Karma III. Sabrina Eubanks

disbelief. She looked mortified. “Butch, please don’t tell me you’re sitting there accusing me of … Jesus, Butch, what are you accusing me of?” Her voice wavered and Lucas, who was having a hard time holding on to his usual poker face — got up and walked to the window. He stood with his back to them and his hand rubbing away at his beard.

      Butch’s eyes followed him, scrutinizing his body language. Leah put her hand on Nick’s shoulder. This was fucked up. She looked at Noah.

      Noah’s eyes bounced from Lucas to Nick to her.

      Butch sighed. “Listen, Hardaway, I’m not personally accusing you of diddley, but the fact remains, you and Keith Childs had a relationship that lasted at least two years. You were close enough to live together. It goes without sayin’ the guys at One Police Plaza are findin’ it hard to believe you had no clue as to how this guy operates. Now even though I hate to do it, I gotta ask you point blank, Hardaway. At any time, during the course of your relationship with Keith Childs, were you consciously aware of Detective Childs using his badge to commit heinous acts and conduct illegal activity?” Lucas looked down at her over his shoulder to see how she answered. Nick looked at Butch like he’d struck her, then her beautiful face turned into a mask of rage. Nick had never been a woman who cried easily, but angry tears filled her eyes and spilled over.

      She banged her fist so hard on the arm of the wheelchair, it sounded like a shot. “I was not, Inspector Harper.” Butch watched her with sympathy. “Look, I know you hate my guts right now, but I gotta ask you another fucked up question. I’m sorry for this, Nick. Have you, yourself, ever used your badge to commit unlaw-ful acts, or were you ever coerced by Detective Childs to do so?” Nick was so mad, she was shaking. She moved forward like she meant to get up, but Leah pulled her back before she could hurt herself.

      “I have never compromised my badge for anyone or anything. Have you questioned him?”

      Butch shrugged. “Can’t find him just yet. He’s AWOL and he hasn’t been at his last address. We’re working on smoking him out. We’ll get him. I.A.B. has eyes and ears everywhere.” He looked toward the window. “You okay, Cain?”

      Lucas answered him without turning around. “Uh-huh. I’m good.” Butch got up and stood just behind him. Butch was usually a nice guy, but he was also one of the best men in I.A. He did his job. “You know, Lucas, I believe you got every right to be angry. I come in here accusing your girlfriend of co-conspiracy, corruption, and possibly being an accessory. Guess it seems like no matter how many times you put your foot in Keith Childs’s ass, he seems determined to pay you back for stealing his girl, huh?”

      Lucas smiled a little, but it held no humor. “I would ask you how you know all that, Butch, but it’s obvious you keep your sticky little feelers out.”

      Butch smiled, too, but his smile was real. “It’s a small world, Cain, and I like to know what makes it turn. Forgive me for bein’ nosy like that. People talk, and everybody knows I’ve got my spies … and they’re every where.”

      Noah sat up a little. “Do tell? Who are they?” Butch chuckled. “That’s information you’ll never get outta me, Ramsey.”

      Lucas looked down at him. “You can’t make charges like that stick, Butch.”

      “I don’t want to make ‘em stick. What I want is to send Keith Childs away for a long time. I came here for two reasons: to get a formal statement from Nick and to see if I can get anything from you guys that would be helpful in my investigation.”

      Leah blinked and sucked her teeth. “You want us to help you with the investigation? I can’t believe you, Butch, after you came in here slinging accusations and collecting formal statements. You must have lost your damn mind.”

      Butch shrugged. “Not really, Wheeler. Look, I gotta tell you guys, with the amount of animosity on both sides, it will be a lot easier to smoke him out with your help than to waste time and let him get further away from us, just plain searching for him. Doing it the hard way, we’ll probably have to extradite him. With your help, we’ll have his ass in a heartbeat.”

      Noah looked in Lucas’s direction, holding his tongue. Lucas was looking at Nick. She looked back at him apprehensively as he walked over to her and touched her hair.

      “Don’t you see what’s going on? They want to use you as bait,” he said quietly.

      Nick took his hand out of her hair and held it in her own. She held onto Lucas but she looked at Butch. “I’m not risking my badge, or my reputation for that asshole, and I’m not going for the guilt by association, okie–doke?” She took a deep breath, closed her eyes and opened them. “My official statement for the record, Inspector Harper: I, Detective Second Grade Nicole Dana Hardaway, was involved in an intimate relationship with accused Detective Second Grade, Keith Alexander Childs, for almost three years. During that time, I was unaware of any illicit activity on his part or abuse of his badge. If the department needs my assistance leading to his apprehension, I will comply immediately.” Butch nodded. “Okay, Nick. Good enough. Thank you.” Leah sucked her teeth. Even though Butch Harper was better than most, she hated the bullshit of his job.

      Butch looked at her and shrugged, but not with indifference. “You know how it goes, Leah. Regardless of personal feelings, I still got a job to do.”

      “Yeah, and right now your job is to railroad Nick into helpin’ you catch this scumbag!” Noah started angrily.

      Butch cut him off. “Whoa, wait a minute,” he said, frowning and putting his hands up defensively. “Railroad? What are you sayin’?” Noah looked at him accusingly and actually pointed a finger at him. “You I.A. guys are all alike. Nick might not have a lot of experience dealin’ with you sharks, but me and Luke have. You strolled your fat ass up in this hospital like you were on her side, shuckin’ and jivin’ and doin’ your little tap dance to lull her into a false sense of security. Then you did the swoop down, right Butch? You sugarcoated everything, then you showed her your teeth and let her know you were lookin’ at her for co-conspiracy and corruption charges. You delivered that shit like a wolf lookin’ at a sheep and lickin’ his chops.” Butch was still frowning in offense. He attempted to cut Noah off again. “Wait a minute, Ramsey —”

      Noah moved forward like he forgot he was hurt and his leg was in traction. He closed his eyes and gritted his teeth against the sudden pain. Noah opened his clear gray eyes and gave Butch an extremely hostile look. “You got one more time to cut me off when I’m talkin’. You better be glad I can’t get outta this bed and put my foot in your ass.” Leah was startled by Noah’s vehemence. He shouldn’t be working himself up like this. He was going to hurt himself.

      She went to him in an attempt to smooth him out. “Noah, you need to calm down. Why are you going off on Butch like this?”

      “‘Cause he ain’t bein’ straight with Nick. You see it, don’t you, Luke?”

      Lucas shrugged. “I gotta tell you, Butch, it stinks like a deal to me.

      A lousy deal.” Nick frowned and stared at Butch with anxious eyes.

      “What’s he talking about?”

      Butch looked coolly from Lucas to Noah, then back at Nick. “I really can’t say.”

      “That’s bullshit. You can,” Noah said.

      “Yeah, why don’t you tell her the only option she really has is to do whatever you want her to do, because if she doesn’t, you people are gonna trump up charges on her and either suspend her or relieve her of her badge. Does that sound about right, Butch?” Lucas said, eyeing him like he wouldn’t mind kicking his ass, and looking like he’d be able to do it — despite his injuries.

      “What?” The word squeaked out of Nick’s throat.

      “They’re puttin’ the squeeze on you, Nick, and if you ask me, that’s pretty damn dirty, too,” Noah said, trying to get comfortable. He glanced at Leah and she shifted his pillow.

      “But