Dark Temptation (Dark Saints MC Book 2)(19)

The only way I could see to make this right was to report the information I had. I aimed to give the local police a good heads up about what was going to go down.

The problem was I was nobody. I was bounced from a desk clerk to a detective and back down again to a rookie, who looked nervous and who was essentially ignoring me, waiting for his boss. I told the same story three times.

“I was with Benz Bass last night, he got a call. On the call, it was clear he is the lookout for a major shipment of New Jack. I told you the location. What more do you need?”

He didn’t answer. He was as new as I was.

“Let me just Google, New Jack Swing real quick,” he said.

“Detective Peck– ” I pleaded.

“I’m technically not a detective. Officer Peck would be fine. Or even Peter.”

“You’re seriously telling me your name is Officer Peter Peck?”

“Yes Miss, that’s right. And I haven’t made detective yet. But fingers crossed.”

“They must have a field day with that name around here. How long have you… Ugh. Never mind. I have given you a solid lead on a major situation and I’ve been shunted from paper pusher to paper pusher.” I was frustrated, to say the least.

Officer Peck was a little soft, and a lot young, and the last bust he had made was probably a pimple on his forehead, not a drug deal.

“I have a line into my boss. He’ll be on it. Don’t you worry.” Officer Peck straightened a few post-it notes and avoided eye contact with me. Like everything else in Port Azrael, the police visit was going weird.

I waited and waited and finally the detective Peck had called arrived.

“Peck, you’re done. Go get the coffee filters I told you we needed.”

“Yes, sir.” Peck stood up and knocked over the can of pencils he spent most of his days pushing. He scrambled to put them back in the can.

“Move it, Peck.” As the young officer scrambled out of the reception, the detective turned to me and said, “I’m Detective Art Janning, Miss Guffy.”

“Finally, I’ve been getting the runaround all day!”

“We’re pretty busy here, Miss Guffy. So sorry we couldn't offer you a latte and a bagel while you waited.”

It was not going well with the detective and we hadn’t even started.

“We looked over your information. Good stuff,” he commented, giving me a patronizing nod.

It was bullshit, I knew. He thought I was playing cop. Maybe I was, but I dammit there was going to be a drug deal in this town and The Dark Saints were the center of it. Didn’t I have a duty to tell the authorities?

“You should not dismiss me or this. I’m not some random person off the street, I have a criminal justice degree, I graduated top of my class at– ”

“I see, and you have a long history with the Rangers, yes. I remember when your Daddy died. It was a terrible thing. Terrible. He was a hero. That’s a fact. I’m so sorry for your loss.” Janning appeared to be genuine, at least about that. Any person in law enforcement in the area would have remembered when my Daddy died. That much I knew.

“Thank you.”

“We’ve got the information, we’ll follow up. If I were you, I’d go back to the library and finish up there. That’s important work too. I’m glad to hear it’s finally being done.”

Janning thought I was a silly girl who had a little too much to drink, had a fun night with an outlaw and was now letting her imagination run wild.

“Okay, so you’ll be there?”

“I can’t divulge specifics of police operations, but we appreciate your service. Peck! PECK! Officer Peck will show you out.”

I was getting the brush off. All my angst over getting close to The Dark Saints and nothing was going to happen.

Peck ran back into the reception area when he heard Detective Janning’s bark.

“So, you believe me right?” I said to him. Peck had been the only one who seemed to be listening to me the entire time I’d been at the station. Even though he had to Google half the things I’d referenced.

“I do. And I’ve got an idea.”

“Yeah?”

“I’m going to take this case upon myself.”

“You’re going to?”

“They’ve been putting me to the side, giving me paperwork, having me do the low-level jobs. I need a big win.”

I related to that part of Peter Peck’s life, one hundred percent.

“Well, this could be it.”

“Hell yeah.”

“You could get in trouble for going off like this? You know that right?”

“Not if I make the collar? Then I’m the rookie who foiled a big deal going down in Port Az!”

“Right. Thank you. I’m just trying to do the right thing.”

I had an ally in Port Az, finally.

“You did. Sometimes they turn a blind eye to stuff The Dark Saints do here. That stops with me.” Peck nodded at me, gaining in confidence as he spoke.

It was something. I knew there was no way that Detective Janning was going to do anything. Maybe Peck and I could make this bust together.

I’d spoon fed information to the police. I knew the law at least. This really could net a few of The Dark Saints. It had to. Or everything I had done was a waste. I didn’t deserve to follow in my Daddy’s footsteps if I couldn’t handle a bust where I knew everything, or most things, ahead of time.