AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Weeat burritos on the couch,” I chuckle. “Don’t lecture me now, Chief.”
“I had a home cooked meal tonight.” She makes a noise in the back of her throat, a pleasure filled rumble I know comes only when she finds her ultimate comfortable position before sleep. “Steak and salad. And these delicious little scalloped potatoes.”
“Mmm. Mary makes the best potatoes.”
“If I could stand having people in my home more, I would totally ask for a Mary.” She smacks her lips, her words growing slower. Softer. “I won’t, since people annoy the crap out of me. But maybe, when we eventually move to the waterfalls and have all that extra space, I suppose I could get on board with someone cooking for me.”
“You like to pretend you’re low maintenance, Minnnka. But you have expensive taste. Private jets,” I joke. “Fifth Avenue apartments. Now you want a maid?”
“Fantasy planning. Not real life. Maybe the mayor has a Mary? She can stay on his property and cook in his kitchen, but double the recipe every night and deliver ours around six. That’s a compromise I could work with.
“So glad to know you can compromise. Now go to sleep, beautiful.” I set my burrito down and pick up the fluffy blue hat instead. I could have gone back to our apartment and buried my face in her pillow. But I didn’t. I chose not to. I settle for the hat instead, pressing it to my nose and inhaling her all the way to the bottom of my lungs. “I love you so much. I’m proud of you.”
“Proud?” Her voice comes out a little too energetic. A little too loud. But she falls back into her almost-asleep state easily. “Why are you proud of me?”
“For a million reasons. But right now, specifically, I’m so fucking proud of the career you’ve worked so hard for. The education you’ve received, and the power you possess when, tomorrow, your expert testimony will lock a killer behind bars.”
“I hate testifying,” she exhales. She’s not here with me anymore. Not really. “Sometimes, they sit with their counsel and look directly into my eyes. Some of them are sorry for what they did. But too many aren’t.”
ARCHER
The next morning, I stalk into the precinct and weave my way through the bullpen until I arrive at the war room Fletch and I set up long before our team was assembled. There are too many of us now, too many boxes of files, too many opinions, and not nearly enough room to stretch our arms.
Which means our squad runs out of a boardroom now, with crappy leather chairs and an uncomfortable table one might find in a Fortune 500 office… well, except for the melamine finish on ours and the chairs with torn leather, scratching our thighs.
That boardroom is where we have to be, but for right now, before everyone else arrives, I take myself back to our humble beginnings, pushing the door wide and stepping in to find Fletch had the same idea.
He turns from the board and lifts his chin when our eyes meet.
“Hey.” He jerks a thumb toward the table and a pair of to-go coffee cups. “Got you fuel, since you got me last time.”
“Appreciate it.” I set two file boxes on the table and pick up both coffees instead, weighing them to find the fuller one. Figuring out which is mine, I set Fletch’s down and bring the steaming cup to my lips. “Been here long?”
“Five minutes.” He tacks a picture and a name to the board. Both of which I recognize. Neither, though, belongs to our perp, considering they belong to a guy currently taking up residence over in Leavenworth. “Not surprised you came here before you went to theboardroom.”
“This is where we think best.” Tugging out a chair and plopping my ass down, I check the clock on the wall and know, already, Minka will be in the courthouse. That three-hour time difference means her world starts far, far sooner than mine. “Mia get off to school okay?”
“Yeah. Penny’s taking her today, then they’re heading over to the aquarium for an afternoon thing. We’re pulling long hours on this one, and I don’t want my baby sitting at home with nothing to do.”
“How’s Penny handling life now that she’s not required full time for Mia? Is she pissy about the pay cut?”
“Nah. She’s about thirty years past retirement age. I think she hangs with my baby because she likes it. The money is extra.” He spins and glances toward the boxes I took home last night. “Solve our case yet?”
“No. But I noticed Mercer and Wright were on record as arresting officers for this dude, Jerry Roone. His case interests me.”
He grabs his coffee, folding one arm across his torso, and considers. “Okay. What about Jerry Roone?”
“Small to mid-level drug runner. Had a reputation for dealing pills mixed with fentanyl. One too many O.D.s connected to him, which is when Mercer tracked him down. Went to a shootout, because Roone didn’t like the idea of iron bars and slop for lunch. Roone took a slug in the belly, but survived and currently spends his time playing chess in Lompoc.”
“So if he’s in prison, you’re gonna need to work harder to convince me he’s our perp.”
“Didn’t say he was. I said he’s interesting. His brother, Maxwell Roone, has a reputation for black-market arms dealing. He’s spent more than half his adult life behind bars. But his current residential address is right here in Copeland.”
“Big brother Maxwell is settling the score with our vics, payback for popping Jerry?”
I cross one leg over the other, resting my ankle on the opposite knee. “It’s an angle worth investigating.” Then I nod toward the board. “Casey Steele. I know for a fact that asshole is in Leavenworth, so why is his name on our board?”
“Because, just like Maxwell, Casey is known to run firearms around Copeland. In fact, that’s partially why he’s in prison. Turns out, Wright and Mercer were on the squad that put him away. I see our vics, and I see guns… makes me wanna take a closer look.”
