Rarities Unlimited 04 - The Color of Death

system. In the meantime, it’s up to me to fill in the gaps in Kelly’s story. That’s where you guys come in. It means a lot to me to have two officers who deal with major crimes against persons assigned to the case.”
    “Has Ed been much help to you yet?” Veronica asked.
    Ed Flynn had been Veronica’s partner on the police force before she went on maternity leave six months ago.
    Tessa nodded. “He told me he’d look into a few things yesterday. Background stuff. I guess he found something, since he wanted to meet us here for lunch today.”
    “He must have a light caseload while I’m out on leave,” Ronnie said with a wicked grin. “Normally he gives all the chicken-shit background stuff to me.”
    Tessa laughed at the common complaint of a rookie partner. “I know. He grumbled about doing the grunt work.” Her smile faded. “Seriously, though, it is a big imposition on him. That’s why I was thinking about bringing in a local private investigation firm to work on some aspects of the case. Especially the credit card thing. I, um, kind of didn’t mention that to the police when we filed the rape report.”
    “I’m not hearing this,” Veronica said.
    “I even toyed with not telling you guys,” Tessa confessed. “But I can’t hold back information like that. So I need to contract a little help to look into the credit cards and get that whole thing out of the way. I don’t want you and Ed to have to spend any time on anything beyond what Sledge Aiken did to Kelly.”
    Ronnie blew out a long breath. “It’s a tough call, but I guess I’d go to a private investigator if I were you. Because if we have to look at the possibility of credit card fraud, that will become the focus instead of the alleged rape. We’d have to bring in another department that deals with white-collar crime, and if they hear that Ed is poking around their territory…well, let’s just say that police turf wars can get ugly. Going with a P.I. is probably safest.”
    Tessa rolled her eyes. “Please don’t tell me the police would turn a rape investigation into a pissing contest because Ed stepped on their toes.”
    “ ’Fraid so. Who were you thinking of farming the investigation out to?”Ronnie asked.
    “I don’t know. None of the investigators I’ve used previously with the D.A.’s Office have the qualifications to take on a case like this.”
    “Most of the banks and major creditors have private investigators on retainer for this kind of thing.”
    “I suppose I could ask around and see which firm my banks use.”
    Veronica thought for a moment. “What about Novak International? It’s run by Lucas Novak, who is a former deputy with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department. He’s got good investigative experience in the major crimes division, plus he did a stint with the SWAT team before going private. If he’s not on retainer with some of the local banks, he’d certainly be able to point you in the right direction.”
    “Does he have experience with cases like Kelly’s?” Tessa asked. She got out her black notebook to write down the investigator’s name.
    “He should. Most of his business now centers on family issues, custody cases, kidnappings, ransoms in Mexico, runaways. He also has a division that provides corporate security and bodyguard services, as well as fraud detection and prevention. He’s a bit of a renegade, but a damned good investigator.”
    Tessa nodded and closed her notebook. “Thanks. I’ll talk to the owner. Hopefully he can help me take some of the pressure off Ed. And you, when you get back on duty.”
    “I’m counting the days—five more. I love my baby girl, but being stuck with her at home all day”—she shook her head—“there are times when I spend twenty minutes on the phone with telemarketers just to have an adult conversation.”
    “Wow, that’s pretty bad.” Tessa laughed. “Still, you’re lucky to have a healthy daughter and a husband willing to share baby duty.”
    “I think Mike is freaked at the idea of a six-month leave of absence from the force. But he loves Jordan and agrees with me that she’s too young to go to day care for sixty or seventy hours a week. It’s going to be a big hit financially, and probably for Mike’s career, but…” Veronica shrugged.
    She hadn’t planned things this way, but she hadn’t planned on dating a coworker and getting pregnant, either. Still, they were making the best of the situation, and building a