“We wanted to make amends,” Lin said. She seemed to be the instigator of the mutiny. Since Thompson had been unconscious for it, Sanders figured it would have been Lin.
He shook his head. “Well, the case is solved. Hodgson killed the Arcady family and Arnold Arcady killed Hodgson in revenge. It’s all official now.”
“What about Arcady?” Thompson asked. “Has he been picked up yet?”
“Fished out.”
“Sir?”
“Seems someone told him to jump in the river, and he did.” His eyes lingered upon Foster. “Someone dressed like a tart who got a confession in church to the murder of Elizabeth Farris. Who says confession’s not good for the soul, eh?” It did not elicit so much as a smile from any of them.
“Did ...” Foster stammered. “Did anyone give a description of the ... tart?”
“Sure,” Sanders smiled. “Extremely short skirt, shaved legs, and huge bazookas. That was a quote by the way, not a ventured opinion of your DCI.” At Foster’s flush he added, “No one was looking at your face, Detective. At least no one still alive.”
“So everything’s fine then,” Lin breathed a sigh of relief. “Operation WetFish wasn’t compromised and we can all go back to work.”
“No,” Sanders said, and they all tensed. “I mean yes, you didn’t compromise the operation, but everything’s not fine. None of this needed to have happened. You think we don’t mess up every now and again? Come on, people, we’re a department here. If you fail your assignment you contact me immediately and I tell you what to do. In this instance it meant me sending out a doctor for Thompson and recalling all three of you so I could sort the mess out myself.” His gaze drifted from one woman to the next, until he was certain they were all understanding him correctly. “If you get into trouble, ask for help. You’ll get it. We all need a little help once in a while, we’re only human.”
The final words lingered in the air and Sanders did not like the taste of them on his tongue. It didn’t matter about the operation, he had almost lost three of his best officers. And in a time when he was growing ever more concerned about other members of the team that was something he could not afford.
“There might be trouble soon,” he said, not certain how much to tell them. “I need to know I can count on you three. Your discretion, your loyalty, and your ability to communicate with me before all others.”
The three women exchanged confused glances. “Of course, sir,” Lin said. “We should have trusted you. It won’t happen again.”
She wasn’t getting his message, although he did not care to elaborate. Not quite yet anyway. But perhaps he would never need to. Perhaps he was worrying over nothing. “Fine, fine. Go home. All of you. And Thompson, go get the doctor to take a look at you, for God’s sake.”
They departed and Sanders shook his head in exasperation. These were his hope, his best chance should things around the bunker turn sour. But no, they were not the best, and that was the problem. It was the best officers he was beginning to worry about, the two best officers who might soon be turning against him. He would have to rely on Lin, Thompson and Foster to defend WetFish against them; and if this little fiasco proved one thing, it was that WetFish did not stand a chance.
Sanders reached for the phone. He did not want to, but his hand had been forced and he only had the one remaining card to play. It rang three times before a gruff male voice answered it. “It’s me,” Sanders said flatly. “I have a job for you. But you’re not going to like it.”
Also available by the same author in e-book and paperback:
Dinosaur World books:
Excavating a Dinosaur World
Dinosaur Fall-Girl
Ike Scarman & the Dinosaur Slavers of Ceres
Dinosaur Prison World
The Dinosaur That Wasn’t
Awfully Wedded Strife
Tales of a Dinosaur Prison World
Deities of a Dinosaur World
Return to the Dinosaur Prison World
Nikolina Finch & the Dinosaur Utopia
Of Stags, Hens & Dinosaurs
Dinosaur World Massacre
Dino-Racers
Christmas on a Dinosaur World
Utara the Savage
Sheriff Grizzly:
Book 1: Sheriff Grizzly
Book 2: The Horse Thief Honey
Book 3: The Coyote Colt Kid
Game books:
Lost Treasures of a Dinosaur World
Knights of Torbalia game books:
The Return of the Stolen Jewel
Into the Massacre
March of the Demon Trees
Hero Cast trilogy:
Book 1: The Villainous Heroes
Book 2: The Heroic Villains
Book 3: The Forge of Heroes
Detective books:
Detective’s Ex
One-Way Ticket to Murder
Who Slew Santa?
The Curse of the Genie’s Detective
The Woman Who Cried Diamonds
The Murder of Snowman Joe
The Murder of Loyalty
Operation WetFish, Vampire Detective:
Book 1: The Power of Life and Death
Book 2: Chasing Innocence
Book 4: Christmas on the Kerb
Book 5: A Necessary Evil
Book 6: No Comment
Book 7: Fear and Ecstasy
Book 8: Call of the Siren
Book 9: Happy Families
Book 10: A Step in the Right Direction
Book 11: What Money Can’t Buy
Book 12: ‘Tis the Season
Book 13: The Power Trip
Miscellaneous:
Holding the Nuts
One Week to Love: Speed Dating of the Gods
The Trojan Ant
Visit: https://www.facebook.com/OperationWetFish for news, illustrations, previews and short stories.