Edge of Midnight

Chapter One Two years later Nothing like firing somebody on a Monday morning to start the week out right. A scratchy throat, sharp pains above the bridge of her nose, and a throbbing earache put Susan Wren smack in the mood. The officer in question, recently hired Ida Rather, had performed an unforgivable sin, disobeyed a direct order from a superior. Idatall and slender, dark, feathery cap of hair, oval face, dark eyes, high cheekbonesstood so stiffly at attention in front of the desk that Susan worried she was in danger of falling like a board in a hard wind. Which, God knew, there was plenty of in Kansas. Jaw clenched so tight any fillings were in danger of shattering, eyes staring straight past Susan's shoulder at the flag behind the desk, Ida bravely waited for the axe. "Your actions could have gotten Demarco seriously injured," Susan said. Ida, tightening her lips into an even thinner line, dipped her head the merest fraction to indicate she'd heard. "You have no experience. No knowledge. You don't think, and you don't listen." Another small dip of the head. Susan suppressed a sigh. Ida had finished second in her class at the academy, she was fit, eager, ambitious, smart, and willing. Unfortunately, she was also impulsive, overly self-confident and ready to dive into the fray. Had Ida made even the merest hint of an excuse, Susan would have dropped the axe on the back of that stiff neck. But Ida standing there bravely, expecting to get her career chopped to an end before it had barely begun, made some evil genie in Susan's head hold her tongue. Maybe she was partly to blame. She shouldn't have partnered Ida with Demarco, who had a problem with women and a big problem with women in law enforcement. She should have placed her with Osey. Kind, patient, gentle Osey. The disadvantage there was, at first sight, he didn't command respect. Scarecrow with no brain was the impression. False impression. Except for the scarecrow part. He did look like a scarecrow, but his brain worked like lightning, even if his mouth didn't. "We'll mark this up to a learning experience," Susan surprised herself by saying. Ida was so startled her faraway stare fell to Susan's face and a rosy flush spread over her cheeks. "Thank you," she stammered. "You won't regret it. I'll" "Save it. Don't make rash promises." "Right, yes. Shut up. No, I mean myself . . ." "Back to work." Forgetting about the pain that would occur when she bent her head, Susan gave a gesture of dismissal. "Yes, ma'am." Ida wobbled out, wilting with shock and relief. Susan picked up the phone and held it against her left ear, the right one being mostly deaf. When the dispatcher responded, she said, "Hazel, get Osey in and tell him he's responsible for the care and feeding of our fledgling." "Got it. I thought you were going to let her go." "So did I. I'm not sure why I didn't." "Ours is not to see the future. Maybe she's meant for something special." Susan grunted. &Weir, Charlene is the author of 'Edge of Midnight' with ISBN 9780312347970 and ISBN 0312347979.