The Rookie's Assignment

The Partner’s Secret

Law enforcement in Fitzgerald Bay is full of Fitzgeralds, from the chief of police to brand-new detective Keira Fitzgerald. Are they tampering with a murder investigation to protect one of their own? Internal affairs detective Nick Delfino is sent undercover to investigate the powerful clan. Yet the deeper he digs, the more Nick comes to admire the Fitzgeralds…especially his rookie partner, Keira. When a killer targets Nick, can he maintain his cover, catch his attacker and protect Keira while the looming danger closes in?

The Rookie’s Assignment

Valerie Hansen

www.millsandboon.co.uk

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Consider it pure joy whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

—James 1:2–4

I never participate in a series without thanking my fellow authors. In this case, they are Shirlee McCoy, Rachelle McCalla, Stephanie Newton, Lynette Eason and Terri Reed. I’d also like to thank retired officer and author Lee Lofland for steering my fictitious police officers out of trouble as much as possible.

And thanks to my husband Joe and friend Karen for proofing. Any mistakes left after their reading are probably ones I made later!

Special thanks and acknowledgment to Valerie Hansen for her contribution to the Fitzgerald Bay miniseries.

Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Epilogue

Dear Reader

Questions for Discussion

ONE

Consider the joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

James 1:2–4

Eager to get to work, rookie officer Keira Fitzgerald paused on the stoop behind the Main Street police station just long enough to stomp snow off her boots and fill her lungs with the crisp, clean sea air of the Massachusetts coast.

The moment she stepped inside the building she sensed an undercurrent of discontent that nearly stopped her in her tracks. Something was definitely not normal.

Stripping off her gloves, hat and jacket she headed straight for her brother Douglas’s desk.

“What’s going on? I haven’t heard this much grumbling since the Minutemen lost their last football game.”

Captain Douglas Fitzgerald raised his blue eyes—a familial trait he shared with Keira—and arched his brows. “You’d better go find out for yourself. The chief is waiting.”

“For me? Why?”

“I’ll let him tell you.”

“Hey, I thought big brothers were supposed to look out for their sisters.”

“Believe me, Keira, if there was anything I could do to get you out of this, I would.”

“Out of what?” She sent a comical grimace his way, hoping that teasing would loosen him up. Instead, he merely shook his head and jerked a thumb toward their father’s closed office door.

“Okay, okay. I get it. I’m going.”

She smoothed her short, dark hair and checked every aspect of her neatly ironed blue uniform before knocking on Aiden Fitzgerald’s door and peeking in. “Morning, Chief. You wanted to see me?”

“Yes,” Aiden said. “Come in. There’s someone I want you to meet.”

Keira was duly impressed the moment her gaze swept over the man standing beside her father. Probably about thirty, he wasn’t taller or more muscular than her brothers, and his hair was brown instead of Fitzgerald black, yet there was something extremely formidable about him. Maybe it was the way he studied her, his hazel eyes seeming to change to the sea-green color of his pullover sweater.

“This is Keira Fitzgerald, the officer I was telling you about,” the chief said. “Keira, Nick Delfino.”

Smiling slightly she extended her hand. “Pleased to meet you.”

Although Nick accepted her overture with a firm grip he didn’t return her smile. “My pleasure.”

“Welcome to Fitzgerald Bay.” Keira had to stop herself from nervously wiping her hand on the side of her uniform pants as soon as he released it. Not only had his handshake been firm, his warm touch had sent tingles zipping through her fingertips. She clasped her hands together. “Sorry. I just came in. It’s freezing out there.”

“Nick is from Boston. He’s used to our climate,” Aiden said. He cleared his throat. “He’s been reassigned here to temporarily assist us in our investigation of the murder.”

“The Olivia Henry murder,” Nick added.

So that was what was bugging Douglas and the others. Their expertise was being challenged. No wonder she’d sensed so much tension in the air this morning. Nobody liked having their work questioned—especially not by some supposed hotshot from the big city. Then again, maybe they did need help. They hadn’t made much progress on that case in the month since the body had been discovered.

Poor Olivia had been working as a nanny for Keira’s brother Charles Fitzgerald, taking care of his young, motherless twins when she’d been murdered. The town was still reeling over her death and the senselessness of the killing, not to mention the undercurrent of unrest that lingered due to their inability to solve the case.

When her father didn’t elaborate, Keira felt compelled to rise to his defense. “That’s the only murder investigation we’re working on. I assure you, Fitzgerald Bay is not a bit like Boston.”

“I see.” One corner of Nick’s mouth twitched as if he might be laughing at them on the inside, even if he was too polite to let it out.

Aiden cleared his throat and Keira could tell that he was deeply troubled. It was natural for her father, as police chief, to take any serious crimes personally. She just wished they’d get this particular file closed—for everybody’s sake.

“I’m teaming you up on the Henry case, at least for the time being,” the chief said, looking from one to the other. He finally settled his gaze on Keira. “Nick is a highly experienced detective, which is the main reason I agreed to let him help us out. I had already talked to an old friend in law enforcement about bringing in fresh eyes so I didn’t hesitate when I got a call from the State Police recommending we utilize Nick. I’m sure he can teach us plenty.”

Her eyes widened and her mouth gaped. “But…”

“No buts, Keira. I’m speaking as your chief and as your father. When I partner you with any of our regular officers, especially with your brothers, I worry that they’ll risk their lives to protect you.”

“Of course they would. I’d do the same for them,” she insisted, frowning and embracing Douglas’s defensive mood more fully by the second.

“That’s beside the point. You wanted to be a cop, so be one. You know this town inside out. You’re the perfect person to acquaint Nick with everything he needs to know to conduct a successful investigation.”

“Yes, sir.”

Under other circumstances she might have given her dad a cheery, comic salute to encourage him and make him smile. This time, she cautioned herself; they needed to present a fully professional front. Three of her four brothers, Ryan, Owen and Douglas, as well as the chief, were members of the Fitzgerald Bay Police Department. They had a reputation to uphold. Particularly in the presence of this interloper.

“I already have my uniforms and lieutenant’s brass,” Nick announced. “All I’ll need is a FBPD badge and I’ll be set. I can start immediately if you want.”

“Fine.” Aiden produced the ID Nick had asked for, then dropped down onto his leather desk chair as if the weight of the world lay on his shoulders. “That’s all. You may go.”

Keira’s cool glance met Nick’s resolute one and held it for long seconds before she led the way out of the private office.

“I’d tell you I was sorry you got saddled with a rookie like me if I didn’t think I was the one being picked on,” she said over her shoulder as they proceeded into the main part of the station.

“No problem. You aren’t the first partner I’ve had who wasn’t particularly thrilled with me.”

She couldn’t help herself. The opportunity for wry humor was just too perfect to pass up so she sent him the most sardonically sweet smile she could muster and said, “Good to know. Add my name to that list, will you?”

Nick had been floored when the beautiful, dark-haired young woman had waltzed into the chief’s office.

That was a cop? Not in his book. Keira Fitzgerald didn’t look able to take adequate care of herself, let alone fight crime. No wonder her father had assigned her to him. At least that would keep her out of trouble. For now. If he decided that the whole department was dirty, as he’d been led to suspect, he was pretty sure the starry-eyed rookie would find that conclusion impossible to accept.

Yeah, Nick thought, remembering what had happened after his last successful assignment in Boston, but Keira probably won’t try to shoot me over it. That was a definite plus in his book.

Briefings and his own additional internet research had shown him that the Fitzgerald Bay Police Department hierarchy was mainly composed of Fitzgeralds; Ryan was the deputy chief, Owen was a detective and Douglas was a captain, not to mention rookie Keira and the chief. Which was one of the primary reasons Nick had been recruited by the Massachusetts State Police to conduct this undercover Internal Affairs investigation.

It wasn’t going to be easy. Cops normally stuck together. Add the fact that many of these officers were blood relatives and you had an impenetrable barrier to the truth, particularly since Charles, the only Fitzgerald brother who wasn’t on the force, happened to be a suspect in the Olivia Henry murder.

“Well, I suppose you want to get started right away,” Keira said, pausing beside a small, cluttered desk that Nick assumed was hers.

“Yes. I got here last night but I wasn’t sure when the chief would want me to start so I left my uniforms in my room at the inn across the street. I’ll go change and be right back.”

“I may as well walk over with you. I can introduce you to the staff of the Sugar Plum Café and Inn as part of your orientation.”

“Okay.” He didn’t care if she dogged his steps 24/7. The more details he observed and could put into his report, the faster he’d be done with this assignment and could get back to his regular job—starting with looking into a few of his old cases that were still nettling him.

Holding the front door for her to pass he said, “I’d like to begin with you, if you don’t mind. I understand you were present when the body was found.”

“Not exactly,” Keira replied. “A bunch of us were at my father’s house when we heard the call and headed over there. Olivia had been late for a lunch date with a friend, Merry O’Leary. It was Merry who spotted her lying at the bottom of a cliff near the lighthouse. We thought she’d just slipped and fallen until some men rappelled down there and could inspect the scene closely.”

“It looked like murder right away?”

Keira shook her head. “Not exactly. Like the report says, at first glance we thought Olivia had fallen. It was the bloody rock nearby and the way she hadn’t bled much after she landed that made us suspect foul play.”

“How many bystanders had already tromped all over the evidence by then?”

Watching her face closely he saw nothing but honesty underlying her prompt denial. “None. I just told you. A couple men went down the cliff on ropes before we did anything else.”

“Why take that approach?”

“When you see the area you’ll understand. That was by far the fastest way in, and at that time we weren’t sure whether Olivia was injured or actually dead.”

Nick noted that his new partner shivered as she spoke and wondered just how much of a rookie she was. “This is your first major case?”

She rolled her eyes and tried to smile at him, failing miserably. “Oh, yes. The only death I remember ever seeing up close was a pet hamster I had when I was a kid.”

She paused, swallowed and licked her lips, making Nick slightly uncomfortable for reasons he couldn’t quite fathom.

“I refused to look in the casket at my mother’s funeral,” Keira continued. “I wanted to remember her when she was happy and full of life.”

“I’m sorry for your loss, but having to deal with tragedy is part of this job. Surely you knew that when you chose a career in law enforcement.”

That observation brought a smile back to Keira’s face and a twinkle to her bright blue eyes. “Yeah, well… I’m afraid I pictured my job more as that of an understanding friend, kindly suggesting that lawbreakers behave themselves instead of having to exert authority over folks who have known me since I was a kid.”

“Sometimes there are far worse problems to deal with, as you found out.”

“I sure did,” she said with a nod. “The hard way.”

Keira appreciated the inn’s welcoming beauty more every time she visited. Victoria Evans had kept the flavor of the old building when she’d returned to Fitzgerald Bay to take over the business, and most of its clients openly complimented her on the ambience of the inn and the delicious food served in the café.

Some locals had predicted that the long-ago sins of Victoria’s father would keep away customers but that hadn’t happened. Other than a few folks who still mourned for Patrick Fitzgerald, Keira’s cousin, whom Victoria’s father had killed while driving drunk, Victoria seemed to have overcome her dad’s heartbreaking history. Even Patrick’s most defensive kin seemed to have mellowed during the past ten years, although there was still a lingering touch of animosity that saddened Keira.

As Nick started up the gracefully carved stairway to the second floor, she called after him, “I’ll wait right here.”

And I hope I don’t look half as uncomfortable as I feel, she added to herself. This was one of those times when she would have given just about anything to be free to turn on her heel and stalk out the door—without her new partner.

Unfortunately, it was her job to stick with the guy, to babysit him, so to speak. She could do that. She might not like it but she could do it. What was it that the Bible said in the book of James about withstanding adversity? Something about testing bringing maturity, if she remembered right. Admittedly she was only twenty-three and pretty inexperienced. Maybe this was the Lord’s way of making her better at her job.

A shout and a heavy thud from above startled her out of her reverie. While other guests and employees froze and stared at the ceiling, Keira sprang into action.

Her boots thudded up the carpeted steps. What was going on? And why did it seem as if the whole inn was holding its breath?

I am, too, she realized, gulping air. The heel of her hand rested on the grip of her .40 Glock but she didn’t draw it. No sense brandishing a gun if calming words would do the trick.

She reached the top of the stairs in time to hear another crash. And another. Then glass breaking.

Inching her way down the hallway she tried to pinpoint the source of the sounds. There? No. Down there. One more door? Maybe.

Pressing her spine against the wall she stood to the side, out of the line of fire, just as she’d been taught at the academy, before readying her gun and knocking. “Police! Open up.”

The door swung in. A man’s shoulder and foot stuck out the opening for such a brief time they were hardly more than a blur.

Before Keira could swivel fully to confront him, he was jerked backward. The door slammed. She wasn’t certain who or what she’d seen but she was positive one of the colors involved had been the sea-green of Nick Delfino’s pullover sweater!

Hoping the door was unlocked she grabbed the knob. It turned! She was in. Almost.

Someone or something crashed against the door on the opposite side just as she was easing it open. The sudden jolt staggered her. By the time she’d regained her equilibrium, the door had bounced against the cracked frame and was standing ajar.

Keira gave it a shove with her free hand and peered inside. The room was a shambles. Its occupant didn’t look as though he was in very good shape, either.

She didn’t need police training to tell that Nick had gotten the worst of the brief altercation. He was half sitting, half lying on the polished hardwood floor, while examining the back of his head with one hand.

She directed the gun’s barrel at the ceiling as she crouched next to him. “What happened?”

“Prowler.” Acting groggy, he pointed to the open window. “That way.”

“Will you be okay if I leave you?”

“Just get him,” Nick ordered, rapidly regaining his senses and with them his air of authority. “Be careful.”

A quick trip to the window let Keira scan the snow- covered alley, then lean out just enough to see what lay directly below. There was no one visible.

She raced downstairs, scanning the area and seeing no one but concerned residents. She ran around back. No one. With a final assessment, Keira rushed back upstairs.

“He got away,” she told Nick as she holstered her automatic and reached for the radio clipped to her belt.

By the time she’d made her report and was ready to quiz Nick further, he’d gotten to his feet and was in the bathroom, washing his face and peering into the mirror.

Keira stood behind him at the open door, unable to keep from smiling. Except for a few bruises and a possible shiner, it looked as if her new partner wasn’t badly injured. That was a relief.

Frowning, he met her eyes in the mirror. “What are you grinning at?”

“Just glad to see you’re okay. How did he get the best of you, anyway? You look like a guy who can handle himself in a fight.”

“A fair fight. He conked me when I opened the door. It would have been a lot easier to hit him back if I hadn’t kept seeing two or three versions of him coming at me at once.”

Nick blotted his face with a towel, then turned to her and crossed his arms. “Which reminds me. When you went to school, didn’t they teach you to assume there’d be more than one perp at every crime scene? You came in here blind and didn’t even bother to check the closet or the bathroom.”

“I don’t believe it,” Keira said, astonished and more than a little chagrined when she realized Nick had a valid point. “I chase away a prowler and rescue you, and all you can do is chew me out for how I did it.”

“I’m trying to keep you alive,” Nick said flatly. “You can’t let your emotions get in the way of common sense and training when you’re on duty. The next time, that kind of carelessness might get you killed.”

“I told you before. We don’t have serious violence in Fitzgerald Bay. It just doesn’t happen.”

As Nick raised one eyebrow, he winced. “Oh, really? Tell that to Olivia Henry.”

“That was a low blow.”

“No,” Nick said, shaking his head. “It was a fact. One you seem to be forgetting. If I were you, I’d be on edge every second until her killer’s caught.” He paused, staring as if he could look right through his new partner. “Unless you happen to know who the murderer is and you’re not afraid of him.”

“Why would I not…?” Keira’s jaw dropped. “Oh, no, you don’t. Forget any rumors that may be floating around town. My brother Charles is not only a doctor, he’s a kind, loving man. Olivia was his children’s nanny. That’s all. He didn’t have a thing to do with her death.”

“Then prove it to me, starting by staying alert and on your guard.”

“Against the murderer, you mean?”

“Against everybody,” Nick said soberly. “Until we catch whoever hit that woman and pushed her off the cliff, a real cop would look at everyone as a possible suspect.” His eyes narrowed. “Even her own brother.”

TWO

Keira saw no reason to keep arguing with Nick about Charles so she decided to change the subject. “All right, I will admit I wasn’t in top form when I came to your rescue. I’ll do better next time.”

That brought a chuckle she hadn’t expected. He gestured at the ruins of his room. “Let’s hope there is no next time. The proprietor will probably kick me out after she sees this mess.”

“I was meaning to ask why you’d booked a room here. Wouldn’t you rather rent an apartment, even if it’s only for a month or two?”

He paused for several seconds before saying, “Sure, but where would I find one?”

“I think I may have an idea. I’ll have to check with Douglas—Captain Fitzgerald—first. In the meantime, you’d better find your uniforms and make sure they’re okay.”

“Let’s wait till your lab techs have processed the scene, shall we? I’d hate to disturb any clues.”

Keira had to bite her lip to keep from laughing. “Our what?”

The befuddled expression on Nick’s face finally pushed her over the edge and she did chuckle softly before waving her hands in the air and apologizing. “Sorry. I was just imagining what it must be like to have specialists at your fingertips, night and day. Around here we do pretty much everything ourselves.”

“Okay. I get it.”

“I don’t think you do.”

“Meaning?”

She hesitated in order to choose her words carefully, then explained. “Meaning, the Henry case. Like I told you, the minute we suspected we had a homicide we treated that victim and the scene with the utmost care. Everything was handled professionally, even though there was a storm brewing and Olivia’s body was at the bottom of that steep cliff. Some of the evidence was probably affected by the fall, the surf and the weather but we did the best anyone could have. We’re not hicks. We know how important it is to preserve possible evidence.”

“I read the reports,” Nick said.

“Then you also know we didn’t write the parts dealing with the processing of the evidence. Everything went to Boston, with the body, for examination there.”

“But you did investigate the whereabouts of possible suspects and check their alibis.”

“Yes. So?”

Keira had assumed he was going to want to question a few persons of interest again but she was floored when he looked straight at her and said, “So, how can you be certain that everything in the file is accurate?”

“Of course it is. Why wouldn’t it be?” she countered, bracing for another dose of his unwarranted skepticism.

Although Nick shook his head at her and appeared incredulous, he nevertheless answered, “Because not everybody in this world is on the up-and-up, rookie. One of these days you’re going to take off those rose-colored glasses and see people for what they really are. Liars. Cheats. Self-serving hypocrites.”