Spectrum (The Karen Vail Series) Read Free Page B

it?”
    “Got it. Sorry.”
    Russo turned right onto 30th Street and glanced over at Vail. “You know how this works, right?”
    How what works? Policework? “Uh, I’m not sure.”
    “You finished at the top of your class so they gave you a temp assignment as part of your field training. Deputy Inspector Proschetta did you a huge favor and put you in homicide. That’s a big deal, okay? Don’t screw it up.”
    “Yes sir. I won’t.”
    “So what do you think?”
    Vail sat up straight in her seat. “I think I’m excited. First day on the job. Dream come true.”
    “Dream, huh? Don’t examine that fantasy too closely, Vail. This isn’t a walk in Central Park. It’s tough work. A thousand decisions a day. You try to do the right thing but sometimes it’s not totally clear what the ‘right thing’ is. Things are muddy, the law is muddy, and sometimes you end up knee deep in a pile of horseshit. You follow?”
    “Yes sir. I do.” I’m not sure, but I think I get the idea.
    Russo glanced over at her and then nodded. “Good. You know where we’re headed?”
    “No idea, sir.”
    “Crime scene. Homicide.”
    Homicide. Holy shit. My first homicide? First day on the job?
    Vail lifted the mic off its mounting bracket and fumbled with the handset. It dropped in her lap but she recovered it by the coiled cord. “Should I call it in?”
    Russo shifted his gaze between the road and Vail’s escapades with the radio. “First of all, you push the button on the side. Don’t release it till you’re done talking.”
    Jesus Christ. This is embarrassing. Maybe it would’ve been better to ride with a patrol cop. He’d be more forgiving.
    “Second of all, no, you don’t need to call it in. Central knows where we’re going. I told them before we left. You wanna hit the siren, or should I?”
    Vail gave him a look. I may be grateful for this assignment, but I’m not going to act like a kid. “Sirens don’t excite me, sir. Have at it.”
    He reached down to a small box between the seats and flipped a switch. The whoop whoop sounded and, damn, if it wasn’t a rush. Hell with what I just said. Sirens do excite me.
    “And don’t call me sir,” he said above the wailing din. “I’m not your grandfather. Call me Russo. Or sergeant.”
    “Call me Karen.”
    “Yeah, well, we’ll see about that. For now, you’re Vail. Or officer.”
    So much for being friendly.
    Russo navigated through a congested area of the city where construction had brought the flow of cars to a near standstill. Blasting their siren had little effect; there were limits on how fast you could move in a traffic jam. There was simply no place for anyone to get out of the way. Finally they pulled up to a fire hydrant and shoved the gearshift into park.
    “You’re blocking a hydrant?”
    Russo turned to her, his face contorted with disappointment. “Don’t tell me you’re one of these newbies who does everything by the book. Are you? Tell me now, because you can wait in the car and I’ll arrange for a fuckin’ patrol cop to come by and pick you up.”
    Well shoot me now and put me out of my misery. I just spent a couple of months memorizing all the rules—for what? So that I know which ones I’m breaking when I’m out in the field?
    “I’m fine. If you wanna block a hydrant, not for me to say. You’re the boss.”
    “Yeah, remember that the next time you try to bust my balls.”
    Keep your mouth shut, Karen. Just get out of the car.
    They met the first-on-scene officer.
    Russo nodded toward an area behind the cop. “What do we got?”
    “Young woman. ID’s missing but she matches the description the landlord gave us.”
    “Detective Thorne get here yet?”
    “Nope. Only the medical examiner and Crime Scene Unit.” He turned to face a CSU detective wearing gloves, booties, and white coveralls coming toward them.
    “How’s it going in there?” Russo asked as he approached.
    “It’s goin’. Still processing but you can go