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course.”
    “Of course. Great name, by the way,” he says with a slight grin before getting down to business. Cash is here with a couple of his Undercover Elite team members to install our security system and put the finishing touches on our cyber security measures. I was lucky that he was in town to help me get things up and running. There isn’t much his team of mercenaries won’t take on as a job and it often means going overseas to do the work.
    “Great minds think alike, right?”
    “Damn straight,” Cash says with a nod as he leans his hip against the desk. He crosses his arms over his chest as he waits to hear me out.
    I jump right in. “Looks like somebody’s leg took a walk and ended up on the riverbank just outside town. We’re heading over now to check it out. Can you keep an eye on things here and lock up if we’re not back by the time your guys leave?”
    “Absolutely. What you want me to do with the keys when I’m finished?”
    “Keep them, that’s your set.”
    “Thanks, man. Will do. Let me know what you find out, Jack, and if there’s anything you need from us.”
    “I appreciate it, Cash. Please thank the guys for me.”
    As we turn to leave, Cash’s voice stops me before we reach the door. “Be careful out there. Those streets are meaner than ever.” The unexpected warning has me wondering what Cash and the Undercover Elite team have been involved in lately. My mind drifts back to the conversation I had with Lady Luck the other night. I make a mental note to find out if she ever heard from her friend, Chineka.
    “Alright, ladies, it’s showtime.” I unlock the SUV and we all climb in. It feels good to be investigating my first case on my own terms. This is my woman’s case, officially, so I do have an in but I need to be careful not to overstep -- especially as my longtime professional peers adjust to me in my new role. I know the boys at the precinct won’t have a problem seeing me as a colleague. The chief and the public, well, that’s a different story. But I learned how to fly under the radar a long time ago so I’ll use those skills as I figure out how this new gig is gonna work.
    “Fill me in on the details.” Though my eyes are on the road, my partner knows I’m addressing her.
    “I got a call this morning that a guy who was fishing on the riverbank and found a severed human leg in the brush. It freaked the poor guy out. He called 911 and they called me.”
    “That would make for one hell of a gory morning.”
    “You aren’t kidding. God only knows what that river has seen over the years, and what secrets it still holds.”
    “Yeah, I’m sure the general public would be horrified if they knew about the weapons and body parts that have been disposed of in that murky water.” I check my rearview mirror to make sure Max is taking notes and, sure enough, she is.
    We pull in next to the muddy riverbank and I know I’ll need to wash my baby after we’re done here. I’m talking about my SUV, of course, but with any luck I’ll be washing my other baby too. Crime scenes can be a messy business and Valerie has never shied away from getting down in the mud and the muck to get the job done. One of the many things I love about that woman.
    The crime scene unit is already here and I scan the crowd quickly to see if I know who’s in the standard white van this morning. The coroner is there and I’m relieved when I see it’s Herb Foster, a longtime friend and colleague. So far, so good.
    We get out and I cringe as we trudge through the soft earth. Valerie catches me and rolls her eyes heavenward. Hey, I don’t want this crap in my SUV. I should hire someone to detail it regularly. I make a mental note to see if Max knows anyone we can hire from the local college to do maintenance work, kind of a Jack of all trades.
    “Well, well, well, Jack is back.” Herb looks up at me from where he’s kneeling as he studies the severed leg that’s causing the uproar this morning.