Never Say Never: An Urban Crime Thriller by Larue' Toni

Author:Larue', Toni
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2022-08-19T00:00:00+00:00

17

DETECTIVE EDDIE BROWN

Eddie Brown let himself into his one-story home, hung his keys on the hook, adhered to the wall next to the front door, and removed his shoes in the designated area, before he dared to step on the carpet. The words mental exhaustion couldn’t even explain what he was feeling now. The day materialized a plethora of feelings: frustration, sadness, anger, empathy. Now he felt numb.

The soft glow of the overhead stove light made his path visible as he headed down the hall to the master bedroom where he made a beeline to the attached bathroom. He turned on the shower, letting the water warm while he stripped out of his clothes.

The stream from the shower head pounded his back like a masseuse, feeling like millions of fingertips kneading the knots of stress away and washing it down the drain.

The shower made him feel better, but it wasn’t long before reality set in and thoughts of Angela created new tension knots in place of the old ones.

He stepped into the bedroom. The bedside lamp turned on, casting an angelic glow around the beautiful woman in his bed.

“You alright?” Alicia asked.

Eddie sat down on the edge of the bed, back toward his wife, and rubbed his neck. “I’m good.” He coughed to camouflage the quiver in his voice. “Go back to sleep.”

“What time is it?”

“After eleven.”

"Let me get up and make you something to eat," she said.

"I’m not hungry. Don’t worry about it, Alicia.”

“Really, it’s fine. I've been sitting on my ass all day. It's no big deal."

He didn’t respond, although he had much to say. Unspoken words filled up inside him like water overflowing a bathtub.

“You okay, babe?”

He sensed her movement as she walked around to his side of the bed. With each footstep, his throat tightened. His hands shook. His shoulders trembled.

“Eddie, what’s wrong. What happened?”

Alicia reached out and settled her hand on the curve between his neck and shoulder, rubbing him tenderly. “Baby, is it something with the case?”

Unable to speak, he nodded his head.

“What happened?” Pain was in her voice. He didn’t want to bring her this stress, not while she was pregnant. The guilt he would face if she went into labor, and something happened to his other child.

His child.

Angela.

Angela was dead.

“She’s gone,” he said, letting the answer hang in the air.

“I don’t understand. Who is gone?”

“Ang…Ange…Angela.”

The bed sank as Alicia sat next to him. “What do you mean she’s gone?”

Eddie wiped his tears. “She fucking gone,” he screamed. “She’s dead. Somebody killed her. Somebody killed my fucking child.”

Sleep didn’t come to Eddie that night. He lay in his bed, on his side, spooning Alicia with his arm protectively wrapped around her belly. Angela lived in his thoughts. He wasn’t the perfect father. Technically, he was barely a father, but he loved his daughter, and his pain was real.

Eddie made a promise to himself that night. He hadn’t been there for Angela in life, but damn sure would come through for her in death.

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