vampires we still have in custody, but later, I’m willing to try to sit down with you and tell you what little I know about relationships.”
“You have to be good at it, Anita, or you couldn’t have so many of them that last years,” he said.
I hadn’t thought about it that way, and I started to say that it was the men who made it possible by compromising for me, and then I thought about it and realized that somewhere along the way I’d learned to compromise, too. Being a successful couple was learning what you were willing to compromise on, and what you weren’t; learning when to stand your ground, and when to give it up; what was truly important enough to fight over, and what was just you being pissy. You learned each other’s hot buttons, the places that hurt, or angered, when you pressed them. Love makes you learn where all the pitfalls are, and how to avoid them, or how to set them off.
“Maybe,” I said, “but right now we’ve got work to do.” I patted him on the shoulder and walked away. My phone rang; it was the theme from Charlie Brown, which meant it was Zerbrowski. He didn’t know he had his own ring tone, and if asked I would never admit that it was because he was always messy, and his car was worse, like Pig-Pen from the comic strip. “Hey, Zerbrowski, I’m on my way.”
“They aren’t talking, Anita. They’re trying to lawyer up.”
“They can’t lawyer up,” I said, “they admitted in front of other police besides me that they watched the officers being murdered, which makes them just as guilty in the eyes of the law as the vamps that did the bloody deed. Vampires that have murdered humans are automatically executed.”
“Bloody deed, fancy,” he said, “but you’re right. They don’t seem to understand that their rights under the law are different from humans’ now. If it had just been kidnapping the girl, they could have lawyered up.”
“But they can’t lawyer on murder,” I said.
“No,” he said, “I haven’t exactly pressed on that, because once they realize they’re just going to be executed then…” He let it trail off.
I finished for him. “They have nothing to lose, so they could fight, go apeshit. I would in their place.”
“I know you would,” he said.
“Wouldn’t you?” I asked.
He was quiet for a minute. “I don’t know.”
“Letting someone kill you is harder than it sounds, if you have another option,” I said.
“Maybe,” he said, and his voice was thoughtful, too serious for him.
“What?” I asked.
“Nothing.”
“There’s something in your voice, Zerbrowski. What is it?”
He laughed, and it was suddenly him again, but his next words weren’t. “Just thinking I hope you never end up on the wrong end of the law.”
“Are you implying that I’d be treated as less than human?” I asked, and I was both angry and hurt.
“No, and you’re a good cop.”
“Thanks, but I hear a
but
in there somewhere.”
“But, you react like a bad guy when you’re cornered. I just don’t want to see what would happen if you felt you were out of choices.”
We were quiet on the phone, listening to each other breathe. “You’ve thought about this,” I said.
“Hey”—and I could see him shrug, that awkward version he did in his ill-fitting suit—“I’m a cop; that means I do threat assessment. I wouldn’t want to be on the wrong side of Dolph
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