A harsh female voice answered on the third ring, "Braddock County Police. Is this an emergency?"

"Hi, Janice, it's Michaels. What's up?"

"Oh, Lieutenant," the call-taker gasped, "thank God you called. There's been a murder down at the JDC. Sergeant Hackner said to get you down there right away."

Warren swiveled his body and craned his neck to get a look at the latest skyrocket. "Look, I'm not on duty tonight. Isn't there someone else who can handle this?"

"I don't know, sir. Sergeant Hackner was very specific. He said he wanted you."

Warren sighed deeply. What the hell, he thought, the mood had been broken anyway. With his curiosity piqued, he wouldn't be able to enjoy the rest of the fireworks, even if he stayed.

"All right, Janice, but if Jed calls back in, you tell him that his lieutenant is not pleased. Also, you're going to have to send somebody to pick me up. My cruiser is completely blocked into Brookfield Park for the fireworks."

Using a county vehicle-even a take-home-for personal outings was a clear violation of procedure, for which there would be no repercussions. As it was, Warren grumped that he had to drive a cruiser at all. In neighboring jurisdictions, his position as the number-one guy in the detective division and number three in the department would have qualified him for an unmarked take-home without restriction. Braddock County's bean-counters had their own priorities, though, and ultimately, Warren had decided not to push the issue.

"Yes, sir," Janice acknowledged. "Where do you want to get picked up?"

Warren sighed again. Too many decisions on a night when he wanted to relax. "Get me at the corner of Braddock and Horner. It'll be a few minutes, though. I'm going to have to walk through this crowd to get there."