Couples
Chapter 72
Lana curls up next to Eli on the couch as they watch the Sunday morning talking heads discussing state politics. "When I hear what some of the idiots out there are doing, I don't see how you can't be elected D.A. You've probably taken down more crime than the last five D.A.'s put together."
Eli wraps his hands around a barely warm coffee mug. It's still politics and getting the right message out. I've heard that Pitney Stason is going to claim that I'm overreaching, persecuting respected and valued New York citizens."
Fists clenched, Lana sits straight up. "That's pure B.S.!"
Eli's eyes harden. "No, it's code for going after white folks."
Jumping to her feet, Lana strides around the room. Her pale cheeks redden with the fire streaking through her blood. "That's insane! If you don't like whites, what would you be doing with me?"
"Bigoted assholes have always had a problem with black men and white women. Stason gins them up to see you as a trophy. Some of them even see a black man sleeping with a white woman as rape," Eli adds grimly.
"I'm no one's trophy!" Lana protests. "And you sure as hell never raped me. If I remember our first time together right, I couldn't keep my hands off you."
Fond recall flits across Eli's face. "And I didn't want you to. Still, Pitney Stason's supporters will say whatever they want. I'm a public figure in a political fight. Stason's campaign doesn't have to play by the Marquis of Queensbury rules. It can hit below the belt."
"Then we have to hit back," Lana declares. "And I have an idea."
Rick's arms wrap around Kate for what he assumes will be their last cuddle before Lily wakes up. He nuzzles her neck. "We have time before Alexis's wedding. You've wrapped up another murder. A bunch of murders, actually. You deserve a change of scene. We both do. We should take a trip somewhere."
"What about Lily?" Kate asks. "She's never been away from one or the other of us for more than a few hours. We can't just leave her."
"Of course not," Rick agrees. "She loves adventure. We'll take her with us."
"Where can we take a toddler on an adventure?"
"The obvious answer would be Disney World, but Lily's never been that big a Mickey fan. However, she's loved penguins ever since she watched a clip from Happy Feet. How about Niagara Falls? It's both romantic and exciting. And there's an aquarium there with penguins and rescued marine mammals happily gamboling in the water. She'd have a great time. And if we tire her out enough, so will we." Rick nibbles Kate's ear. "What do you think?"
"I'd have to clear the vacation time with Montgomery. But with all the closures from our last case, the 12th's probably made its quota for the year. I can't see him saying no. I'll ask him tomorrow."
Rick trails kisses at the base of her neck. "Sounds good. Ooh, do you think we might get in…?" An urgent plea for Gamoee streams from the baby monitor. Rick sighs. "Too late. If you retrieve our daughter's ugly companion, I'll start the coffee."
"Deal." Kate agrees.
Pitney Stason gazes around his headquarters in satisfaction. He couldn't care less if a black man wants to f**k a white woman. As much as anything, he stumbled on that hot button when he overheard a discussion in a bar. At first, he thought that particular prejudice would be a one-off, especially in the Big Apple, a city almost iconic for liberal thinking. But after the extended popularity of stop and frisk, especially of blacks, he should have known what was lurking below the surface. He didn't create it, but if it's there, he's willing to use it. He'll use anything that gets him votes.
He heard a story once about Joe McCarthy. The senator infamous for persecuting supposed communist sympathizers didn't really care much about communism. Like Pitney, he blundered into an issue that harnessed people's fear. And what they feared, he could manipulate them to hate. That's the kind of manipulation Pitney needs.
Recently, he hasn't had much to work with. He can no longer depend on support from Barron and Burrell's old boosters. And Eli Douglas has steadily built a reputation as the people's prosecutor. Kushman and Flatt will be two huge new notches on the A.D.A.'s belt. But everyone has a vulnerability, and creating a sex scandal is the oldest trick in the book. Pitney can almost hear the terror-inducing shouts of "They're coming for our women." He will do his best to make people afraid of Eli Douglas, and exploiting the crusader's affair with a white cop is as good a way as any. He has a few calls to make. He picked up a few hints in that bar, of groups operating without much notice but growing in numbers. With Bucker Carlin turned tail and Barron gone, they need a new focus. Pitney will give them one.
"Thanks for coming," Lana greets an assemblage of female cops gathered at Eli's campaign headquarters.
"No thanks necessary," replies veteran robbery detective Rosie Pryor. "What that scumbag Stason is putting out is an insult to every one of us. As if we'd only be arm candy for any man, of color or not. He's a damn racist and a misogynist. But that's nothing new for politicians that preach the kind of sh*t that he spews. So, what's the plan, Springer?"
"Most of us don't get much publicity, not the good kind, anyway. Kate Beckett may be the exception because of the Nikki Heat books. But she's had to take her share of crap too. Most of us would rather fly below the radar. We've all seen more than enough press reports that are slanted or just plain wrong. We end up having to explain mistakes we never made. But we're going to be done with that and turn that B.S. on its ear. When we make an arrest, we're going to come off like wonder women, but we won't need any magic belts or bracelets.
"We'll do our jobs the way we always do, but our collars won't get lost in the back pages. They'll be out there in the papers for everyone to see. They owe the N.Y.P.D. for getting the bomber, and they're going to pay up. Some influential friends are urging them to give us our due. The stories will go out all over social media, too. And after a week or two of that, we're going to bring our voices to Stason's doorstep. We and all of the other women in this city will demonstrate right outside his headquarters."
"What if he just comes back at us with the same old crap?" a uniformed officer asks.
"He can try, but he's been spreading innuendo about Eli and a white cop – me. Eli's going to challenge him to discuss it as part of a debate. Coming on the heels of all our P.R., Stason's not going to look good. And if he refuses to debate Eli, he'll look even worse."
"If what Stason is saying is about you, the press is going to want you to talk about it," vice cop Maya Kingston points out. "The reporters love looking for slime."
"They're not going to find it," Lana declares. "I'm a good cop who is happily involved with a dynamite public servant who should be the next D.A. We both work hard at our jobs and respect each other for it. That's what they're going to hear."