Cold Judgment (Ellie Kline Psychological Thriller Series Book 11) by Mary Stone

Author:Mary Stone [Stone, Mary]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2022-05-18T16:00:00+00:00

20

Back at her desk after her brief interlude with Clay in the breakroom, Ellie flipped through Winston “Slip” Brooks’s file with renewed optimism, but quickly grew frustrated.

Like Vincent, Slip had belonged to the Huesos. Unlike Broker, Slip had served minimal time for a couple of drug possession charges. As the officer on the scene had suggested, the man had been arrested many times, but the bigger charges never stuck. At first glance, though, there was no overlap with Vincent beyond the gang affiliation, and none at all with Broker.

Ellie thumbed through the file again, scanning each and every page. Nothing. Not a damn additional thing linking the men, beyond drug charges and the similarities in their murders. Maybe Broker, Vincent, and now Slip had fallen prey to a gangland beef after all.

She leaned back with a groan and massaged her neck. Her stomach rumbled, insisting that she check the time. The lunch hour had come and gone. Time to take a break, regroup, and give the mess one last look when she returned with a full belly. Maybe she’d give Sylvia a call and see if the journalist had cooled off any since their meeting at the diner.

The diner…mmm. Their menu had been packed with tons of delicious comfort foods. Chicken-fried steak with mashed potatoes, country gravy, homemade biscuits. Her mouth watered just thinking about all the options.

She started to rise but paused. Had Clay eaten lunch yet? In the breakroom, he’d mentioned an appointment with another detective. Her lips curled up at the corners. Their conversation had been refreshing. Lots of small talk but nothing heavy. She couldn’t wait to see the joy on Bethany’s face when he dropped by the apartment later.

And, yeah, okay, so maybe the idea of him coming over filled her with happiness too.

Ellie picked up her phone. Her thumb hovered over Clay’s name. She’d also ogled an image of hot apple pie à la mode on the menu at the diner. If Clay had already eaten lunch, maybe she could tempt him into joining her for dessert.

“Kline.” A voice from the other side of the room drew her away from her plans. “You’ve got a visitor in the lobby.”

Ellie flinched. “Who is it?”

Please, not IA again. She couldn’t take another round on an empty stomach.

“How should I know?” The officer scowled and stomped off.

Ellie resisted the urge to stick her tongue out at his back. Rude. Expecting the worst, dread wormed through her gut as she made her way to the lobby. The tension eased when she spotted Omar Vincent’s wife sitting in a plastic chair and rolling a faded blue stroller back and forth along the floor. “Hi, Lana. You here to see me?”

“Yeah.” Lana jutted her chin out and puffed her chest. “I’m ready to talk.”

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