shadows of salem 01 - shadow born Read Free Page A

front of me and to the right were greeting stations that were walled off and protected by bullet proof glass. Most of the different department windows had their shades drawn, but the one in front of me was open, and someone was sitting behind it, tapping away at their keyboard.
    “Good morning,” a uniformed brunette greeted me as I approached the window, a Bostonian accent evident in her brisk voice. “Can I help you?”
    “I’m Detective Brooke Chandler, on loan from Chicago PD.” I flashed her a friendly smile. “I’m reporting to Captain Randall.”
    “Ah! Yes, he said to expect you.” The uniform snatched up the phone on her desk. “Just a moment.”
    A couple of minutes later, the uniform cleared me, then gave me the passcode to enter the doorway that led to the rest of the precinct. I punched in the code, then followed her directions, trotting up the stairs to the second floor. I went down a hall, into a room marked ‘support services division’, then stopped outside a closed door on the opposite side. I eyed the brass placard on the door that said ‘Captain’s Office’, then glanced around the room to make sure I had the right place. If not for the uniform jackets draped on the backs of chairs, and the map on the far wall stuck with pins and riddled with pictures of suspects, I would have thought nobody worked here. But then again, they might all be off doing something.
    Never mind that, I scolded myself, knocking on the door. You’re not here to criticize the precinct. You’re here to look into Tom’s case.
    “Come in,” called a deep, male voice.
    I pushed open the door and stepped into a rectangular office that was half the size of my bedroom. Maps, artwork, and certificates of achievement hung on the walls above file cabinets and shelves, and the majority of the space was dominated by a cherry-wood L-shaped desk. Behind the desk sat a large, broad-shouldered man in uniform with blocky features, a crew cut, and a stern, unfriendly expression on his face.
    “Detective Chandler.” He jerked his head down once in what I imagined was an acknowledgement of my presence. “You’re late.”
    “Sorry, sir.” My spine stiffened, but I forced myself not to sound defensive. “It was a long trip.”
    “Maybe, but I was expecting you last night, and I don’t appreciate having my time wasted.” He gestured to the blue visitors’ chairs impatiently. “Have a seat.”
    I did as instructed, resisting the urge to grit my teeth. The Chief of the Salem PD, Mary Spencer, had been more than friendly on the phone, and I’d assumed Captain Randall would be the same, especially since he’d been friends with Tom. But there was no such luck on my part, and if the way the skin around his mouth tightened was any indication, he looked as though he wasn’t very happy to see me.
    So much for rolling out the welcome mat .
    “All right, well now that we’re here, let’s get this over with.” The Captain reached into a drawer and drew out a substantial stack of forms. “These are from HR. You’re to fill them out and turn them in before you’re allowed access to anything in this precinct. I’m assigning Detective Guy Baxter as your buddy, so you can go on and get cozy with him in the bullpen. He’ll answer any questions you have and show you around the building.”
    He pushed the papers at me, then turned back to his computer, fingers already poised over the keyboard as if there was a burningly urgent email he just couldn’t wait to reply to. I stared at him in disbelief, unable to fathom how casually he’d dismissed me.
    “Excuse me, sir, but this isn’t right.” I straightened in my seat. “You can’t just drop this on me and then toss me into the bullpen.”
    Captain Randall scowled, turning his attention back to me. “Are you telling me what I can and can’t do, Detective?”
    I bit back the retort that sprang to my lips—the look in his dark eyes was growing dangerous, and I was trying to get