Explosive Secrets (Texas K-9 Unit) by Hansen Valerie

Author:Hansen, Valerie [Hansen, Valerie]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2013-04-01T05:00:00+00:00

ELEVEN

“His name was Daniel Jones,” Slade McNeal told the assembled officers when they’d had a chance to examine the scene at the cemetery. “I went to his funeral about five years ago.”

Jackson had his arm around Nicki’s shoulders, much to her relief, and gave her a squeeze of support before asking, “How did he die?”

She could tell that the captain was strongly affected but didn’t fully understand why, until he explained further.

“Daniel was resisting arrest for dealing drugs. One minute I had the drop on the kid, trying to reason with him, and the next, he was waving a gun at me. I put one bullet into his thigh to stop him. A sniper finished him off before I even had a chance to cuff him.”

“I remember reading about that case,” Nicki said softly. She looked up at Jackson. “It must have happened while you were overseas. The newspapers had a field day with the story. They kept insisting it was police brutality and that the victim was just a poor, defenseless kid.” She shivered, seeing the similarities to her own life when she added, “His mother was raising him by herself.”

“That’s right,” Slade said. “And it gets worse. Daniel’s mom, Sierra, was Detective Melody Zachary’s sister. Sierra killed herself when she got the news her son had died.” He raked his fingers through his short hair. “All in all, it was a horrible mess.”

“The same Melody who’s the director of the Sagebrush Youth Center?” Nicki asked. “I didn’t know that about her. It makes sense, though. I suppose she feels she’s helping other kids, like her nephew, to stay clean.”

“Yeah.” The captain turned and addressed Jackson. “Since your patrol unit is damaged, use your ranch truck to take everybody home. We can handle this. I’ll come out to your spread tomorrow to question everyone again.”

Slade’s frown deepened. “I’ll have a few more questions for you, too, Worth. You know the drill. Please refrain from discussing this evening’s events with each other or with any outside parties.”

“Yes, sir.”

Nicki waited until Jackson had walked her back to his truck before she asked, “Are you under suspicion, too?”

“It’s just procedure.”

“He looked awfully serious,” she remarked.

“That’s understandable, considering his prior encounters with the Jones kid. Until tonight, I had no idea the captain was so deeply involved.” He paused and glanced back to where floodlights illuminated the crime scene. “I wonder...”

“What?”

“Nothing. We’re not supposed to discuss this case, remember?”

She glanced up at him. “Were you planning to talk about what happened tonight?”

“No.” Jackson was slowly, thoughtfully, shaking his head. “I was just wondering how a teenager with no money ended up in that section of the cemetery.”

“What do you mean? What’s so special about it?”

“It’s probably nothing. I’ll tell you later, after I’ve had a chance to check a few details.”

Harold overheard their conversation. “Tell her what?”

“The choice of grave sites puzzles me, that’s all,” Jackson said.

“You mean why is a poor kid buried in the Frears section? That’s easy. Lots of folks who can’t afford their own place end up in there.

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