“I see. Now, before we start, let me make two things very clear.” Gelman put his cup down. “First, we always try to keep cases like yours as discreet as possible to protect the image of the police force as a whole. Which means we try to find amicable solutions before things escalate.”
“So you’re some kind of mediator?” Andi asked.
“Yes. If mediation fails, everything will go the official way, though I pride myself in saying I’m usually successful in finding compromises that leave everybody just mad enough at me to forget about quarreling with each other.” He grinned at that, and Andi’s respect for the man went up more than a few notches. Judging books by their cover—or toenails in this case—really was unwise.
“Now let’s talk about the current situation. I did some research on you two, and to be honest, I don’t understand why you aren’t the chief’s golden boys. Your solving rates are so impeccable, every precinct would be proud to have you. And that last case was brilliant.”
Andi glanced at George, who cleared his throat. They had talked about how much they would reveal and decided that honesty was the best way. Of course they wouldn’t mention Andi’sgeschenk, but George would tell Gelman everything else, starting with the deal he made with Chief Norris when he first came to Charleston.
“Our, or more precisely, Andi’s solving rates are kind of the root of the problem.”
Gelman straightened on the sofa. “How come?”
“As you surely know, I transferred to Charleston PD roughly six months ago. On my first day, Chief Norris asked me into her office and told me I would be partnering with Andi. She also told me to find out how Andi solves his cases in exchange for a glowing recommendation for when I left Charleston.”
“And you agreed?”
George shrugged, winked in Andi’s direction. “Why not? It wasn’t what I had expected, but I couldn’t find anything inherently wrong with it either. I would be working with Andi closely anyway, and if I found anything, well, then I had a direct order to report. It was kind of a gray area. Plus, I had the chance to make a positive impression on the chief, which is usually a good idea.”
Gelman nodded. “What did you find? I expect it wasn’t what Chief Norris suspected?”
“She wasn’t happy, if that’s what you mean. Our first case was the trafficking ring we busted.”
“Castain and Harris. Nasty business.”
“Yes. It was a horrible case with leads drying up left and right. We were able to get results because of Andi’s contacts everywhere in the city and because of his very accurate instincts. In the beginning I had some trouble trusting his gut feelings because I myself work with a more evidence-based manner, but I learned to see his instincts as something that gives us pointers in the right direction. Anyway, Chief Norris wasn’t happy when I reported back that there wasn’t anything sinister going on with my partner. Since that first case, our relationship has deteriorated steadily.”
“She did suspend you from the Castain case.”
“Yes.”
“Because you ignored her order of leaving Castain alone.”
“Yes.”
“Why did you do that?” Gelman sounded genuinely interested, a good trait in somebody who regularly stepped into volatile situations. George nodded at Andi, who took over.
“We knew Chief Norris wanted Castain to be left alone because he worked for the mayor, who didn’t want a scandal so close to election. All evidence we had, though, pointed to him. At the time we weren’t sure if he was one of the ringleaders or just involved in some manner, but it was clear he was part of it, and leaving him alone wasn’t an option.” Andi told the white lie smoothly, thinking of what an ordinary detective would have known at the time when Norris had suspended them. Gelman had apparently no problem believing Andi.
“I see. You were spot-on, cracked the case, recommendations all around.”
“Yes.”
“Then why is she so fixated on you?”
Andi shrugged. “I honestly don’t know. Could be because Chief Renard, her predecessor, told her to leave me be.”
“He didn’t have a problem with you working alone? Or with your solving rates?”
“Chief Renard is a pragmatic. I made him look good, he didn’t complain.”
“A wise man, it seems.” Gelman leaned back on the sofa. “I’m going to be honest, gentlemen. We’re in a kind of pickle here. You have given me enough condemning material to start an official investigation, which very likely would end with Chief Norris being removed from her position.”
“Which is not what you want.” George sounded resigned with a hint of predatory awareness Andi had learned to recognize as his partner being close to pouncing on his prey.
“It’s not what the higher-ups want. You know how it is, Detectives, the public opinion of the police is bad enough as it is. Removing an African American chief of police from her post, here in the South, is going to cause a huge stink. One we would like to avoid if possible.”
“We get that. What do you suggest?” George leaned forward in his seat.
