She half-shrugged and walked away.
“Jesus Christ,” Colin muttered in disgust. He carried the badge to his office and collapsed into a chair, unsure of what to do next. The safest solution would be to place the security badge directly into Clayton's hand. But that solution would involve an awkward exchange with one of his immediate superiors, an exchange Colin would prefer to avoid. His only other choice was to leave the badge in Clayton's office with no explanation whatsoever.
“He’ll sure as hell know it was me,” Colin muttered. “I’m the only one here at this hour.” He wondered if the girl might be Clayton’s relative, but the clues offered by her dress and demeanor suggested a much different type of relationship. He grimaced as a surge of anger tightened his chest. “What the fuck’s wrong with that guy?” Colin muttered in disgust. “I mean, Jesus! Fuck around all you like, but keep track of your goddamn badge!”
In the end he chose the latter solution and left the badge in the exact center of Clayton's desk. The man never mentioned it, nor did Colin ever figure out how he got into the building that day without it. But later that afternoon Colin made deliberate and prolonged eye contact with Clayton, hoping that his gaze sent the message he intended:Watch yourself!
* * *
He toldJoshua about the incident over dinner that night. “I don’t want to judge the guy,” Colin said. “But man, that looked bad! I mean, she didn’t even try to hide what was going on. She was pretty damned blatant...almost like she was bragging about it.”
Joshua shrugged. “Maybe shewas. A guy like Clayton who has a lot of clout in the community...” He shrugged again and left the sentence unfinished.
Colin husked out a disgusted breath. “Fucking annoys me that I even know about it. I mean I’ve heard stuff in the break room...Quent and Sheila giggling about Clayton's bullshit. But I never paid any attention to it. Figured it was just office gossip.”
“Maybe some of itisoffice gossip,” Joshua said. “Just be careful. If a guy in his position felt threatened by you...he could make your life miserable.”
“That’s why it pisses me off that I know about it. What the fuck was hethinking?”
Joshua laughed. “If he’d been thinking it probably wouldn’t have happened.”
* * *
During the firstweek in October, when Colin had been with the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s office for nearly two months, Esther Jackson summoned him to her office. She gave him no notice nor any explanation of the meeting’s purpose, but she smiled when he entered and motioned him to a chair.
“Good morning, Mr. Campbell,” she said, then frowned slightly. “Excuse me, I mean Campbell-Abrams.”
“Campbell is fine, ma’am,” Colin replied. “I don’t turn into a stickler with people until they piss me off.”
“You’ve done a fine job for us so far, Colin,” she told him. “I’ve been impressed with your ability to close cases ahead of deadline, and by your success gaining cooperation from city and campus police.” Here she stopped and gave Colin an amused glance. “Though I suspect that you have more insight than most about which buttons to push to gain that cooperation.”
“And how long to push them,” Colin said flashing his dimples. Then he shrugged. “I have a lot of friends on both police forces. I’m lucky in that regard. It’s easier for me to get their cooperation because they know I won’t be taken in by their bullshit excuses.” Again, he smiled. “Pardon the language, ma’am.”
“Colin, I’m going to be sliding a couple of Adylinn’s cases onto your docket. Possibly even a couple of Quentin’s.” She leaned toward Colin and smirked. “Though I’m sure they won’t be guaranteed winners.”
Colin scoffed out a laugh. “Understood, ma’am. I don’t mind working for the win if the cause is just.” He narrowed his eyes. “Fact is, I don’t mindlosingif the cause is just.”
Esther nodded. “Exactly. We’re not here just to see that the guilty are punished, we’realsohere to be certain that the innocent arenot.”
“Understood, ma’am.”
“It’s also possible that I might rope you in to second chairing in a few of their cases.”
Colin leaned toward her desk, his face twisted in a mock grimace. “And what are my fellow Commonwealth’s attorneys going to say when you slide their cases onto my docket or toss me into their second chair without them so much assuggestingthat they want me there?”
“I suspect they’re not going to like it,” Esther replied. She gave Colin a long, searching stare. “But I also suspect that you won’t lose any sleep over their...irritation.”
Colin tilted his head back and laughed out loud. “Ma’am, the only person whose irritation causes me to lose sleep has the same last name as I do.”
“But youdoget along with your fellow attorneys,” Esther remarked. She phrased it as a statement, but Colin heard the question implied in her words.
“I do, ma’am. At least for the most part.” He looked down for a moment, his brows narrowed, then met her eyes. “However, Ihavemade it clear to them, as nicely as possible, that I’m not inclined to take any...” He stopped for a moment. “Shall we say…harassment?”
“Shall we saycrap?” Jackson replied.
“Nicely put, ma’am.”
“Some of these cases will involve a jury trial,” Esther told him. “Are you ready?”
