Deadly Obsession by John C Dalglish

Author:John C Dalglish [Dalglish, John C]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2016-03-31T22:00:00+00:00

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On their way back to the precinct, Jason’s stomach notified him he’d been neglecting to eat. Vanessa had calmed down some, but only a little. Nevertheless, Jason’s partner could always eat. “You hungry, Layne?”

“Now that you mention it, yes.”

“Me, too. Stumpy’s?”

“You always know how to make me feel better, don’t you?”

Jason laughed. “You’re not hard to figure. Food usually does the trick!”

They parked, headed inside, and ordered their food—pulled pork for Vanessa, smoked brisket for Jason—then found a seat in the back. They had just sat down when Jason’s phone rang.

“Detective Strong.”

“Hi, Detective. This is Tom Brewer.”

“Hey, Tom. Did you get settled?”

“Yeah. I decided to get Morgan out of the city.”

“Sounds like a good idea.”

“We’ve checked in at a hotel on Canyon Lake.”

“That’s a nice area. Which one?”

“Holiday Lodge, room 303.”

“Perfect. We’ll be in touch with any news.”

“Detective?”

“Yes?”

“I’ve postponed Sally’s funeral until Noah is out of the hospital. I thought you should know.”

The mere mention of a funeral pushed Jason’s thoughts immediately to John Patton. “I appreciate that.”

Jason hung up, meeting Vanessa’s stare. “Brewer took his daughter up to Canyon Lake.”

“That was a great idea.”

“Yeah. He also said he’s postponed his wife’s funeral until after Noah is out.”

Jason could see the impact of the last statement on his partner was similar to his own. Vanessa’s eyes turned misty and she looked out the window. “It’s gonna be so hard.”

“I know. I’ve tried to not think about it as much as possible, but there’s no way to avoid the reality of what lies ahead in the next few days.”

Their food arrived, and grateful for the distraction, they dug in. They were almost finished when Jason spotted another Stumpy’s regular. Coming directly across the crowded dining hall, Devin James pulled a chair up at their table. “Hey.”

Vanessa, her mouth full, touched two fingers to her forehead. Jason was wiping his hands on a wet-nap. “Hi, Devin. How’s it going?”

“Same ol’ thing.”

“Us, too.”

The long-time crime reporter was more subdued than normal. “Listen, I haven’t seen you two since… Well, I just wanted you both to know how sorry I am about John.”

Jason was genuinely touched by the newsman’s sincerity. The captain and James were never on good terms, and at times their relationship had been downright hostile, which forced Jason to serve as intermediary. “We appreciate it, Devin.”

“There’s something else...”

Jason waited.

“I’m writing a tribute to Captain Patton on behalf of the paper and the City of San Antonio. It will run the day after the funeral.”

Jason was surprised, but Vanessa was speechless. She reached out and touched Devin’s arm. “That means a lot, Devin.”

The reporter stood, perhaps embarrassed slightly, and smiled. “Well, I’m not gonna get fed yapping at you two, so I’ll talk to you later.”

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