And trust me, it will.”
The not-too-subtly veiled threat in the man’s voice shot up Regan’s spine like the twinge of a bad back. How did he get a copy of those documents before she did? A subpoena for therapy notes wasn’t easily or quickly obtained without a compelling reason. And how dare he threaten a public airing of such private information, regardless of the content.
Based on her own recent encounters with Syd, Regan shuddered to think what Bell had uncovered. Whatever it was, he obviously thought it would make juicy grist for the mill of public outrage and win points for his case. “What is it that you find so interesting and worthy of public revelation?”
“You’re kidding, right?” His smug-sounding voice was laced with superiority and distaste. “This woman is like a feral cat that should be spayed. But then she’s not really in danger of reproducing, is she?”
The comment soured in Regan’s system, and she bit her tongue to keep from firing back the response this man really deserved. “I’m not sure I follow.”
“Come on, Desanto, haven’t you read this stuff? It seems that Officer Cabot has an insatiable hunger for the fairer sex. And she’s not real picky about when or where she meets them or how she dumps them. Sounds like she failed the class on discretion in the academy.”
Regan’s heart tripped a beat as she reached for a jolt of cold caffeine. She couldn’t imagine Syd revealing intimate details of her personal life to a therapist, especially not in the context of a fitness-for-duty session. The department’s mandatory FFD examination centered on the precipitating event and getting the officer back to work. Syd was savvy enough to understand the process and to disclose only the pertinent facts, if that.
“And what exactly do her personal proclivities have to do with this case, Mr. Bell?”
“It’s pretty obvious she’s too preoccupied with scoring snatch to keep her eyes or her mind on the job. She’d probably just had a little rendezvous in that alley at the mall when she shot my client’s son to death.”
Regan couldn’t believe the vulgar tone and blatantly prejudicial comments spewing from Bell’s mouth. She’d never met this man, and yet he thought it acceptable to talk to her in such a fashion. Then another possibility occurred. What if he was taping their conversation to goad her into an unfavorable or compromising remark about Syd or the case? Even though such a remark wouldn’t be admissible in a legal proceeding, it could tarnish her reputation and credibility if he leaked it to her client or the press.
She checked her temper and replied in her most professional and impassive tone, “I’m sure the facts presented in court will show exactly what happened that night, Counselor. Why don’t we wait and try the case in that venue?”
Silence at the other end of the phone line confirmed Regan’s suspicions. After a lengthy pause, Bell replied, “Well, uh, if you’re sure you want to do that. Officer Cabot’s background won’t make her a very sympathetic witness. I just thought you might appreciate an opportunity to settle this and save the city a lot of money.”
“Thank you for your concern and your generous offer, but we’ll take our chances.”
As she hung up the phone, Regan had a sinking feeling in her gut. Obviously Bell thought he had something very damaging in those documents. She needed a copy. Now. It wouldn’t help to have Syd portrayed in the media as a wanton lesbian on a rampage to devour the city’s female population. And Syd certainly wouldn’t handle public exposure of her personal life with any degree of calm. It was her job to see that neither Syd nor the City suffered at the hands of an opportunistic attorney.
The remainder of Regan’s day vanished in an array of phone calls and personal visits to secure the Internal Affairs file and Syd’s therapy notes. After receiving assurance from the chief of police that the
The not-too-subtly veiled threat in the man’s voice shot up Regan’s spine like the twinge of a bad back. How did he get a copy of those documents before she did? A subpoena for therapy notes wasn’t easily or quickly obtained without a compelling reason. And how dare he threaten a public airing of such private information, regardless of the content.
Based on her own recent encounters with Syd, Regan shuddered to think what Bell had uncovered. Whatever it was, he obviously thought it would make juicy grist for the mill of public outrage and win points for his case. “What is it that you find so interesting and worthy of public revelation?”
“You’re kidding, right?” His smug-sounding voice was laced with superiority and distaste. “This woman is like a feral cat that should be spayed. But then she’s not really in danger of reproducing, is she?”
The comment soured in Regan’s system, and she bit her tongue to keep from firing back the response this man really deserved. “I’m not sure I follow.”
“Come on, Desanto, haven’t you read this stuff? It seems that Officer Cabot has an insatiable hunger for the fairer sex. And she’s not real picky about when or where she meets them or how she dumps them. Sounds like she failed the class on discretion in the academy.”
Regan’s heart tripped a beat as she reached for a jolt of cold caffeine. She couldn’t imagine Syd revealing intimate details of her personal life to a therapist, especially not in the context of a fitness-for-duty session. The department’s mandatory FFD examination centered on the precipitating event and getting the officer back to work. Syd was savvy enough to understand the process and to disclose only the pertinent facts, if that.
“And what exactly do her personal proclivities have to do with this case, Mr. Bell?”
“It’s pretty obvious she’s too preoccupied with scoring snatch to keep her eyes or her mind on the job. She’d probably just had a little rendezvous in that alley at the mall when she shot my client’s son to death.”
Regan couldn’t believe the vulgar tone and blatantly prejudicial comments spewing from Bell’s mouth. She’d never met this man, and yet he thought it acceptable to talk to her in such a fashion. Then another possibility occurred. What if he was taping their conversation to goad her into an unfavorable or compromising remark about Syd or the case? Even though such a remark wouldn’t be admissible in a legal proceeding, it could tarnish her reputation and credibility if he leaked it to her client or the press.
She checked her temper and replied in her most professional and impassive tone, “I’m sure the facts presented in court will show exactly what happened that night, Counselor. Why don’t we wait and try the case in that venue?”
Silence at the other end of the phone line confirmed Regan’s suspicions. After a lengthy pause, Bell replied, “Well, uh, if you’re sure you want to do that. Officer Cabot’s background won’t make her a very sympathetic witness. I just thought you might appreciate an opportunity to settle this and save the city a lot of money.”
“Thank you for your concern and your generous offer, but we’ll take our chances.”
As she hung up the phone, Regan had a sinking feeling in her gut. Obviously Bell thought he had something very damaging in those documents. She needed a copy. Now. It wouldn’t help to have Syd portrayed in the media as a wanton lesbian on a rampage to devour the city’s female population. And Syd certainly wouldn’t handle public exposure of her personal life with any degree of calm. It was her job to see that neither Syd nor the City suffered at the hands of an opportunistic attorney.
The remainder of Regan’s day vanished in an array of phone calls and personal visits to secure the Internal Affairs file and Syd’s therapy notes. After receiving assurance from the chief of police that the
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