“Did you not tell her to draw back?” asked Mayor Jensen.
Hansen hesitated, but just briefly. “Yes. But she wanted to stay with the girl, and I support that.”
“Indeed.” Mayor Jensen looked back at me, and I wanted nothing more at that moment than to be able to blow him up with my mind. “The city doesn’t like it,” he continued, looking back at Hansen. “Some of our officers and even our civilians think she’s hindering job performance. If you let her get away with everything, how long will it take for the rest of the station to run wild?”
“I’m sorry, Mayor, but I haven’t heard a single complaint lodged against Miss Hill,” Hansen said, glancing back at me. “Has anyone filed a complaint against you, Paisley?”
I thought briefly of Tanner and his distaste for me but pushed it aside and shook my head. “Only Mayor Jensen seems to have a real issue with me,” I said. The mayor shook his head thoughtfully, looking back at Hansen.
“Can I have a moment of your time? Alone?”
For a second, Hansen looked like he was going to refuse, but then he shrugged his shoulders and pointed towards his office.
“Sure. Take all the time you need.”
Chapter38
Hansen
Nearly half an hour later, I watched Mayor Jensen walk out of my office with his chin arrogantly pointed up, a rolled-up police report clutched firmly in his fist. He turned back around to look at me at the last second, his bushy brows furrowed.
“Don’t make a mistake with your crew, Captain Hansen,” he said. “The evidence will pile up sooner or later.” When he turned around again, he nearly collided with Korbin, who had just gotten back from a run. Korbin looked bewildered as Mayor Jensen pushed him aside and out of the way, but he shrugged and looked at me.
“Do you have a second, Cap?”
“What is it?”
“Something happened to Hill.”
It wasn’t a question, not even close, and as Korbin shut the office door behind him and placed both hands steadily on my desk to look at me, I couldn’t meet his gaze.
“What are you talking about?”
“Don’t play around, Cap.” Korbin flopped himself into the chair across from me and folded his arms. “Her lip is all busted up, and she can barely get around. Now I know you have spent a minute or two together, so what happened?”
“I don’t know. She won’t tell me.”
Korbin leaned forward, elbows on the desk and hands clasped in front of him. He lowered his chin slightly, so his eyes were directly across from mine.
“With all due respect,sir, if that handiwork is yours, I’ll make sure you—”
“It wasn’t me, Korbin,” I said. “You know me better than that.”
He leaned back a bit, pondering that answer. “Sorry to threaten you, man, but—”
“I would expect nothing less.” I rested my elbows on the desk and clasped my hands together, trying to ward off the incoming migraine. “The truth is, she doesn’t know who it was. Or if she does, she won’t tell me.”
“So, it was someone?” Korbin asked.
I nodded, resting my forehead against my fists. “She’s telling me she was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
“You don’t believe that.” It wasn’t a question.
“Of course not. She refused when I wanted to take her to the hospital, saying she didn’t want this story blowing up.”
“I can’t blame her,” Korbin said. “Not with the flack the department is already getting.”
“Speaking of,” I said and lowered my voice. “The mayor came today bearing some heavy news.”
