“I will,” Dawkins said, knowing that she could have given him her answer right then. “It was a pleasure meeting you and I’ll be in touch soon with my answer.”
“I hope that you do it. I am positive that your knowledge and experience will be invaluable in making this case.” He looked at the lieutenant. “Tommy, always a pleasure. Give me a call and we’ll hit some balls.”
“Sounds good.”
“Now, if you gentlemen will excuse me, I have a murderer to question before she gets away,” Dawkins said and left the office.
As she walked to the interrogation room, her mind drifted back to her relationship with London.
You used me!
Her three days of testimony before the grand jury was riveting as she described their drug operation in intricate detail. Knowing that he was facing twenty years to life, Butch pled guilty to the manslaughter charge and was doing ten years.
“How could you?” London said when she saw Dawkins after the trial. “I thought you were my friend.”
“I’m a cop, London. I was just doing my job.”
“If your job is betraying the people that trust you, then your job sucks.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Fuck you, Dominica, or Rachael, or whatever the fuck your name is,” London said and walked away leaving Dawkins standing alone thinking that she was right.
Betraying the people that trust you does suck and not just for the people who got betrayed.
There was a heavy personal toll to be paid. She tried to think of it as just another undercover op, but it didn’t turn out that way.
As she did with Jada West, Dawkins allowed herself to become personal with London and as she did with Jada, she began to like her. But unlike Jada, when it came time to make a case against Butch, she did her job. Her becoming personally attached to subjects of a criminal investigation was one of the reasons that Dawkins chose to work cases instead of accepting another deep cover assignment.
While Dawkins was entertaining the offer and dealing with her personal demons, Kirk was in the interrogati
on room with Rona.
“Would you mind telling me who I’m being charged with conspiring to kill?” Rona demanded to know the second Kirk came through the door.
Knowing that he had to tread lightly, he ignored her question, sat down and placed a pad and pen on the table.
“Joachim Eisenbraun,” Kirk said, and Rona said nothing. “You ever hear of him?”
“No, detective, I have no idea who that is. And you haven’t answered my question.”
“I know. So what you’re telling me, for the record, is that you, nor anybody you know, have ever contacted Joachim Eisenbraun?”
“I’ve already told you, detective, I have no idea who that man is. Does he have something to do with what I’m being charged with?” Rona asked as Dawkins came in the room followed closely by Rona’s lawyer, Madison Collins.
“Really, Kirk? This harassment has got to stop. I just spoke with your lieutenant and this interview is over,” she said. “Come on, Rona.”
Rona stood up and leaned over the table toward Kirk. “Haven’t you harassed my family enough? Haven’t you caused me enough pain?” she said and followed her lawyer out of the interrogation room.
Kirk stood up and started for the door. “That was a waste of time.” When Dawkins sat down, he looked at her. “What?”
“Have a seat, partner,” she said and extended her hand toward the chair. “There’s something that I need to tell you.”
Kirk sat down. “What?”
“I just talked to a prosecutor for the Southern District of New York.”
“Eddie Lewis. I saw him outside the lieutenant’s office. What did he want to see you about?”