Cherry Two

Part 16

Chapter 14

"From what I can see he looks a bit like an older Anderson Cooper," Alain said absently as they watched the movement inside the glazed office. The door bore the name and rank of the occupier stenciled on a glass pane: Salinas Police Department Chief of Detectives Anthony R. Kosenkov.

"Who's Anderson Cooper?" Calley leaned forward in her chair and craned her neck.

"Dad watches CNN. Cooper's one of the announcers. Hmm... on second thoughts perhaps not. Ignore me."

Calley prodded Alain in the side with a smirk. "I don't watch your dad's TV, silly. Tell me again: who is this man?"

Alain feigned agony at the prod. "Dad got his start with the Salinas Police Department as a rookie patrolman—this goes back almost thirty years. Kosenkov was a Detective Sergeant in those days. I was surprised to find out he hasn't retired yet; guy must be sixty-five at least. When I phoned he remembered my father right off. That said, I suspect he's a busy fellow and won't take kindly to us wasting his time. He's seeing us more out of politeness to Dad's rank than anything else."

"You said he handled Calley's murder case? Will he remember?"

Alain nodded slowly. "Absolutely. It's something else he won't have forgotten in a hurry. Somewhere in that office there's an open file gathering dust. Dad said Kosenkov wanted her killer so badly he ignored everything else. The Salinas DA at the time was a man called Hammond. Hammond almost had Kosenkov fired off the force for dereliction and obsessively wasting department resources. According to Dad the police chief stepped in and saved him... after reading the riot act. Oh yeah, Kosenkov will remember it alright."

She glanced around at the spacious department floor that bustled with activity. Every desk had a computer. Every computer had a busy operator absorbed in police business.

"Just like the TV shows," she muttered absently.

"What?"

"It's like in the American TV shows we get in England. You know—American cops on TV. The English ones don't look the same somehow. Why is that?"

Alain scrutinized her for a moment. "You're funny. Better let me do most of the talking." His head turned. "They're finishing up by the looks of it."

The office door opened, disgorging a man and woman with papers in their hands followed by Kosenkov who talked to the pair continuously as they traversed the floor to where Alain and Calley waited beside a water cooler.

"Okay, Josh, call me when you get confirmation." The slim detective stopped and turned while the two staffers kept on going.

Alain stood up, blocking Kosenkov's view of Calley. "And you must be Mr. Devereux?" Kosenkov said, offering a narrow palm.

Alain shook hands with the grey-haired man. "Detective. This is Calley Nameth."

At the introduction Calley came to her feet. Kosenkov reacted immediately. Even in tennis shoes the young girl almost reached the same height as Alain.

"Oh my Lord!" In an instant his face seemed to drain of color as he took a reflexive step backwards. "You look exactly like... I'm sorry, miss." Then he switched back to Alian, "You should have warned me."

Alain had surmised how Kosenkov would react. Calley looked a ringer for the other Calley right down to the natural hair color and curve of her mouth. She even exhibited most of the dead girl's exceptional proportions, despite a developing bust measurement that had a ways to go yet. In fairness Alain should have warned the man, but wanted to observe the sudden impact up close.