minutes by then. I got a little concerned she was feeling emotional about it all, went to the bathroom and knocked. Needless to say, she wasn’t there. Or anywhere else in the building that I could find.”
“What was she carrying when she left the house?” Stevens asked.
“She had that little backpack she’d arrived with. I guess that should have made me suspicious.” Jared took a savage bite of his burger, scowling. Done chewing, he looked at Stevens. “Can we put out an APB on her? Have her picked up?”
Stevens shook his head. “For what? She’s an adult with rights, and she’s exercising them. I’m not happy she’s going to be wandering around here on her own, but we can’t misuse county resources having officers look for her.”
“She’s a danger to herself?”
“We’d have to have her declared incompetent, and I don’t think that’s going to fly. At least not yet.”
They both ate some more, and finally Stevens sighed, picked up his drink, and took a long draft. “I don’t think we’re going to have to wait long to hear from her, though. She’ll call when she needs something or runs out of money.”
They collected their rubbish and left the cafeteria. Jared raised a hand as he headed for the front entrance. “Call me if she gets in touch.”
“Will do.”
On his way back up to his office, Stevens decided to stop off at the second floor, where his men had been redistributed. He found his former detective Joshua Ferreira in a cubicle with a couple of other men. “Ferreira.”
Ferreira stood up, hoisting his belt higher up his paunch. “Boss! I mean, Lieutenant.”
Stevens flapped a hand with a grin. “Not your boss any longer. How’s it going down here?”
“Captain’s got me working Vice.” Ferreira introduced Stevens around. “Lieutenant Stevens is training new detectives.”
“So now we know who to blame when the pups screw up,” one of the men joked. Stevens spent a few minutes talking with them and then headed back to the elevator. As the doors closed on the warren of cubicles and the busy hum of police work, he again felt a jab of something way too much like loneliness.
His phone vibrated and he saw that it was Lei and that she’d called several times.
* * *
“Sweets.” Lei heard a roughness in Stevens’s voice when he finally picked up.
“Michael. I wanted to tell you I’m at the airport on the way to Oahu. I told you I’d probably have to go.”
“I wish I could come over, too. I could use a distraction.”
“What? You don’t like the new training detail?”
“No. It’s not that. Mom skipped out on Jared when he took her to the doctor.”
Lei sucked in a quick breath of dismay as she listened to her husband’s story about Ellen’s physical situation and then her disappearance. “So there’s nothing you can do?”
“I don’t see what. I’ve got no grounds to report her a missing person.”
“But she is missing. You could do a BOLO at least.”
“And draw attention to the situation? Have one of our teams pick her up, drunk in her own vomit on the street? How would that look for us?”
A long pause. Lei shut her eyes at the pain in his voice. She rubbed the white gold medallion at her throat. She didn’t care about the embarrassment factor, but he obviously did.
“She might be in danger,” Lei said mildly. “I mean, the homeless scene’s nicer over here than in some big cities, but we have plenty of overdoses, attacks, rapes, and deaths.”
“She’s made her choice.” Stevens’s voice went hard. “I came all this way to get away from her, and she followed us over with her shit. Jared and I don’t deserve this.”
“Honey.” Lei didn’t call him endearments often, but this time one was called for. “I wish I could kiss you and make it better. But it is what it is, and she is who she is. I know because my mother was an addict. Their disease doesn’t have anything to do with us.”
Another long pause. She heard him blow
“What was she carrying when she left the house?” Stevens asked.
“She had that little backpack she’d arrived with. I guess that should have made me suspicious.” Jared took a savage bite of his burger, scowling. Done chewing, he looked at Stevens. “Can we put out an APB on her? Have her picked up?”
Stevens shook his head. “For what? She’s an adult with rights, and she’s exercising them. I’m not happy she’s going to be wandering around here on her own, but we can’t misuse county resources having officers look for her.”
“She’s a danger to herself?”
“We’d have to have her declared incompetent, and I don’t think that’s going to fly. At least not yet.”
They both ate some more, and finally Stevens sighed, picked up his drink, and took a long draft. “I don’t think we’re going to have to wait long to hear from her, though. She’ll call when she needs something or runs out of money.”
They collected their rubbish and left the cafeteria. Jared raised a hand as he headed for the front entrance. “Call me if she gets in touch.”
“Will do.”
On his way back up to his office, Stevens decided to stop off at the second floor, where his men had been redistributed. He found his former detective Joshua Ferreira in a cubicle with a couple of other men. “Ferreira.”
Ferreira stood up, hoisting his belt higher up his paunch. “Boss! I mean, Lieutenant.”
Stevens flapped a hand with a grin. “Not your boss any longer. How’s it going down here?”
“Captain’s got me working Vice.” Ferreira introduced Stevens around. “Lieutenant Stevens is training new detectives.”
“So now we know who to blame when the pups screw up,” one of the men joked. Stevens spent a few minutes talking with them and then headed back to the elevator. As the doors closed on the warren of cubicles and the busy hum of police work, he again felt a jab of something way too much like loneliness.
His phone vibrated and he saw that it was Lei and that she’d called several times.
* * *
“Sweets.” Lei heard a roughness in Stevens’s voice when he finally picked up.
“Michael. I wanted to tell you I’m at the airport on the way to Oahu. I told you I’d probably have to go.”
“I wish I could come over, too. I could use a distraction.”
“What? You don’t like the new training detail?”
“No. It’s not that. Mom skipped out on Jared when he took her to the doctor.”
Lei sucked in a quick breath of dismay as she listened to her husband’s story about Ellen’s physical situation and then her disappearance. “So there’s nothing you can do?”
“I don’t see what. I’ve got no grounds to report her a missing person.”
“But she is missing. You could do a BOLO at least.”
“And draw attention to the situation? Have one of our teams pick her up, drunk in her own vomit on the street? How would that look for us?”
A long pause. Lei shut her eyes at the pain in his voice. She rubbed the white gold medallion at her throat. She didn’t care about the embarrassment factor, but he obviously did.
“She might be in danger,” Lei said mildly. “I mean, the homeless scene’s nicer over here than in some big cities, but we have plenty of overdoses, attacks, rapes, and deaths.”
“She’s made her choice.” Stevens’s voice went hard. “I came all this way to get away from her, and she followed us over with her shit. Jared and I don’t deserve this.”
“Honey.” Lei didn’t call him endearments often, but this time one was called for. “I wish I could kiss you and make it better. But it is what it is, and she is who she is. I know because my mother was an addict. Their disease doesn’t have anything to do with us.”
Another long pause. She heard him blow
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