Chapter 13

“Jules, I’m sorry,” Sinead said as she opened up the drawer of her desk and started sorting through all the crap she had in there.

“Babe, I know it’s not your fault, but fuck you anyways,” Jules groaned as she sat down at her own desk and looked across at her partner.

Or former partner.

“I didn’t think-” Sinead started, but stopped herself and sighed. “I thought it would be both of us, not just me.”

“Yeah, well, maybe I should have let you give me a little of the credit,” Jules grumbled.

“You were being a good friend and partner,” Sinead sighed. “The best. I couldn’t have done it without you covering for me.”

“And I could have been more helpful on the actual case,” Jules said. “I should have done more with you.”

The arrests that had come out of Sinead’s deal with Marc hadn’t exactly been sweeping, but it had been surgical. Using the data Marc had dug up, and taking his hints, Sinead had been able to track down the accountant that had been behind the whole shell game scheme. This time she’d been in the room when Financial Forensics started their interrogation, and she’d even been able to lean back on her usual interrogation skills to help.

“It still should have been both of us,” Sinead said. “I need a partner for this - I can demand that they bring you over with me. I might have that leverage.”

Jules shook her head. “You’ve got some political capital now, don’t spend it on me right away. I mean, fuck you still, but you’re also you’re still my girl and I’m not letting you turn a career-maker into a dud.”

Sinead packed up her desk. When the transfer had come in she’d been excited at the acknowledgement and challenge. She would be able to see if the tiny Financial Forensics department was actually dirty or not, and she could keep chasing the Le Francais case as she worked backup for the other, actual accountants. The fact that Jules wasn’t joining her had dulled that excitement significantly, but as she filled up the cardboard banker’s box in preparation for the drive downtown she still felt a little surge at the challenge in front of her. She’d be working out of the HQ now, which made for a worse drive to work, but the opportunity she saw was huge. Most cops would have probably seen the Financial Forensics unit as a dead end, if not a punishment, but after everything just to pick up crumbs on the edges of the Le Francais criminal enterprise she was quickly realizing it was work that could really lead somewhere.

Sinead loved being a detective, and she wasn’t looking to move on any time soon, but it would be nice to stick a couple of big profile arrests in her hat if she ever did decide to try and move up the ranks.

And there was the other thing. The piece of the puzzle that she hadn’t told anyone about. Not Jules, not the Captain. She could barely think about it herself without trying to find something else to occupy her thoughts because it worried her. Deep down she knew there was a little spark of excitement that sooner than later she would need to go see Marc again.