Page 11 of Dead Sure
“I don’t know.” Fitz shook his head, as he pulled into the Danvers Police Station. He searched the parking lot for a spot. “Looks like Jude is already here.” He parked across from the Thunderbird and was in the process of opening his door when Greeley sprinted toward Fitz.
“You need to get in there, Cap,” Greeley said, as Ronan met both men in front of the SUV.
“Why, what’s going on?” Fitz asked, looking worried.
“They won’t let Jude or I see Tennyson and Captain Vance said he’s already been sent to the Essex County Jail.”
“What?” Ronan shouted. “Why the hell is he there and not here being booked?” People were sent to the Essex County Jail for holding when it was too late in the day for the suspect to be seen by a judge. It was only half past twelve on a Monday, there was no way Salem District Court was closed for the day.
“He was booked here and was quickly moved to Middleton.” Greeley shook his head. “Vance said that there’s a backlog of arraignments from the Easter weekend and only one judge who’s handling them all. Vance seemed particularly happy to tell Jude that Ten was spending the night in jail no matter what friends in high places he had. What the fuck is this guy’s deal, anyway?”
“He wanted to join the cold case team, but Cisco hired us instead,” Fitz said, wearing a sour look. “Where is Jude now?”
“Waiting for Vance to write his police report, so he can get a copy of it. He asked for the arrest warrant, but they’re telling Jude he doesn’t have the right to see it or to have the charges explained to him in full.”
“I’m going in there,” Fitz said.
“I’ll come with you.” Ronan needed to do something. He couldn’t just sit in the parking lot while Ten was shipped off to jail.
“You stay here with Greeley. Text Cisco, see if he can get us a copy of the charges and the arrest warrant. Find out if they’ve got a search warrant for the house and the shop or if one is in the works. Make sure Cisco sends officers to the house and the shop to make sure things are done by the book and no property is damaged. Okay?”
Ronan nodded, his eyes blurred with tears. It wasn’t bad enough that Ten was in jail under some kind of half-assed charges, but the idea of police officers tearing their house apart looking for evidence, shattering the peace and safety of their home was beyond any horror Ronan could imagine. Everly would be able to see and sense the officers presence and their intentions. For the first time in a long time, Ronan wished his daughter wasn’t psychically gifted. He watched, feeling helpless, as Fitz made hisway into the police department and slumped against the side of the SUV.
“I’ve got you.” Greeley helped Ronan into the front seat. He climbed into the back. “I’ll text Cisco.”
“If they’ve taken Ten to the county lock up, why hasn’t he called me?” Ronan asked out loud. “Why hasn’t he been given his phone call?”
“My guess is that if the jails have been backed up with Easter weekend arrests, then it would make sense if the jail was too. Not all of those suspects are going to be released on bond or on their own recognizance.”
“You’re right,” Ronan agreed. He’d worked in law enforcement for over half of his life. This was the second time he found himself on the other side of it. The first being when the dead body of a man who’d made a move on Ten was found in West Side Magick. He’d been arrested, booked, fingerprinted, and strip searched. Every single step of which had been humiliating, but Ronan had known what was coming since he’d arrested so many people over the course of his career.
Tennyson had no idea what was coming for him. Not just with the mechanics of being arrested and held in jail overnight, but as a public figure who was an out gay man working for the Salem Police. Those reasons alone upped the ante. Ronan needed to get to the bottom of this situation as soon as possible so he could bring Tennyson home where he was safe and sound.
6
Tennyson
Ten’s entire body shook from the trauma of what had happened to him and what he knew was to come. The captain who’d arrested him looked familiar. Ten was certain he knew who the man was, but with his emotions in upheaval, his gift was useless. Not that it really mattered who the hell the arresting officer was, Ten was in deep trouble.
After his arrest, Ten was brought to the Danvers Police Office, which happened to be near the old Liberty Tree Mall and the trampoline park the kids liked to go to. Ten and Cope had plans to take them during April vacation in two weeks, and he couldn’t help but wonder if he’d be in jail or able to go with the kids.
Members of the media swarmed Vance’s police cruiser when it pulled into the parking lot. Ten recognized all of the faces. John Jameson from Channel 5, Betty Lomand, crime writer forThe Salem News,Butch Hayes from CBS Boston, to name a few. Ten had wondered how the hell all of those reporters had gotten to the station before he did. It occurred to him that they’d been tipped off, probably by Vance himself.
“Why didn’t you see this coming?” a young writer from the Boston Herald asked, running alongside Vance as he hustled Ten toward the building. “You’re a psychic, right?”
“Tennyson! What are the charges? How are you pleading?” John Jameson shouted.
Ten met Jameson’s eyes. They’d spoken together dozens of times over the years when he’d worked with the Boston Police Department and now with Salem. He knew the reporter could be trusted, but he kept his mouth shut, not just because anythinghe said could be used against him in court, but because he didn’t know what the hell was going on himself. He promised himself that if got out of this, he’d give an exclusive to Jameson, but he was a long way from that at the moment.
“What does the Salem Police Department have to say about one of their own being arrested?” the woman from NBC Boston shouted.
Vance stopped his relentless walk to the front lobby. He spun Ten around so he was facing all of the cameras. “We didnotnotify the Salem Police when the warrant was issued for Tennyson Grimm’s arrest. I didn’t want to give them the opportunity to squirrel Mr. Grimm away or to destroy evidence. We have officers dispatched not only to the home our suspect shares with hishusbandand children but to his place of work as well. I’ll be holding a press conference later this afternoon to discuss the charges.”
“Will Mr. Grimm be given special treatment in lock up?” Jameson asked. “With him being a member of the Salem Police Department-”
“Criminals don’t deserve special treatment.” Vance grabbed Ten’s arm and propelled him into the lobby.
Reporters still shouted questions, which sounded more muffled the further into the building they got. Tennyson’s heart broke at the thought of police officers going through his private things, not to mention that of Ronan and the kids. All he could do was hope Ronan was doing everything he could on their end to keep everyone safe.
