This story is the third in the timeline of ten Max Pemberton detective stories. You're encouraged to read "Maelstrom" and "Deception" to give you additional background, though this story can stand on its own.
A big thank you to migbird for his thoughts over the course of Max's journey.
Here's the chronological breakdown of Max's stories:
Maelstrom
Deception
Blindsided
Cold Steel
Hot Steel
Pink Ice
Betrayal
Loss of Innocence
Revenge is Best Served Cold
To Hell ... And Back
Recap
To those readers who are new to the "Max" series of stories, read this first. For you Max fans, you're welcome to skip this section.
Maxine "Max" Pemberton was a seven year veteran of the Cincinnati police force. She spent five years on patrol in Cincinnati's notorious West End neighborhood and transferred two years ago to become a detective in the Vice squad. Her partner was Lesley Groesbeck, a short Barbie-esqe blonde, who was a recent graduate of the Cincinnati's police academy and whose father Saul was a former Chief of Police.
Max was married to Ron Pemberton, divorced two years ago, and finally acknowledged to the world that she was a lesbian.
She was taller than most woman, a big breasted attractive brunette with a weakness for beautiful women and cheap drink. She was fiercely loyal to her friends, chief among them Nicky Flores, the owner of Nicky's Diner, who inherited the restaurant from her late father Gustave, and Maddie Bailey, the owner of an upscale bar in one of Cincinnati's trendier neighborhoods.
Max lived at the Royal Palms Motel, a flophouse located in the heart of the West End, whose chief clientele consisted of junkies and prostitutes. Max could never seem to get her finances in order, nor any other aspects of her personal life. She lived to work, and was well regarded by her peers but reviled by management for her irreverent attitude towards her superiors.
Max's current love interest was Courtney Landry, a twenty-five year old vampy hipster who was five years younger than Max. Courtney was the daughter of Jim Landry, the biggest car dealer in Cincinnati, and reputed to be one of the wealthiest persons in that city. Because of her family's extreme wealth, she had no need to hold a job and spent the majority of her time chasing women. Though it began as a purely physical relationship, Max couldn't help but start caring for Courtney but wasn't sure the feeling was mutual.
Summary of Maelstrom
Nicky came to Max with two pressing problems, the $35,000 she owed in protection money to a Vietnamese gang headed by Trong Lai, an intelligent and ruthless West End warlord, and the $50,000 investment she needed to repair and refurbish her diner in order to stay in operation.
Max tangled with Trong, teaming with DaVanna Caruso, an ambitious, drop dead gorgeous attorney with an Italian father and African-American mother, who recently assumed the top spot in the Hamilton County Prosecuting Attorney's office after the unexpected early retirement of her boss, Maureen McCormick.
All was not copacetic between Max and DaVanna. Max suspected DaVanna used illicit methods to secure her political career, co-opting her younger sister Alessandra to burgle a law firm and steal several laptops that had confidential information on them, the subject matter of which was still a mystery to Max. Alessandra was arrested in connection with the theft, but never formally charged.
Max discovered that DaVanna had made a deal with Trong Lai to intimidate the witnesses who would have put Alessandra in jail in exchange for her deep sixing a murder charge against the crime boss. DaVanna, being the politician without a moral compass (aren't they all?), reneged on her deal with Trong. Max assisted with the arrest of Trong, who was ultimately convicted of first degree murder and given a life sentence. Trong's imprisonment solved Nicky's debt issue.
Alessandra was able to shed her checkered past, using her culinary training to assume charge of the kitchen at Nicky's Diner. Courtney stepped forward with a $50,000 investment in the diner in exchange for a half interest in the restaurant.
Summary of Deception
Max discovered that DaVanna was blackmailing Maureen, and had forced her boss to resign. Maureen had killed a pedestrian in a hit and run accident, and realizing it could end her political career, switched places with her husband. Unfortunately for Maureen, Stewart was an alcoholic and had too much to drink that night. He was stopped for a DUI, and Max was able to piece together that Stewart was involved in the fatality. Max had Lesley search traffic cam footage in the vicinity of the hit and run and found that the footage from one of the cameras was mysteriously deleted from the City's servers. She was able to track down a back-up copy, and much to her surprise discovered that Maureen, and not Stewart was the driver.
Because DaVanna was now the Hamilton County Prosecutor, Max was forced to end run the Prosecutor's office and bring in Special Agent Carl Banks of the FBI. The FBI used the information Max gathered to prosecute DaVanna and put her in jail for theft of data.
During all of this, DaVanna managed to steal Max's girlfriend Courtney, and Max met Leah McArdle on the rebound. Max was falling for Leah, but when Leah confessed that she had lied about being divorced, Max dropped her. DaVanna and Courtney eventually lost interest in one another (Max thought it was just DaVanna fucking with Max and stealing her girlfriend for sport). In the end, Max acknowledged her weakness for good sex and took Courtney back.
There was an "all hands" pursuit of a man who had just killed a Cincinnati police officer. Max and Lesley pursued a shadowy figure late at night who could have been (and turned out to be) the killer. Max chased the killer while ordering Lesley to wait near an alley. Of course Lesley, being the eager beaver that she was, couldn't resist going down the alley to assist Max. The killer doubled back, confronting Lesley. In the shootout, Lesley killed the man but in the process suffered a serious bullet wound to her right arm that could have ended her career. She was put on powerful pain killers to control the debilitating pain from the injury.
The story resumes after Lesley's five month rehabilitation.
Chapter One
Back in the Saddle
It'd been five months since my partner Lesley Groesbeck was sitting next to me as my partner in a patrol car in Cincinnati's notorious West End. She took a bullet while taking down a cop killer, and had just received medical clearance after a lengthy rehabilitation. She received a citation for her heroism and the gratitude of our entire battalion for her deed, but I was certain that no medal could dull the continuing pain from her injury.
I wasn't sure she had forgiven me, or whether I needed her forgiveness, for her bullet wound. It was me who ordered her to stay behind to guard an alley while I chased the shooter. I thought I was protecting her, but the opposite occurred. She got impatient and followed me, and in the process encountered the man we were chasing. She took him down, but not before a 9 millimeter slug was lodged in her right arm. I should have known Lesley would come running after me, and should have stayed put with her until back-up arrived. But the temptation of collaring a man who had just shot and killed a fellow police officer was too tempting. Could have, should have, would have. Good police don't second guess their battlefield decisions, but this decision haunted me.
Lesley didn't have to return to the West End partnered with me, working Vice in the West End. After the shooting her parents and her friends (including her lover Alessandra Caruso) encouraged her to find a job in the department that wasn't on the front lines. The strongest voice was her father, Saul Groesbeck. His opinion carried extra weight because he served in the Cincinnati police department for thirty-five years, the last five as Chief. I never encouraged her to come back with me, but I didn't discourage it either.
In the end, it was the hunger for police work running in her veins that made her decision. She refused to heed the advice of her father and others, and rejoined me the first day she was eligible to return. She always claimed we were partners for life, and made good on that claim. I would have gladly taken that bullet for her.
Most people were fooled by Lesley's good looks and diminutive stature and jumped to the conclusion that she wasn't cut out for the rough and tumble of the West End. But I found out the contrary was true. She was all grit and determination, and always had my back. She was the best partner I'd ever had in my seven years with the department, and wouldn't have traded her for anybody.
I was elated to have her back. I beamed as she started the engine of our cruiser with a flick of the wrist of her surgically repaired arm. She smiled as she did it, seemingly without pain, but she was always good at hiding what was really going on inside. It sure seemed like the old Lesley on the outside, the same blonde ponytail tucked under her hat and the perfectly tailored uniform on her buxom frame. I was wondering if she was the same on the inside as well. She was on some pretty heavy duty pain meds and had suffered a traumatic injury. I knew she was tough, but that kind of ordeal can take down the strongest of us.
"Happy Donut?" she asked me, interrupting my weighty train of thought. It was our routine to start the day at a local donut shop owned by a Vietnamese couple located in the heart of the West End. I'd been going there since I was a cadet in the police academy and was quickly befriended by the wife of the couple, Binh Nguyen, who was affectionately known as Bea.
It was a bright sunny summer morning, and I welcomed seeing the faded "Happy Donut" sign and the line of patrons spilling out the door and onto the sidewalk. We waited our turn, and when we reached the counter Bea was there to greet us, as happy to see us and we were to see her.
"You bring partner back Max," said Bea, with a lilt in her voice, reaching across the counter to touch Lesley's arm.
"As good as new," I claimed.
"Hello Bea," said Lesley. "Long time no see."
