This Time? Chapter 4

"They got sixteen inches? Are you kidding me?" Thorsen exclaims.

"In Beverly Hills," Grey clarifies, "but most of Southern Cal is still pretty well soaked. The roads are a wreck. It will keep most of the bad guys off the street. You'll be concentrating on the ones staying indoors."

"Domestic violence?" Nolan asks.

"That's right. Which means most of your calls can turn deadly even more often than usual. So no solo acts today. Smitty, you're with Riggle."

"I'm right in the middle of inventorying property," Smitty protests.

"It will still be there when you get back," Grey retorts. "Right now, no cop goes to a door alone. And if you suspect any chance of escalation, don't try to be heroes. Call for backup. Also, the newest batch of PCP analyzed by the crime lab was contaminated with fentanyl. That, combined with the increased influx of pills, means more overdoses. No one goes out of here without at least twice the usual stock of Narcan. And if you see anyone exhibiting the behaviors associated with PCP, call for medical assistance immediately. Users could go south any second."

"Any good news, Sir?" Nolan asks hopefully.

"The last wildfires weren't positioned for the rain to cause mudslides. So when the roads dry out, they'll be open."

Nolan shrugs. "That's something."

"So get on those roads," Grey commands. "And stay safe out there."

The note with the location of her meeting arrives with Lucy's lunch. She'll have no trouble getting there. Despite the storm that drenched LA, the desert-situated Palm Springs received barely a sprinkle. Right now, the sun shines brightly, creating diamond-like sparkles on the sand. She checks her watch. She has time for a swim in the pool before driving to her meeting with Alonzo. A soak in the hot tub would be even better. But she doesn't dare to leave her sample case unguarded.

She checks the time again. It will be better to be early than late. If she can see Alonzo arriving, she may get some idea of which direction he's coming from. That won't be much information, but more than she has now.

Unlike her LAPD brothers and sisters, Lucy is driving on dry, well-maintained roads. She's almost bored. Unfortunately, that gives her time to think about Tim Bradford. She's kept to protocol, not communicating with anyone except agent Beller. She can almost feel Tim worrying about her. She has ever since he dug her out of the ground. Maybe her yen for that deep a connection is why she could never get serious before about any man, not even Chris or Nolan. At least Nolan took their breakup well, even if, according to Ben, John didn't leave the couch for two days. But with Chris, she could see the anger and hurt in his eyes. She might not have been serious, but he was. And from what little she's heard from Wesley, Chris is still upset with her. She can't blame him.

She's always been determined to fix what's broken. Nolan, who was still trying to adjust to a new life. Tamara, who Tim called her puppy. Traumatized Chris. Even if she almost slept with Tim, she was determined to nurse Chris back to health. But she pushed the relationship too far and waited too long to make the break.

She knew from her first day as a rookie that Tim was wounded, and it had nothing to do with the bullet that penetrated his flesh. His relationship with Isabel screamed pain. Their break-up even more so. His determination to hide his difficulties with reading comprehension almost robbed him of a promotion. It was easy to help him with that. She didn't mind hours of recording books for him. And there was Rachel and his relationship with his father. Each time, Lucy wanted to heal him, make it better. And now that she finally has a chance, she's stuck incommunicado. As much as she wanted this assignment, right now, she'd really like to get it over with, ASAP.

Lucy parks the BMW that's part of her cover, at the agreed-upon meeting spot. She has to give Alonzo credit for his choice. The unoccupied race track is surrounded by desert. There are no structures for miles that could accommodate surveillance or a sniper. And no one could approach unseen. She takes a seat in the bleachers to wait.

She spots the cloud of dust before making out Alonzo's Mercedes S-Class. The car is expensive, but not nearly enough to draw attention somewhere like Palm Springs. Even the Lamborghini Countach she saw parked outside one of the bungalows only drew an occasional glance. As hot as cars like that look, she can't imagine driving anything that close to the ground. Or, more to the point, she couldn't imagine Tim folding his lanky frame into it. Not that she needs it, but at least LAPD shops have decent head and legroom.

Alonzo pulls into the small asphalt-paved lot next to Lucy's car. He nods as he sees her waiting. "You're prompt, an excellent attribute in a business associate. Did you bring your samples?"

Lucy offers the scrupulously prepared case for his inspection. Carefully lifting the lid, he eyes the contents. "These look good, but of course, my lab will have to analyze them before we can proceed further."

"What's your turnaround?' Lucy inquires. "My lab can run samples through a GC-Mass Spec in an hour, sometimes less."

"As can mine," Alonzo assures her. "But we only require our analysts to work at night in emergency situations. We can't have our talent trying to run to the competition, can we? I should have a report by tomorrow evening. I'll be in touch. And oh, enjoy your dinner. I understand that the quail are shot as needed and prepared fresh. Quite delightful."

Lucy winces inwardly at the thought of shooting helpless birds but flashes a bright smile. "I'm sure I'll enjoy them very much."

"How was your day?" John asks Bailey, handing her a beer.

"Only one fire, a couple was trying for some afternoon fun in front of the fireplace. But the chimney hadn't been cleaned in years, and the creosote caught. They got out in time, so no injuries."

"Just acute embarrassment and a lot of smoke damage?" John guesses.

"Uh-huh. All our other calls were medical. We administered a lot of Narcan. You make any more heroic saves today?"

"I don't know how heroic. A guy was high on PCP. You know the signs. He'd already stripped off all his clothes and was chasing something no one else could see. I called right away for medical support just in case fentanyl was involved, but mostly Celina and I had to keep him from hurting himself and destroying property. He got it into his head that part of the road that was blocked off because of flooding was actually a swimming pool where he could cool off. And he climbed up on some fencing to dive in. Celina used our shop to block him, and I convinced him we could find him a much better pool. By that time, your people arrived, gave him a shot, and transported him to the hospital. When I checked on him later, he was doing OK. Harper's hoping she can get the name of his dealer out of him. Apparently, one of the gang leaders brought in a shipment of PCP, and she and Lopez want to nail him ASAP and get the stuff off the street."

Bailey stretches up for a wine-flavored kiss. "So John Nolan talks someone down again."

"Sort of. But I'm just dealing with collateral damage. Harper and Lopez will be doing the real work. And wherever Chen is, she might be too."

Bailey takes another slug of her beer. "I wish her luck."