I’d like to say that every day starts off sunny and happy in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., but that’s not true when you’re a cop. A detective. The only female detective in the city’s police department, and one of the five females on the force. I have to work harder than my male cohorts to prove myself, but that’s life. I chose law enforcement to help people, and I’ll do whatever’s necessary to protect and serve. The challenge makes me tough, and I know I’ll get the collar when it counts.
I don’t mean to sound cynical, because I love my job. But it’s tough out there. Lately, we’ve had a rash of hate crimes, which pierces me to the core. Name a group, and they’ve been a target—LGBTQ, Latinos, Blacks, Asians, Jews, Women. Even though the attacks aren’t directed at me, it feels personal. Maybe I’m hypersensitive because I’m biracial, and stand out in a crowd with my blonde Afro, sapphire eyes, and caramel-colored skin. But no one should worry about being assaulted because of race, color, sex, religion, sexual orientation or nationality.
Sorry, I’m getting off track. I must be in a sour mood today. There’s nothing like waking up with an aching left hip. It’s got a bullet fragment in it from a skirmish with a drug dealer last year. This was my first serious injury after ten years on the force, so I’m lucky, I guess. It hurts most mornings, but when it rains. . .yowza! My pain level shoots through the roof. Stretching helps, and surgery would fix the problem, but who’s got the time when there’s crime to solve and meds to ease the pain, right?
But, let’s look on the bright side. It’s another day for my partner, Zander Pulaski, and me to kick some ass on the streets. Our beat is the City of Poughkeepsie, and we try to insure the safety of the forty thousand souls living here.
Besides the hate crimes, there’s been an uptick of bizarre homicides lately. I’ve never seen anything like it. Presently, our department is investigating a high school teacher named Terrence Butterfield, who murdered a teenager trespassing through his yard. Totally random, except he was my high school history teacher. Weird, right? Because of the potential conflict of interest, Zander and I begged off the case, and I tried to warn my best friend, Jessie Martin, to stay clear of the situation, too.
Did Jessie listen to me? No way. Out of a strange loyalty to Butterfield, Jessie became mixed up in the case as an accessory-after-the-fact. The defense attorney is also alleging she breached her attorney-client privilege due Butterfield. He’s accusing Jessie of reporting the murder to the police after Butterfield confided in her about his crime. Thanks to Jessie, the most newsworthy, shocking homicide in our history could be dismissed. It pisses me off that she ignored my advice, but Jessie has always been headstrong. Plus, she’s seven months pregnant and should be taking better care of herself and her baby.
Today’s Saturday, and our shift is 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. When we’re done investigating the break-ins, robberies, drug deals, and assaults on tap, I plan to see my younger sister, Carly. She’s the Assistant Medical Examiner for Dutchess County. It’s crazy how we’re both drawn to the criminal justice system, while our folks are college educators and administrators.
We’re planning a thirty-fifth anniversary party for our folks. Our dad wants a big blowout bash, but mom wants to keep it small. Only the immediate family. Carly and I are caught in the middle, but dad insists mom deserves to be in the spotlight. I think he’s blowing all the cash he’s saved up for our weddings, which ain’t gonna happen anytime soon.
I’ve got a live-in partner, Drew Johnstone, but we’re not ready for marriage. Maybe we won’t ever be. Drew’s a firefighter and our lives are much the same as our relationship, fluid. We love each other, but when duty calls, we answer. We have a German Shepherd who’s like our kid. Frankly, sometimes I think Wrangler lets us live with him, rather than the opposite.
For the past few days, it’s been quiet at home, with Drew staying at the firehouse. Wrangler’s been my bed buddy, and I don’t have the heart to kick him off, even though he snores worse than Drew.
At least with Drew being on duty, I don’t feel guilty about this Saturday shift. I hope it’s a quiet, but with Vassar, Marist, The Culinary Institute of America, and Dutchess Community College in session, I never know what I’ll find at the station after the Friday night house parties. I should know since I was a big offender back in the day when I played on the Marist basketball team.
Well, I’ve got to split now. I’m going to grab my black leather motorcycle jacket, which cost me a month’s pay, and jog the three blocks to work. I can smell the stale coffee from here.
The Midnight Call, A Queen City Crimes Mystery #2
Genre: Legal Thriller
Release: September 2022
Purchase Link
Who would ever suspect that their mentor, teacher, and friend is a cold-blooded killer?
Attorney Jessie Martin didn’t–at least not until she answers the midnight call.
Late one August night, Jessie’s lifelong mentor and friend–and presently a popular, charismatic, and handsome high school teacher–Terrence Butterfield calls. He utters a startling admission: he’s killed someone. He pleads for Jessie’s help, so out of loyalty she rushes to his aid completely unaware that she’s risking her relationship, her career, and her life–and that of her unborn child–to help Terrence.
Does Jessie’s presence at Terrence’s home implicate her in the gruesome murder of the teenage boy found in the basement? Why does Terrence betray Jessie when he has a chance to exonerate her of any charges? Has he been a monster in disguise for all these years?
To reclaim her life and prove her innocence, Jessie must untangle the web of lies and reveal the shocking truths behind the homicide. This quest turns out to be the fight of her life: to preserve everything and everyone she holds dear.
Meet the author
Jodé Millman is the acclaimed author of Hooker Avenue and The Midnight Call, which won the Independent Press, American Fiction, and Independent Publisher Bronze IPPY Awards for Legal Thriller. She’s an attorney, a reviewer for Booktrib.com, the host/producer of The Backstage with the Bardavon podcast, and creator of The Writer’s Law. Jodé lives with her family in the Hudson Valley, where she is at work on the next installment of her “Queen City Crimes” series due out in Spring 2023—novels inspired by true crimes in the region she calls home. Discover more about Jodé, her work, and sign up for her newsletter at jodemillman.com.
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