Read Irrefutable for Free Online Page A

rumors through the squad. At first, most of the guys weren’t comfortable with a woman in their midst. They didn’t like the idea of having to walk on eggshells. The Violent Crimes Unit was after all, a man’s world. But, as they became used to her presence, she was more like just one of the guys, at least as far as her sexuality was concerned.
    Much to his chagrin, Alex had been designated as her mentor. At times, he felt like he was stuck in some cliché, low budget movie about an old detective and a rookie cop. The only difference was he wasn’t retiring in a week.
    “Mendez!” Lt. Phelps called from his office door.
    “Right here.” Alex shouted back, without getting up. “What does he want?”
    “School nurse called. Your girl sprained her ankle, may need an x-ray.”
    “Great.” Alex groaned, sliding his hands down either side of his face.
    “Want me to go with you?” Samuels asked.
    “No, I think I can handle it.”
    Alex welcomed the break, but hated that it was at Carmen’s expense. Samuels was well intentioned, but the intensity of her enthusiasm to learn began to grate on him. He was in no mood to explain, in detail, every thought process that had become second nature to him. He grabbed his blazer from the back of his chair and hurried out the door before she could follow.
_________
     
    Rachel sat in front of the desk of Raymond Greer, the general manager of Cypress Village Lexus/Mercedes Benz. As a deputy District Attorney, Rachel had a team of investigators, but she was a hands-on kind of woman. “When did you first learn of the compromise?”
    “Our finance manager noticed it on Thursday. That’s when he called you.” Greer said. “We’ve never had anything like this happen before.” He stood from his chair and moved to sit on the edge of his desk. “We just installed new security software in our network.” He obviously had a better view of Rachel from here. He scanned up and down her body as he spoke. His eyes came to rest on her exposed lower legs. His not so subtle grin signaled his approval.
    Rachel was an attractive woman. Her brown, shoulder length hair, gracefully framed the striking features of her face. Her high, slightly prominent cheekbones, inherited from her grandfather, a pure Seminole Indian, gave her an exotic look. But, even this angelic face couldn’t keep Greer’s attention.
    “Mr. Greer, I’m up here.” Rachel said, snapping her fingers.
    “I’m sorry,” he said as he looked up, “but, you’re just an eyeful. Most of the ladies we see in here are, well…plastic, if you know what I mean.”
    “Thank you.” Rachel casually pulled the top of her blazer closed. “I need to see personnel files. I need to know if anyone has any special computer skills.”
    “As far as I’m aware, we don’t have anyone with that kind of knowledge,” Greer said, “We had the security programs installed by a tech company.”
    “What’s the name of the company?”
    “I.T.S. Solutions, I believe, out of Tampa.”
    “And when was that?” Rachel took notes in a spiral notebook.
    “Six weeks, maybe a couple of months ago.”
    “Do you have a work order or invoice? I’ll need a copy.”
    “I’m sure we do, I’ll get one of the secretaries to find it.”
    “Is everyone here?” Rachel said, signaling that she was ready to begin the interviews.
    “I asked everyone to be here at eight, so they should be.”
    The two of them made their way to the break room where the employees were waiting.
    The room was filled with chatter. Members of the sales staff were gathered around the three small tables, in their own clique, discussing the possible meaning of this meeting. The service staff was mostly standing along the counter that spanned the far side of the room, some working on their second cup of coffee. A whistle came from somewhere among the sales staff as Rachel entered. The division of the classes struck her as obvious, but with the blatant sexist behavior from the sales