Recovery
Chapter 22
Journal of John Nolan
Fire departments from all over the country are sending crews to help with the fires. I'm hoping that will give Bailey a little respite. She had a few minutes to call me once and said she was tired but OK. It felt great just to hear her voice.
The firefighters aren't the only ones getting a helping hand. Some rookie cops from Minnesota made it out here. Their requirements are different from the ones in L.A. They only have to go through five months of field training. But the ones that arrived are pretty close to being on their own, so they have some skills. Since Bradford lost his new rookie, one of the Minnesotans will be with him.
It's a guy this time. I don't know if that will make any difference to Bradford, but I have a feeling it might make Lucy feel a little better. She claims to be glad that Tim will be torturing someone instead of her. She's also really pissed off that he told her she doesn't have the right temperament for undercover work. And according to Harper, that's total garbage. Lucy handled her end just fine. It was whoever arranged for La Fiera's transportation to prison that screwed up – big time. I'm still thinking Del Monte.
Anyway, even with all of that, Lucy still has a soft spot for Bradford. At least it seemed that way when she got jealous of his other female rookie. Not that anything can come of it. She and I broke up because dating another rookie was terrible for her career. But it wasn't strictly against regs.
Having a relationship with someone in the same chain of command who outranks her would be a lot worse. The regs say no because of the danger of harassment charges, among other things. It would be bad for Lucy but poison for Tim. I can't see her putting him in that position.
And there's also a little matter that he never officially broke up with Rachel. I know Lucy would never betray her friend like that. And on top of those complications, Lucy is as driven as ever. Maybe even more. She couldn't wait to get out in the field and kick ass. I can't believe she'll allow anyone or anything to hold her back. I know the feeling. It's the same attitude I have about becoming a T.O.
Bradford is in line to make sergeant. There's no opening for one at Mid-Wilshire. However, if he transfers to another division, he and Lucy might get together eventually. But that won't happen unless he gets his head straight about her capabilities. Whatever Lucy decides, I'm on her side. Being a couple didn't work out for us, but she's still a good friend. I want the best for her.
With Smitty under suspicion, I'm back with Harper, which is a relief. There's no one I'd rather have as my T.O. for my last few days as a rookie. I know she's itching to track down La Fiera. But she can't go back to life as a detective without sabotaging her shared custody of Lila. So she'll be getting in her last licks with me. And she's finally letting me drive. I don't know if that's confidence in my abilities, or she's just exhausted from coping with the fallout from La Fiera's escape. I suspect it may be a little of both.
Whatever Harper's reason for putting me behind the wheel, it's a perspective I haven't had since Bishop left. And I've learned a lot since then, or at least I hope I have. I can spot a drug dealer now from blocks away, but since all the drug suppliers but La Fiera went up in flames, I admit I was surprised to see one. He wasn't wearing yellow sneakers. So unless La Fiera's changed her dress code, the opposition is creeping back – or some new players are in town.
The dealer wasn't forthcoming with information. No surprise there. But Harper's betting that someone new has decided to fill the void. Whoever it is wouldn't have much time to cook up new product, so it would be coming from outside of Southern California. Unfortunately, the possibilities for that are wide open. It could be brought in from Mexico, elsewhere in California, or a number of other states.
Locating the new supply chain is the detectives' problem, not mine – or Harper's for that matter. But I can see she's thinking about it. With her experience with the cartels, she may be the one to figure it out.
Wesley is scared out of his mind to try another wedding this soon, but Angela wants one, come hell or high water. The woman has guts, and I know better than to argue with a pregnant woman. I think Wesley does too. Still, right now, there's not a cop at Mid-Wilshire who'd have the time to attend. So maybe Angela and Wesley will end up pledging their troth at the courthouse. Whatever they decide, I hope they can get the ceremony in before the baby comes. Another wedding would be complicated enough without caring for a newborn.
"What the hell is that man doing?" Harper exclaims, reading a text on her cell phone.
"Who?" Nolan inquires.
"That A.D.A., Del Monte. He's offering the dealer we arrested complete immunity to flip on his organization."
"I'm not exactly a Del Monte fan, but what's wrong with that?" Nolan asks. "Don't we want to nip the growth of a new drug gang in the bud?"
"But that's not the way to do it," Harper explains. "Those street-level guys don't know anything that can hang the people at the top. That's the point of their system. They receive their supplies and orders through intermediaries – expendable ones. Del Monte is wasting time and resources that should be used to bring down La Fiera."
"Maybe that's what Del Monte has in mind," Nolan proposes.
"Pull over, Nolan," Harper orders.
Nolan hurriedly parks at the curb. "What's wrong?"
"Are you saying that A.D.A. Del Monte is working for La Fiera? Do you have any evidence?"
"Nothing solid," Nolan admits. "But Del Monte let Rosalind Dyer get away without revealing where many of her victims were buried. He didn't seem to understand how that would tear the guts out of their families. Or he didn't care. He doesn't seem to care about ruining the lives of wobblers, either. I know the department is looking to hang La Fiera's escape on Smitty, but he didn't make the arrangements and had no idea of the route. So he couldn't have arranged the ambush. But Del Monte could have. I have no idea what La Fiera might have promised the man, but I can't see scruples being a problem for him. Do you know something I don't?"
"I know about a million things you don't, Nolan. But I and some of the other undercover detectives have had suspicions about Del Monte for a while. He found reasons to cut loose too many cartel operatives we brought in. But we've never been able to hang anything on him."
"So, what do you want to do about it?" Nolan inquires.
"I want to find a way to talk to Smitty. He might have heard or seen something when La Fiera's soldiers attacked that could lead back to Del Monte."
"And if he did?" Nolan asks.
"I don't know, but one thing at a time. The problem is that the department and Del Monte are keeping access to Smitty buttoned up tight."
"Maybe I can get through," Nolan suggests. "Smitty forgot to approve my write-up on my time with him. Grey complained about it. He might help me get in to get a signature."
Harper nods slowly. "It's worth a try."
