Open Wounds (Harbour Bay #2)(12)
“Come on, Sergeant Munroe, you know Donovan upholds the law.”
Kellie glared at Darryl. “But who upholds her, Detective? Cops are not above the law. They’re to apprehend, not punish. Partner loyalty is great, Detective Hill, but be careful she doesn’t bring you down.”
He returned a cold stare. “I believe in my partner. You should try it.”
Kellie snapped her teeth together audibly. “Look, Mia, I’m not the enemy here.”
“Yeah? You sure about that?”
Kellie let out a long breath. “Stop fighting me and start thinking. He’s a smart kid and he’ll outlast you. You’ve already lost the assault charge. Anything he says in there now, any lawyer would have thrown out citing coercion. Try another avenue. You’re a hell of a detective, and I’d hate for you to lose your job. But I’d hate it more if I’m the one taking it from you.”
Amelia heard the sincerity in her voice, though it annoyed her that she had dared comment on her treatment. She hadn’t been there when the little shit had drawn his knife and if she’d made one wrong move, he would’ve gutted her. These people had no idea about the situations she dealt with every day, the fear she felt, and the instincts that took over that had her reacting first, sometimes with excessive force but not always.
“The evidence against him is purely circumstantial. We’re going to need more. Get his alibi then cut him lose,” Darryl suggested. “We’ll bide our time and then go at him again fully charged.”
She hesitated as she stared at Kellie. She had a better idea, a way to lull Lambert into feeling omnipotent. He would be suspicious of Amelia if she let him go, but if Kellie did it, he might actually believe he’d outsmarted them. He would certainly underestimate her with her blonde hair and blue eyes.
“You do it,” she told her, not unkindly.
Kellie gave her a look that said she understood her intention, then nodded and slipped into the interview room, leaving the door open an inch.
“Mr. Lambert, Kellie Munroe. Internal Affairs.”
Amelia listened as she apologised profusely for the way he’d been treated, and assured a complaint would be filed. She even went as far as to ask him if he wanted to file charges for assault.
Darryl slanted her a look as they both listened to her compassionate voice. Amelia barely restrained her smile; she was living up to her expectations and more. She heard him consider it through the crack in the door but then graciously declined. Obviously, he figured he was better off making a clean break.
“That bitch is crazy.”
“I assume you mean Detective Donovan? She will be dealt with by her superiors, Mr. Lambert, I assure you.”
“So I can go then?”
“You’ll be free to go once you provide me with an alibi. Until then, I’m afraid I’ll need to detain you for twenty-four hours so I can make my own investigations into your whereabouts.”
Kellie actually sounded apologetic.
“I was at home,” Michael mumbled.
“Is there anyone who can verify that?”
“Sure.”
The room went silent and she assumed he was writing down a list of mates who would lie for him. It didn’t matter. Once the forensic team had a chance to analyse the evidence, she was sure they’d be able to poke holes in his story. Once they had him by the short hairs, they’d make a deal with him to give up his boss if he wanted freedom again before he died. Until then, he would be followed. She texted Dean on her phone to ensure he was in position and let him know the suspect was due to leave shortly.
“Thank you for your cooperation, Mr. Lambert. I appreciate you coming in to clear up matters,” Kellie said warmly.
Amelia’s gut churned as Kellie escorted him out of the interview room and into the custody of a uniformed officer who would release him. Lambert gave her a look of triumph. She waited until the elevator door closed on his smirking face before spinning on her heel and stalking off down the corridor.
Chapter 7
Darryl joined Kellie at the elevator, having declined riding down with Lambert and Officer Prescott. She jabbed the call button with her index finger and for the first time he noticed her manicured nails. They weren’t long, barely a few millimetres past the quick but they were definitely feminine, polished in the French style. He imagined them digging into his back during the height of her climax and immediately his trousers became too tight. He mentally cursed himself. He’d been semi-hard since she’d first walked into Harris’s office and it seemed he was doomed to remain in that state while she was with him.
He gave her another covert sweep just as he’d done in Harris’s office. She was beautiful, no doubt about that. Her blouse and skirt hiding a naturally slim yet curvy body, and legs that went on forever that made him think of them wrapped around his waist. He shifted his position to ease the ache in his groin. He breathed in the scent of her floral perfume, feeling the curl of desire in his belly and tried to ignore it. She was off-limits. He didn’t plan on getting on Donovan’s bad side—if she had a worse one—by sleeping with the enemy. Not that it was any of her business who he slept with, but he didn’t want to feel as if he’d betrayed her. He wasn’t about to get between two women with obvious issues even if Kellie was susceptible to his advances.