Honorable Death
CHAPTER ONE
“Jesus,
Kacy, it’ll be a bugger identifying this one.”
Under
normal circumstances, my partner, Dave Capello, would have had a point. The
body had washed up from the icy depths of the Chicago River near the fork of
Eleanor and Loomis, and the call had come in minutes before quitting time. Dave
had wanted to ignore it. For once, I wished I’d listened to him. A blowtorch
had been used on the face, and all the fingers were missing. The angles of the
arms and legs told me bones had been broken.
I didn’t
need the ME to tell me the identity. Nor did I need to see the small skull
tattoo above his left ankle to verify it. Kyle and I had never shared the twin
bond in life, but as I stared down at his tortured and mutilated body, I
realized a part of me was missing. I’d never considered it a vital part—until
now.
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Dishonorable Death
CHAPTER ONE
“You’ve
reached the residence of Detective Kacy Lang. I can’t come to the phone right
now because it’s Saturday. My first day off in two months, and I don’t give a
big rat’s ass who’s dead.”
Giggles
came through the line.
“Jesus,
Lang, you’re a potty mouth even on your birthday.” Dave Capello chuckled
softly. “Martha and the girls wanted to say happy birthday before they catch
the plane to visit Grandma and Grandpa.”
“Happy
birthday, Aunt Kacy.”
“Aww…
you guys are so sweet. Thank you. Have fun on your trip.”
“We
will.”
I
held the phone away from my ear as more giggles and a few squeals erupted.
“Settle
down back there!” Dave yelled. “You free for dinner? Buy you a burger?”
I
hated lying to Dave. My plans for the day were to do absolutely nothing except
wallow in misery. In my case, misery did not love company. “Sorry, partner, but
I have a date.”
“A
date? With who?”
“It’s
whom, and that falls under need to know.” I could hear Martha’s laughter in the
background. She loved it when I put Dave in his place. “You don’t need to know.
See you Monday.”
I
ended the call before he could go into full interrogation mode, picked up my
fresh cup of hazelnut coffee, and headed for my favorite spot on the back
porch. I’d spent the last hour pulling weeds and rubbing my lower back. Weeks
of work and a thousand dollars had turned the small patch into what my
psychiatrist called a meditation garden. Propping my feet on the ottoman, I
leaned back in the chair. Bastard should
have called it a chiropractor garden with all the damn weeds I have to
constantly pull.
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Justifiable Death - Now Available For Pre-Order
CHAPTER ONE
“Seriously,
Lang, you named your dog Butter?” Dave Capello rolled his eyes as I slipped
into the passenger seat and buckled my seatbelt. “What kind of name is that for
a dog?”
“He
likes it. Besides, Greg has Popcorn.” I grinned. “You know, Popcorn and
Butter?”
“Jesus.”
Dave honked the horn. “What’s taking Stevens so long?”
“I
stuck my tongue down his throat and ripped his clothes off. He’s still getting
dressed.”
“I
think I liked it better before you two started dating.”
“We’re
not dating. We’re just friends with benefits.” I turned away, so Dave couldn’t
see the laughter in my eyes. “You told me to get laid.”
Dave
switched the subject, a telling red flush creeping up his neck. “Did Park say
what he wanted?”
“No,
just that he wanted to see us first thing this morning.” Greg came out the front
door, two tiny balls of fluff nipping at his heels. “Park said he’d explain
when we got there.”
“How’s
your gut?”
I
frowned. “My gut?”
“Yeah,
your gut. Something bad coming down or just your everyday murder waiting on
us?”
Greg
climbed in the back seat and Dave backed out of the drive. My sixth sense
wasn’t kicking in, but I knew why he was asking. “I think we’re good this
time.”
“I
hope so.” Dave said. “Sick of demons and crazy serial killers.”
I
met Greg’s gaze in the rearview mirror. “Dave thinks I’m psychic.”
Greg
laughed. “Cool, give me the lottery numbers.”
It was nice to have the three of us back to normal. Greg and I were just friends at the moment. Having
his mother watch our dogs while we worked was the only benefit either of us was
getting. Greg wanted to change that, and if I were honest with myself, so did
I. The memory of the one kiss we’d shared still crept up on me at odd times,
creating a burning need I wasn’t ready to satisfy. “Relax, Dave. I don’t think
anyone is trying to kill me this time.”
“No
spooks on the horizon?”
“Can’t
promise that, partner. There’s always crazies on the horizon.”
We
finished the drive in silence, each of us lost in our own thoughts. The cases
that crossed our desk were mentally and emotionally draining, but when it
became personal it was a thousand times worse, and the last two cases had been
very personal. First, my twin brother’s murder. Then, a serial killer and his
twisted brother who almost killed the three of us. I’d only been back on the
streets a month, and it would be nice if Park had a simple case of greed or
jealousy. Something easy to solve, and understandable.
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