anyway, her gaze fixed on the sergeant with unnerving serenity.
An unmarked black SUV turned sharply onto the street and stopped hard behind the
patrol cars. A tall woman in a navy police uniform stepped out. Captain Alana Price had
the face of someone who had survived too many public disasters to tolerate preventable
ones.
She took in the scene: Evelyn on the porch, Harlan with his cuffs still hanging open, Reed
looking ill, and the neighborhood watching. Price’s expression went flat.
“Harlan,” she barked. “Back away from the judge’s property. Now.”
“Captain, we responded to a burglary call—”
“I did not ask for your summary. I gave you an order.” Harlan stepped back immediately.
Captain Price walked up the driveway alone, removed her cap, and stopped at the