Lover Beware 04 - Only Human

quiet—
    much too quiet—when she walked into the Homicide bullpen.
    Only three officers were there, and all were terribly busy. Too busy to look up, much less greet her.
    Until Brunswick started howling.
    She could have kissed him. It was so obnoxiously normal.
    The other man laughed and the female detective told him to put a sock in it.
    "You really need to do something about that sore throat,"
    Lily said as she sat at her desk, fighting back a grin. "You're sounding hoarse."
    "I want details," he said, spinning his chair to grin at her.
    "Times, places ... especially times. As in, how many. Scuttle-butt has it that lupi are real gifted in the stamina department, but I—"
    "You can tell us about your sex life another time, Brunswick," Vivian Shuman said, and grimaced at Lily. "Ah ... the captain said he wanted to see you in his office when you showed up."
    Great. Lily sighed and shoved her chair back. "Do I get a blindfold?"
    CAPTAIN FOSTER WAS a short, squat man with a round head, no neck, and all his features crowded together in the bottom half of his face. He chewed gum constantly, had a lousy temper, and was one of the best cops Lily knew.

    300
    EILEEN WILKS
    From the expression on his face when she walked in, she could have used the blindfold.
    "You're off the lupus case. Pass everything you've got to Simmons."
    Her head jerked slightly and her whole body went stiff, as if someone had yanked her straight up by the hair on her head.
    "What?"
    "You heard me. You've compromised the investigation."
    His mouth twisted. "Of all the dumbass stunts to pull! You couldn't find a human to date? Or just put your hormones on hold?"
    "I wasn't aware my private life was subject to your approval. Sir."
    "It is when I spend an hour in the chief's office trying to explain why the detective I insisted on has made more progress with her private life than her investigation. A man was beaten last night because he's got hair on his back, for Chrissake.
    People are scared. The mayor is scared. And you get your picture plastered all over the front page, cuddled up to a lupus closely tied to your investigation."
    "Captain ..." Her jaw clamped hard on all the things she wanted to say. She started again. "Turner is not a suspect. He's solidly alibied for two of the three killings—one of those alibis being the mayor. Working with him was the mayor's suggestion, as relayed to me by the chief."
    "You weren't working with him last night. Dammit, Yu, just because the man has an alibi doesn't clear him! He could have arranged the killings."
    "I see. You consider him a suspect because he's a lupus."
    "Use your head." His jaw flexed. He was chomping down hard on his gum. "We know the murders were committed by one of his people. Even if he isn't personally involved, you can't trust him. Lupi don't exactly have a history of cooperation with the police, yet he's apparently eager to help you track down one of his people. Dammit, I shouldn't have to tell you all this."
    "No. You shouldn't." Lily's anger was cold now. Icy. He was questioning her competence, her integrity. "I assume, then, that if I were dating the head of the NAACP you would remove me from any cases where we knew the perp was African American."

    Only Human
    301
    Foster's mouth opened—and closed. His jaw worked. He wanted badly to tell her that was altogether different. And couldn't.
    She leaned forward. "Sir, I'm aware that Turner's agenda may not be as altruistic as he'd have us think. Maybe he means to misdirect me, if he can. Or even warn the killer. But I consider that a very low probability. His first priority is the welfare of his clan, with that of lupi in general a close second.
    He's been doing everything possible to promote the Species Citizenship Bill that's in subcommittee now, and these killings damage its chances."
    "You think he agreed to help us for political reasons?"
    Lily took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. "I think he wants to find the killer every bit as badly as we do—only he wants to find him first. And turn him over to his clan for punishment."
    Foster studied her in silence, for once not chomping on his gum. Maybe he was wondering the same thing she did: had Rule involved himself with her for the same reason he'd become involved with the investigation?
    Finally he spoke. "Lupi in wolf form aren't protected by law, so he might be able to carry out some kind of vigilante justice if he gets to the perp first. But it would reflect badly on him