aroused.
"Either way," Herbert said sarcastically,
"she was obviously raped and murdered..."
Fiona felt moved to reply, but a signal from the Eggplant
silenced her.
"You have a point, Mr. Herbert," the Eggplant
said. He stood up and looked directly at Fiona. "Would you excuse us for a
moment, Mr. Herbert?"
Whatever had been on Herbert's mind seemed to evaporate
with the Eggplant's request. Perhaps Herbert was assuming that the Eggplant was
acting to relieve Fiona of the case. In any event, he acquiesced without
protest.
"Officer Prentiss will stay here with you," the
Eggplant said, nodding to Gail.
In the corridor, the Eggplant moved out of earshot to an
alcove where there was a soda machine. He fished in his pocket for bills and
placed one in the changemaker.
"Coke?"
She shook her head. He watched as the machine rumbled and
offered up its can of Coke. It opened with a hiss and he immediately swallowed
half its contents.
"Don't do it, FitzGerald," he said, wiping his
mouth with the back of his hand.
"Don't do what?" She was genuinely puzzled.
"Tell him your theory."
Which one? she wondered.
"This is not the time to tell him that his daughter
was a willing participant."
"I hadn't intended to," she told him. "I was
merely going to mention that she had not been penetrated, that no semen was
found and that she had been attacked in the anus with an oversized dildo."
"Christ," the Eggplant said, blowing out a deep
gust of breath. "It'll make him crazy. He's already stirred up a storm and
the Post has played it up on the front of the Metro section. I've been
fielding media questions all morning." He finished the remainder of the
can, crushed it between strong fingers and threw it into the nearby receptacle.
"I'm getting too old for this," he muttered.
"Maybe that was her sex thing and he knows it,"
Fiona speculated.
"I doubt it. In any event, don't expect him to confirm
it."
"That's why I kept my big mouth shut."
"I'd rather he read the report," the Eggplant
said. "He's already down on Benson's opinion. Let's not stir him up any
more than we've done already."
"He had it coming."
"I don't disagree."
"I know. You feel sorry for the bastard."
The Eggplant looked down at his hands.
"There you go showing me that compassionate streak
again, Chief. Don't worry, I won't blow your image."
The Eggplant shook his head and smiled. Fiona shrugged away
any more sentiment and they started back to the office where Gail and Herbert
were waiting. Before the Eggplant opened the door, he paused and studied
Fiona's face.
"You really believe she was consensual?"
"Yes," she said firmly, convinced by her own
experience, instinct and Benson's findings.
The Eggplant sighed and shook his head.
"He does have the clout to make us dance,
FitzGerald."
"When I saw you come through that door, I made that
assumption."
"I take him at his word. He's going to make a parallel
investigation through his own sources. And he's going to try and get you and
Prentiss off the case."
"If you want, we'll go quietly," Fiona said.
"You've never done anything quietly, FitzGerald. You
think I want a gender discrimination case in my face?"
"Hell, you said in front of witnesses that we were the
best. We'd win hands down."
He chuckled as he pushed open the door.
What struck her immediately was the way in which Herbert
and Gail were positioned. They were still sitting in their respective chairs,
but they had moved closer to each other, their knees almost touching. As a good
judge of body language, Fiona speculated that Gail was in the process of
charming the man, winning his confidence, doing the good-cop waltz.
"I was explaining to Mr. Herbert the theory behind the
Captain's pairing us, the motivation behind the arrangement."
"Officer Prentiss has, at least, put it in
perspective," Herbert said grudgingly. He gave Gail a benign kindly nod.
He turned to look at Fiona. "She gave me a little background on you as
well, Sergeant. I knew your father when I
"Either way," Herbert said sarcastically,
"she was obviously raped and murdered..."
Fiona felt moved to reply, but a signal from the Eggplant
silenced her.
"You have a point, Mr. Herbert," the Eggplant
said. He stood up and looked directly at Fiona. "Would you excuse us for a
moment, Mr. Herbert?"
Whatever had been on Herbert's mind seemed to evaporate
with the Eggplant's request. Perhaps Herbert was assuming that the Eggplant was
acting to relieve Fiona of the case. In any event, he acquiesced without
protest.
"Officer Prentiss will stay here with you," the
Eggplant said, nodding to Gail.
In the corridor, the Eggplant moved out of earshot to an
alcove where there was a soda machine. He fished in his pocket for bills and
placed one in the changemaker.
"Coke?"
She shook her head. He watched as the machine rumbled and
offered up its can of Coke. It opened with a hiss and he immediately swallowed
half its contents.
"Don't do it, FitzGerald," he said, wiping his
mouth with the back of his hand.
"Don't do what?" She was genuinely puzzled.
"Tell him your theory."
Which one? she wondered.
"This is not the time to tell him that his daughter
was a willing participant."
"I hadn't intended to," she told him. "I was
merely going to mention that she had not been penetrated, that no semen was
found and that she had been attacked in the anus with an oversized dildo."
"Christ," the Eggplant said, blowing out a deep
gust of breath. "It'll make him crazy. He's already stirred up a storm and
the Post has played it up on the front of the Metro section. I've been
fielding media questions all morning." He finished the remainder of the
can, crushed it between strong fingers and threw it into the nearby receptacle.
"I'm getting too old for this," he muttered.
"Maybe that was her sex thing and he knows it,"
Fiona speculated.
"I doubt it. In any event, don't expect him to confirm
it."
"That's why I kept my big mouth shut."
"I'd rather he read the report," the Eggplant
said. "He's already down on Benson's opinion. Let's not stir him up any
more than we've done already."
"He had it coming."
"I don't disagree."
"I know. You feel sorry for the bastard."
The Eggplant looked down at his hands.
"There you go showing me that compassionate streak
again, Chief. Don't worry, I won't blow your image."
The Eggplant shook his head and smiled. Fiona shrugged away
any more sentiment and they started back to the office where Gail and Herbert
were waiting. Before the Eggplant opened the door, he paused and studied
Fiona's face.
"You really believe she was consensual?"
"Yes," she said firmly, convinced by her own
experience, instinct and Benson's findings.
The Eggplant sighed and shook his head.
"He does have the clout to make us dance,
FitzGerald."
"When I saw you come through that door, I made that
assumption."
"I take him at his word. He's going to make a parallel
investigation through his own sources. And he's going to try and get you and
Prentiss off the case."
"If you want, we'll go quietly," Fiona said.
"You've never done anything quietly, FitzGerald. You
think I want a gender discrimination case in my face?"
"Hell, you said in front of witnesses that we were the
best. We'd win hands down."
He chuckled as he pushed open the door.
What struck her immediately was the way in which Herbert
and Gail were positioned. They were still sitting in their respective chairs,
but they had moved closer to each other, their knees almost touching. As a good
judge of body language, Fiona speculated that Gail was in the process of
charming the man, winning his confidence, doing the good-cop waltz.
"I was explaining to Mr. Herbert the theory behind the
Captain's pairing us, the motivation behind the arrangement."
"Officer Prentiss has, at least, put it in
perspective," Herbert said grudgingly. He gave Gail a benign kindly nod.
He turned to look at Fiona. "She gave me a little background on you as
well, Sergeant. I knew your father when I
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