The 6th Target by James Patterson, Maxine Paetro Read Free Book Online Page B

Lieutenant?”
    “Fantastic,” I said, grinning. “Doesn’t get any better than this.”
    I answered questions, praised my team, and smiled for a few pictures before going into the building, taking the elevator to the third floor.
    When I walked through the gate to the squad room, Brenda struck a little gong she kept at her station and then stood up and hugged me. I could see the flowers on my desk from across the room.
    I gathered everyone together and thanked them for all they’d done, and when Inspector Lemke asked if I could give lessons in how to conjure up murderers, we all cracked up.
    “I’ve got the nose-twitching part down pat,” he said, “but nothing happens.”
    “You gotta twitch your nose, cross your arms, and blink at the same
time
!” Rodriguez shouted.
    I was pouring coffee for myself in the lunchroom before diving into the thick pile of paperwork taking up half my desktop when Brenda peeked around the doorway, saying, “The chief is on line one.”
    I went to my office, moved a huge basket of flowers from my desk. Glanced at the small card sticking up between the roses. There were a whole lot of X’s and O’s on the note from Joe, my wonderful guy.
    I was still smiling when I pressed the blinking button on my phone, the chief’s voice all mellow, asking me to come upstairs to his office.
    “Let me get the team,” I said, but he told me, “No, just come by yourself.”
    I let Brenda know I’d be back in a few minutes and took the stairs to Tracchio’s walnut-paneled office on the fifth floor.
    The chief stood up when I entered, reached his meaty hand across his desk, grasping mine, saying, “Boxer, bringing down that wackjob makes this a good day for the SFPD. I want to thank you again for your excellent work.”
    I said, “Thanks, Chief. And thanks for backing me up.” I was readying to leave — but an embarrassed look came over the chief’s face, a look I hadn’t seen him wear before.
    He gestured for me to sit down and he did the same, rolling his chair back and forth on the acrylic rug-protector a couple of times before locking his hands across his midsection.
    “Lindsay, I’ve come to a conclusion that I’ve been fighting tooth and nail.”
    He was going to give me more manpower?
    A bigger overtime budget?
    “I’ve watched firsthand how you worked this case, and I’m impressed at how much tenacity and determination you showed in the investigation.”
    “Thanks —”
    “And so I have to admit that you were right and I was wrong.”
    Right about what?
    My mind raced ahead of his words, trying to gain a half second on him — and failing.
    “As you’ve told me,” Tracchio continued, “you belong on the street, not chained to a desk. And I get it now. I finally understand. Simply put, administrative work is a waste of your talent.”
    I stared at the chief as he put a badge down on the desktop in front of me.
    “Congratulations, Boxer, on your well-earned
demotion
to sergeant.”
     
Chapter 24
     
    SUDDENLY I WAS DIZZY with disbelief.
    I heard Tracchio speaking, but it was as if his desk had shot back through the wall and he was talking to me from somewhere over the freeway.
    “You’ll have a dotted-line reporting relationship to me. Keep your current pay grade, of course . . .”
    Inside my head, I was screaming,
Demotion? You’re demoting me? Today
?
    I made a grab for the edge of his desk, needing to hold on. I saw Tracchio fall back into his chair, the expression on his face telling me that he was as stunned by my reaction as I was by his announcement.
    “What is it, Boxer? Isn’t this what you wanted? You’ve been nagging me for months —”
    “No, I mean,
yes
. I
have
. But I wasn’t expecting —”
    “Come on, Boxer. What are you telling me? I spent all night clearing this up and down the line because you
said
it’s what you wanted.”
    I opened my mouth, closed it again. “Give me some time to get my head around this, okay, Tony?” I