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The third story I have written with Daphne Kay. Using the previous two Novellas as a starting point, this story is about Daphne’s place in her world, the changing politics of her profession, and saving not only her friends, but herself. Previous characters make appearances, but the Novellas shouldn’t be considered required reading.

Sample text follows, click on link at top of page for longer sample.

Just as she was about to give up the night as a bad idea, she noticed Phillip Hodge waving at her from a table near the bar. Daphne smiled and walked over to him, dodging the looks from a group of tight-shirted guys who were drinking beers and leering at anything that moved.

“Daphne! It’s so good to see you!” Hodge stood and hugged Daphne, who returned the gesture and took a seat on one of the raised stools that encircled the table. Hodge stood and raised his near empty glass to his lips and finished it off.

“I’m going to the bar, what can I get you?” He smiled at Daphne and she noticed that while he had looked handsome in his uniform, the polo shirt and jeans he was wearing gave him an attractive devil-may-care attitude that the rigid uniform never could.

“Just some ice water for now please, no lemon.”

“Huh, okay. Sure.” He turned to the bar and Daphne wondered if there was some image she wasn’t living up to. She rubbed her arms, an old nervous tick that she had picked up in the days when she was using. She caught herself and forced herself to stop. Maybe she had misjudged his invitation.

“Here you go.” Hodge placed the drink in front of Daphne and slid into his own seat.

“Thanks.” Daphne took a sip and placed the drink back on it’s coaster. “So, hero, how’s it feel to take down a meth lab?”

“Ha, pretty good. They were the second largest lab in the state, and supplied from here to the south county. It was a significant hit to someone. We’re still trying to figure out just who they were working for. There are the usual suspects, but it just seemed a little, I dunno, sloppy.”

“Sloppy like a bunch of drug addicts were running the show?”

“Yeah. The chemicals weren’t stored right, the work stations were filthy. I think that if we hadn’t caught it when we did, the whole place would have blown in another week or so.”

“That right?”

“Yeah, truly deplorable.” Hodge took another huge gulp of his beer. “There was this one guy there.” Hodge winked at Daphne, “I can’t say that his name was Sam Wilde, but he was right in the thick of it all, pointing out to us where they cooked, where they stored ingredients, the packaging area. It seemed like he was trying to help us so we wouldn’t charge him for intent to use.”

“Sounds like Sam.”

“I thought you might know him.” Hodge smiled.

“Yeah, old friend.” Daphne rolled her eyes and shook her head.

“Oh, there’s a story there. Come on, give it up.”

Daphne took a long pull from her glass of water and wondered if work was all they were going to talk about. Maybe she’d have to take him up on that drink offer. She’d never had a problem with alcohol, her tastes had been towards opiates and their ilk. While she didn’t drink for recreation, it was sometimes necessary to blend in.

“Sam Wilde is one of those guys who was everywhere you didn’t want him to be, and would give up any information for a few bucks. A real fast talker, I’m sure you heard.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Hodge took another gulp.

“Well, he’d give me any info on the clients I was looking for, for a few bucks, you know, standard informant fee.”

“Sure.”

“Well, one time he tried to double cross me. The client was trying to get his stuff together to move out of state, and needed time to pack. Sam sold me the information on when he was going to pack, and I knew where the client lived so I was going to go over there to pick him up. I get over to the guy’s apartment, and Sam is there, waiting for his payment and then tells me the guy had already left. Then the asshole offered to sell me the location of where the client ran to. I could see into the window of the apartment and someone was obviously packing, right?”

“What’d you do?”

“You know Awes?”

“Your dog, right?”

“My partner. Anyway, I wrestle Sam to the ground and have Awes sit on his chest. I told Awes that if he moved, he could attack, and I was going to take a look at the apartment for myself.”

“No shit. Your dog can do that?”

“He’s pretty well trained.”

“What happened?”

“Sam moved.”

“Oh no.”

“Yeah. Sam disappeared for a while after that.”

“He wasn’t seriously injured, was he?”

“Nah, Awes just clamped onto his leg, didn’t break the skin, but traumatized Sam pretty good.”

“That’s some funny shit.” Hodge gulped his beer down and let his eyes wander around the bar, unfocused. Daphne again began to wonder why she was here. Sure, she had been instrumental in helping Hodge get out of his desk job, but if this was a thank you celebration, he should be doing more then sucking down beers and giving out confidential information on informants, right? Maybe he was working up to ask her something. Excited at the thought, Daphne decided that maybe her ordering a drink would help loosen him up.

“So, maybe you can get me that beer-”

“Okay, listen, I have a small favor to ask.” Any jovial pretense that Hodge had mustered disappeared.

“In my experience, favors asked after two beers are never small.” Daphne was surprised at the serious expression that had blossomed on Hodge’s face.

“Uh-” Hodge’s expression softened somewhat in confusion.

“What can I help you with?” Daphne crossed her arms and settled into her seat, finally seeing this meeting for what it was.