Chapter 1

At the class reunion, the most beautiful girl in our class, Jessica Lane, who married into money, pointed right at me, taunting.

She said, "Sarah, what good did all that studying do for you? You're still just an auxiliary police officer at the Eastside Precinct, barely scraping by on one grand a month. So pathetic.

"Look at my husband. He's worth over 30 million, and he bought me this entire hotel."

The other classmates were all holding back their laughter, waiting to see how I'd react.

But I didn't say a word. I just smiled and raised my glass.

Later, I gave the go-ahead on the operation report.

A week later, Jessica's wealthy husband's fancy club was taken down in a massive raid.

When Jessica was brought before me, she was totally stunned.

Seeing the rank on my shoulder, she burst into tears, pleading, "Captain Winters, I was wrong. Please, we were classmates. For the sake of our old friendship, let my husband off just this once."

I put down the interrogation file and said flatly, "What does a millionaire's case have to do with an auxiliary police officer like me, who's scraping by on one grand a month?"

*****

I pushed open the heavy, intricately carved wooden door to the private room.

Under the massive crystal chandelier, Jessica sat front and center in a sparkling couture gown, commanding all the attention.

She was surrounded by our old classmates, everyone busy buttering her up with compliments.

"Oh, look who it is. Sarah." Jessica spotted me right away as I stepped in.

I kept quiet, clutching the strap of my canvas bag. I stopped at the doorway, unsure what to do.

"Come on in, what are you standing there for? Never been anywhere this upscale before? Did the fancy place freak you out?" Jessica called, waving me over. Her gold bracelets jingled as she gestured.

I kept my head down as I walked in and slipped into a seat in the corner.

As soon as I sat down, Jessica's voice cut through the room, dripping with sarcasm. " I heard you're barely getting by these days. Which precinct are you stuck at as an auxiliary police officer?"

"The Eastside Precinct. I help with paperwork and run errands sometimes," I replied quietly.

Someone couldn't help themselves and burst out laughing.

Right after, the whole room broke into loud laughter.

Jessica was laughing so hard, pointing at me and saying to everyone, "See? That's what you call fate messing with you.

"Back in school, Sarah was the top student, the teacher's golden girl.

"And now? She's just serving others and running errands, scraping by on one grand a month. She's not even a sworn officer. What a joke."

The laughter got even louder, and some people started gossiping in hushed voices. "Studying gets you nowhere. Better off marrying rich."

"Yeah, just look at Jessica. She's a wealthy noble lady now."

I kept my head down, looking embarrassed.

Truth was, my fingers were quietly tapping on the side of my canvas bag.

Inside, I had a mini transmitter hidden away.

Three long taps, one short. It was a code for: target hadn't shown, stay undercover.

I wasn't just at the Regal Club for the year-end class reunion. I was also on assignment for the State Police Station, right at the heart of Operation Ratcatcher's main investigation site.

To avoid tipping anyone off, I posed as a plain, forgettable auxiliary police officer, keeping a low profile near the target.

The class president, Ben, sensing things were getting awkward, stood up with his glass to break the ice. "Come on, guys, we're all classmates here. It's not often we get together. Let's drink and have a good time."

He grabbed a bottle of red wine to pour me a glass, but Jessica suddenly reached out and stopped him, her smile disappearing in a flash.

She said, "Ben, that's not cool.

"This wine was specially flown in from abroad by my husband. One bottle is worth Sarah's entire year's salary.

"Let her have it? That's like throwing pearls before swine. What a waste."

Jessica grabbed a half-finished bottle of beer—someone else's leftover—and slammed it down in front of me. "Sarah, drink this. It suits your status."

I looked up and forced a smile. "Thanks, Jessica. This beer works for me."

Jessica shot me a smug look, her eyes dripping with disdain. "Good, you know your place. Being an auxiliary police officer, you must be used to serving people, huh?

"Hey, go hand out the utensils. The waiters can't keep up."

She pointed at the sterilizer, treating me like her own maid.

I took a deep breath, stood up, and walked over to the sterilizer.

As I walked past Jessica with a stack of utensils, she quietly slipped out her foot and hooked my ankle with pinpoint precision.

I stumbled forward, completely losing my balance.

With a loud crash, the utensils scattered everywhere, and the steaming soup landed squarely on Jessica's dress.