The brashness of the captain’s speech and tone took Camden aback. “I’m sorry,” Camden replied, “I wasn’t aware that either of us should give a damn about what you or anyone else thought of our relationship.”
To her credit, the woman didn’t seem the slightest bit concerned by Camden’s flippant tone. “Normally I’d agree with you. But as I understand it, most of your relationship occurred while you were placed in Lieutenant Stephenson’s protective custody, making it my business if you were fucking on the department’s dime.”
“What is this all about, Captain? I would hope you didn’t interrupt my plans for today just to ask me if Elijah and I were sleeping together while I was at his house.”
He watched her close the folder on her desk and slide it to the edge in front of him. “This is why I called you down here, Mr. Warren.”
He picked up the folder and read its contents. It was an official departmental complaint sworn out against Elijah. The complainant accused Elijah of negligent behavior during Camden’s case that bordered on the criminal, with terms like “sexual deviance” thrown in for good measure. Whoever drafted this also insisted Elijah be relieved of his duties because of his inability to perform in a professional and dignified manner.
Camden closed his eyes before he read the signature at the bottom of the affidavit. He didn’t need to see it to know who wrote this, but in his soul, he prayed his assumption was wrong.
But sadly, when he gathered up enough courage to look down at the document again, he saw his father’s distinctive “Honorable Michael C. Warren, JD” scribbled across the signature line.
“My inspector is giving me time to get ahead of this. However, your father is a judge. He can’t sit on this forever. Can you talk to your father? Can you get him to rescind this? If he can prove any of this, it could be terrible for Elijah.”
Camden slouched back into his chair and released a heavy breath. “What happens between now and when the time your inspector gave you is up?”
“I know I’m crossing a line, but I wanted to let you know what was going on first. If I’d told Elijah about this first, he would’ve quit and probably never told you why.”
He nodded his head. She wasn’t wrong. Elijah wouldn’t have allowed anyone to back him into a corner. If only Camden had that kind of resolve. Instead, he sat there trembling for no other reason than he knew his father had made a power move and Camden wasn’t sure how to get around it.
“I’ll talk to my father. This has to be a misunderstanding.”
The captain nodded her head. “If I don’t hear from you by tomorrow morning, I’ll have no choice but to notify Stephenson of this officially. By chance, do you have any experience with representing anyone in IA matters? Because if your father is coming after my lieutenant like this, his PBA rep may not cut it.”
Camden stood up, his lawyer game-face settling over his features. “I’m sure my boss would see it as a conflict of interest, but whether it’s me, or one of my colleagues, Elijah will have everything he needs to win in court.”
The captain shook her head, sadness adding creases to the worry lines taking up residence on her face. “Counselor, we both know whether this goes to court is immaterial. In court your father knows he’d lose. This is about ruining Elijah’s reputation, stripping him of his ability to succeed in a job he loves. Once this is officially filed, whether the allegations are founded, Elijah will never make rank again.”
Camden shuddered. Elijah had become a cop to follow in his father’s footsteps, but he’d succeeded in the department under his own steam. That he could lose it all because of Camden’s megalomaniac father was something Camden couldn’t allow.
“I promise I’ll handle it.” He left the captain’s office, heading directly for his car in the parking lot. As soon as he closed the driver’s door, his phone was out, and he was calling his father’s cell phone.
The judge picked up on the first ring as if he was expecting Camden’s call. Knowing how strategic that son of a bitch was, Camden didn’t doubt he was.
“Why did you do it?”
“Ah, Camden,” the judge uttered. His voice was tinged with knowing delight, smugness traveling across the line, making Camden grateful he wasn’t close enough to string his father up by his designer tie. “If you’re referring to the complaint I swore out against Lieutenant Stephenson, then my answer is that you left me no choice. You wouldn’t listen to reason. As your father I had to do what was best for my son.”
“How did you even find out Elijah was assigned to this case? None of those details have been released yet.”
“I’ve been on the bench in the highest court of the state for more than a decade. Does it really seem like police files are something I couldn’t get my hands on? You’re losing your edge, Camden. You of all people should know who I am, and how far I can extend my reach.”
Camden’s pulse sped up. “You made it sound like Elijah used his badge to coerce me into sex. Nothing like that happened, and you couldn’t prove it even if it did. You are trading on other people’s pain, Father. Not to mention, you’re lying. Everything that happened between Elijah and me has always been consensual.”
“That’s not my interpretation of it, son. I asked you to stop seeing that man for your own benefit. You wouldn’t, so I had to intervene.”
Camden wrapped one hand tightly around the steering wheel and squeezed. It was that or punch his hand through the window. The gall of his father to do something like this and name fatherly love as his motivation…. It was infuriating.
“Me leaving Elijah is not an option. I won’t walk away from him to please you. I love him.”
“Do you love his family also? His father is retired, but his mother still works. Isn’t she a nursing director at the county hospital? It would be so sad if negative press about her son led to an unfavorable light being cast on her too. It would be equally shameful if perhaps her superiors discovered something unsavory about her work ethic as well? And what about his brother—”
Camden slapped the heel of his hand against the steering wheel and prayed the distraction was enough to keep him from executing the patricidal thoughts currently swirling around in his head.
“You wouldn’t—”
“Camden, you’ve seen what happens when I’m determined to bring someone down. Are you willing to test the theory that this so-called love of yours will succeed? The truth is, when I’m done with your lieutenant and his family, he will hate you for coming into his life.”
