“Listen,” he started again. “That’s what I was gettin’ ready to tell ya’. With Bee-Bee runnin’ the show, there’s not a hell of a lot I can do.”

“Who’s Bee-Bee?” I asked, shaking my head. “I thought somebody named Albright was in charge.”

“That’s Bee-Bee. Bible Barb,” he explained. “Lieutenant Barbara ‘fuckin’ holier than thou’ Albright.”

“But, I thought you were running this investigation,” Felicity said.

He shook his head. “I’m just the investigating officer of record for the original case.”

“Well doesn’t that carry any weight?” I asked.

“For gettin' me outta bed in the middle of the night, maybe, but that’s about it. It’s pretty simple. She lieutenant, me lowly detective, and that’s the size of it.”

“Banned?” I repeated again.

“Yeah, Row. Banned.”

“Aye, but you seemed to be running things before,” Felicity interjected.

“Yeah, well it doesn’t usually happen that way. It did then, but only because I was originally assigned the case, and the powers that be gave me some breathing room.”

“So why aren’t they now?” I asked.

“Well, let’s see…” He rolled his eyes and huffed out a breath. “For starters, the lieutenant I reported to with the Major Case Squad retired.”

“And this Albright woman is the replacement?” my wife half asked, half stated.

“Exactly.”

“Correct me if I’m wrong,” I posed, “but I was under the impression that lieutenants were basically management and that they didn’t get that directly involved in investigations.”

“Yeah, pretty much,” he agreed with a nod. “But not always. Some of ‘em get involved. As it happens, Bee-Bee is a real hands-on, stir-the-shit type.”

“So can’t you go over her head?” I pressed.

“Not really. I dunno if you missed it, but in the past year we’ve gotten a new mayor and a new police chief in the city.”