All I've Ever Wanted - Adrianne Byrd [14]
“Whatever, girl.” Wanda reached into her breast pocket and produced a black-and-white business card and waved it in front of Kennedy. “It won’t hurt you to go on one measly date.”
For a moment, Kennedy actually reconsidered her position on the matter. She took the business card and studied it. “Dr. Anson Ward.” She twisted her lips into a half frown. “He sounds kind of stiff.”
Wanda’s smile widened. “What else would a girl want in a man?”
Dossman relaxed as he watched his boss, Lieutenant Kelly Scardino, read and then reread his report. She drummed her fingers and the expression in her pale blue eyes reflected her disappointment. He smiled despite himself.
She looked up and pushed back a few graying blond locks before meeting his gaze. “Where’s your partner?”
“He’ll be right in. He was handling a few calls from the press when you called us in here.”
Scardino flipped the report closed and tossed it onto a nearby stack of paper. “I’m not sure I want us taking any more calls from the media regarding the Underwood murder case. The press is already starting to make this investigation look like a circus.”
Dossman bit back a cynical response and substituted a more politically correct one. “We’re doing the best we can with what we have.”
“It’s not enough.” She fixed her cool gaze on him. “Look, I’m getting a lot of pressure on this one. Then again, I don’t know what the powers that be expect from us. We don’t pull rabbits out of hats and we sure as hell don’t perform miracles.”
“Amen.”
Their gazes locked and this time she smiled.
A quick rap on the door drew their attention a split second before Max entered. “Sorry about that, boss.”
“It’s okay,” she said, pushing her chair back. “Have a seat, Collier.” She stood.
He took a seat next to his partner. “What’s up?”
“Well, for starters, I just finished reading Dossman’s colorful report and I wanted to discuss where this investigation is heading.”
“Into the toilet, if you ask me,” Dossman said, crossing his legs at the ankle and staring up at his boss.
Scardino dismissed his sarcasm with a wave and directed her attention to Max. “What about you?”
“I think it’s gang related, which, in itself, will make this a difficult case. Gang members don’t usually roll over on each other. But, for the life of me, I can’t imagine what kind of relationship existed between Underwood and a group like The Skulls.”
“You think it’s The Skulls?”
“They are the dominant group in that area,” Max replied.
Scardino thought for a moment. “Have you shared any of this information with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation?”
“Not yet.”
“Maybe there isn’t a relationship between them.”
“Come on, Lieutenant,” Dossman argued. “There had to be something.”
Scardino met Dossman’s level gaze. “Maybe they were hired guns.”
Maxwell observed the scathing looks being exchanged between his partner and Scardino and wondered at the source of their hostility. A lover’s quarrel, perhaps?
The thought stuck him as odd. He smiled and dismissed the notion. Surely Scardino and Dossman weren’t foolish enough to indulge in a forbidden and unethical affair. He shifted his gaze between them. Or would they?
“Okay.” Max spoke a little louder than he’d intended, but his booming voice succeeded in slicing through the tension in the room. “I can see your point, Lieutenant. Someone hired The Skulls to do their dirty work. Sounds reasonable.”
His brow shifted as he thought the scenario through. “It’s going to be hard to find out who ordered the hit when we’re not certain which members of the gang, if any, are responsible.”
“Maybe we just need to follow our instincts on this one.” Scardino crossed her arms. “Lord knows the facts aren’t leading us anywhere.”
“Whoa. This is a large gang. There has to be hundreds of those punks running around the city. Not to mention the ones living in surrounding states,” Dossman reminded them.
“Then start at the top,