After the press conference ended, the reporters came toward the podium as if to get a juicy off-the-record comment, but Lee only thanked them all and ushered Jordan and Spencer back behind closed doors.

She waited for Spencer to leave before she turned to Lee. “You’re taking this case from me, Captain Lee?” Jordan asked.

Annoyance and hints of regret flashed on his features. He did not want a fight. “It’s better for all of us if the Rangers take over.”

“Why? You haven’t given me a chance,” she said. “We haven’t even identified the bodies.”

“You show promise, but there’s no substitute for practical experience in fieldwork,” Captain Lee said.

“Then let me work with Spencer,” she said. “We can partner for the duration of this case.”

“It’s not your case anymore, Detective Poe. Let it go.”

“That certainly would make it easy for you, wouldn’t it?” she said. “If the Rangers fail, there’s no blowback on you. If I fail, then it looks bad on you.”

“Detective Poe,” Captain Lee warned. “Don’t press this.”

“My closure rate is one of the highest in the department,” she countered.

“It’s a done deal, Detective Poe.” Captain Lee was just as stubborn, and she would have more luck beating her head against a brick wall than arguing for this case. “I understand you’re frustrated. Take the rest of the day.”

Her teeth clenched, she said, “I don’t need a break.”

“Cool off before you cross a line with me. I’m your boss.”

She was digging herself into a hole, and if it got much deeper, she would be riding a desk for the next six months. “Sure.”

When she left Captain Lee, she was furious. Christ, this was not the Dark Ages, when a female detective was an oddity. But Captain Lee was a political animal by nature, and his agenda extended far beyond her sex and this case.

“What’s the deal with the press conference?” The question came from Detective Leo Santiago. He had been transferred to homicide eleven months ago. He worked hard, was motivated to close cases, and was easy to work with.

“You saw it?”

“We all did.” Santiago had served in the marines before joining the Austin Police Department. They had the same rank, but he was several years younger. He was a paint-by-numbers guy who liked his shirts starched and ties fastened tight. He also had a perfect smile that got him the pick of the ladies.

“Then you know as much as I do,” she said. “Rangers have the case. Win some, lose some.”

“Spencer’s one of the best.”

“Let’s hope he gets justice for those women.”